BANG FOR BUCK COMPONENTS (and why you should get them)

[Agent11]

Istar Nitro AX review at MadShrimps

I don't think Istar gets enough credit for their great cases. Read the review it is one hell of a case.. And the price can't be beat.

Newegg has it listed at $109
It was 125 shipped to oregon, ups 3 day.
I have the black version

 

[acegazda]

How much is the lowest price? I found $150 shipped. Looks like a killer server case for the $$$!

 

[acegazda]

Bump it up for a modding segment

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
I don`t care if...paying that much is rediculous.

See my point?

Probably not but thats ok...

I guess it's all relative...

I don't understand buying junk components, like Lian Li cases, Yate Loon fans, Enhance PSUs, and Arctic Cooling Freezers... but some ppl take pride in being cheapskates, I guess.

Whatever! :roll:

 

[dBTelos]

I don't understand buying junk components, like Lian Li cases, Yate Loon fans, Enhance PSUs, and Arctic Cooling Freezers... but some ppl take pride in being cheapskates, I guess.

How do you consider those "junk"? Lian Li cases, made with great think material, have a sleak, smooth look, and are about $100 for a decent case. Yate Loon fans, slightly over priced, but if you catch a deal they're great and very quiet. Enhance PSUs, great quality PSUs, they are essentialy the same as a Silverstone Element or Strider, and at a low price. AC Freezers, great if you arn't doing very heavy OCing, and are fairly quiet if you want that also.

 

[acegazda]

vin your idea of a high quality case is the mountain mods ufo-u2... and that's the only one! perhaps I'll include that in the "modded" segment...

 

[AntiStatic]

Originally posted by: VinDSL

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
I don`t care if...paying that much is rediculous.

See my point?

Probably not but thats ok...

I guess it's all relative...

I don't understand buying junk components, like Lian Li cases, Yate Loon fans, Enhance PSUs, and Arctic Cooling Freezers... but some ppl take pride in being cheapskates, I guess.

Whatever! :roll:

My Lianli case cost more than whatever you are rollin with and it looks better too.

 

[imported_zeddex]

Originally posted by: krotchy
Nice, but I would use the LL PC-201 for the high end server recommendation,

Erm, not to break anyone's balls or anything, but since when are regular cases used for "high end" servers?

Oh and just for the record, all you US guys talking about 100$ Lian Li cases...I HATE YOU! Not because I particularly like Lian Li, but I don't think I could get a Lian Li sticker for 100$ here in Spain. Gah! 129 Euro for a Seasonic S12 500W yesterday, what would that cost there? /cry

 

[dBTelos]

$110 USD.

 

[piasabird]

I love the doors. They block the noise.

 

[acegazda]

Originally posted by: piasabird
I love the doors. They block the noise.

it's all personal opinion, IMO, doors are great. As pointed out by some people, the purpose of my OP is to state some facts. You are welcome to speculate and express opinion in the thread though!

As for the high end server question, I figure most users building a workstation won't look into something like an IBM tower, they'll want something that looks slightly nicer (lian li's look a lot nicer)

 

[Iron Woode]

For my budget HTPC I bought an Antec SLK1650B.

I didn't want anything fancy and wanted better airflow than my old case. The 350W PSU was replaced with my 450W version.

The case works fine and is very quiet. To me, this is a good bang for the buck. As was my Arctic CoolingCopper Silent 3 HSF.

 

[acegazda]

I think the only thing I would change about that slk1650b is the 80mm front intake bracket. The slk3000b has the potential for another 120mm fan. Looks like the same case otherwise, and includes a psu that's OK for a barebones system.

 

[acegazda]

bump?

 

[Eska]

this thread lacks Centurion 5.. tsk tsk tsk..

 

[evonitzer]

So what about the Antec P-150 and Solo. Is there any difference between them besides color? I like the idea of a quiet case in a simple design, instead of the full blown P-180. Although the 150 costs more than the 180, for some silly reason.

I own the 180, so don't think I dislike it. When recommending a case for beginners, however, it is not at the top of my list

 

[acegazda]

Eska: Who are you to tsk at me? You have 13 posts. I put the centurion 531 on there b/c it has 12cm fans instead of a 9cm intake fan. Better value.

evonitzer: The p150 is kinda expensive for what you get, it looks nice, but the slk3000b gives you almost as much for 1/2 the price.

 

[evonitzer]

So what about the difference between the 150 and Solo. Cause there is a large difference in price. I like the appearance of these 2, and that figures in largely when purchasing a case. There is a psu with the 150, but beyond that I mean.

Also, I know a lot of people that have the SLK3000B, and I wish to be at least a smidgen deviant.

 

[acegazda]

Oh, sorry for misunderstanding your question. To tell you the truth, the only difference between the two is that the p150 comes with a 430w neohe. That and the piano black coating on the solo... both are the same exact cases though.
There is no denying that the solo is a good looking case, but for the $81 you pay, I'd recommend for you the lian li pc7b+2 which fluctuates between $90-$100.

 

[WobbleWobble]

Originally posted by: evonitzer
So what about the difference between the 150 and Solo. Cause there is a large difference in price. I like the appearance of these 2, and that figures in largely when purchasing a case. There is a psu with the 150, but beyond that I mean.

Also, I know a lot of people that have the SLK3000B, and I wish to be at least a smidgen deviant.

To add to what acegazda said, the P150 comes with a Antec NeoHE 430W PSU, is white and comes with optical drive covers. The Solo doesn't come with a power supply, is black and doesn't come with optical drive covers.

One compelling feature of the P150/Solo is the ability to suspend your HDDs. This makes a huge difference in overall case noise.

 

[Mr Smiley]

Originally posted by: acegazda
Eska: Who are you to tsk at me? You have 13 posts. I put the centurion 531 on there b/c it has 12cm fans instead of a 9cm intake fan. Better value.

Actually Im going to side with eska on this one. Iv built 2 comps with the centurion 5. They are really solid cases. It has great airflow and everything I need. Some cons are that it is a bit small and it has an open case type design which causes it to be less silent than other cases. These cons can be viewed as pros though... I don't like my cases to be 4 feet tall and the open case design allows for more airflow. Also the case can be bought for $45...
Personally, I would never spend more than $75 on a case. The best Bang for your Buck case would definitely go to the centurion 5 IMO.

 

[acegazda]

The centurion series as a whole is a great line... to avoid anger, let's just generalize it as the centurions. The difference between each is mostly style, but like I said, the 531 and 534 have 12cm fan(s) instead of 12cm and 8cm fans.

 

[avi85]

I agree with acegazda, I personally went for the 534 over the other models specifically because it has 2 12cm fans.

 

[acegazda]

bump for some info added