Best Case under $150

[garritynet]

I prefer the HAF 922 and I have seen it for 80ish.

 

[modestninja]

I visited MicroCenter yesterday and checked out some of the cases mentioned. I wasn't sold on any of them, but of all of them they had there, I liked the ATCS 840 the most. They didn't have the 690 II advanced though so I didn't get a look at it. After seeing the HAFs IRL, I don't think I'll be going with them since I prefer a little less bling.

After doing some reading on the ATCS, I've really like what I've read about the Silverstone FT02 and I may just throw my budget out the window if I can sell the wife on it. We'll see how that goes.

Has anyone had experience with both the ATCS and FT02? What are the pro/cons of each in relation to each other?

Cheers!

 

[Dasda]

If you are expanding your budget then give the Silverstone Raven series a look. They are newer than the fortress and I prefer them over fortress.

 

[garritynet]

Honestly I always buy the case last. Make sure you can afford everything else you want first and then spend whats left over on the case. Would suck to spend $200+ on a case and suddenly end up not quite being able to afford a 5870.

The CM690 is a solid case that is reasonably priced.

Do whatever makes you happy but if you think you may have to sell the wife, sell her on the nice video card(5970) and get a quality case without going all out.

 

[nitromullet]

I visited MicroCenter yesterday and checked out some of the cases mentioned. I wasn't sold on any of them, but of all of them they had there, I liked the ATCS 840 the most. They didn't have the 690 II advanced though so I didn't get a look at it. After seeing the HAFs IRL, I don't think I'll be going with them since I prefer a little less bling.

After doing some reading on the ATCS, I've really like what I've read about the Silverstone FT02 and I may just throw my budget out the window if I can sell the wife on it. We'll see how that goes.

Has anyone had experience with both the ATCS and FT02? What are the pro/cons of each in relation to each other?

Cheers!

You obviously tend to have more expensive tastes, and seem to like a more understated look.

Given your tastes, I'd recommend a LIAN LI PC-A71F. I think it meets every single one of your criteria (except budget). Plus, with Lian Li you have access to lots of accessories, so your case is upgradeable.

I remember when the ATCS 840 was all the rage few years ago... They had one set up at Fry's, and while there are some pretty cool ideas in that case, the build quality compared to a Lian Li is crap.

Also, LanCool is not Lian Li. Yes Lian makes them, but they are their entry level steel case. A "true" Lian Li case is all aluminum. The LanCools aren't bad cases by any means, but don't judge Lian Li by LanCool.

I've owned several Lian Li cases (the Rocketfish in my sig is a re-branded Lian Li), and IMO the only case to rival Lian Li right now is the Corsair 800D. The HD cage on the 800D is a little cheapy, but the rest of the case makes up for it. Since windows aren't your thing, you might want to wait until the Corsair 700D (announced today) makes it to the market because it's basically an 800D minus the window, hot swappable HD bay, and about $50.

 

[modestninja]

You obviously tend to have more expensive tastes, and seem to like a more understated look.

Given your tastes, I'd recommend a LIAN LI PC-A71F. I think it meets every single one of your criteria (except budget). Plus, with Lian Li you have access to lots of accessories, so your case is upgradeable.

I remember when the ATCS 840 was all the rage few years ago... They had one set up at Fry's, and while there are some pretty cool ideas in that case, the build quality compared to a Lian Li is crap.

Also, LanCool is not Lian Li. Yes Lian makes them, but they are their entry level steel case. A "true" Lian Li case is all aluminum. The LanCools aren't bad cases by any means, but don't judge Lian Li by LanCool.

I've owned several Lian Li cases (the Rocketfish in my sig is a re-branded Lian Li), and IMO the only case to rival Lian Li right now is the Corsair 800D. The HD cage on the 800D is a little cheapy, but the rest of the case makes up for it. Since windows aren't your thing, you might want to wait until the Corsair 700D (announced today) makes it to the market because it's basically an 800D minus the window, hot swappable HD bay, and about $50.

I did look at the A71F and the major problem I see with is the door opens the wrong way for the desk that I have and can't be switched... Otherwise, I definitely like it. If that's what the 700D is supposed to be, I might wait around for it to be released since I liked most things about the 800D except the window and the price. I'm not sure I can wait until April though since I'll be building my new PC before then and don't really want to install it in my current case since despite it's massive size, I'm not sure a modern video card will fit in there if I want to have a hard drive.

 

[nitromullet]

I did look at the A71F and the major problem I see with is the door opens the wrong way for the desk that I have and can't be switched... Otherwise, I definitely like it. If that's what the 700D is supposed to be, I might wait around for it to be released since I liked most things about the 800D except the window and the price. I'm not sure I can wait until April though since I'll be building my new PC before then and don't really want to install it in my current case since despite it's massive size, I'm not sure a modern video card will fit in there if I want to have a hard drive.

Well, if you like the Lian Li style but a specific case doesn't quite meet your needs, you might want to check out more of their cases to see if they have something that does.

They tend to build their cases in a fairly modular fashion so they will have say three cases with the identical interior and basic layout, but maybe have a different front panel. Take the PC-A70F-B for example, it's basically an A71F without the door and some blue fans... you get the picture.

 

[Bushwicktrini]

Coolermaster HAF 932 - Full Tower

I just got this case this week and I have to give it my vote. dropped my temps by about 20c on my 4870x2

 

[shaolin95]

HAF932....anything fits in there!