Buying a case

[Dutchsemigamer]

Good day,
I'm having a little problem, I can't decide what casing to pick for my new build. The build contains:
GigaByte GA-P35-DS3L, Intel Core 2 Duo E8400, XFX GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB DDR3, Samsung SHS202N/BEBN 20x, Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro (Socket 775), Samsung Spinpoint 750GB and possibly a Cooler Master 520W Realpower Atx 2.91 depending on if the casing I will pick comes with a PSU.
Important to know is that I am trying to get a good casing for a quite low price, since I still have to buy a new monitor and my budget isn't endless. I am from the netherlands, but don't hesitate to link to newegg products or things like that.

Now, I've asked several people and I've got several opinions. A lot of people recommend the quite expensive P182. It's quite hard to get for a low price online, since all the good buys are sold out. I've been told the older P180 is quite good too, but I don't know about that. Might as well get the ~15 euro's more expensive P182.
Now, the other case that has come to my attention, is the CM 590. It looks very cool, except for the fact that it does need some extra fans. Should be doable for that price. When you say 590 you also say 690. I like that one too. Anyone able to give me some pro's and cons?

I would be very happy to get some advice. Feel free to add a new option to the list, as I am open to a lot of things.

 

[Zepper]

I like the new CM-590 better than the 690 and it costs less, but IDK whether it is available in Europe yet.

.bh.

 

[DaQuteness]

DON'T buy the Sonata, trust me, they're a pain if you have a good PC config. Sonata's are for office users. You can add a second fan but... Useless. I have a Sonata III btw...

CM 590 isn't yet available in EU but i have seen some sites that will ship it worldwide... however, i wouldn't recommend that

P182 is P180 with WC adapters, that's all. Try eyeballing some LianLi cases like PC-Vseries, PC-7 PLUS, PC-7S, all of which are incredibly well built. However, with a GTX onboard, i suggest you look for some bigger cases because i've heard of it not fitting inside most of the mid-towers. Personally, here in Europe, the best Lian-Li case you can find is the PC-A70B or BW would be better (Black with Window). It's a personally studied fact :laugh:

 

[Dutchsemigamer]

Ok, good to hear about the Sonata. Thank you for telling me that.

Well, actually, the CM 590 IS available for me. (Cooler Master CM 590 (ATX, NO PSU, Black) It is indeed cheaper than the 690, but is it better? The price is already so much lower than the P182 I originally had in my build, that a bit extra doesn't matter.
The Lian Li cases, however, cost about 150% or more than the P182. This is a bit too much for me, I am afraid.
I've just read about the P180B, but that is actually a few euro's more expensive than the cheapest P182 I can get, and my main selling site only has it in silver, which doesn't look good imho. (The 590 doesn't look as good as the 690 either imo, but at least it's not as disturbing as a flashy silver case.)
Leads me to a question; Is the 590 actually better than the 690, and how does it compare to the P182 for my current build? And could someone give me some reference on the GTX fitting or not fitting in either the P182, CM 590 or the CM 690?

Thank you in advance.

Edit: I forgot something; I have just asked the seller, it only ships with 1 80x80mm fan. I suppose that kind of sucks, how many extra fans and which ones do you recommend? I(http://www.elitebastards.com/c...7&limit=1&limitstart=3 shows a 8800GT 512 getting very warm by running Prime95 and 3DMark06)
Also, a review I have read states that the room inside the CM590 is large enough for a 8800GTX.

Edit 2: I've also heard that there are no / insufficient dust filters. My floor being a carpet might have a problem with that.. Any recommendations on how to fix that?

 

[Dutchsemigamer]

I've got the feeling I am getting quite close, right now I think I would go for a CM 590 with extra fans bought, since it only has one. Which and how many would you recommend?

 

[Dutchsemigamer]

Removed the Sonata from the list; still thinking about either the 690, the 590 or the 182.

 

[Jakeisbest]

I would recommend this I am not sure how much it would cost you in shipping though!

LIAN LI Lancool PC-K10B

or this is cheaper

LIAN LI Lancool PC-K7B


Its really well designed and great looking!

 

[Zepper]

The 590 is pretty much the same basic chassis as the 690. It lacks the top bezel, which is better for those who use the top fans and those who don't - the top bezel forced air from the top fans back into the case to some extent and I use the top of my cases for various purposes and wouldn't want to mess up the bezel. But the metal is fairly thin and the fan grill areas are easily dented. The Lancool mentioned above are nice boxes too, perhaps more sturdy metal than the 590/690 boxes. IDK what the Yeong Yang YY-5600 series cases go for over there, but they are very solid too. The 5605 would be my choice if I was buying one of them today.

.bh.

 

[Dutchsemigamer]

Lian Li's are very hard to get here. They are very expensive, too. Wouldn't the Antec P182 be a better option, if I need a quality case?
The K7B and the K10B aren't even available here. Same for the Yeong Yang cases.
Also, something that might be worth adding. I am planning on buying a new 22 inch monitor, after I get my rig. I don't have money for it yet though. Every euro I save, is 1 less I have to earn. That is why I thought of the CM590 and 690, instead of the original plan of a P182.

 

[Jakeisbest]

I think you would be very happy with the CM590 or a 690. I know I spent some money on my Antec P160 when I built my rig, however, I have not really opened the case since then except to blow the dust out every now and then.

Really as long as your pc stays cool the case is more a show of kind of thing, you know? Plus all you really need for the CM590 is 2x 120mm fans in a push pull configuration for most systems, any extra is just icing on the cake.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: Dutchsemigamer
...still thinking about either the 690, the 590 or the 182.

I'd go with the CM590.

I really like the open smokestack design and removable HD cage!

To my way of thinking, a CoolerMaster CM590 is a Lian-Li PC-A16B done right...

I've got a CM690 sitting in my garage, new in the box. Every time I think about it, I get a gag reflex!

The P182 is okay too, but the only one that does anything for me is the P182SE...

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: Zepper
The 590... lacks the top bezel...

Heh!

If it was me, I'd cut out that grill section, replace it with a window, and put some lasers inside...

 

[jdkick]

As Zepper mentioned, the 590/690 follow the same basic design. A few changes here and there, but functionally they're are quite similar and should offer about the same cooling performance (my 690 cools quite well with the three stock fans installed). I had looked at the Antec P18x cases but couldn't justify the added cost... the 690 is quiet enough for my needs and was almost half the price.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I hadn't looked closely at the CM 590 since I prefer full-tower cases [for various reasons . . . ] I've built some machines for my fam-damn-ily using two different Centurion models.

I like the design of this CM 590. All the fans are 120mm; PSU is in bottom of the case, and this makes the top-most 120mm fan(s) more effective. I think it has potential for very good ventilation, and you shouldn't even need to use the side-panel for fans.

Also -- look around for a rebate deal on this case. CM offered a Centurion in January with a $25 rebate, and the reseller cut the price to $24.99. The Centurion had previously sold for close to what the 590 sells for. In the end, we only paid shipping and state tax. [But the rebate takes about 12 weeks to come back.]