Is there any consensus 'king' of cases right now?

[MrMatt]

Building a new gaming system and I'm looking at cases, there's so many to choose from. Irregardless of price, is there any widely acknowledged case that is far and above the best? I guess quietness is my big thing, if that helps narrow it down.

 

[aigomorla]

There is no prebought uber case.

A case which is meant for watercooling is not meant for air cooling and vice versa.

The uber case, is a raw case, and then you MOD it to the uber case.

 

[kranky]

I think it's like cars - buyers want different things so no one model could please everyone. Some want big and light and cheap and sacrifice quality. Some want cheap and light and top quality so they can't have a big one. Side windows - some love them, some hate them. Fans on top irritate me, other people like them.

The power search at newegg can help narrow things down for you.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Irregardless

*eye twitch*

 

[CurseTheSky]

There's no one "best" case. All cases excel in some areas and fail in others. Things like asthetics are also a matter of opinion, so while one person may think a case looks excellent (and thus rank it higher), another may think it looks horrible.

For style, the TJ07 gets my vote.

For cooling, the Antec 1200 / CoolerMaster HAF 932 gets my vote.

For price / performance, the Antec 300 gets my vote.

For silence, the Antec P182 / P183 (with fans on low) gets my vote.

For overall build quality, various Lian-Li cases get my vote.

For features, the Corsair 800D gets my vote.

I could go on...

 

[RockinZ28]

Guess the Corsair 800D gets my vote, and my money. Just finished my rebuild in the case and added a WC loop. I thought the fans the case came with would be kind of loud, but they are very quiet to go along with the ones I bought for the rad as well.

 

[Corporate Thug]

another vote for the 800d.

best wire management I have seen on a stock case. And the hot swappable drive bays add something that almost no other case has.

 

[aigomorla]

well...the 800D would be too small for me. :X

So its not even an option on my main system.

Mountain Mods Cases gets my vote, but there ugly as hell being a box.
But setup correctly the insides are absolutely jaw breaking.

 

[Jen]

well...the 800D would be too small for me. :X

So its not even an option on my main system.

Mountain Mods Cases gets my vote, but there ugly as hell being a box.
But setup correctly the insides are absolutely jaw breaking.

always loved cubes myself and they can fit alot of different configurations whether air cooling or watercooling.

best case for myself is ones i build


Jen

 

[CurseTheSky]

always loved cubes myself and they can fit alot of different configurations whether air cooling or watercooling.

best case for myself is ones i build


Jen

Pics? Self-build cases are awesome.

 

[Zepper]

I'll go along with others and say there is NO "one true case" though the Rosewill R560x series is a heck of a good buy and does most things right. The Akasa Eclipse/Mirage boxes are pretty good all arounders too, but hard to get in the USA. Ultra used to sell a case based on the same chassis, but no more - may find one out there somewhere. There was one place selling from the original OEM of all of them, Global Win, but seemed to be pretty iffy.

.bh.

 

[Zepper]

If you want a nice big box, SVC.com has the Stacker 830 evolution on sale right now. I think it was $165. IDK whether that is a really good deal or not. Their shipping costs are usually higher than some others - but it may be an idea for you. A quick look with Froogle says this is the best price before adding shipping.

.bh.

 

[Zap]

What defines "king?" Is the most expensive "king?" Is the biggest physically "king?" Is the most wind tunnel "king?" Is the most bling "king?"

IMO there is no single case that is the be all, end all. The reason is that cases are what you see, and everyone has their opinion as to what looks good to them. The other thing is that some cases have more airflow, while others are quieter. How they rate in importance will depend, again, on the individual.

 

[DonnieT]

the only "king" thing i have to go with is sorting cases on newegg by most reviews, with an egg ratings sanity check

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

the Black Pearl for 99$ was a stellar deal
i like it better than my PC-A20
building a rig with an 800D now

 

[coreyb]

what case would be best if you were looking for cooling and dust filtration only.

 

[jvroig]

For price / performance, the Antec 300 gets my vote.

+1, Antec 300 is a great deal for its price.

 

[zerogear]

800D looks ginormous.. way too big for me.

 

[Zargon]

http://www.buy.com/prod/cooler-maste...211061785.html

pretty darn solid for 34 bucks shipped.

 

[Ksyder]

There's no one "best" case. All cases excel in some areas and fail in others. Things like asthetics are also a matter of opinion, so while one person may think a case looks excellent (and thus rank it higher), another may think it looks horrible.

For style, the TJ07 gets my vote.

For cooling, the Antec 1200 / CoolerMaster HAF 932 gets my vote.

For price / performance, the Antec 300 gets my vote.

For silence, the Antec P182 / P183 (with fans on low) gets my vote.

For overall build quality, various Lian-Li cases get my vote.

For features, the Corsair 800D gets my vote.

I could go on...

good post

 

[Radeon962]

Antec Solo

 

[ZimZum]

800D looks ginormous.. way too big for me.

It looks like you could used the interior of it to store surplus canned goods.

 

[faxon]

right now im extremely happy with my HAF932 that my sig rig is mounted in. already did some preworking for how many radiators i can mount on the thing and once im done it's gonna be pretty much stacked to the limit with the damn things. if my math is right i could fit 2 swiftech MCR360 rads in the top with push/pull fans without obstructing anything, another 240x120 rad on top, and if i use a radbox mount i can externally mount a 120 or 140 by 2 without even worrying about stability, though i might need to redrill some holes in the top for tubing since it would block the back tubing holes completely lol. in its current air cooled state it's also quite an impressive case, with a lot of room for components and wire management, but not without its modable features as well for those who would undertake as such. it's a nice case, and a good value considering it costs a lot less than similar cases from silverstone, lian li, and now of course the corsair 800D, which would have been one of my top picks if it took 5 hard drives out of the box lol

 

[Patrickz0rs]

The Corsair 800D is $289.99 at newegg LOL. Anything over $150 on a case seems idiotic unless you have extreme water cooling. But you can fit water cooling in the Haf, Scout, and even the Antec 900.

I would buy a $150 case and save the extra $140 to upgrade to better hardware.

 

[Ayah]

Antec 300. 50$ case (for air cooling) Gives you 240$ to spend on something else.