Which of these three cases?

[t3hmuffinman]

I'm looking to build my own computer, and I have done a tiny bit of research on cases, and these three cases caught my eye in particular:

Antec P160 - $130 Retail

CoolerMaster Wave Master - Retail $130

Thermaltake VA3000 - Retail $100 (w/o case window)

I was wondering what you guys thought about the best bang for the buck for each of those cases, and which one you guys would choose. I have NEVER build a computer before, so I am looking for a case that would be easy to use/put together. Right now I am leaning towards the Antec P160 because on a recent THG review of many cases, it was second next to an extremely expensive Lian Li case. So which do you guys think would be best?

thanks.

 

[amdguy10]

welll i guess ive always been a fan of antec but then again coolermaster makes great cases too but definatly check out this case it is the same antec case you wanted but just with and additional 120mm fan and a side window http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=11-129-144&depa=1

 

[t3hmuffinman]

never seen that one, thanks for pointing that out to me

 

[laurenlex]

They are probablly all good, but my next case will only have 120mm fan(s) in it. One 120 moves more air than 2 80mm fans, and much quieter.

 

[BW86]

i love the wave case, soooo nice

 

[Subhuman25]

I'd go with the Antec P-160 and add a front 120mm fan to improve cooling.
That's what I'm planning on getting to build my upcoming AMD 3500 / MSI Neo2 system.
I've always been partial to Antec cases since the 630 case I first tried.Good quality,smart engineering and not overstyled.
Thing I particularily(sp? doesn't look right lol) about hte P-160
1.Outward appearance
2.Removable MB tray
3.Side-facing HD bay
4.120mm fans
5.Easy to remove filter
6.Thumb screws
7.Materials used
8.CD/DVD/Floppy covers matching case
9.Front-Top I/O (perfect position for under-the-desk appllication)

I'm also going with the Antec 480 PSU as well because again they're good quality and last a long time.

 

[Operandi]

coolermaster

 

[Tab]

Wave

 

[BriGy86]

i like the look of the coolermaster and the thermaltake better and the thermal take you going to get about 140 CFM air flow

but with the cooler master you'll prolly get about 90(depending on what fans you use

heres the case i have except black the biege one gives you better pics

http://www.newegg.com/app/view...=11-124-032&DEPA=1

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: Operandi
coolermaster

 

[JayHo74]

if you game, get this case, http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=11-133-132&depa=1
if you want a pretty looking case w/o great cooling, get the curvalicious coolermaster case, but that case owned in the thermal benchies, a degree or so cooler than other comperable cases, plus it takes ATX boards, and not just EXTEND ATX like the cm Stacker, (wish i new to look at the mb compatibilty thing before i bought all my parts, now gotta lug that thing to the post office and rma it.)

 

[akira34]

Get the Coolermaster case. It has a removable mobo tray which will make things a hell of a lot easier when you put it together. Teh tt case doesn't have that (no in the description, and the pics don't show any way for it to be removed). The tray in the Antec is removable, but it's a pain in the ass to do (had one, used another in a customer system build, never again). Also, the aluminum in the Antec isn't the same thickness as used in the Coolermaster. I've handled both cases (as mentioned above about the Antec and also helped a friend with the CM Wave case).

You really can't go wrong with a Coolermaster case...

 

[Degrador]

Originally posted by: JayHo74
not just EXTEND ATX like the cm Stacker, (wish i new to look at the mb compatibilty thing before i bought all my parts, now gotta lug that thing to the post office and rma it.)

Once again I must point out the falseness of this statement. The stacker supports regular atx as well. Any case that supports e-atx has to support regular atx - the screw holes are in the same places!

 

[Subhuman25]

I have to ask .. How often do you remove your motherboard tray?The fact that Antec P-160 has a removable already makes it a rarity.And from the reviews I've read,there were no gripes about it's removal process.In fact it was praised as having good grips to take it out.So I have to question your reply regarding that.In fact it's ironic that this review of the Wavemaster dedicated an entire review step regarding hte problems encountered with the Wavemasters motherboard tray removal.
The Coolermaster doesn't have side-facing HD bays or case-colored 5.25"/floppy drive colors to replace the beige/black ones that come with CD/DVD/flopppy drives.Nor does it have efficient,quiet 120mm fans.
And according to reviews it's not very efficient at removing heat.
Also the 5.25" bay drives stuck out a bit too far and something about a switch having to be filed down to make the swing door fit.
Gee,no such problems with Antec's P-160 I could find.

 

[akira34]

I found that the Antec floppy covers work less than 50% of the time with drives. The times they don't work, the cover prevents the disk from ejecting fully/properly. As for the mobo tray, I found it a royal pain to pull the mobo out of the Antec case once things are installed. The Coolermaster tray, on the other hand, is a lot easier to pull out and work on the mobo. It also makes setup a lot easier when you can setup most things on the tray and then slide it in (you almost need to use a shoe-horn to get the tray back in the Antec case).

As for side facing drive mounting... Big whoop. From what I've read (and heard from other system builders) bending SATA cables is NOT a good idea. Hence the normal facing drives are better off.

Also, there are more than a few optical drives out that won't line up with the Antec's optical drive covers either. You CAN get Coolermaster branded optical drive covers that simply stick onto the drives and will match the case (available in silver and black).

Right now, I have an Antec case (as shown in my sig.) BUT, I got ALL my external drives with the black bezel so that I don't have odd ones with different color faces. When I replace this case, it will be with another black case so that I don't even need to think about the drives not matching. Although, black does go with everything, so I could go with a silver case too and it won't look all that bad.

Personally, I prefer cases that are of solid construction and work properly every time (had to RMA a defective P160 case, which made a system delivery way off of schedule). EVERY Coolermaster case I've used has been 100% right out of the box. Sadly, the same cannot be said of Antec cases.

 

[Mik3y]

my choice is with the wave master.

 

[Subhuman25]

Hmm sounds like the Wavemaster is the better deal then.Only thing is they only support 80mm fans and that truly sucks for temp. control & noise.

 

[akira34]

Vantec Stealth fans are damned near silent. I've used the 80mm and 120mm versions and the noise level is so close that I could not tell any difference. Also, Coolermaster fans are really good too. Use the ones that come with the case and add Stealth's as needed (if at all).

Whichever fans you do use, I'd get ones that come with thermal probes. Rather than using the power supply to control the fans (and trusting it's sensors) I'd go with the fan's own control.

 

[t3hmuffinman]

wow, thanks for all the input guys! i really appreciate everyone's help. just thought you guys would like to know that i am leaning towards the thermaltake window version (because it comes with 2x 120mm fans, and a 90mm side fan) or the antec 160 (cause it seems like antec makes quality cases from what other people say). I am planning on needing the fans because i will overclock (with the help of a friend) my computer once i build it. and yes, i do agree with everyone who said that the wavemaster is the sexiest case ever built, but i don't like the 80mm fans :|

thanks again for everyone's input

 

[Codyz28]

Go with the Thermaltake Tsunami! I got one ordered yesterday, only its the black one with a window

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=11-133-132&depa=0