Advice on buying a PC Case - Are used cases ok?

[zain6267]

Hi,
I've been looking for a PC case for my build and have settled on either the Bitfenix Shinobi core or the Antec one, however whilst looking on ebay I came across the used cases on ebay, and older cases such as the Antec P180, P183 and the NZXT Hush are around the 50 pound mark (My PC case budget)

SO my question is, am I better off getting a used case, and would the older cases cause any problems with a build including an i5 3570k, Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H, and a Sapphire HD 7770 Graphics Card

Thanks For any help

 

[lhikary]

i dont have any experiences with used case really so i cant help you on that one
but what i know is that the case you need to buy need to have the following
1 holes for cable mangment
2 have dust filters on the intakes
if you can put more cash to your case budget get this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133191&Tpk=thermaltake%20chaser

or if you want something cheaper get this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133197

hope i helped

 

[zain6267]

Thanks for the advice, the used cases I've seen have all those features as they are generally about 100 pound new. As for the cases you recommended, in the UK they are a bit too much above my budget.

 

[kitsunestarwind]

Used cases are fine, Just check to see if they come with the brackets and mounts/rails for HDD's if the cases use them as they are near impossible to buy separetly

 

[zain6267]

Thanks,
Would the parts fit in a Antec P183 though?

 

[risso]

If you're buying a used case, also make sure that all of the front I/O wiring is in working condition.

 

[risso]

You shouldn't have an issue fitting that stuff inside of a P183 as long as your hard drive is installed on a lower bay from where your 7770 will lineup with your PCI slot. Check out this pic to see what I'm talking about:

http://www.google.com/search?q=antec+p183&hl=en&tbo=u&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=pfoXUcuXCarriQKahYGIBw&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=1017#imgrc=HckKWeN76ZAceM%3A%3BzW-BU-Bk2Px1pM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.overclock.net%252Fattachments%252Fsilent-computing%252F88717d1227460384-updated-silent-p182-now-runs-cooler-1.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.overclock.net%252Ft%252F450450%252Fantec-antec-p183-on-their-website%252F30%3B1600%3B1200

This case shows a bigger psu, large cpu cooler, and two vgas in SLI. Notice how close the hard drive cables come to the end of the video card. Unfortunately I can't tell what kind of Nvidia cards those are. How many drives to you plan on running?

 

[zain6267]

I'm planning on running one 3.5 inch drive now, adding an ssd at a later date. So essentially I just need to keep one hard drive space free when installing my parts?

 

[risso]

Yes, based on what I see of the cases layout. Once you've installed your mobo and 7770, you should be able to tell which bay to install the drive in. Since SSD's are smaller, you'll be able to use the other bay once you're ready.

 

[lysinger]

Used cases are a fine solution. I built a 3770K autocad rev-it PC for a client. $900 in parts and a 15 year old case. ATX is ATX. It's a box with lots of empty space and the mounting points line up to this day. The case was the only thing original, everything else was brand new. Save the money, if it's too pretty someone will want to steal it. You can supplement fans if things get too toasty, but your setup should not have a need for it unless you go to a much faster video card.