Part 1: Four Gaming Enclosures Under $50

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I prefer tolled bays for better mounting of the drives. The data is worth more to me than the case... Newer cases do look nice but are to light weight and are not that sturdy compared to older and server cases. If the metal is think then you may have a decent quality case. Thick steel and aluminum works the best in the end. Newer cases do cool better due to better options when it comes to fans and have grills but many are not as roomy. I can mount just about any card that I would like in my rust bucket including cards that max out eatx rigs (oem). So if I were asked that I could use a v56k,7900gtx duo, or a 5970 then yes I have room to spare. However it did skim on drive bays but I compensate with adapters in the 5.25 bays. Runs nice and cool to. Managed to get a 8800gtx down to 30-40c on idle and the lowest temp on one of my drives before many of my mods was 19c. My much newer Thermaltake however nice to the eyes isn't when it comes to management. Xaser V silver
 
Ah, finished the article.

I've build several computers with the Antec300 - and I've bought them for $40~$50 most of the time, and you can find them in dark-silver. Some tips:

Cut part of the black-box it came in, and tape it to the INSIDE of the case to cover up the side-vent. It'll: (A) improve air flow (B) reduce noise. (C) looks good - with the glossy black facing out.

- Don't bother with front-cooling fans in most cases, especially these. The exhaust fans do a good job. Even my Antec P150 only has a single 120mm fan. Running on low, my quad CPU and HDs are about 40c. But the case is silent. The Antec 300 cools even better than my P150.

- Check Microcenter, they usually sell it for $50. Just checked on their website: $50 for black, $55 for silver.

- On some builds, I've blocked off the top cooler.

- Thumb-screws... not quite as fast as quick-release... but they work very well with low chance of accidentally falling off.

Cases with too much AIR holes only require MORE fans to draw in more air. Hence, blocking off the side fan-area is important.

Most of the time, Antec fans are good. But I've gotten a case with vibration issues... I shut off the top fan.
 
[citation][nom]rzilla91[/nom]Great article!I have the Antec 300 and love it - my current build is/was my first build, and the Antec case was very easy to build in.My only (rather silly) question is how did you get the case fans to run on low? They appear to be plugged into your PSU, which is what i did, but that forces it to run on high.[/citation]
The Three Hundred is equipped with 3-speed fans, with a switch on a separate wire.[citation][nom]smithereen[/nom]No NZXT Beta?[/citation]You did see this was Part 1? NZXT sent something, wait for Part 2.[citation][nom]vixiv[/nom]I was expecting some of the $40-45 Raidmax, Foxconn, NZXT, CM, etc. cases. To be fair, $49.99 is under $50 =PThen again, cases in that range might be included in Part 2...[/citation]You'd be surprised at who chose not to participate![citation][nom]liquidsnake718[/nom]You should have added the gigabyte I-solo 210, its a beast of a mid-tower case and very neatly designed. It has watercooling holes so its ready for watercooling.[/citation]Unless something weird happened, like the PR department and the shipping department at that company simply couldn't communicate properly...three times in a row...[citation][nom]Meyhem[/nom]I have the threehundred chassi and I think its pure garbage to be honest..top fan is very loud and seems to be "vibrating" so the noise it gives is very annoying. Had to place a weigth ontop of the chassi, to keep the chassi is made from vibrating. Also hade som clearence issues with the cpu fan...Maybe it is good "for the price", but I will never ever buy another of those cheap ass antec chassis again.[/citation]Take the top fan out if it makes clearance problems, the rear fan does most of the work.[citation][nom]belardo[/nom]I've bought the Antec 300 case several times for $45~50 at Micro Center for friends and clients.I use the Antec 300 as a "normal" computer case because its priced cheap yet made well, looks good - and not so "kiddy" like. The power & USB are at a good position for FLOOR users. The fans are usually quiet... the blue lights are nice.[/citation]Front panel lights or fans? The blue fans only come on the more expensive Three Hundred Illusion.






 
[citation][nom]Crashman[/nom]Front panel lights or fans? The blue fans only come on the more expensive Three Hundred Illusion.[/citation]

Uh... the review was $50 gaming cases... I wasn't aware that lighting made it into a gaming case. The 300 in this article is a standard model.

The Antec 300s at Microcenter are standard - with two cooling fans.
Here is the link: http://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.phtml?Ntt=Antec+Three+Hundred&N=0&submit.x=0&submit.y=0

Needless to say, far cheaper for me to buy it locally for $50+ tax than $60+shipping from newegg. (BTW: The new NEwegg looks good, but moves like junk - stupid FLASH).

And like I said, I've picked it up for $40 on a sale.

PS: Got an Antec 900 or free... someone threw it away with a working 700watt PSU. What parts that were missing, my A300 parts fit 😉
 
Ohhh so that speaker came with my case... (CM Storm Scout) I built my system, then a few weeks later i found the speaker and was like "Oh cool. I'll put it in".
 
Seems to me that if the Antec costs $10 more, then it shouldn't even be in the article. Also seems to me if you're going to spend $10 more, then you should look at other cases that also cost $10 more. Cooler Master seems to have the most features for the price here, and if you jumped up to their next best case I imagine you would find that they're better than Antec's offerings in the same price range. This website has always seemed to push Antec, and I'm not sure why. They're decent, but not always the best. Cooler Master makes superior cases IMO.
 
[citation][nom]JonnyDough[/nom]Seems to me that if the Antec costs $10 more, then it shouldn't even be in the article...This website has always seemed to push Antec, and I'm not sure why. They're decent, but not always the best. Cooler Master makes superior cases IMO.[/citation]
It sounds like you have a lot of opinions: The case review was set up at the end of June, when the Three Hundred was $49.99. It arrived around 2 weeks later, mid July, when the price was still $49.99. It was tested, and only after than did it go to $60.

This author has a preference for sturdy cases, and is fully willing to push them regardless of brand.
 
[citation][nom]JonnyDough[/nom]...Cooler Master makes superior cases IMO.[/citation]
I strongly disagree. Every CM case I ever bought had minor quality issues, ranging from untapped screw holes, to crappy tool-free [dis]mounts, and fit issues not explained by shipping torture. None were unusable, but I got tired of it. If I want cheap, I buy Rosewill; plain but zero quality issues. For quality, well I haven't yet seen a bad Antec case, and my limited experience with Lian Li puts them right up there too.
[citation][nom]belardo[/nom]...Some tips:Cut part of the black-box it came in, and tape it to the INSIDE of the case to cover up the side-vent. It'll: (A) improve air flow (B) reduce noise. (C) looks good - with the glossy black facing out...[/citation]
Very nice idea. Falls into the "now why didn't I think of that" category. Thanks for posting it.
 
I think I do about 75% of my computer builds in the Antec 300. Personally, I hate anything tool-free in a budget case - and I like the fact that this case has some weight to it. Would definitely recommend it to anyone really.
 
Are there really any enthusiast who prefer toolless over having to get out a screwdriver?

If you do please explain. Manufactures advertise it as a "feature" so their marketing departments must know something I don't (quite likely).

 
I'd really like to see a review of the Antec 200 sometime. As far as I can tell, it's a slightly newer, slightly smaller version with a couple more features and, unlike the 300, a $50 price tag.
 
I wish that I had bought the antec 300. Right now I keep looking out the window for the UPS van to deliver my new Rosewill Destroyer. I paid like $44 for it at newegg
 
Great review!! I'm still extremely pleased with my NZXT M59 though, got it for $60 on the egg 😉

on a side note, the cooler master case is sexy
 
Note on the Antec 300: The 140mm top fan is not a 3 speed fan, it is a 2 speed fan. (Hi and Low) The 120mm fans are true 3 speed fans.

With the above said, however, I am another big fan of the Antec 300. The last 4 systems I have built for users have been put into them due to the case's sturdiness and simplicity.

My only true gripe about the case is the relatively short graphics card and hard drive clearance in builds with lots of components. (In a 2x 4870 Crossfire build with 2 slot graphics cards, you will only be able to fit 2 hard drives in the case with ease.) However, with the above said, another trick with the Antec 300...

If your CPU cooler allows it, face the cooler so that its fan blows "up" into the 140 mm top mounted exhaust fan. (I know Sunbeam 120mm Core Contact coolers do this with ease.)

Further, instead of using the side panel fan as an intake... put a slow speed exhaust fan in that location while also keeping the 120mm rear mount fan as an exhaust as well. Why? This forces the case to have all airflow going from front to back (or through small gaps). In households where dust, animal hair, etc. are issues, this allows the front cover to be removed for easy filter cleaning when needed, and very little of any troublesome dust, etc. on your internal components.
 
The one who's going to buy an i7-920, fully featured X58 board, GTX 285, 1000Watt PSU isn't probably buyin an $50 Case.He'll be like shooting himself in the foot.

.......or am I wrong?
 
[citation][nom]youssef 2010[/nom]The one who's going to buy an i7-920, fully featured X58 board, GTX 285, 1000Watt PSU isn't probably buyin an $50 Case.He'll be like shooting himself in the foot........or am I wrong?[/citation]

If the components fit in the case, it is a quality case, a person isn't planning on opening the computer regularly, and proper ventilation is kept...

Why not? A computer case is supposed to house the computer's components while keeping them cool enough for them operate. Shiney lights and lots of extra room? Optional, in my opinion.

(The system mentioned in my prior post: i7 920, X58 mid range board, 2x 4870 1GB video cards, 3x2 GB DDR3 1333 ram, 2x 1 TB mechancial disk drives (1 OS/App/Game Installations, 1 "storage class"), 750w PSU, 120mm tower CPU cooler, 2x DVD RW, 4x 120mm fans & 1x 140mm fan in a "front to back" flow pattern) All fans turned to low settings, slight OC'ing of the CPU to 3.2 Ghz and the video cards were slightly OC'ed as well. (This system was built last year, I don't remember the exact specs.)
 
Since the Antec you quoted was 60$, I suggest you include the Gigabyte Triton 180 in your next price range review (It costs anywhere from 59$ to 69$)

- http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=gigabyte+triton+180&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=3088307523609922874&ei=_ctyTKKDEYqnONPtuY8N&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQ8wIwAA#

- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811233016&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Cases+%28Computer+Cases+-+ATX+Form%29-_-GIGABYTE-_-11233016

It's a solid case and good looking case, with a brushed black aluminium front panel, comes with two silent fans, has easy screwless install of HDD's, DVD Drives, and Expansion cardsand even the side panels have screw with big heads that you unscrew with your hands. It also has holes in the back to pass liquid coooling pipes to the outside. I can surely recommend them, since I have two! (And 5 star rating on newegg seems to agree heheh)

The only downside is that it perhaps does not have the hardcore gamer looks some gamers are looking for. But apart from that, it's an excellent case! But it does have some cool blue led stripes as HDD and Power lights, one on each side. And since I've got a lot of floppies I'm backing up, the fact it has to 3.5 slots is great - one fot the multi card reader, the other for the floppy drive - and that is a rare find on moderns cases!
 
[citation][nom]youssef 2010[/nom]The one who's going to buy an i7-920, fully featured X58 board, GTX 285, 1000Watt PSU isn't probably buyin an $50 Case.He'll be like shooting himself in the foot........or am I wrong?[/citation]
1.) The same platform is used across multiple reviews so you can compare the performance attributes of different types of cases.
2.) Some kind of overclocking was required to push the thermal envelope. I can't imagine moving from an overclocked i7 to an overclocked Athlon 2, violating #1 above, just to show a cheaper platform.
3.) The Antec Three Hundred was used in one of the System Builder Marathon $2000 PC's. It worked flawlessly there, so how are you shooting yourself in the foot?
 
If you can buy a decent filing cabinet, for under $50, then a decent $50 PC Case should be no problem ...

Cases and PSUs are artificially inflated ... A decent case AND PSU should run under $70, shipped.

= Al =
 
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