Three Gaming Cases, With Power, Under $100

[Crashman]

Case and power supply combos always look like a bargain, but bargain-basement parts have always seemed to chase experienced builders away. Today, we consider three budget-enthusiast models to determine if any of them can meet our basic gaming needs.

Three Gaming Cases, With Power, Under $100 : Read more

 

[Vic84]

Good review

 

[gordo_46]

yeah good review

 

[xc0mmiex]

In "Measured Test Results", first chart, temperature over ambient in degrees Celsius... even at freezing temperature of 0C, CPU would be at 67+ C.... and on a hot day of 30C your CPU would be approaching boiling... i think its a little too toasty so there gotta be a mistake in there somewhere; wrong unit or math

 

[dirtmountain]

Good article, i really enjoy these articles about squeezing the biggest bang for the buck out of builds. We'd all like to be able to drop big $$$$ on our systems, but sometimes reality (or the wife) puts a pretty low limit on how much we can spend.

 

[Guest]

Just to confirm, are you guys using a dual channel RAM for a 920 build?

 

[JonnyDough]

Unfortunately, Cooler Master does not include an exhaust fan.

I would not only prefer not to have one if not necessary due to noise, but I would also prefer to purchase one of my choosing so this is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[falchard]

I think in cases more people are looking at aesthetics and ruggedness over temps and acoustics as nearly all cases have acceptable values. When it comes to this NZXT and Rosewill have really seperated themselves from other cases under $50.

 

[JonnyDough]

I agree, but as an enthusiast I'm really loving that Cooler Master case. I tend to like front to back air flow just because it helps direct noise away from me and I can cool my hard drives first and my GPU last since that seems to be the order of coolest to hottest operating temps.

I suspect with a bit higher power draw Cooler Master's PSU may perform a bit more admirably on efficiency. The only way to really know is to test the PSUs against each other and measure power draw of the PSUs themselves (until they power off preferably!) under load/idle. If you're going to make a statement about energy efficiency at all then it is my belief that you should test them.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]xc0mmiex[/nom]In "Measured Test Results", first chart, temperature over ambient in degrees Celsius... even at freezing temperature of 0C, CPU would be at 67+ C.... i think its a little too toasty so there gotta be a mistake in there somewhere; wrong unit or math[/citation]No, it's an overclocked Core i7 at eight threads of Prime95, if you find those numbers shocking you're thinking of the wrong CPU.
[citation][nom]falchard[/nom]I think in cases more people are looking at aesthetics and ruggedness over temps and acoustics as nearly all cases have acceptable values. When it comes to this NZXT and Rosewill have really seperated themselves from other cases under $50.[/citation]These are basically $40 cases in this article. Two of the cases in the review are already far better than this one:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-computer-case,2579-5.html
That is to say, two of these $40 cases are vastly superior to that $100 case. So you can say what you like, but words alone will not convince me.

 

[grossemesser]

Why in blazes you did NOT include in this... comparison the amazingly incredible HAF 922??? Its way better than any of these and costs only $90 Plenty of space, cable management space and of course AIRFLOW! it even has slots in the door so you can fit one big or two small fans... Anyways what can i say, you should have included it

... ummm sorry didn't get the WITH POWER part hehe... well i can just add that this is a great case and it is worth saving up the extra bucks for the added money you'll have to pay for the PSU

 

[paigeinfull]

[citation][nom]grossemesser[/nom]Why in blazes you did NOT include in this... comparison the amazingly incredible HAF 922??? Its way better than any of these and costs only $90 Plenty of space, cable management space and of course AIRFLOW! it even has slots in the door so you can fit one big or two small fans... Anyways what can i say, you should have included it[/citation]
"Three Gaming Cases, With Power, Under $100"

 

[rohitbaran]

While the cases are good, the review doesn't throw any light on how the included PSUs perform. Considering that these are budget PSUs, there might be a chance of having substandard PSUs being included which may not even deliver rated power. Cooler Master Extreme Power 600W is one low cost PSU that can't deliver it's rated power.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/arti...e-Power-Plus-600-W-Power-Supply-Review/1034/9

 

[rohitbaran]

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/arti...e-Power-Plus-600-W-Power-Supply-Review/1034/9

 

[rohitbaran]

Oh, I found the review of the exact PSU being included in Cooler Master USP 100. It is RS-550-PCAR-E3 which is commercially known as Cooler Master extreme Power 550W. Here is a review at hardwaresecrets.com that clearly shows that it is a bad PSU.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/arti...me-Power-Plus-550-W-Power-Supply-Review/969/1

 

[metallifux]

Why would you put the PSU at the bottom of a case when hot air rises?

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]Metallifux[/nom]Why would you put the PSU at the bottom of a case when hot air rises?[/citation]Groupthink. Someone said it was cool and everyone else jumped aboard. It happened around three years ago, and now you're not one of the cool kids if you don't agree.

 

[rohitbaran]

Because a PSU at the bottom provides better position for the motherboard. With PSU at the bottom, you can install 2 fans at the top which ain't possible if the PSU is at the top.

 

[paigeinfull]

[citation][nom]Metallifux[/nom]Why would you put the PSU at the bottom of a case when hot air rises?[/citation]
Not to mention that hot air will rise right into the psu causing an increase in psu temps and a decrease in efficiency. I don't think using the psu to exhaust air from the case is a good idea when fans can do a much better job

 

[DavC]

are you going to put these 3 PSUs through their paces when you do the PSU testing article?

 

[Wheat_Thins]

The PSU's don't even have enough AMP's / rail to power an higher end GPU..... A 5850 alone is recommended to have at minimum 25 AMP's available on its rail.

 

[thearm]

I've always preferred the PSU on top. In a computer case that is.

 

[zehpavora]

[citation][nom]Metallifux[/nom]Why would you put the PSU at the bottom of a case when hot air rises?[/citation]

Because the PSu fan will be able to get cold air from the bottom of the case. In this way, it's heat won't interfere with the components' heat inside the case.

 

[Onus]

I would not trust my PC to any older Coolermaster or Thermaltake PSU. They tend to choke in competent technical reviews. The InWin is a dark horse, but with full range active PFC and 80+ certification (the chart says it doesn't have active PFC, but clearly it does) I would give it a shot long before either of the others.
And, no conspiracy. A lot has already been written about Antec's excellent offerings.
A PSU on the bottom of a case makes the case more stable, and in many cases draws its [unheated] air from beneath the case, and exhausts its warm air. An 80+ (or better) PSU does not radiate enough heat under reasonable loads to be a concern. And, it doesn't dangle excess cables into the airflow.
I know of no rule that says all gamers have to have massive heat sinks on their CPUs. CPUs have become more and more powerful, such that a point has been reached where it isn't even necessary to overclock a CPU for good performance in games. Yes, you'd need to push an Athlon II X2 260 to the limit; or take the money from the necessarily massive HSF, add it to the CPU budget, and get a X4 (possibly a Phenom II) or Core-i5 instead. If the stock cooler sucks that bad (and some certainly do), there are plenty of quiet, competent models available that would fit in the InWin case.

 

[itadakimasu]

[citation][nom]Metallifux[/nom]Why would you put the PSU at the bottom of a case when hot air rises?[/citation]

I just got an antec 900 and having the psu on the bottom is easier for installation and cables and looks more neat. I don't worry about the hot air because of the fans I have in it.