Need an affordable case...

Arjai · Jun 16, 2017

I am in the market for a new case for a Micro ATX MB. It does not NEED to be a small case but, I want to be able to install a full sized gpu, in the future.

I am hoping you all can help point me in the right direction for something cheap but, has either USB3, in front, or USBc, or both. I need room for an optical drive, normal sized, not slim.

Thanks in advance, for sharing your knowledge/ experience, with me.

:lovetpu:

JayCan73 · Jun 16, 2017

What do you intend to put in the case? Cooler height , hdd bays etc. You need to provide a little more info in order for anyone to really help.

The Data Master · Jun 16, 2017

I love this case here. It is currently 22 bucks. I bought one thinking it was smaller than it was, but still very impressive for its size and looks amazing with front LED fan that is included. As for Video cards, it will fit up to 12 inches. Not sure if that is big enough since you said "full" sized cards. Also has 3.1 USB and is extremely affordable. If you find that you need more hard disk space, get a cheap 5.25 to 3.5 converter. If you go all 2.5" drives, you can fit a ton in there. Cooling is also a nice feature. Comes with 2 fans which are plenty for entry level systems. I would recommend upgrading to something with more CFM if you decide to build a system higher than 250 watts.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811353050

jboydgolfer · Jun 16, 2017

i have a cougar Spike which cost about as little as a Case can cost, and seems to have all that You said in the OP is required.

SPIKE by cougar

plus thier support was great. I had an issue where the Panel screws got Stripped, so they sent me 5 (Yup FIVE) totally new side panels and 50 (Fifty) thumb screws

The Data Master · Jun 16, 2017

jboydgolfer said:
i have a cougar Spike which cost about as little as a Case can cost, and seems to have all that You said in the OP is required.

SPIKE by cougar

plus thier support was great. I had an issue where the Panel screws got Stripped, so they sent me 5 (Yup FIVE) totally new side panels and 50 (Fifty) thumb screws

I have a similar Micro-atx case by cougar and I love it. The airflow is great on them. They provide plenty of room for upgrading storage, cards, and case fans down the line. Excellent choice as well. Not sure what the pricing is now, I think I spent around $40 for mine.

jboydgolfer · Jun 16, 2017

ive had a GTX 970, a R9 380x, a 6950, and several more GPU's installed in it.

iirc it holds 3 HDDs, dvd drive, and allows for a cpu cooler height of 7 & 1/4"'s

heres a shot of its insides..

Arjai · Jun 16, 2017

Thank you!!

In my own searching today, these two are the favorites,

Carbide 88R @ amazon
and...
Phanteks Enthoo Pro M @ amazon

They are both very well made, have USB 3 in front, allow plenty of space for upgrading systems, in the Micro ATX form or, smaller.

So, under a hundred, well made, subtle but bold looks. I don't need something to light up my living room. But, want something nice, compared to the, all but one, crappy oem cases I have been dealing with! I get enough cuts and scrapes from the cars I work on! I want my computer cases to not scar me like that!! LOL

I will look more into the Cougar's, thanks! I just need some time away from this! Sleep on it a bit. Right now, it feels like there is nothing better than the Phanteks, and I need a breather to calm down (weird right? to get worked up over a computer case? LOL).

Keep 'em coming! I can't possibly know all I need to know, yet!! :laugh:

jboydgolfer · Jun 16, 2017

Phanteks enthoo ProM accepts mATX iirc, and has all of the requisites you listed & more.

Mobo compatibility:
Micro ATX / ATX / Extended ATX / SSI EEB

Under $100(mine was 75-80$
Huge amount of drive slots ~ 8+
Separate psu bay
Front usb3.0
Acrylic or steel side panel; choices.
3+ color options.
TONS of GPU space (iirc 5- 7" after my Reference 970 is installed)
fits 360mm as well as a 280mm+ Rad in 2 separate locations (so they could be installed @ the same time)
and it pretty well built , REALLY roomy case, amazing airflow, Terrible Front panel quality in the earlier models, i dont know if they fixed this issue, but they DO know about it.

or the Cooler Master core V21 is another Amazing case i own...it was hands down the Easiest case to build in i have ever worked with (including $400+ cases)

also fits the requisites You have listed, and iirc also accepts Matx too.

has room for additional 4 or so inches more of GPU length after the 6950 Ref blower card thats in there in this pic.

commission3r · Jun 16, 2017

Silverstone Temjin TJ08-E or Precision PS07, Thermaltake Versa H15 or Corsair Carbide 88R
I'm personally using the ps07

Norton · Jun 17, 2017

commission3r said:
Silverstone Temjin TJ08-E or Precision PS07

Both great choices! Did a build for a friends business with the PS07 and its held up great for the past few yrs

Of the mATX cases I've owned I would recommend these in consideration of your requirements:

1- Corsair 350D- best in class, tough to beat!
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139062
2- Fractal Arc Mini- so nice that I sold it and bought it back from the guy I sold it to 2 yrs later :oops:

3- Fractal Define Mini- so heavy duty that you can stand on top off it, use as a jack stand, stop a bullet (probably)

Arjai · Jun 17, 2017

commission3r said:
Silverstone Temjin TJ08-E or Precision PS07, Thermaltake Versa H15 or Corsair Carbide 88R
I'm personally using the ps07

Thanks, I like this, since the TJ08 is hard to get, KL06B @ amazon

The PS07 is nice but, $85 is starting to be a little much, considering the Carbide 88R and the Phanteks are both lower and have same or better qualities.

Arjai · Jun 17, 2017

Norton said:
Both great choices! Did a build for a friends business with the PS07 and its held up great for the past few yrs

Of the mATX cases I've owned I would recommend these in consideration of your requirements:

1- Corsair 350D- best in class, tough to beat!
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139062
2- Fractal Arc Mini- so nice that I sold it and bought it back from the guy I sold it to 2 yrs later
3- Fractal Define Mini- so heavy duty that you can stand on top off it, use as a jack stand, stop a bullet (probably)

Both the Fractal boxes are primo but, At this price point, the Carbide88R and the Phanteks enthoo are remarkably capable. The less I spend on this box, the more I can spend on the fans I want and an optical drive and some ssd's and some HDD's...

So, until I get the raise I deserve, or a better paying career, about two years of school left, I may have to cheap out on the Fractal's. No worries Mate, I know a fractal when I see one, and will have a few, in time.

Thanks again, I have been adding cases to my "Wish List", on Amazon, all day. When I find something I like I drop it in there.

Thanks to all these posts, I have 6 cases to consider AND discovered Cougar Fans!! Here I thought Noctua's were the top of the heap. NOPE, and their less expensive!! Thanks, specifically to, @jboydgolfer for the Cougar link!

I spent more time on that site *shaking my head* but, it eventually led to the case fans discovery! Also, the ARCHON case made my short list.

Keep 'em comin'!! I am amazed at all the options!

:lovetpu:

jboydgolfer · Jun 17, 2017

Arjai said:
considering the Carbide 88R and the Phanteks are both lower and have same or better qualities.

Phanteks has some wonderful features as well as easy/friendly build layout, my only problem with Phanteks is their support in my experience its horrible ,but the case is made sturdy ,it's got weight to it which is always a good thing when it comes to cases (unless you're shipping one of course) and aside from the front header panel port PCB ,everything is great quality

& the fans cougar make are nice too

newtekie1 · Jun 17, 2017

For cheap and good mATX I like to go with the Fractal Design Core 1000 or 1100. But the term "cheap" is relative. To mean, it means $50 and under. If you are thinking $100 and under is cheap, then I'd go with the Define S(and ditch the optical drive).

Arjai · Jun 17, 2017

Wow, yet again Fractal blows my mind. I love the Define S. W/Out the window is a great price! And a beautiful design! I also imagine that they are not going to have any issues with the front panel controls... The Define S has definitely taken a spot on the short list!

Thanks!

:lovetpu:

P.S. @Norton looks like I may have a Fractal, sooner than I thought! :laugh:

newtekie1 · Jun 17, 2017

Arjai said:
Wow, yet again Fractal blows my mind. I love the Define S. W/Out the window is a great price! And a beautiful design! I also imagine that they are not going to have any issues with the front panel controls... The Define S has definitely taken a spot on the short list!

Thanks!

P.S. @Norton looks like I may have a Fractal, sooner than I thought!

Yeah, I just did a build in the Define S without the window. It is a really good case, especially for the money. The only downside is no 5.25" bay, but optical drives are dying anyway, so might as well go with it. If you need one, grab a cheap USB external and hook it up when needed.

Plus, the built in sound deadening padding on the sides really is a nice touch and made the build pretty quiet. That, paired with a 240mm AIO cooler and swapping out the fans for Noctuas made a near silent Ryzen computer.

Norton · Jun 17, 2017

Arjai said:
Fractal blows my mind. I love the Define S. W/Out the window is a great price! And a beautiful design! I also imagine that they are not going to have any issues with the front panel controls... The Define S has definitely taken a spot on the short list!

Define S is another good option- @manofthem has one and I'm pretty sure he likes his

manofthem · Jun 17, 2017

Norton said:
Define S is another good option- @manofthem has one and I'm pretty sure he likes his

Indeed so. Mine has the window and it's pretty fantastic. The hdd mounting isn't the best, but if you don't have a lot of hdds, I think it would serve quite nicely.

Fractal makes some nice stuff in general. I built a rig for my brother in a fractal case, can't remember which one, and it was awesome, too.

eidairaman1 · Jun 17, 2017

Cheap, Thermaltake comes to mind

Arjai · Jun 18, 2017

Pulled the plug after lot's of debating with myself and my needs vs. wants.

This is what I went with,

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0148P0EYO/?tag=tec06d-20

Thank You EVERYONE for your help!!

It made for an agonizing decision!! However, I know have more knowledge of what is good and bad w/ low cost and mid-range boxes. Also, I got to learn a little bit about fans, bonus!

SilverStone KL06, was the best compromise between price, quality, design and my wants. It was a tough decision.

The Fractal Define S was the one that got me all twisted, but, price and no optical drive, knocked it off the top spot.

I will own one, just not this time around.

:lovetpu:

Toothless · Jun 18, 2017

jboydgolfer said:
ive had a GTX 970, a R9 380x, a 6950, and several more GPU's installed in it.

iirc it holds 3 HDDs, dvd drive, and allows for a cpu cooler height of 7 & 1/4"'s

heres a shot of its insides..

I gotta ask what is that fan stacking.

MIRTAZAPINE · Jun 18, 2017

Toothless said:
I gotta ask what is that fan stacking.

Looks like contra rotating fans to me. I know some delta fans are like this.

P4-630 · Jun 18, 2017

jboydgolfer said:
ive had a GTX 970, a R9 380x, a 6950, and several more GPU's installed in it.

iirc it holds 3 HDDs, dvd drive, and allows for a cpu cooler height of 7 & 1/4"'s

heres a shot of its insides..

Do you have the hot air "sucking" out of that CPU cooler with those double fans?
Or did you make an unusual setup with a front exhaust for some reason?

System Name	Bay2- Lowerbay/ HP 3770/T3500-2+T3500-3+T3500-4/ Opti-Con/Orange/White/Grey
Processor	i3 2120's/ i7 3770/ x5670's/ i5 2400/Ryzen 2700/Ryzen 2700/R7 3700x
Motherboard	HP UltraSlim's/ HP mid size/ Dell T3500 workstation's/ Dell 390/B450 AorusM/B450 AorusM/B550 AorusM
Cooling	All stock coolers/Grey has an H-60
Memory	2GB/ 4GB/ 12 GB 3 chan/ 4GB sammy/T-Force 16GB 3200/XPG 16GB 3000/Ballistic 3600 16GB
Video Card(s)	HD2000's/ HD 2000/ 1 MSI GT710,2x MSI R7 240's/ HD4000/ Red Dragon 580/Sapphire 580/Sapphire 580
Storage	?HDD's/ 500 GB-er's/ 500 GB/2.5 Samsung 500GB HDD+WD Black 1TB/ WD Black 500GB M.2/Corsair MP600 M.2
Display(s)	1920x1080/ ViewSonic VX24568 between the rest/1080p TV-Grey
Case	HP 8200 UltraSlim's/ HP 8200 mid tower/Dell T3500's/ Dell 390/SilverStone Kublai KL06/NZXT H510 W x2
Audio Device(s)	Sonic Master/ onboard's/ Beeper's!
Power Supply	19.5 volt bricks/ Dell PSU/ 525W sumptin/ same/Seasonic 750 80+Gold/EVGA 500 80+/Antec 650 80+Gold
Mouse	cheap GigaWire930, CMStorm Havoc + Logitech M510 wireless/iGear usb x2/MX 900 wireless kit 4 Grey
Keyboard	Dynex, 2 no name, SYX and a Logitech. All full sized and USB. MX900 kit for Grey
Software	Mint 18 Sylvia/ Opti-Con Mint KDE/ T3500's on Kubuntu/HP 3770 is Win 10/Win 10 Pro/Win 10 Pro/Win10
Benchmark Scores	World Community Grid is my benchmark!!

System Name	not done yet
Processor	I5 10400
Motherboard	msi h410 pro
Cooling	212 evo, 5x 120mm
Memory	patriot viper 2666 ddr4
Video Card(s)	xfx rx570
Storage	500gb crucial p5 m2 , 525gb crucial mx300, 3.5 7200 seagate barricuda 2tb
Display(s)	42" 120hz 3d led LG
Case	rosewill line
Audio Device(s)	onboard realtech 5.1 (yamah rxv373, jamo speakers)
Power Supply	thermaltake gx2 600w gold
Mouse	logitech m510
Keyboard	microsoft
Software	windows 10
Benchmark Scores	1410 in un heaven, not useless yet

System Name	N/A
Processor	Ryzen R5 1600
Motherboard	MSI ProSeries AMD Ryzen B350
Cooling	Wraith heatsink with 1 120mm Rosewill case fan, 2 120mm Corsair Air Series AF. and 1 generic 120mm
Memory	Ballistix Sport LT 8GB 2400mhz
Video Card(s)	GTX 1050 Ti
Storage	480gb Micron SSD, 2TB WD black 7200, 1.5TB WD Green
Display(s)	ASUS VS278Q-P Black 27" 1ms (GTG) Widescreen LCD/LED Monitor, 300 cd/m2 DCR 80,000,000:1
Case	Rosewill Micro-ATX Line-M
Audio Device(s)	USB Soundblaster FX with TrueStudio THX
Power Supply	CORSAIR CX series CX430 430W
Mouse	Zalman ZM-M100
Keyboard	Rosewill RIKB-11001 X-Slim Keyboard with Low Profile Chiclet Keycap Design
Software	Windows 10 Home
Benchmark Scores	Update later

System Name	Americas cure is the death of Social Justice & Political Correctness
Processor	i7-11700K
Motherboard	Asrock Z590 Extreme wifi 6E
Cooling	Noctua NH-U12A
Memory	32GB Corsair RGB fancy boi 5000
Video Card(s)	RTX 3090 Reference
Storage	Samsung 970 Evo 1Tb + Samsung 970 Evo 500Gb
Display(s)	Dell - 27" LED QHD G-SYNC x2
Case	Fractal Design Meshify-C
Audio Device(s)	on board
Power Supply	Seasonic Focus+ Gold 1000 Watt
Mouse	Logitech G502 spectrum
Keyboard	AZIO MGK-1 RGB (Kaith Blue)
Software	Win 10 Professional 64 bit
Benchmark Scores	the MLGeesiest

System Name	N/A
Processor	Ryzen R5 1600
Motherboard	MSI ProSeries AMD Ryzen B350
Cooling	Wraith heatsink with 1 120mm Rosewill case fan, 2 120mm Corsair Air Series AF. and 1 generic 120mm
Memory	Ballistix Sport LT 8GB 2400mhz
Video Card(s)	GTX 1050 Ti
Storage	480gb Micron SSD, 2TB WD black 7200, 1.5TB WD Green
Display(s)	ASUS VS278Q-P Black 27" 1ms (GTG) Widescreen LCD/LED Monitor, 300 cd/m2 DCR 80,000,000:1
Case	Rosewill Micro-ATX Line-M
Audio Device(s)	USB Soundblaster FX with TrueStudio THX
Power Supply	CORSAIR CX series CX430 430W
Mouse	Zalman ZM-M100
Keyboard	Rosewill RIKB-11001 X-Slim Keyboard with Low Profile Chiclet Keycap Design
Software	Windows 10 Home
Benchmark Scores	Update later

Need an affordable case...

Arjai

JayCan73

The Data Master

jboydgolfer

The Data Master

jboydgolfer

Arjai

jboydgolfer

commission3r

Norton

Moderator - Returning from the Darkness

Arjai

Arjai

jboydgolfer

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder

Arjai

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder

Norton

Moderator - Returning from the Darkness

manofthem

WCG-TPU Team All-Star!

eidairaman1

The Exiled Airman

Arjai

Toothless

Tech, Games, and TPU!

MIRTAZAPINE

P4-630

System Name	littlet
Processor	Ryzen 5900X
Motherboard	TUF GAMING B550M-PLUS (WI-FI) ZAKU II EDITION
Cooling	EK AIO Basic 240
Memory	G.Skill Trident Z RGB 4X16GB 3200MHz
Video Card(s)	RTX™ A2000 12GB
Storage	C: WD_BLACK SN850 1TB
Display(s)	ViewSonic VX3276-2K-mhd
Case	ASUS Prime AP201
Audio Device(s)	Asus Xonar Essence STX II
Power Supply	Corsair SF 600
Software	Windows

System Name	Main PC- Gamer- Main Cruncher/Folder and too many crunching/folding rigs
Processor	Ryzen 5900X- Ryzen 5950X- Ryzen 3950X and etc...
Motherboard	Asrock X570 Extreme4- MSI X570S Tomahawk MAX WiFi- MSI B450M Bazooka Max and etc...
Cooling	Noctua NH-U14S (dual fan)- EK 360 AIO with push/pull fans- Corsair H115i RGB Pro XT and etc...
Memory	2x16GB GSkill FlareX 3200/c14- 4x8GB Corsair Vengeance 3600/c16- 2x16GB Team 3600/c18 and etc..
Video Card(s)	MSI Gaming RX 6800- Asus RTX 3070 TUF OC- MSI Ventus GTX 1660Ti and etc...
Storage	Main PC (1TB WD SN850- 2TB PNY CS 3040- 2TB Seagate Firecuda) and etc...
Display(s)	Main PC (2x24" Dell UltraSharp U2414H)
Case	Phanteks P600s- Seasonic Q704- Fractal Meshify C and etc...
Audio Device(s)	Logitech Z625 THX 2.1 speakers
Power Supply	EVGA 750 G3- SeaSonic DGC 750- EVGA P2 850 and etc...
Mouse	G300s
Keyboard	Corsair K65
VR HMD	N/A
Software	Windows 10 Pro or Ubuntu
Benchmark Scores	Why sit on the Bench when you can get in the game and Crunch!!!

Processor	Intel Core i7 10850K@5.2GHz
Motherboard	AsRock Z470 Taichi
Cooling	Corsair H115i Pro w/ Noctua NF-A14 Fans
Memory	32GB DDR4-3600
Video Card(s)	RTX 2070 Super
Storage	500GB SX8200 Pro + 8TB with 1TB SSD Cache
Display(s)	Acer Nitro VG280K 4K 28"
Case	Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s)	Onboard is good enough for me
Power Supply	eVGA SuperNOVA 1000w G3
Software	Windows 10 Pro x64

Processor	3900X @ 4.0
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix X570-E
Cooling	DeepCool Castle 360EX
Memory	G Skill Trident Z Neo 32GB 3600
Video Card(s)	RX 5700 XT Pulse
Storage	Sabrent Rocket Q 1TB
Display(s)	LG 34UC88
Case	Thermaltake P3
Power Supply	Super Flower Leadex III 750w
Mouse	Logitech G900
Keyboard	G Skill KM570 MX Silver
Software	Windows 10 Pro

System Name	PCGOD
Processor	AMD FX 8350@ 5.0GHz
Motherboard	Asus TUF 990FX Sabertooth R2 2901 Bios
Cooling	Scythe Ashura, 2×BitFenix 230mm Spectre Pro LED (Blue,Green), 2x BitFenix 140mm Spectre Pro LED
Memory	16 GB Gskill Ripjaws X 2133 (2400 OC, 10-10-12-20-20, 1T, 1.65V)
Video Card(s)	AMD Radeon 290 Sapphire Vapor-X
Storage	Samsung 840 Pro 256GB, WD Velociraptor 1TB
Display(s)	NEC Multisync LCD 1700V (Display Port Adapter)
Case	AeroCool Xpredator Evil Blue Edition
Audio Device(s)	Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply	Seasonic 1250 XM2 Series (XP3)
Mouse	Roccat Kone XTD
Keyboard	Roccat Ryos MK Pro
Software	Windows 7 Pro 64

System Name	Veral
Processor	5950x
Motherboard	MSI MEG x570 Ace
Cooling	Corsair H150i RGB Elite
Memory	4x16GB G.Skill TridentZ
Video Card(s)	Powercolor 7900XTX Red Devil
Storage	Crucial P5 Plus 1TB, Samsung 980 1TB, Teamgroup MP34 4TB
Display(s)	Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx + 2x AOC 2425W
Case	Fractal Design Meshify Lite 2
Audio Device(s)	Blue Yeti + SteelSeries Arctis 5 / Samsung HW-T550
Power Supply	Corsair HX850
Mouse	Corsair Nightsword
Keyboard	Corsair K55
VR HMD	HP Reverb G2
Software	Windows 11 Professional
Benchmark Scores	PEBCAK

System Name	Fat NCASE
Processor	Ryzen R9 3900X
Motherboard	ASUS TUF GAMING B550M ZAKU (WIFI) Edition
Cooling	Scythe Fuma with 3 SCYTHE Wondersnail 2400RPM + Arctic MX2
Memory	Corsair Vengeance 128GB @3200Mhz Cl16 (32GB X 4)
Video Card(s)	Palit RTX 3060 StormX ITX 12GB
Storage	MX500 4TB SATA + Toshiba MG08 16TB HDD
Display(s)	LG 27UL500 4K monitor
Case	Jonsbo W2 black
Audio Device(s)	Onboard realtek 1200 & Soundblaster G3 usb
Power Supply	ASUS ROG STRIX 850W Gundam Edition
Mouse	Elecom wireless mouse :)
Keyboard	RK100 Royal Kludge
Software	Windows 10 HOME
Benchmark Scores	Don't know any benchmark. It runs good enough for me.

System Name	AlderLake / Laptop
Processor	Intel i7 12700K P-Cores @ 5Ghz / Intel i3 7100U
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master / HP 83A3 (U3E1)
Cooling	Noctua NH-U12A 2 fans + Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Extreme + 5 case fans / Fan
Memory	32GB DDR5 Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 6000MHz CL36 / 8GB DDR4 HyperX CL13
Video Card(s)	MSI RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio / Intel HD620
Storage	Samsung 980 Pro 1TB + 970 Evo 500GB + 850 Pro 512GB + 860 Evo 1TB x2 / Samsung 256GB M.2 SSD
Display(s)	23.8" Dell S2417DG 165Hz G-Sync 1440p / 14" 1080p IPS Glossy
Case	Be quiet! Silent Base 600 - Window / HP Pavilion
Audio Device(s)	Panasonic SA-PMX94 / Realtek onboard + B&O speaker system / Harman Kardon Go + Play / Logitech G533
Power Supply	Seasonic Focus Plus Gold 750W / Powerbrick
Mouse	Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Laser wireless / Logitech M330 wireless
Keyboard	RAPOO E9270P Black 5GHz wireless / HP backlit
Software	Windows 11 / Windows 10
Benchmark Scores	Cinebench R23 (Single Core) 1936 @ stock Cinebench R23 (Multi Core) 23006 @ stock