Recommend a good cheap MATX case

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pwrusr

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Working on a three computer build... More info on the build here:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1880658

It also has to fit the hyper 212 evo.

Might be a tad challanging, but I know that for the price it's very doable. I really want something well built.Must also be under $50 per case. Hopefully something on amazon since I have some gift cards that can help :)
 
Fractal is a great choice. However, for multiple units, the stackable Core V21 is an appealing option. Has great airflow and two floors of component hosting. ;-)

11-133-274-TS


$39.99 AR at the egg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133274

$59.99 at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Black-Extreme-Chassis-CA-1D5-00S1WN-00/dp/B00PDDMN6S/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1455508794&sr=1-1&keywords=thermaltake+core+v21
 
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clockdogg said:
Fractal is a great choice. However, for multiple units, the stackable Core V21 is an appealing option. Has great airflow and two floors of component hosting. ;-)

11-133-274-TS


$39.99 AR at the egg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133274

$59.99 at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Black-Extreme-Chassis-CA-1D5-00S1WN-00/dp/B00PDDMN6S/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1455508794&sr=1-1&keywords=thermaltake+core+v21
Click to expand...

I have this case, I really like it. The only thing is, the way to secure the power supply is difficult to put in place, I gave up trying to figure it out.
 
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Thanks guys!

You all pretty much confirmed that I was on the right track. The Thermaltake core and corsair spec 02 were the two I am currently looking at :cool:
 
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with that old case you have the height of that Radeon card +1.5"

Sapphire R280 OC double dissipation


I know it is a little dusty in there as I have not finished my new filter yet
 
Bought 3x core 1100 cases.

Thanks guys!

Keep an eye on the other thread for updates :)
 
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I wish I had seen this thread (and your other one) sooner. I could have let you know that (in my experience) the Hyper 212 Evo doesn't fit in the Core 1000 or Core 1100 cases. I think you'd need the Core 1300 or Core 1500 if you were going with one of Fractal Design's mATX cases. I don't think Microcenter carries that the 1300 anymore at any of its locations, and I'm not sure if they ever carried the 1500. They're both outside that $50 budget though. Are you looking primarily for "cheap," or is it more "compact, while fitting the 212 Evo" for the case choice?

Regarding the hard drive touching the fan in the Core 1100 from your other thread, if you mount the hard drive facing the other way, it doesn't interfere with the fan. That, and if you're not putting a large graphics card in there, the hard drive could be mounted on the lower spot, which then puts it in line with some of the air flow from that front fan, which should keep the drive a little cooler.




Another alternative for a mATX case that you should be able to grab at Microcenter is the Corsair Carbide 88R. It's about an inch longer, half inch taller, and about an inch wider than the Fractal Core 1000/1100 (due to its "bulging" side panels), but it will allow the Hyper 212 Evo to fit. It's currently $45 at Microcenter (at least at my local one it is; not sure if pricing varies at other locations). You can get a serialized $5 off $30 coupon at retailmenot.com/view/microcenter.com, which would bring one case down to $40+tax. Granted, it's not as good as Newegg's price was yesterday (when it was in stock), which was $40.49 - $15 MIR (I'm not 100% sure if the 10% off coupon for select Corsair products works for anyone subscribed to their newsletter or if it was a targeted coupon), but it's now out of stock and the rebate is only good through today, so I doubt they're going to restock. It was also on sale+rebate a couple weeks ago at Newegg, so it may go on sale again, if you're not in a rush.



These were taken with a random motherboard I had sitting around that had a processor in it (to get the right height) and a spare Hyper 212 Evo that I didn't have mounted to anything, inside a Corsair Carbide 88R. Ignore the fact that the cooler isn't actually mounted down, and that there's a sheet of paper between the CPU and heatsink, and any other things that are wrong with the picture. It basically fits just inside with one side of the tops of the heat pipes touching the side panel, as you can sort of see the reflection in the 4th picture. The bulge with the window gives plenty of clearance for the other side.

Looking at mATX case offerings that you could probably look at in person at Microcenter, and based on the dimensions of the 88R, I would also guess the Cooler Master N200 might have similar height clearance. It looks like that case is $45 - $10 MIR at Microcenter right now. But, I don't have one of those kicking around, so I can't confirm whether it actually fits. Once you go to cases that fit ATX motherboards, I'm sure there become a lot more options in the price range, they just won't be as compact.

If you do decide to pick the project back up when the budget allows, those might be some cases you can look at the next time you're over at Microcenter if they have them out on display.
 
Cheap mATX case?
Get the CM N200 bud!
I will post pictures of my ghetto rigged PC
maxresdefault.jpg

and by the way yes I am using the CM 212 evo cooler for my i5 4690K
 
yee245 said:
I wish I had seen this thread (and your other one) sooner. I could have let you know that (in my experience) the Hyper 212 Evo doesn't fit in the Core 1000 or Core 1100 cases. I think you'd need the Core 1300 or Core 1500 if you were going with one of Fractal Design's mATX cases. I don't think Microcenter carries that the 1300 anymore at any of its locations, and I'm not sure if they ever carried the 1500. They're both outside that $50 budget though. Are you looking primarily for "cheap," or is it more "compact, while fitting the 212 Evo" for the case choice?

Regarding the hard drive touching the fan in the Core 1100 from your other thread, if you mount the hard drive facing the other way, it doesn't interfere with the fan. That, and if you're not putting a large graphics card in there, the hard drive could be mounted on the lower spot, which then puts it in line with some of the air flow from that front fan, which should keep the drive a little cooler.




Another alternative for a mATX case that you should be able to grab at Microcenter is the Corsair Carbide 88R. It's about an inch longer, half inch taller, and about an inch wider than the Fractal Core 1000/1100 (due to its "bulging" side panels), but it will allow the Hyper 212 Evo to fit. It's currently $45 at Microcenter (at least at my local one it is; not sure if pricing varies at other locations). You can get a serialized $5 off $30 coupon at retailmenot.com/view/microcenter.com, which would bring one case down to $40+tax. Granted, it's not as good as Newegg's price was yesterday (when it was in stock), which was $40.49 - $15 MIR (I'm not 100% sure if the 10% off coupon for select Corsair products works for anyone subscribed to their newsletter or if it was a targeted coupon), but it's now out of stock and the rebate is only good through today, so I doubt they're going to restock. It was also on sale+rebate a couple weeks ago at Newegg, so it may go on sale again, if you're not in a rush.



These were taken with a random motherboard I had sitting around that had a processor in it (to get the right height) and a spare Hyper 212 Evo that I didn't have mounted to anything, inside a Corsair Carbide 88R. Ignore the fact that the cooler isn't actually mounted down, and that there's a sheet of paper between the CPU and heatsink, and any other things that are wrong with the picture. It basically fits just inside with one side of the tops of the heat pipes touching the side panel, as you can sort of see the reflection in the 4th picture. The bulge with the window gives plenty of clearance for the other side.

Looking at mATX case offerings that you could probably look at in person at Microcenter, and based on the dimensions of the 88R, I would also guess the Cooler Master N200 might have similar height clearance. It looks like that case is $45 - $10 MIR at Microcenter right now. But, I don't have one of those kicking around, so I can't confirm whether it actually fits. Once you go to cases that fit ATX motherboards, I'm sure there become a lot more options in the price range, they just won't be as compact.

If you do decide to pick the project back up when the budget allows, those might be some cases you can look at the next time you're over at Microcenter if they have them out on display.
Click to expand...
Dang, where were you last week :p
I ended up keeping the one core case and taking the other two back due to the heat sink not fitting and one of the motherboards being defective. Took back a good chunk of hardware since my budget is currently quite tight without being employed currently :(

Otherwise I'm actually very happy with the core case :)

As noted in my other thread I'm now looking for two standard ATX cases since I have a couple of standard ATX c2d boards. Size doesn't matter since both boards have the standard Intel heatsinks equipped.
 
w1retap said:
Fractal Design Core 1000 would fit the bill. Front dust filter, USB 3.0, mATX size. On Amazon, and under $50.

http://www.amazon.com/Fractal-Design-Core-Cases-FD-CA-CORE-1000-USB3-BL/dp/B00CUSUV0O/
Click to expand...

I had the Core 1000, then upgraded to a Cooler Master N200. They are basically the same price, or at least were at the times I got them, but the N200 has so many more features. For example, some form of cable management, a filtered PSU vent, proper 3.5" drive cages, etc. Even the little things like including some zipties and a phillips-head to hex-wrench adapter for screwing in the motherboard standoffs are appreciated.
 
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The differences between the Core 1000/1100 and the N200 are tradeoffs that I think can come down to personal preference. As someone mentioned, two external 5.25" bays vs one 3.5" and one 5.25". Maybe the CM has (better) cable management, but I think cables can be managed well enough in the FD case, and it's not like you're going to be able to see any of it, since it's not a windowed side panel. I think one of the big tradeoffs is that according to the specs, the FD is about an inch smaller on each dimension (about 75% the volume), so one could consider that a feature for the FD.


Sure, my cables aren't perfectly managed from a non-modular PSU, but it's not like they're really in the way.

The Core 1100 is also apparently $30 with free shipping at Newegg right now, and occasionally can be had at Microcenter for $28. As I see it, at the same general price point for these cases, it's a matter of whether you want the compactness of the FD, or the internal layout of the CM.
 
this case I like a lot, LIANLI PC-V354.

but I upgraded to this case now: Integer Computers B-650. they look identical but the other one had lots of scratches and was missing a few screws and the inside was a mess. love this case it's beautiful.
 
AndreRio said:
this case I like a lot, LIANLI PC-V354.

but I upgraded to this case now: Integer Computers B-650. they look identical but the other one had lots of scratches and was missing a few screws and the inside was a mess. love this case it's beautiful.
Click to expand...
Not too bad... Though I'd be concerned about the graphics cards in that layout.

I am currently running a Fractal Node 804 with my nicest matx board (Asus P8Z77M-Pro). Love the layout of this case!
Fractal Design Node 804 Case Review

That said I don't think that either of these cases fall under the $50 or less threshold :p

Also, I'm all good for cases now :D
 
sorry. I am excited about my case. didn't "want to" see the cheap under $50 requirement.
 
Well it's a nice case for sure!

I've always been a Lian Li fan since they seem to think outside the box with some of their designs :)
 
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