# The market its flooded with so many cases!



## MxPhenom 216 (Mar 30, 2016)

Anyone else feel like there are a ton of cases on the market, but the only three manufactures that continue to set themselves apart are Corsair, Phantek, and Fractal Designs? Cases for the most part have all the same shit now.


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## MT Alex (Mar 30, 2016)

You have a point to a degree, but BitFenix also has some nice cases, and CaseLabs is king.


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## Jetster (Mar 30, 2016)

My three favorite


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## johnspack (Mar 30, 2016)

Been running my almost decade old Antec 1200 for so long I forgot there were other cases out there.......


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## P4-630 (Mar 30, 2016)

I'm satisfied with my BeQuiet! Silent Base 600 Window


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## MxPhenom 216 (Mar 30, 2016)

P4-630 said:


> I'm satisfied with my BeQuiet! Silent Base 600 Window



The recent be quiet case review on tpu actually is what made me make this thread. I dont really see anything about it that would make me get it over a case made by the companies in the OP.


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## cdawall (Mar 30, 2016)

I have a corsair that I am not impressed by and a lian li of old that if it had cable-management would be the best case I have owned to date.


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## sneekypeet (Mar 30, 2016)

Really, there are a shit ton of cases? /sarcasm

To some extent I agree with the OP. Although only certain Corsair cases, Phanteks as a whole is nice, and Fractal seems to be dropping off the radar as of late.
It really depends on your needs however. I feel InWin took huge strides into awesome "cases", Thermaltake is stepping up their game quite a bit too, Antec is trying pretty hard, the CoolerMaster MasterCase was nice as well. I honestly would completely agree with the OP if this thread was made last year, but as a whole, cases are currently in the midst of a modders revolution. IE, what used to only be an option to those who owned a dremmel and had lots of time to add bits, is now coming stock in a lot of solutions.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Mar 30, 2016)

sneekypeet said:


> Really, there are a shit ton of cases? /sarcasm
> 
> To some extent I agree with the OP. Although only certain Corsair cases, Phanteks as a whole is nice, and Fractal seems to be dropping off the radar as of late.
> It really depends on your needs however. I feel InWin took huge strides into awesome "cases", Thermaltake is stepping up their game quite a bit too, Antec is trying pretty hard, the CoolerMaster MasterCase was nice as well. I honestly would completely agree with the OP if this thread was made last year, but as a whole, cases are currently in the midst of a modders revolution. IE, what used to only be an option to those who owned a dremmel and had lots of time to add bits, is now coming stock in a lot of solutions.



Phantek just needs to release a full tower version of the Enthoo Evolv. That will be my new case.


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## sneekypeet (Mar 30, 2016)

MxPhenom 216 said:


> Phantek just needs to release a full tower version of the Enthoo Evolv. That will be my new case.



It isn't a bad design aesthetically, but the reality is that others offer the same features at that price range too. Cases are very personal though. For instance, I like smooth and simple looking exteriors, where there are still people that love cases that are grossly designed with tons of plastic to look like a transformer or some other childs toy.


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## cdawall (Mar 30, 2016)

sneekypeet said:


> It isn't a bad design aesthetically, but the reality is that others offer the same features at that price range too. Cases are very personal though. For instance, I like smooth and simple looking exteriors, where there are still people that love cases that are grossly designed with tons of plastic to look like a transformer or some other childs toy.



I am with you on the simple clean design, but I will buy a cheap good case very happily


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## sneekypeet (Mar 30, 2016)

cdawall said:


> I am with you on the simple clean design, but I will buy a cheap good case very happily



Cheap and good rarely go in the same group when it comes to cases, but there are some out there. I tend to lean towards those that are built to withstand a small bomb blast. Not that I would ever need that much build quality to sit on my desk, I guess I just prefer over-built designs that dont wobble once the case is torn down to bare minimum. As a whole though, most cases these days dont rattle/vibrate (outside of the Corsair AIR cases), they have pretty rich feature sets, and do everything you need really. It all comes down to budget and appeal.


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## scevism (Mar 30, 2016)

Having this cooler master cosmos 2 case for 2 years now i think i will have it for a longtime. Next step would be to mod the case a bit.
Side window would be nice.


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## alucasa (Mar 30, 2016)

I want aluminum cases and only want aluminum cases. Steel & plastic don't cut for me which is about 90% of the case market.
So, for me, the market is painfully small.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Mar 30, 2016)

sneekypeet said:


> It isn't a bad design aesthetically, but the reality is that others offer the same features at that price range too. Cases are very personal though. For instance, I like smooth and simple looking exteriors, where there are still people that love cases that are grossly designed with tons of plastic to look like a transformer or some other childs toy.



That is why I like the evolv. It is not super flashy like a 14 year olds plastic gaming LEET case, but isnt a super boring box either. Its got some nice aethetic pieces to it like the front panel and such, and the open interior of the Mid tower version is what I really like. Been wanting to do a mod project of my 750D to basically take out the 5.25" bay and all that to make it super open and a home made lower divider. Have the metal for that and everything now.


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## sneekypeet (Mar 30, 2016)

MxPhenom 216 said:


> That is why I like the evolv. It is not super flashy like a 14 year olds plastic gaming LEET case, but isnt a super boring box either. Its got some nice aethetic pieces to it like the front panel and such, and the open interior of the Mid tower version is what I really like. Been wanting to do a mod project of my 750D to basically take out the 5.25" bay and all that to make it super open and a home made lower divider. Have the metal for that and everything now.



Look around man  The market has changed! There are a few cases out there that are completely gut-able, have a PSU cover, good to great wire management, and racks to hide drives behind the motherboard tray for storage. Some are even outside of your top three Just saying, coming from a guy who is on top of all the latest and greatest in cases, things are changing, and for the better. This will soon enough find its way into the budget-friendly versions soon too. There will always be that one case (like the Cosmos II) that were brilliant before it was common to see such innovations, and it just took until maybe this year even, that case designs are stepping up as the market demands have shown these designs to be wildly successful.


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## Sasqui (Mar 30, 2016)

Coolermaster

Other than that, DIY anyone?


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## scevism (Mar 30, 2016)

Sasqui said:


> Coolermaster
> 
> Other than that, DIY anyone?


haha thats made my day!


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## sneekypeet (Mar 30, 2016)

Sasqui said:


> Coolermaster
> 
> Other than that, DIY anyone?



A few of us tried that a while back http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/best-looking-pc-in-a-box-challenge.115346/


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## Sasqui (Mar 30, 2016)

sneekypeet said:


> A few of us tried that a while back http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/best-looking-pc-in-a-box-challenge.115346/



Hahaha, that's awesome!


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## bbmarley (Mar 30, 2016)

Purchased a Fractal Design Define XL at the start of 2011. No complaints and fans still going strong inside. Have no intentions of getting a new case either. This has plenty of space and them some for what i need, easy to manage wires and sound dampening pads.


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## P4-630 (Mar 30, 2016)

alucasa said:


> I want aluminum cases and only want aluminum cases. Steel & plastic don't cut for me which is about 90% of the case market.
> So, for me, the market is painfully small.



My first own build was an aluminium case as well, as far as I know only Lian Li makes aluminium cases?


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## sneekypeet (Mar 30, 2016)

P4-630 said:


> My first own build was an aluminium case as well, as far as I know only Lian Li makes aluminium cases?



CaseLabs, Silverstone, InWin, just to name a few. There are quite a few making aluminum cases these days.


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## Grings (Mar 30, 2016)

I have derided them for years (and rightly so they have made some awful junk over the years) but am currently considering...a Thermaltake case!!!

(the Suppressor F51)


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## TRWOV (Mar 30, 2016)

Grings said:


> I have derided them for years (and rightly so they have made some awful junk over the years) but am currently considering...a Thermaltake case!!!
> 
> (the Suppressor F51)



Looks like a CM Silencio 550/650


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## jboydgolfer (Mar 30, 2016)

MxPhenom 216 said:


> Phantek just needs to release a full tower version of the Enthoo Evolv. That will be my new case.



i recently bought the *Enthoo Pro M Acryllic Black *, its NOT a full tower, because i didnt want one, but it is Really nice.

years back, a buddy of mine had a Antec Lanboy that he bought off of craigslist, and He took it to his work (he is an automotive Painter/Body work guy) and he has access to the absolute PERFECT tools, and supplies for Case modding, customization, and he made that thing SOOOO beautiful, i personally found the LANBOY to be an ugly case, but He drilled out EVERY rivet, and made it his own, it war REALLY nice.forget about cable management tho, it took him a month to get it to an "acceptable" level of tidiness.


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## Tt Shannon (Mar 30, 2016)

Grings said:


> I have derided them for years (and rightly so they have made some awful junk over the years) but am currently considering...a Thermaltake case!!!
> 
> (the Suppressor F51)



Not a bad choice, but also check out the Suppressor F31 as it has massive space behind the mobo tray for cable management and drive mounting


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## Grings (Mar 30, 2016)

Tt Enthusiasts said:


> Not a bad choice, but also check out the Suppressor F31 as it has massive space behind the mobo tray for cable management and drive mounting



I do like the look of that too, but want the extra radiator size, i was looking for at least a 3 fan (360 or 420) space and room for a fat 240 i already have

p.s. any plans for a PSU cover for the F51?


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## alucasa (Mar 30, 2016)

P4-630 said:


> My first own build was an aluminium case as well, as far as I know only Lian Li makes aluminium cases?



There is another well know aluminum case maker besides Lian Li, Jonsbo. And there are several aluminum case makers in Korea and Japan. There are also other smaller companies such as Wesena, etc etc.

From what I can tell, they are all from Asia. FYI, CoolerMaster used to make full aluminum cases a decade ago. I got two of them in my garbage.


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## sneekypeet (Mar 30, 2016)

Grings said:


> I do like the look of that too, but want the extra radiator size, i was looking for at least a 3 fan (360 or 420) space and room for a fat 240 i already have



You should look through the images then at Tt, it takes a triple in the top and a double in the front


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## Tt Shannon (Mar 30, 2016)

Here is the F31.

  



Grings said:


> I do like the look of that too, but want the extra radiator size, i was looking for at least a 3 fan (360 or 420) space and room for a fat 240 i already have
> 
> p.s. any plans for a PSU cover for the F51?



Yes we displayed the cover at CES 

should have it soon.


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## P4-630 (Mar 30, 2016)

MxPhenom 216 said:


> The recent be quiet case review on tpu actually is what made me make this thread. I dont really see anything about it that would make me get it over a case made by the companies in the OP.



You TPU member no like my new case?... 

Actually I did not know what case to buy, so many cases as you said, then I bought a BeQuiet! PSU and saw they make cases as well, I did not want to get a full tower but I wanted a case which could fit a PSU in the bottom, I also liked an almost silent PC and which still had space for a DVD drive, which I found out not all cases support it anymore. I liked that I could mount 2 2.5" sata drives behind the motherboard (which I'm using now), which is not to be found in every case, I was first looking at the silent base 800 but it was a bit too large for my likings so I went with the silent base 600 instead, I have good airflow and great temperatures and it's overall a good quality case to me.


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## Grings (Mar 30, 2016)

seeing images of both with all drive bays removed, you should really consider selling a nice plain plate to fit over the drive cage wire holes, preferably with some well placed res and pump mounting holes


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## Tt Shannon (Mar 30, 2016)

Grings said:


> seeing images of both with all drive bays removed, you should really consider selling a nice plain plate to fit over the drive cage wire holes, preferably with some well placed res and pump mounting holes


Never know what we may do


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## Ithanul (Mar 30, 2016)

Yeah, there is a lot of different cases, but heck I rather have choices and means there is a healthy competition going on.

Though, I am still rocking a NZXT Apollo with a ghetto rigged H50 in the front and H55 smacked to the back fan opening.  My first case soon to retire and move parts into a Define S, after I mod that to allow a EATX mobo.  Plus, my main rig which is a heavily modded Haf X with a 360 rad in the top and 200 rad in the front.

Only new case I got of late is Fractal Design Define S non-window version.  Must say I like the design, but they could of made the front rad holding area a bit more sturdy.

My fav case of course which I need to get around to finish building in is my two little Compact Splashes.  Solid and they look boss especially my satin black one with smoked acrylic side window.

Pic of the satin black one:


Spoiler











On other note, that termaltake straight up looks like a Fractal Design Define S.  Pretty darn close in looks.


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## scevism (Mar 30, 2016)

I'ts all down to yourself what you like. It can do your head in a bit looking for a new case only reason i got my cooler master cosmos 2 was for its size and easy access
and build quality. Plus when the case is fully loaded no burglar is taking that out my room without a tuff time.


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## MasterInvader (Mar 30, 2016)

My 800D have almost 6 years, and it will last another 6!
Solid build [yes it´s super heavy], excellent quality and for WC with a "little" imagination and know how can take pretty much anything.


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## scevism (Mar 30, 2016)

MasterInvader said:


> My 800D have almost 6 years, and it will last another 6!
> Solid build [yes it´s super heavy], excellent quality and for WC with a "little" imagination and know how can take pretty much anything.


You got the right idea a case is not just for christmas but for life


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## sneekypeet (Mar 30, 2016)

MasterInvader said:


> My 800D have almost 6 years, and it will last another 6!
> Solid build [yes it´s super heavy], excellent quality and for WC with a "little" imagination and know how can take pretty much anything.



Yes the 800D was another chassis ahead of its time. The one crutch it had though was the middle tray, and the way it protruded in the back. Pretty much killed any attempt at wire management that didn't bow the hell out of the right side panel. I had one, liked it a lot, well at least until i got the TJ11.


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## Norton (Mar 30, 2016)

sneekypeet said:


> Yes the 800D was another chassis ahead of its time. The one crutch it had though was the middle tray, and the way it protruded in the back. Pretty much killed any attempt at wire management that didn't bow the hell out of the right side panel. I had one, *liked it a lot, well at least until i got the TJ11*.



Hard to find better than Silverstone- I've been through quite a few cases and none have been quite good enough to retire my Fortress FT01 as my main rig!


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## Frick (Mar 30, 2016)

My problem is similar to my problem with the PSU market: every single price point have several decent contenders. It just takes such a long time to read up on everything.

I do wish SilentiumPC had a precense where I live though.


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## scevism (Mar 30, 2016)

Frick said:


> My problem is similar to my problem with the PSU market: every single price point have several decent contenders. It just takes such a long time to read up on everything.
> 
> I do wish SilentiumPC had a precense where I live though.


To true the joy of having a pc can be hard work sometimes with all the choices. Thats why i love it.


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## Grings (Mar 31, 2016)

sneekypeet said:


> Yes the 800D was another chassis ahead of its time. The one crutch it had though was the middle tray, and the way it protruded in the back. Pretty much killed any attempt at wire management that didn't bow the hell out of the right side panel. I had one, liked it a lot, well at least until i got the TJ11.



I wish i had picked up the 700d, i built a pc in one a few years back for a friend and it was really nice


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## tordogs (Mar 31, 2016)

There are a ton of cases but none are very simple.  I just wanted 4 USB ports on the front of the case--not on the top or side or at an angle.  Do you know how hard that was to find?  Used Antec forever but their stuff didn't satisfy anymore.  Finally settled on Enthoo Pro for the 4 front  I/O ports and have been pleased.  Think one of the only other cases that had front facing I/O ports was the Corsair 750 D--too big and too expensive.  Maybe a couple others but they had only 2 USB ports.  I'd be happy to have six on the front with everything that uses USB these days.  Also needed a couple external 5.25 bays--those are harder to find, too.  Thankful that Phanteks still has a bit of old school stuff around but has updated the case around it.


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## Norton (Mar 31, 2016)

tordogs said:


> There are a ton of cases but none are very simple.*  I just wanted 4 USB ports on the front of the case*--not on the top or side or at an angle.  Do you know how hard that was to find?  Used Antec forever but their stuff didn't satisfy anymore.  Finally settled on Enthoo Pro for the 4 front  I/O ports and have been pleased.  Think one of the only other cases that had front facing I/O ports was the Corsair 750 D--too big and too expensive.  Maybe a couple others but they had only 2 USB ports.  I'd be happy to have six on the front with everything that uses USB these days.  Also needed a couple external 5.25 bays--those are harder to find, too.  Thankful that Phanteks still has a bit of old school stuff around but has updated the case around it.



I have this handy little $20 Lian-Li accessory in the front of my Fortress FT01:





Works perfectly for that need


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## Tt Shannon (Mar 31, 2016)

Norton said:


> I have this handy little $20 Lian-Li accessory in the front of my Fortress FT01:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Wowzers, Firewire... thats something I havent seen in awhile.


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## Rockarola (Mar 31, 2016)

MxPhenom 216 said:


> Anyone else feel like there are a ton of cases on the market, but the only three manufactures that continue to set themselves apart are Corsair, Phantek, and Fractal Designs? Cases for the most part have all the same shit now.


Bitfenix, Inwin and a few smaller manufacturers also have some really nice design/function cases (the InWin design cases will cost you an arm and a leg, but they certainly stand out!)
*edit*
Forgot about Silverstone, they make brilliant HTPC cases and also some innovative towers.



Frick said:


> My problem is similar to my problem with the PSU market: every single price point have several decent contenders. It just takes such a long time to read up on everything.
> 
> I do wish SilentiumPC had a precense where I live though.


You're Swedish, right? 
If you want to wreck your brain with choices, Caseking is my little point of insanity (I can design a full build in a couple of hours, picking a case will take forever!)


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## buffyvpsfan (Apr 1, 2016)

there are just way too many cases on the market right now, yet not enough really good ones to sell your case every two years.  be quiet base 600 has me really interested or a quality case from phanteks but I would somewhat miss my nzxt h440 even if it is beyond awful to install a powersupply in that case.


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## dirtyferret (Apr 1, 2016)

MxPhenom 216 said:


> Anyone else feel like there are a ton of cases on the market, but the only three manufactures that continue to set themselves apart are Corsair, Phantek, and Fractal Designs? Cases for the most part have all the same shit now.



Actually those guys just design cases, the cases themselves are built by a handful of OEM (like fans, PSU, RAM, water coolers, low end graphic cards...etc., etc., in the PC hardware business)

It's better then it was 10+ years ago when you had a choice of Antec, Cooler Master, and thermaltake.  Granted all three brands had/have great cases (I still use my Antec One which IMHO is still a great budget case).  Competition is a great thing and the consumer wins out (see CPU when you have no competition) and just look at what the PSU market is like now. 

10+ years ago it was junk PSU everywhere.  If you wanted a quality 500w PSU you had PC power and Cooling and Antec.  The first Corsair PSU I believe was mid-late 2006, OCZ had decent units but not up to par with Antec & PC&P's best offerings.  Thermaltake and Enermax had some good higher powered units but Thermaltake had plenty of junk.


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## Ebo (Apr 1, 2016)

Since Im one of those that have gone the Lian Li way which have a quality in built that in my opinion is second to none, its hard to find another manufactorer. 

Should I name a couple  that would be Silverstone, NZXT.


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## Solaris17 (Apr 1, 2016)

Not really, but I exclusively look for white cases, which I think there is a serious lack of.


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## Nosada (Apr 1, 2016)

MT Alex said:


> You have a point to a degree, but BitFenix also has some nice cases, and CaseLabs is king.


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## Hood (Apr 1, 2016)

I had an aluminum case back in the XP era, but it was a fairly thin gauge, so it didn't feel very solid.  I really like the new trend of using thick (4mm) aluminum panels on cases like the Phanteks Evolv ATX and mATX cases, and Inwin 909, 904, 805, S-Frame, and H-Frame 2.0, which also feature tempered glass side/front panels. another recent trend that I like a lot.  My favorite is the upcoming Evolv ATX Glass, which was supposed to be available in March 2016 (still not available, not shown on Phanteks website).


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## rtwjunkie (Apr 1, 2016)

Ebo said:


> Since Im one of those that have gone the Lian Li way which have a quality in built that in my opinion is second to none, its hard to find another manufactorer.
> 
> Should I name a couple  that would be Silverstone, NZXT.



To which I would have to add to your list of quality: Fractal Design.


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## bermel72 (Apr 1, 2016)

*sitting here waiting for NZXT to release a new design*


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## Ithanul (Apr 1, 2016)

bermel72 said:


> *sitting here waiting for NZXT to release a new design*


Really, I think I have not seen anything new from them.  Then again they seem to have a thing for space style future looking cases.
Though Lian Li yacht one takes the cake.

If I ever do let my Haf X go, it going to be a Case Lab that will replace it.


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## theonedub (Apr 1, 2016)

bermel72 said:


> *sitting here waiting for NZXT to release a new design*



Not full ATX but NZXT did just drop the Manta which is relatively fresh.


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## bermel72 (Apr 2, 2016)

Ithanul said:


> Really, I think I have not seen anything new from them.  Then again they seem to have a thing for space style future looking cases.
> Though Lian Li yacht one takes the cake.
> 
> If I ever do let my Haf X go, it going to be a Case Lab that will replace it.



I'm about to to a build a build with a phantom 820. And yes they do I wish they would go simple like corsair or the h440 again.


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## tabascosauz (Apr 2, 2016)

The market was flooded...with a lot of cases that look the same, bearing the same aggressive styling that was (historically) epitomized by Raidmax and Apevia.

However, I think there is presently a lot of diversity coming from major manufacturers in the case market, and it is a good thing. If we take a look at some of the major manufacturers:

*Corsair*: traditionally solid, more conventional looking cases. They went through a lull with the 750D/450D era where they didn't release much in the way of innovation and relied on profits supposedly brought in by the 750D/350D. But as we can see from Corsair's newest cases (400Q) they seem to be picking up a bit of momentum again with some designs that can really turn heads. In 2014/2015 I think that many will agree with me that their new budget cases were something of a me-too as they sought to implement "novel" features that others like CM had already brought to the table in cases like the N200.

*Cooler Master*: I think CM might have expected a bit more fanfare to go along with its new Mastercase lineup, but it's something new, for a change. Much of the approval for CM cases comes from the success of (forgive me if I am incorrect) the Storm Stryker, Storm Scout, and 690 series. They have also released some very solid budget products such as the N200, N400 and N600 (Windowed, especially) that have excellent quality at a low price point.

*NZXT*: prior to the Phantom and (much later) the H440, I highly doubt that many people paid attention to NZXT's products. The H630 was meant to be something of a turning point in their attitudes towards case design. The H440 and S340, however, did make the PSU shroud something that the mainstream builders could also enjoy and opted for a much cleaner aesthetic. I think that despite the success of the Phantom family, NZXT itself has represented something of turning point in modern case design that favors clean lines and colors over flashy edges and LEDs.

*Fractal Design*: for a long time, people who wanted sound-proofed cases yet couldn't afford/find the likes of Nanoxia would have to opt for FD's cases, and for good reason since they were quite solidly built. However, being an Arc Mini owner myself, I didn't see much potential for Fractal Design beyond the legacy of the Define series, since the Arc Mini seemed like quite the disappointment in terms of FD's traditionally silence-oriented commitment (I know that Arc was an airflow-optimized lineup but it didn't do that very well either). The Node cases make great HTPC/SFF cases, but the Core cases haven't been stellar in the past, and in the present they seem like nothing more than cheapened versions of the already quite affordable Nodes.

****

The smaller case manufacturers might seem to be contributing to the "flood" of cases but they each bring something that I think is quite unique to the table.

*Lian Li*: although Lian Li cases are lacking in cable management, they make up for it in consistently good build quality all around. LL has also made some unconventional designs around mATX and mITX such as the tall mITX with a horizontal motherboard orientation and short GPU support (PC-Q33) and the longer PSU-over-motherboard designs that could make good NASes with their drive capacity (PC-Q25). The PC-Q12 seems a bit "inspired" in its layout but it is quite unique in its aesthetics and choice of materials, so I'd say that Lian Li still has quite the role to fill in the modern case market. Young new builders might scratch their heads thinking "why does Lian Li, with its unpainted interiors and lack of cable management, still exist?", but LL's influence should not be underestimated.

*In Win*: I think that it wouldn't be a controversial statement to brand In Win the champion of tempered glass and responsible for bringing tempered glass cases to the relative mainstream. Others like the S-Frame and D-Frame seem perfectly suited to housing show builds, but not so practical in other applications. The 707 seems like an attempt to bring a solid aluminum front to the mid-range/budget market, but I haven't read any reviews so I cannot comment on the feasibility of that feature.

*Silverstone*: I might be personally biased towards SS, because their cases (SG05 and SG08) have found a great niche in the art of carry-on PCs that fit in the Pelican 1510 (search PCPartPicker or OCN for examples, or heck my own). However, I have yet to see another manufacturer make cases with *solid, _mm thick aluminum front panels* like SS does. The prime example of this is the SG08 (10mm) and this other HTPC case that I cannot find for the life of me, probably due to my lack of recent amateur research in the case market. Although they seem to have faded a bit compared to the good ol' days (pre-2010 for them), I applaud them for not attempting to expand into other parts of the market with "me-too designs", and instead sticking to their proven guns. SS proved that the thick front aluminum panel is perfect for HTPC applications where you only get to see the gorgeous front of the case, so as long as it is sturdy enough, it doesn't matter that the rest of the mostly-invisible case is made from regular SECC steel. Cases like the TJ08 are also unconventional and unique on the market, and you would be hard-pressed to find a very similar alternative.

Limited edition runs such as the *Compact Splash *and *Ncase M1*: I think that this is what the market is going towards in recent years. Small companies and individuals feel more confident in bringing their designs forward, which are in turn well-received as being unique and high-quality. It's too bad that both of these examples are currently out of production, their 5 minutes of fame being over, but others such as the DAN A4 are yet to come, proving that small cases from small companies in small production runs are not just a 2014 thing.

*Caselabs*: as much as the big manufacturers tout their supposedly better "quality", there's really nothing that can rival Caselabs. And as some have shown, as long as you have the requisite $$$$$$$$$$ for a CL case, you can use it for air-cooled builds that are just as effective and gorgeous. And while Caselabs is extremely niche due to the sheer sizes and prices of its cases, there's no denying that it "inspired" the horizontal ITX motherboard fad last year (I'll refrain from calling TT any rude names). It was sad that they decided to discontinue the S3 as it was undoubtedly the more reasonably sized of the Mercury lineup, but the X2M taking its place is quite the looker as well.

****

I saved TT for last because I think TT's rather subpar past behaviour has something to do with the issue at hand. I don't have an issue with TT presently, because I think they know now that any such behaviour will be frowned on, and social media means that they might not exactly be able to keep it under wraps like they might wish to in such a situation.

*Thermaltake*: TT has brought a lot of great products in just about every branch of the PC market from air cooling to keyboards and mice to cases. However, some of you might be familiar with TT's row with Caselabs over the "stealing" (Fractal Design was involved too). It was due to the extraordinary influence that the Mercury S8 had on the case market with its rather innovative motherboard placement (something that really wasn't that new, considering that test benches in such orientation had been around for a long time), which resulted in TT's rather similar case design. While I don't agree that CL should be so up in arms about the influence that its cases have, I did see the issue as a classic "big company makes small company back down and be humiliated" as it was _CL_ that had to _apologize_ to _TT_ for accusing Thermaltake of "stealing". I think that the inspiration is plain to see, and there was no reason for Thermaltake to pretend that it was not inspired by equally successful and innovative fellow companies in the market. FD was involved because the Suppressor series of cases are very very similar to the Define cases that Fractal Design makes. Along with a dozen other designs including the Apogee XL from Swiftech, these designs raised some controversy.

But the point I'm trying to make is that all this "me-too"ing over case designs might appear to give us more choice, but partially is responsible for this "flood" of cases. There was nothing CL or any of us could have done, or rather, should have done about the ensuing success of TT's Core lineup, quite obviously and blatantly inspired by the Mercury series of cases. After all, hardly anyone can afford an S5 or S8, but their Core equivalent is much more affordable, albeit at the tradeoff of a lot of build quality. But cases like the Suppressor lineup have clearly not made much of a splash with respect to the initial introduction and legacy of the Define lineup, because they do little else to set themselves apart from FD's offering, making themselves something of a "me-too" product line. The Define Rx cases are not unaffordable like the Mercury S8. TT has shown in the past that they are clearly capable of coming up with great designs (I mean, try finding a competitor to the little TT mascots that peche has ), so they should stick to innovating as it benefits us all in the end. By that former logic, Silverstone should have copied all of Lian Li's designs and made their relatively "little-known" designs more well-known during SS's expansion years. Instead, they both have proven to have unique things on offer and they now serve different market niches.

I'd also like to point to the Corsair HG10 and NZXT G10 as an example. The G10 came first, and the HG10 came next, and they are both GPU water-cooling brackets; however, the HG10 offered something that the G10 couldn't: the ability to mount a stock blower fan onto the bracket to help with VRM cooling. Of course, this didn't work well with the VRMs burning themselves up under the HG10, but the whole process was a good idea of "inspiration" rather than "imitation". Now, EVGA has been coming out with its own take on GPU watercooling with its watercooled editions of the 980 Ti for example, and it could even be argued that AMD harnessed the idea for its Fiji family. Copying? I think not, TT.

But fortunately I feel like that time is largely behind us. It still remains to be seen, obviously, with this year's offerings, whether these companies have truly cast aside the copycat game in favor of unique innovation, but I think that this is a great time to be building, simply because all these different companies, big and small, all have something different to offer to the builder at the end of the day.


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## jsalpha2 (Apr 2, 2016)

I can't find many I like.  No holes on the top.  No buttons or ports on the top.  My wife stacks books, papers or her purse on the top of the computer.  It needs to be nice and flat and if something spills on the top of the  computer (coffee) it needs to keep everything out.  I am not ready to give up optical drives yet, so all the smooth front cases are out.  I've never liked door fronted cases, I don't like to open a door to get to the optical drives. Metal needs to be strong, its ok if it is a heavy case.  Good high quality On/Off button.  Plain boring case, with no windows, lights, or odd shapes.  Something that would look appropriate in an office environment.


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## jaggerwild (Apr 2, 2016)

Love my Inwin D frame Mini, Thought its not a mini any more. I drilled out the motherboard tray to accept a bigger mother board, even though my drilling wasn't perfect it ROCKS!


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## Rockarola (Apr 6, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> brilliant post



I thought I was a bit of a case geek...thank you for posting what I didn't have patience, eloquence nor knowledge to post. 
*edit* How about Bitfenix? Do you have any experience with their cases?


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## Divide Overflow (Apr 6, 2016)

So many cases and yet so much room for improvement.


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## tabascosauz (Apr 6, 2016)

Rockarola said:


> I thought I was a bit of a case geek...thank you for posting what I didn't have patience, eloquence nor knowledge to post.
> *edit* How about Bitfenix? Do you have any experience with their cases?



Heh  just wanted to share that's all

Unfortunately, I haven't had any experience with Bitfenix. They have some truly interesting designs; however, build quality has never been their strong suit. I know this to be the case up to cases like the Prodigy, Shinobi and Phenom families. The Pandora and Aegis are more recent products from Bitfenix and I hope they have upped their game when it comes to build quality.

On a different note, I am thankful that others in the industry had the sense not follow in Bitfenix's footsteps after seeing the Prodigy and Phenom (not the M variants of either case, which house mATX motherboards). Those cases are massive, still flaunt lots and lots of plastic, and shame on anyone who dares label them "Small Form Factor" enclosures (as many have in years past). The Caselabs Mercury S3 had tremendous amounts of volume for a mini-ITX case, but also had room for some absolutely unparalleled watercooling and aircooling potential. The Prodigy has nothing save for the capability to accommodate behemoth air coolers. People build mini-ITX to cut down on footprint, not to expand it; thank god the Prodigy did not start a real trend.


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## Rockarola (Apr 6, 2016)

tabascosauz said:


> Heh  just wanted to share that's all
> 
> Unfortunately, I haven't had any experience with Bitfenix. They have some truly interesting designs; however, build quality has never been their strong suit. I know this to be the case up to cases like the Prodigy, Shinobi and Phenom families. The Pandora and Aegis are more recent products from Bitfenix and I hope they have upped their game when it comes to build quality.
> 
> On a different note, I am thankful that others in the industry had the sense not follow in Bitfenix's footsteps after seeing the Prodigy and Phenom (not the M variants of either case, which house mATX motherboards). Those cases are massive, still flaunt lots and lots of plastic, and shame on anyone who dares label them "Small Form Factor" enclosures (as many have in years past). The Caselabs Mercury S3 had tremendous amounts of volume for a mini-ITX case, but also had room for some absolutely unparalleled watercooling and aircooling potential. The Prodigy has nothing save for the capability to accommodate behemoth air coolers. People build mini-ITX to cut down on footprint, not to expand it; thank god the Prodigy did not start a real trend.


I have a Prodigy M, rigged up for server duty. I needed a case that had decent airflow (I'm not really in to watercooling...yet), room for 4 HDDs and wouldn't make my GF scream at me. 
I have no issues about the build quality, I've heard it was improved on the M, and space was not an issue (had to be placed in the living room). 
I like the Prodigy, but I completely agree that it's not an efficient design!


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## redundantslurs (Apr 6, 2016)

Inwin for the win.


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