help picking my case

[omghaxcode]

So I had my heart set on the white Corsair 600t but after reading reviews I think I've decided to look around. The corsair 600t has pass through usb 3 and awful fan controls that break either immediately or after a few months.

My budget is flexible but I'd like a mid tower or larger, tooless entry, nice airflow, and easy drive bay swapping would be a plus. Right now I have a coolermaster Cosmos S so I'm a little spoiled but I don't want to spend $300 on a case again.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[lehtv]

Here are some cases in the $100-200 price bracket, all with one external 3.5" bay, great airflow, and USB3.0:
CM HAF 922 $110
Rosewill Thor V2 $120
CM Storm Sniper $150
CM HAF 932 $160
Lian Li PC-A70F $190

This with two extrenal 3.5" bays:
CM HAF XM $130 (also newer)

If you forgo the external 3.5" bay, Antec 1100 is a great lower cost option. Very spacious, great stock cooling, windowed and well built.http://redirect.anandtech.com/r?url...deId=1&Description=c70&x=0&y=0&user=u00000687

You can also convert a 5.25" inch bay to 3.5" for $9 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811993007

 

[bleucharm28]

Antec P180, the white looks really nice.

 

[omghaxcode]

sorry but I'm confused on the difference between internal and external bays. can you explain what that means?

 

[Raswan]

Also the Silverstone Raven RV03 is a beautiful case.

 

[Smoblikat]

Rosewill blackhawk ULTRA case is nice, just got one for 140$.

 

[lehtv]

sorry but I'm confused on the difference between internal and external bays. can you explain what that means?

Internal bays are inside the case, accessible only with the side panel removed, external ones can be accessed on the front panel. External 3.5" bays are also called hot-swap bays, although hot-swapping itself (i.e. removing or connecting a SATA drive with the PC turned on) can be done just as well with the internal bays.

I thought that's what you meant by "easy drive bay swapping".

 

[omghaxcode]

by easy drive swapping I meant tooless like in the Cosmos S. All I do is hit the button on the side of the drive and it slides on out. Sorry about the confusion.

 

[Smoblikat]

by easy drive swapping I meant tooless like in the Cosmos S. All I do is hit the button on the side of the drive and it slides on out. Sorry about the confusion.

Have you considered teh corsair 800D? Its quite expensive, but quite nice looking.

 

[lehtv]

Ah. You mean toolless or screwless drive bays. I can't see the convenience mattering much to be honest unless you find yourself swapping drives very often. And if that's the case, then you should be using those drives in the hot swap or external drive bays for maximum convenience. HAF XM has two hot swappable bays. (I didn't go through the trouble of checking whether all the cases actually have a convenient externally accessible slot on the 3.5" bay instead of just an option to install a hot-swap bay.)

HAF XM also has toolless internal drive bays, very easy to use. Check here. I think HAF XM is the best option for you

 

[omghaxcode]

I don't really like the sharp lines in those rectangle cases. that's why I was looking at the 600t

 

[lehtv]

Ah. In the end it all comes down to the looks... . You could've mentioned appearance was important in your criteria in the OP

NZXT Phantom maybe your thing?

 

[omghaxcode]

ehhhh unfortunately I think that looks like a shitty piece of plastic. I guess I'm too picky

 

[lehtv]

Well, when you find a case you think looks good.... then consider whether it has good cooling and toolless installation and whatever else, and whether all that even matters

 

[omghaxcode]

what do you think of the 600t? right now I'm conflicted just because of the usb3 thing.

 

[Kenmitch]

Did you look at the NZXT SWITCH 810 White? Might be worth watching the newegg video. Looks like a nice case if one likes the look of it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&SID=u00000687

 

[stuartl89]

Maybe it's because I just bought one but how about the Silverstone Fortress FT02? Keeps my stuff cool while looking good. It's a little on the spendy side, but you get what you pay for.

-S