Hey traktor,
Oh boy....this is one of the most common questions, and it's a tough one as it really depends on your own personal tastes. All I can do is give you some things that I personally look for in a case, for myself or for a client.
First up, gear: How much gear are you planning to fit into it? For some a smaller mid-tower case is plenty. A couple opticals, a couple HDDs and that's all you'd ever need. If you're planning on adding watercooling or a lot of additional gear in the future, you may want a larger mid to full tower.
Materials: What is your preference in materials? I personally like aluminum cases, but they are more expensive and can be harder to paint if they're anodized. Scratching is also an issue with any case, so take your pick of scratched paint or scratched aluminum.
Color: I would personally stay away from black cases. They're like black cars in that yeah, at first they look sexy but really take a lot of work to keep them that way. Silver or other light colors are great unless dust is just not an issue for you.
Cooling: Some say that aluminum cases cool better, but my experience has taught that airflow configuration and lack of restriction are far more important. Look at cases with 120mm fan mounts for the best compromise between fan power and noise. Also look at how well air can enter and exit the case. A bezel that only has a small intake slot in the bottom will severely hamper cooling performance. More efficient airflow equals less noise.
Power Supply: There are only a few manufacturers of cases whose bundled power supplies I would trust. They are Antec, Enermax and ThermalTake, but as you said, only one with a 400W+ rating, as I wouldn't reccommend anything less. If possible, go bigger than that. Today's top videocards require a minimum of 470W, and since we are talking about a fully electrical device here, invest in a quality
PSU. It is the foundation of everything that you put inside your rig, and buying one that supplies clean reliable power will prevent a LOT of problems when you add more hardware in the future. Often you will have to buy this separately...and it's worth it if you get what you really need.
Window: If you find a window you like, it is typically cheaper to buy a case with one already installed rather than doing it yourself. If you're looking to set your rig apart and make it unique, definitely cut your own as it isn't THAT much more expensive, and modding is hella fun.
Budget: If your goal is modding, look to less expensive cases that you can practice your first few mods on. There is certainly a threshhold beneath which cases just aren't worthwhile. In my experience, this is around $50 for a case with no
PSU. Be willing to accept misaligned panels, flimsy metal and plastic, and an overall cheezy look to cases below $50.
All that said, I would suggest checking out these:
ANTEC Performance Plus "PlusView1000AMG" ANTEC ALUMINUM SUPER LAN BOY ANTEC "SONATA" ANTEC Model "P-160WF" CHENBRO Model "PC61566-SL-W" Cooler Master Centurion 5 COOLER MASTER Cavalier 3 Cooler Master WaveMaster Model "TAC-T01-EB" Lian-Li Model "PC-65" Lian-Li Model "PC-V1000" Thermaltake XaserV Series Model "V7000+" Thermaltake SOPRANO VB1000SNS Thermaltake SHARK Model "VA7000SWA"
Take a look and tell us what you like, what you'd still like to see and what your plans are.
