I've been getting a lot of inquiries asking "Which case should I buy?" lately.

Mnpctech.com has modified cases for 9 years, theres a lot of great options out there now. I have a large online following of enthusiasts, so I always try to share my personal recommendations. The manufacturers have focused more on silence over recent years. Larger fans (120 & 140mm) that provide good cooling without the excessive fan noise.

Heres my 3 suggestions from low, mid to high range cases based upon my criteria, I like a case with lots of room for my hands. I like a case to be constructed with good materials, all of the folds should be tight, not flex under weight or feel flimsy. I like switches and leds be screwed in, not glued, in case I need or wish to replace them. I won't bother with any case that offers anything smaller than 120mm cooling fans, front and rear

Antec 300 Midtower, retail: $39.99 - $49.99
Durable steel construction, Optional 2x 120mm intake fans, factory 140mm top exhaust fan with speed control, 120mm exhaust, removable filter in bezel. PSU located on floor. The only minuses are no removable MB or HD trays, but it's hard to find everything at this price range.
My video review of Antec Three Hundred



Lian Li PC-7 plus II midtower, retail $89 - $99 online
Lian Li has lead the industry with their superior factory tooling, they make durable aluminum cases. This case is very light, but durable. It's a smart, stylish and simple layout. Quiet factory 120 front and rear fans, removable filter and HD cage. The only minus is MB tray is not removable.
My video review of Lian Li (dissection!)



Silverstone Tj09, retail $249 - $299
You get hwta you pay for with this case. An exceptional design with good engineering. Very good cooling and quiet. Superior aluminum construction and component parts throughout. I've stated this before, it's the best chassis design with a removable MB tray I've seen yet.
Silverstone TJ09 Video review by 3DGAMEMAN


If you have any questions, just email me

pcbuilderATmnpctech.com

Bill Owen

I was going to make a sarcastic wise remark about what makes you qualified to make suggestions like this, but then I thought that it might take away from a good post with excellent suggestions, so I won't.

My only comment is you have a case in the <$50, $50-100, and $250-300 ranges. What about something in the middle, like the $100-200 range? What would yo suggest in that range?

every time i see the lian li review, the first question that comes to mind is "what about the enlight?".
quick removable front bezel, case sides slide off from the front, removable hdd/floppy bay, tooless rom bays, built like a tank (and heavy as one), multi mounting points for switches and leds.
up until april of this year, it was my main case/footstool/stepladder.

Personally, I think the Ark SR-8100 is vastly underrated. It's huge, it's dirt-cheap (about $75 delivered), it's fairly durable (I did lose plastic drive rail to my incessant swapping of 3.5" bay items), and it's fairly unmodded to begin with (no built-in windows, no weird geegaws aside from a top-mounted port block). And the nice thing-- if you need to slap a dual-PIII into it, there's room.

My biggest, and currently only gripe with the Antec is the fact you have to get slimline fans for the front grille.

Great suggestions! I still like the old Chieftec Dragon, it was the first aftermarket case I ever bought.. funny how you don't see them around anymore tho...lol

Quote: Originally Posted by mnpctech Great suggestions! I still like the old Chieftec Dragon, it was the first aftermarket case I ever bought.. funny how you don't see them around anymore tho...lol

........unless i look to the left at the chemning and antec sitting there

and a certain lian li on the right as my main


directron has the dragons on sale....Chieftec Cases-Dragon Matrix Mid-Tower Full-Tower Accessories Cheiftec Case Chieftech-Best Computer Online Store Houston Buy Discount Prices Texas-Directron.com

Nope, sold out.

I'm not sure what all the fuss was about the Dragon. I had one (one of the later generation Antec ones with front USB ports under a little door that tended to break easily), and it was an okay case, reasonably big, reasonably robust, but I found the 3.5 cages awkward, the drive rails annoying (drive rails always suck because they WILL disappear, even with the little snap-tray), and the lack of a 120mm exhaust sucktacular. I suppose it could have been a "best of a mediocre lot" thing, though, in an era before cases had big cutouts on the side so Prescott can breathe.

Quote: Originally Posted by Hak Foo Nope, sold out. I'm not sure what all the fuss was about the Dragon. I had one (one of the later generation Antec ones with front USB ports under a little door that tended to break easily), and it was an okay case, reasonably big, reasonably robust, but I found the 3.5 cages awkward, the drive rails annoying (drive rails always suck because they WILL disappear, even with the little snap-tray), and the lack of a 120mm exhaust sucktacular. I suppose it could have been a "best of a mediocre lot" thing, though, in an era before cases had big cutouts on the side so Prescott can breathe.

the era when the 80mm cooling fan was standardized

The AMS CF1009 was also my all time favorite. It was the most durable construction for an aluminum case I'd seen to date. You can easily remove the 2 piece acrylic bezel and plate for cutting fan holes. LED and PWR/RESET buttons are screwed in versus glued. The HD cage is removable. You can modify it so you have, Front and Rear 120 fans. It's painted aluminum, not anodized so less prep work painting. They only bummer is you can only buy them direct from the manufacturer for $159, which is steep compared to today's standards. ams electronics estore

Shall I assume that EVERY CF1009 that went through your shop got some huge intake mods?

I got a CF-2029, the little brother of that case, and the front panel intake is basically a joke because of the tiny holes on the front panel. Rip a hole in the side, and your temperatures drop 10c. Maybe it works marginally better with a front fan, but going "exhaust only" does not work great.

Quote: Originally Posted by Hak Foo Shall I assume that EVERY CF1009 that went through your shop got some huge intake mods? I got a CF-2029, the little brother of that case, and the front panel intake is basically a joke because of the tiny holes on the front panel. Rip a hole in the side, and your temperatures drop 10c. Maybe it works marginally better with a front fan, but going "exhaust only" does not work great.

Exactly Hak Foo!

dual 120mm intakes in CF1009,

my recipe was to replace front chassis with new sheet metal to accomodate 2x 120mm fan holes, then cut 3/16" thick acrylic sheet for new bezel