Need help picking out a good computer case.
 

I am getting a Asus Striker Extreme NVIDIA Socket 775 ATX Motherboard. Air cooled, I need it to be kinda big so i can fit all my fans, mods into it. If you need any other information on what else im putting inside it ask plz. Thks for the help.

If noise is a concern to you, a good choice is the Antec P180 or one of its variants. If you just want lots of fans and lots of airflow, and lots of drive bays, then the Antec Nine Hundred may be what you're looking for. Both of these feature the PSU at the bottom instead of the top of the case, so be mindful of PSU cable lengths.

Grab the cheapest ATX case you can find, it does not affect performance. Put it in another room or the closet and pass the keyboard, mouse, and USB extension cable through a hole in the wall to your "quiet" desk (that's what I do). The CPU fan is the one you need to spend money on, not the case. The video card should come with it's own fan. One case fan is adequate for all CPU, mother board combinations when the video card has it's own cooling system. Most of the average home computer's processing is used by/applied to graphics, therefore the CPU and graphics card are the two components that require cooling.
What should be more attractive?, the neon lights in the case?, or the graphics appearing on the monitor?. If what shows up on the monitor is too boring, don't waste your money on computers, buy a home, car, or girlfriend instead. Money better spent.

Not everyone has the same priorities. There's nothing wrong with someone wanting a snazzy case for his computer. If he spends thousands of dollars on the stuff inside it, then a quality case may be a small fraction of the total cost.

Now, the best CPU heatsinks only cost $35-$60, a fraction of a medium-high end CPU. One of the least expensive 120mm heatsinks is the trusty old Scythe Ninja--the absolute best for quiet computing and close to the top performers in any regime (some other heatsinks marginally outperform the Ninja in noisy high airflow regimes). It's not a big cost for a typical computer build.

Personally, I'm into budget computing. I'll spend a lot of effort to customize a computer with a $10 glass aquarium into the most elegant computer you'll ever see. But I'm not going to recommend that to anyone else because few others have the same priorities I do.

I second the Antec P180. It comes with three extremely quiet 120mm fans and is well insulated.

Newegg.com has a deal right now for a RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX Mid Tower Case with a 500W Power Supply for $65.00 after a $20.00 rebate. The case looks nice and is tempting me since I need a PSU anyhow. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811156062

Looking at that raidmax I am really impressed. I think i might go with that because the antec to me seems a little flimsy Thks guys

I hope you haven't stopped reading your own thread, having already gotten some responses. If not, I would add: Don't buy a Cooler Master Elite 330 case. I explained why not in http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...0-case-687901/ .

I tentatively disagree with what Junior Hacker says--and I'm frugal myself. I say, don't necessarily get the cheapest case possible, ATX or otherwise. The case isn't totally insignificant. A very cheap case could have, say, a poorly designed power button that breaks easily.:(

Well, it was a year and a half ago, so I suspect he's already bought one.
Still, the heads up on the 330 may be of interest to someone.

D'oh! I didn't notice that.

If you hadn't responded to me, I could erase my text.

I will third the P-180 case. It is excellent from just about every performance standpoint. I use a P-182 which is the same case except for some modifications that make it possible to manage the cable tangle. It costs about $20 more though.

And I emphatically disagree with what Junior Hacker has to say about cases. They most certainly DO affect performance because they will affect how cool the system runs (and thus how much you can overclock if you want to) and how rapidly dust accumulates inside. Further, cheap cases can be a real PITA to work on, with sharp edges to slice fingers and no features to make life easier.

You should always pay attention to the thermal performance of a case. Right behind that is noise, though how much of a factor that is just depends on your particular environment. You also should consider the presence/absence of dust filters on air intakes.

Then, you need to look at your future requirements; how much expansion room do you want? If you max out your new case, you might find yourself wanting to buy another one in a year or so - which is not efficient.