What makes a pc chassis a good choice?

[blue-eye-boy]

I'm still busy locating all the parts I need for my new pc, and while doing so I stumbled upon a chassis at matrixwarehouse. It is the chassis and 450 w psu in one. It looks very nice (looks), and the price is R370. Now why would I need to get a coolermaster chassis, or others, for like R300 without psu?

I know the psu wont be a corsair, but as I'm not a gamer, and wont need ultrasonic power, why must I buy a more expensive one than the one at matrixwarehouse?

 

[killadoob]

Well if you don't game or overclock just buy one you think looks nice.

Space and cooling are generally the biggest reasons

 

[blue-eye-boy]

Well then I dont think I'll have a issue with that case. Will save a bit on that.

 

[Pada]

The PSU's bundled with the usually don't last as long as the good braned (corsair, antec or seasonic) ones.

Secondly, they aren't that efficient and don't always come with the necessary protection mechanisms that would prevent it from physically bursting into flames when overloaded.

Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

 

[Keeper]

There are plenty of Factors that make a difference in a Chassis.

- Space
- Cooling
- Ease of Initial Installation
- Ease of Future Installs / maintenance
- Esthetic & Beauty
- Low Noise
- Portability
- Weight
- Upgradability (Water Cooling?)
- Gadgets (Removable HDD trays, Drive holders, Grommets, Wheels/Feet, cable management, hidden chambers, tools)
- Build Quality


Generally you want a Big Case with Low noise, with plenty of Hard Drive bays, that has all sorts of "gadgets" to make your life easier in the future
(like those hard drive slide in trays, DVD Drive holder "snaps", places to hide cables, etc.)

a R300 case might work, but it won't have the size, HDD capacity, Cooling, Low DB noise, Upgradability, build quality or "gadgets" that more expensive cases might have.
Large Screws that can be undone with the hand alone sounds like a silly plus point, but small things like that add up too.

It's all up to what you need in a chassis, not how much it costs.
if you don't see a need for a more expensive chassis, you probably don't need it.

 

[FNfal]

Cheap case is fine if you want to save money but you gotta look at it every day
Those new cases with the hard drive docking bays and the fan controls with the 4 USBs top front really appeal to my tinkering nature
and they look so cool

 

[Salazzar]

Most importantly the airflow.

 

[veggie_mane]

Choice of case also depends on what hardware you are going to put into it. For example, a radeon 6970 will most probably not fit into a R300 case. Also, high end hardware makes a lot of heat, and cheapie cases generally don't have very good airflow in terms of fans, design etc.

A word of advice-stay away from the cases that come with a bundled psu, or replace the psu with a decent one if you really like the case. Cheapo no name brand psu's will blow eventually. My advice is to get a decent coolermaster or antec case, and an antec or corsair psu.

A common misconception is that "a case is to just put all your hardware in" and that a "a psu just supplies power". They are two vitally important pieces of your setup, and poor choices have consequences. If a psu blows it can take some of your hardware with it. A case with poor airflow can result in overheating. Also, a cheap case is generally a nightmare to build a pc in.

My advice is to resist the temptation to cut costs on these two parts and instead spend a little more for peace of mind, convenience, performance, features, and future proofing.

All of this is based on the assumption that u are building a gaming pc tho. A R300 case is fine for an office/ordinary home pc though.

 

[cavedog]

I disagree with some people. I had a iSonic PSU that is so old that the fan broke and the PSU still worked.... I just modified it and it still works even though its so rusted.....

For me buying brand names is not always the best option.

For example you can buy eco united t shirts but the shirts at me price might last you just as long for half the price.

I'm not comparing R1000 vs R200 here I'm just saying that the cheapies can also be impressive........

 

[Electron1]

I agree that if you want to build a gaming case and/or want to upgrade later a more expensive case would be worthwhile, however for an "standard" pc the cheap case should be good enough. The Matrix power supplies are reasonable quality, I use them as replacement power supplies for all the "standard" pc's I repair and have never had to return one under warranty. They are good enough to run a standard pc and have never given me a problem.

 

[Creag]

My cooler master sniper chassis was a good choice for me. Plenty of space in it, enough fans, keeps the whole rig really cool. And then there is the appearance factor... which is aesthetically easy on my eye. I love it. The price was worth it.

 

[blue-eye-boy]

I muste say the matrix chassis looks nice, so I'll give it a try.

 

[killadoob]

He won't be gaming or overclocking by the sounds of it. Why waste money. Geez we got a pc here with a 200w PSU and i paid 189.00 ex vat from sahara 5 years ago and it still runs 100%.

Even when i used to sell pc's those 180-200 ex vat cheapies from sahara worked very well. Perhaps the quality has dropped but it seems a waste to blow 500 bucks on a PSU that won't ever get used near capacity.