New Build - Need Case Suggestions

[Wildlight]

Hello all!

Hope you're doing well. I am currently building a mid level budget gaming rig for a friend.

The build is linked here: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/kDrs7W

I'm looking for case suggestions in the $40-60 range that will hold two HDDs and one SSD.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks all!

[Temp name]

for 70: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/p8x...se-ca-h500b-b1

For 46: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/rnG...q300l-kann-s00

Also serious suggestion: get an RX 570 or 580 instead of the 1060 3gb. Cheaper and equal/better performance

[Wildlight]

for 70: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/p8x...se-ca-h500b-b1

For 46: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/rnG...q300l-kann-s00

Also serious suggestion: get an RX 570 or 580 instead of the 1060 3gb. Cheaper and equal/better performance

I already have a 1060 3gb that I purchased brand new from a friend for $120. And the second case doesn't support 2 HDDs cause it is the case my rig is built in.

Thanks

[Temp name]

I already have a 1060 3gb that I purchased brand new from a friend for $120. And the second case doesn't support 2 HDDs cause it is the case my rig is built in.

Thanks

Ah, my mistake, read it as 2 SSD's for some reason. PCPP for all cases that fit 2x 3.5" and 1x 2.5" and costs less than 60 USD
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/ca...&J=2,20&K=1,12

[Micfeind]

Ah, my mistake, read it as 2 SSD's for some reason. PCPP for all cases that fit 2x 3.5" and 1x 2.5" and costs less than 60 USD
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/ca...&J=2,20&K=1,12

From that list I have
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/w76...h-ec350ptg_dbk

Should work well for the OP a real nice tidy case, couldn't speak more highly of it.

[Kagthul]

I already have a 1060 3gb that I purchased brand new from a friend for $120. And the second case doesn't support 2 HDDs cause it is the case my rig is built in.

Thanks

The super-thick velcro Command Strips fix any HDD mounting issues ever. Any place in the case there is a spot that fits the outside dimension of the drive, is a drive mounting spot. One strip on the top end, one on the lower end. Problem solved. May be ugly/visible though. (Not the strips, but the drive).

- - - Updated - - -

For “easy to work in, does what i need it to, and is not butt-ugly”, i recommend:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/JtW...-1j1-00s1nn-00
Priced at 40$. Built in it several times. Solid, useable case with understated simple look. The H18 is the same case with a tempered glass side for another 10$ or so.

Also nothing wrong with the Phanteks cases - but that 350X is out-of-budget as NeeEgg Business reauires you to have a Business account. The cheaper P300 TG is great:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/g2b...ph-ec300ptg_wt

Phanteks is by far my favorite case maker right now, but those Thermaltake cases i posted above are solid, dependable and inexpensive.

Depends on how much you want to budget for bling. At this budget (H310 and an i3) i assume saving dollars is more important. So id still reccomend some Command Strips + your current case (about 10$), the Thermaltake H17, and the Phanteks P300TG, in that order.

Edit: just saw your “for a friend” post, so case required. In that case, the Thermaltake all the eay. Cheaper, easy to work in (i just built six office PCs for a client in the H18 (same case but with glass - Microcenter only has the 18 in stock), not ugly, and plenty of room.

If you haven’t already bought the Intel parts, id HIGHLY recommend going with Ryzen instead:

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/yHL2bX
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/yHL2bX/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($91.99 @ Walmart)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($59.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $226.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-02-15 01:03 EST-0500

Why - the R3 2200G is clocked nearly the same as the Intel part, but can actually all-core boost higher, and be manually overclocked to 3.7 or 3.8ghz fairly easily. Its also got a VASTLY superior iGPU to fall back on (Vega 8) as well.

Its also upgradeable in the future. The Intel platform is not, at all. H310 cant support 9-series chips and will DEFINITELY not be aboe to take the upcoming 10-series (or whatever they call them - Tiger/Ice Lake will be on a new socket entirely).

That B450 board will support a drop-in replacement all they way to a top of the line 2700x, and will support (with a BIOs update), the upcoming 3000-series Ryzen 3 chips (at least up to the 8-core variants). Hell easily be able to add a Ryzen 3 midrange chip for sub-200$ for a MASSIVE upgrade (and thatll be available well into 2020). Intel is simply not worth it unless youre going enthusiast-grade with an unlocked six-core or better K-series chip on Z370 or Z390. Anything below that, and AMD is a CLEAR winner, espcially for budget builds.

Further edit/addition:

Make sure that CM PSU is NOT the older series from pre-2017. If so, swap it. The pre-2017 CX series PSUs are firecrackers. The post 2017 models use a different OEM and are OK. For only 5$ more (at full MSRP, or 20$ off if you do MiRebates, at NewEgg)..id HIGHLY recommend using this Seasonic instead:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Tc3...upply-ss620gm2

Fully modular. 10 year warranty. And its Seasonic... theyre pretty much in the top 2 or 3 PSU OEMs out there. Worth the extra 5$, IMO (or cheaper if you can deal with MiR).

- - - Updated - - -

And final addition, i swear. Heres what the build looks like with my suggested changes:

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/zJ3JdX
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/zJ3JdX/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($91.99 @ Walmart)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($59.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3 GB Mini Video Card ($194.00 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake - Versa H17 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - EVO Edition 620 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.90 @ B&H)
Total: $520.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-02-15 01:13 EST-0500

Adding the case to your build brings the price to 515.74.. so the prices are super similar.

[Wildlight]

The super-thick velcro Command Strips fix any HDD mounting issues ever. Any place in the case there is a spot that fits the outside dimension of the drive, is a drive mounting spot. One strip on the top end, one on the lower end. Problem solved. May be ugly/visible though. (Not the strips, but the drive).

- - - Updated - - -

For “easy to work in, does what i need it to, and is not butt-ugly”, i recommend:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/JtW...-1j1-00s1nn-00
Priced at 40$. Built in it several times. Solid, useable case with understated simple look. The H18 is the same case with a tempered glass side for another 10$ or so.

Also nothing wrong with the Phanteks cases - but that 350X is out-of-budget as NeeEgg Business reauires you to have a Business account. The cheaper P300 TG is great:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/g2b...ph-ec300ptg_wt

Phanteks is by far my favorite case maker right now, but those Thermaltake cases i posted above are solid, dependable and inexpensive.

Depends on how much you want to budget for bling. At this budget (H310 and an i3) i assume saving dollars is more important. So id still reccomend some Command Strips + your current case (about 10$), the Thermaltake H17, and the Phanteks P300TG, in that order.

Edit: just saw your “for a friend” post, so case required. In that case, the Thermaltake all the eay. Cheaper, easy to work in (i just built six office PCs for a client in the H18 (same case but with glass - Microcenter only has the 18 in stock), not ugly, and plenty of room.

If you haven’t already bought the Intel parts, id HIGHLY recommend going with Ryzen instead:



Why - the R3 2200G is clocked nearly the same as the Intel part, but can actually all-core boost higher, and be manually overclocked to 3.7 or 3.8ghz fairly easily. Its also got a VASTLY superior iGPU to fall back on (Vega 8) as well.

Its also upgradeable in the future. The Intel platform is not, at all. H310 cant support 9-series chips and will DEFINITELY not be aboe to take the upcoming 10-series (or whatever they call them - Tiger/Ice Lake will be on a new socket entirely).

That B450 board will support a drop-in replacement all they way to a top of the line 2700x, and will support (with a BIOs update), the upcoming 3000-series Ryzen 3 chips (at least up to the 8-core variants). Hell easily be able to add a Ryzen 3 midrange chip for sub-200$ for a MASSIVE upgrade (and thatll be available well into 2020). Intel is simply not worth it unless youre going enthusiast-grade with an unlocked six-core or better K-series chip on Z370 or Z390. Anything below that, and AMD is a CLEAR winner, espcially for budget builds.

Further edit/addition:

Make sure that CM PSU is NOT the older series from pre-2017. If so, swap it. The pre-2017 CX series PSUs are firecrackers. The post 2017 models use a different OEM and are OK. For only 5$ more (at full MSRP, or 20$ off if you do MiRebates, at NewEgg)..id HIGHLY recommend using this Seasonic instead:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Tc3...upply-ss620gm2

Fully modular. 10 year warranty. And its Seasonic... theyre pretty much in the top 2 or 3 PSU OEMs out there. Worth the extra 5$, IMO (or cheaper if you can deal with MiR).

- - - Updated - - -

And final addition, i swear. Heres what the build looks like with my suggested changes:



Adding the case to your build brings the price to 515.74.. so the prices are super similar.

@Kagthul Thanks for all the feedback and ideas. The rig likely won't get upgraded again for 3-5 years. So definitely looking for something that's gonna last. The current rig they have that I assisted with building is nearly 4.5 years old so its definitely time to upgrade.

If you think the overall performance of the rig will be benefitted though by going with ryzen then I'll definitely do that. My current build is using the i3 Intel build, which came highly recommended from a guild member who was using the same build. So that is why I was going that route
I have had my rig for 6 months and it has worked liked a charm. But do you think it Would it be worth swapping out my components for ryzen?

Also as far as the case goes, I think I'm going to go with this one:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/ZHm...-ca-focus-bk-w

It came highly recommended by my brother and two guild members that built in it.

Thanks again

Edit: worth the extra $20 for this? As opposed to the ryzen 3?
https://www.microcenter.com/product/...h-spire-cooler

[Kagthul]

I should have asked if you were near Microcenter.

The R5 1600 will definitely have more longevity (six core, 12 thread) than the R3 2200G. Microcenter’s in-store deals on CPUs can get crazy.

As for swapping your Intel parts to Ryzen - particularly the 2200G or other quad-core part, it would be a pure side-grade, as clock-for clock, there’s not a huge difference in speed between Ryzen and Core chips at the moment.

The main benefit of the 1600 is the extra cores/threads for better longevity.

But it would put you on a socket/platform that you could upgrade later, which being on H310 right now is.. not. Its basically a dead-end.

Also, if you’re going in-store at Microcenter, see what Motherboards are available with the 30$ discount. A lot of the CPUs will have a 30$ off deal with a compatable motherboard.

But as for right-now performance upgrades over your existing i3? Not much.

Also, if you think you can “get by” on the i3 for a year or two, do, and then build a new rig. 7nm chips are coming from both Intel and AMD, which will be something of a big jump in performance due to better thermals and higher clocks.

[Wildlight]

I should have asked if you were near Microcenter.

The R5 1600 will definitely have more longevity (six core, 12 thread) than the R3 2200G. Microcenter’s in-store deals on CPUs can get crazy.

As for swapping your Intel parts to Ryzen - particularly the 2200G or other quad-core part, it would be a pure side-grade, as clock-for clock, there’s not a huge difference in speed between Ryzen and Core chips at the moment.

The main benefit of the 1600 is the extra cores/threads for better longevity.

But it would put you on a socket/platform that you could upgrade later, which being on H310 right now is.. not. Its basically a dead-end.

Also, if you’re going in-store at Microcenter, see what Motherboards are available with the 30$ discount. A lot of the CPUs will have a 30$ off deal with a compatable motherboard.

But as for right-now performance upgrades over your existing i3? Not much.

Also, if you think you can “get by” on the i3 for a year or two, do, and then build a new rig. 7nm chips are coming from both Intel and AMD, which will be something of a big jump in performance due to better thermals and higher clocks.

@Kagthul thanks again for the info. I'm more interested in swapping my Intel for the ryzen r5 1600 for the longevity of it. And it seems like overall it may give me a bit of a bump.

Looking forward to getting these parts ordered and this new rig assembled.

If I come across anything else I may need I'll let you know.