$55 mATX Case with Hinged Glass Side Panel - The DLM21 by Darkflash

[trs96]

Here's my second choice for a case in the 50-60 dollar range.

https://www.newegg.com/black-phanteks-eclipse-p300a-mesh-edition-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811854097

These are solidly built and not that large for an ATX case. If the DLM21 is not available this Phanteks model is a superb value from newegg. They've also jumped on the front mesh panel bandwagon.

At 18" these are 1.5" taller than the DLM21 case.

 

[vlad1966]

Looks like a good design and for the money, a steal. I particularly like the space at the top of the case because it just makes it easier for us to plug in those aux power cables which are usually in that area of the motherboard.

Amen to that!

Thanks trs96 - I will be picking up the DLM21 Mesh in White in a few minutes. Great price. I have a "thing" for white cases (I used to be all about black cases but that's gotten old), especially Micro ATX, which is my fav form factor. I actually like Mini ITX for the size, but 1 PCIe slot can be too restrictive for higher-end builds when you want a fast vid card & 10GBe NIC.

Being a Philadelphia Flyers fan, I just may decide to keep that logo

 

[trs96]

especially Micro ATX, which is my fav form factor. I actually like Mini ITX for the size, but 1 PCIe slot can be too restrictive for higher-end builds when you want a fast vid card

I've the same viewpoint. Mini-ITX is always too small and cramped with no cable mgt. Full size ATX cases are generally too big and waste too much space, are too heavy etc. mATX is just right. The problem is the limited number of mATX cases that are high enough quality to be worth buying. Anything 35 dollars or lower has paper thin steel and a poor black paint job. There is way too much plastic used. Fit and finish is lackluster. Case manufacurers cut too many corners on budget cases and they end up bringing buyer's remorse. The sharp edges on those budget cases end up cutting the owner/builder too. Not a great experience. You need not sacrifice some of your own blood for computer build.

 

[vlad1966]

I was going to go for a white Inwin 301 in my upcoming build that I'll be doing in about a week, having had one of those before, which I think has good build quality, but it was kind of a pain to work with - the SSD area was really cramped for inserting cables & compared to the 301, the DLM21 should be much easier, with perfect dimensions: 2" taller, 1/2" shorter depth (don't like deep cases to save desktop space) and 1/2" wider.

 

[trs96]

Inwin build quality looks good, I just don't like the case layout with the PSU up top and the glass door that opens from the top. They also overdo the size of their name on the front of the case. Not my cup of tea.

Who wants to look at their logo every time you access the case power button or USB ports ? USB ports too low for my use case. The DLM21 sits on the floor so having them on top/front works for me.

 

[trs96]

As @UtterDisbelief pointed out earlier, it's very helpful to have so much room above the top side of the motherboard. I've really never seen this in any mATX case and very few ATX cases for that matter. Such a simple thing to put into a case design why don't more companies do this ? The implementation of the SSD mounting is also the best I've ever seen. If you want to show them inside, through the glass you can do that too. The designer(s) of this case really knew what they were doing.

This is not my case/build BTW, just found it online as it gives the best angle to see the clearance between exhaust fans on top and the mobo. There are really many great ideas incorporated into this case. Glad that these finally made it to the USA this past Fall. Because Aigo/Darkflash is not a household brand name I wanted this to get seen here in deals of the day.

 

[trs96]

I was going to go for a white Inwin 301 in my upcoming build that I'll be doing in about a week, having had one of those before, which I think has good build quality, but it was kind of a pain to work with.

Did you find the side panel (glass) was this difficult to remove as this review shows ?

 

[vlad1966]

Did you find the side panel (glass) was this difficult to remove as this review shows ?

Yes, it was, but the NZXT H210 was even worse.

 

[vlad1966]

Just got the case today. Ordered off Amazon. Morons sent me Black instead of White. I definitely did order White. Oh, well. I'll keep it. Luckily for them I'm partial to black too. Goes with the rest of my cases. If they had sent me any other color, it would definitely be going back.

Otherwise, it looks good. I really like the door mechanism. Magnets seem to hold the door solidly in place and it shouldn't rattle. Perfect size I'd say.

 

[trs96]

Goes with the rest of my cases. If they had sent me any other color, it would definitely be going back.

Yeah, I would have not been happy with anything but white. Got way too many black cases that I can hardly tell one from another. At least they didn't send you the Pink Panther edition. I've heard pink has a calming effect, but probably only with 10 year old girls.

I think I've figured out why the cases are so low priced with such high quality fit and finish. They want you to buy all the RGB fans and liquid cooling to put into the case. That's where they're making the profits. Darkflash brand cases are from the parent company Aigo. They make tons of rainbow colored RGB products. I'm not interested in any of it.

Just imagine putting all this stuff into the pink case. Would be rather nauseating in my opinion. Especially the price of it.