trs96
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You've bought your new build components at steep discounts on Black Friday Month + Cyber Monday 2022. Now what case do you put all this new hardware into ? Re-use that older beat up case that you never really liked anyway ? Your budget for the case restricts you to $75 or less. You don't want to buy a junky $40 case that will fall apart and break. Not a good idea. This Deals of the Day post will help you to find a case with thick, high quality steel that fits your budget, yet won't disappoint you.
Most every single one of the top 20 best selling PC cases on Newegg or Amazon.com have mesh fronts.
https://www.newegg.com/d/Best-Sellers/Computer-Cases/s/ID-7
As of December 2022 it's 17 of 20 on Newegg.com. Of those, quite a few have RGB fans that you can see through the mesh. Prices for these cases start at 100 USD and go up from there. The exception is the solid front panel Rosewill prism that currently sells for just $50.
The $105 Corsair 4000D Airflow in black or white is constantly the best selling case in the US. Doesn't really appeal to me. High Airflow is the latest marketing buzz-term that gets people to buy cases. I've never had a build yet with overheating problems that would be solved be solved simply by putting 1000s of small holes in the front panel. RGB lighted fans probably wouldn't help either. If you choose a good CPU cooler, have the right fans in the right places, overheating shouldn't be an issue.
https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-pop-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352176?
The Pop Silent actually has two 5.25" bays in the front. Near the bottom of the case. One is occupied by a removable drawer. A great choice for an audio focused build that must be very quiet. Add in a Blu-Ray drive if you'd like one.
I bought the Fractal Design Define 7 Compact
The new Fractal case I ordered from Newegg arrived yesterday and I've just had a little time today to open it up and get a good look. I paid Newegg $75 plus shipping but the normal retail is closer to $125. It's the Fractal Design Define 7 Compact with a glass side panel. I can live without the glass too but the solid side panel version cost about $40 more.
So why doesn't the Compact version of the Define 7 sell very well ? Not even as good as the huge XL iteration ?
As I said earlier, most people today want a mesh front that you can see RGB lighted fans through. That's what sells. Fractal has discounted these Compact ATX versions because of that. They sell plenty of other mesh front, High Airflow cases like the Torrent. This Define 7 has a very nice, real brushed Aluminum front panel and the airflow goes through the two front corners of the case. Not as much air, but still adequate for a mid range system that doesn't get pushed to extremes. You wouldn't put an i9-13900K and an RTX 4090 in this case. For my needs it's perfect. I prefer a quieter system with less fans and minimal RGB.
So if you want a case like this that has super high build quality, fit and finish, this is a great deal. You can find full reviews on Youtube. At $75 it's one of the best cases I've ever owned that sells for under $80. Don't hesitate if you need a new ATX case. In my opinion it's the case deal of the 21st century. BTW only Newegg offers it at this 75 dollar price. The shipping charge is reasonable too. Mine arrived in perfect condition via UPS shipping.
https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-define-7-compact-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352128
My idea of the proper amount of RGB lighting for a new FD Define 7 Compact case. Didn't cost me a nickel extra.
Unless you really want a heavy/large case, don't buy the regular Define 7. It must say Compact in the title. Here's the difference in size between the two cases:
Fractal Design Define 7 on the left and the Define 7 Compact is on the right
The specs of the larger define 7 can be found here: https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/define/define-7/
The larger case on the left weighs in at 30 lbs. That's without any hardware installed ! The Compact version weighs in at just under 19 lbs. As most other case makers have given us thinner steel, Fractal has kept their standards of build quality intact.
Most every single one of the top 20 best selling PC cases on Newegg or Amazon.com have mesh fronts.
https://www.newegg.com/d/Best-Sellers/Computer-Cases/s/ID-7
As of December 2022 it's 17 of 20 on Newegg.com. Of those, quite a few have RGB fans that you can see through the mesh. Prices for these cases start at 100 USD and go up from there. The exception is the solid front panel Rosewill prism that currently sells for just $50.
The $105 Corsair 4000D Airflow in black or white is constantly the best selling case in the US. Doesn't really appeal to me. High Airflow is the latest marketing buzz-term that gets people to buy cases. I've never had a build yet with overheating problems that would be solved be solved simply by putting 1000s of small holes in the front panel. RGB lighted fans probably wouldn't help either. If you choose a good CPU cooler, have the right fans in the right places, overheating shouldn't be an issue.
If you want no mesh, no glass and no RGB but still want a 5.25" bay Fractal design has a case for you..
https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-pop-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352176?
The Pop Silent actually has two 5.25" bays in the front. Near the bottom of the case. One is occupied by a removable drawer. A great choice for an audio focused build that must be very quiet. Add in a Blu-Ray drive if you'd like one.
I bought the Fractal Design Define 7 Compact
The new Fractal case I ordered from Newegg arrived yesterday and I've just had a little time today to open it up and get a good look. I paid Newegg $75 plus shipping but the normal retail is closer to $125. It's the Fractal Design Define 7 Compact with a glass side panel. I can live without the glass too but the solid side panel version cost about $40 more.
So why doesn't the Compact version of the Define 7 sell very well ? Not even as good as the huge XL iteration ?
As I said earlier, most people today want a mesh front that you can see RGB lighted fans through. That's what sells. Fractal has discounted these Compact ATX versions because of that. They sell plenty of other mesh front, High Airflow cases like the Torrent. This Define 7 has a very nice, real brushed Aluminum front panel and the airflow goes through the two front corners of the case. Not as much air, but still adequate for a mid range system that doesn't get pushed to extremes. You wouldn't put an i9-13900K and an RTX 4090 in this case. For my needs it's perfect. I prefer a quieter system with less fans and minimal RGB.
So if you want a case like this that has super high build quality, fit and finish, this is a great deal. You can find full reviews on Youtube. At $75 it's one of the best cases I've ever owned that sells for under $80. Don't hesitate if you need a new ATX case. In my opinion it's the case deal of the 21st century. BTW only Newegg offers it at this 75 dollar price. The shipping charge is reasonable too. Mine arrived in perfect condition via UPS shipping.
https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-define-7-compact-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352128
My idea of the proper amount of RGB lighting for a new FD Define 7 Compact case. Didn't cost me a nickel extra.
Unless you really want a heavy/large case, don't buy the regular Define 7. It must say Compact in the title. Here's the difference in size between the two cases:
Fractal Design Define 7 on the left and the Define 7 Compact is on the right
The specs of the larger define 7 can be found here: https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/define/define-7/
The larger case on the left weighs in at 30 lbs. That's without any hardware installed ! The Compact version weighs in at just under 19 lbs. As most other case makers have given us thinner steel, Fractal has kept their standards of build quality intact.
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