I don’t like the weight or fragility of huge tempered glass side panels which seems to be the default for any case that is over $100… plexiglass/acrylic and some RGB are acceptable although honestly the aesthetics are pretty much irrelevant and I don’t need them. I don’t want a “cheap” case either. I’ve cut enough fingers on poorly finished steel rattle-trap boxes and I really can’t stand them.
Enough about what I don’t want though. What I DO want is a case that’s focused on practical features, good airflow, quiet, well-made, easy to build in, roomy without being absurdly enormous, not too unconventionally laid out so that wires will reach while allowing good cable management – basically, something that was designed thoughtfully.
My current case is a Corsair 900D and other than the fact that it’s way bigger than I’d like, I’m generally pretty happy with it, but I’m not sure what else is out there that would even be comparable, Corsair seems to have gone to tempered glass in all their larger cases and I’m not very familiar with all the other manufacturers out there nowadays.
I’m a bit disappointed with Corsair in that regard, they used to have products that had no gimmicks. I.e. I’m currently using one of their mechanical keyboards that (gasp) doesn’t have any rgb. You can’t get anything like that from them now. All of them have rgb, and I honestly hate it. Why would I want to see the crud underneath my key caps? :|
I’m not sure if you can buy from them (Canadian company iirc), but I hope it at least gives you a few names to look into.
I’m Canadian so that’s actually perfect! What a convenient option to have on their search, I’ve actually never really played with their search filters before. MemEx FTW!
Completely agree with you about Corsair too. They used to be such a solid, low-key brand. The “black and white” pirate-flag style simplicity is what I liked about them. I’m sure they’re still reasonably solid, but the lust for RGB has consumed them completely.
Probably not what you’re after, but if you want serviceability and convenience without the frills and lights, you might want to look into the server market.
I for one like supermicro. They make both towers and rack mounted stuff. I’m mostly into their 6U rack mounted form factor, but I have a few towers as well, and I really like them.
Not sure if you can mount a regular ATX mainboard in them, though. Maybe?
EDIT: Google tells me that some people combine a supermicro chassis with non-supermicro mainboard without any issues. Having said that, the X11 mainboards from SM are pretty good if you feel like going Xeon.
What I DO want is a case that’s focused on practical feature
I have the same feeling. Not only Corsair, but other brands are selling cases with fancy lights.
