Cases; which case should I choose for my build?

[J_T_]

I'm building a budget gaming PC and I'm going for the Alpha Trion case for £39 but I'm considering using the Cooler master case for £35 instead. Which case is better? I know Cooler Master cases have a good reputation so can I get a reply with anyone who has these cases and what they think of them?
Also if you could post your hardware and tell me if heat is maintained well it would be appreciated.

Thank you

 

[keynes]

I would suggest spending slightly more and get the inwin mana 136 instead. The coolermaster has limited cooling and it is not advertised as a gaming case.

 

[mantadog]

When I bought my computer I was on a fairly tight budget, in my original order I did not have a GPU so I could build a better system that I could upgrade with hardware along the way, in a kind of continuous evolution. Anyway I have the elite 310 case, which is just the older model elite 311, so in effect the same case as you are wondering about. I was slightly concerned about not going for a better case but has to make lots of sacrifices to get a decent performing PC with a fairly small budget so just went with it. Now I have a dedicated GPU running in the case it does get a little hotter than before, the card vent into the case, not out the back, yet the temps are still perfectly acceptable.

The only things that does sometimes make me wish I had a better case is the noise can creep up if you are pushing hard. I did experiment with different fan profiles but in the end I decided I would rather have cooler equipment. I am still only running the 1 exhaust fan, which copes admirably considering the GPU vents into the case.

So don't be too worried about getting a cheap ish case, they are by no means the best but the do the job if you are happy with a slight noise when gaming.

 

[Karnor00]

In line with what Mantadog says, I think it depends on exactly what budget you have to spend. At the very budget end, there are more important things to spend money on than upgrading the case - the Coolermaster Elite case does a reasonable job.

But if you are starting to look at the mid range (£800+) then it's probably time to start thinking about a better case to put it all in. I also think any of the £49-£60 cases are fine for even a top end machine so even in a very high end machine it's not worth spending a huge amount on the case (unless you particularly like the look of one over another).

However, I would steer clear of the very small £14 case no matter the budget.