# Need a decent Cabinet



## ajayritik (Apr 20, 2014)

My recent cabinet got damaged and I'm looking for a decent one. I dont want any high end since I'm not into gaming etc.
Also I remember we get some with Power Supply inbuilt and some which are without power supply and I think its suggested to go for one without power supply.

Will appreciate responses/suggestions on same.


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## Gaurav Bhattacharjee (Apr 20, 2014)

CM Elite 311 is a good buy. I have it. 
Should be around 2k or less prolly, im out of touch with current prices.

There maybe other cabbies as well within 2k range but other tdf members will know better about it.

Yes don't go for bundled power supply, those are crap.


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## ajayritik (Apr 21, 2014)

Guys will appreciate suggestions from you all.


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## adityak469 (May 4, 2014)

Antec X1 would be great for you even if you don't game much, it looks good and has good features.  it will be around ~2k in local shops.


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## ajayritik (May 5, 2014)

My question is should I go for inbuilt power supply one or without one?


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## adityak469 (May 5, 2014)

ajayritik said:


> My question is should I go for inbuilt power supply one or without one?



nope. They are the worst to go with even if you don't game. Get a decent cabinet and then get a PSU other that Corsair VS series or Cooler Master PSUs,as they are not good.


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## bssunilreddy (May 5, 2014)

Go with these:

Antec X1 -2000,
Antec VP450P -2600.
TOTAL -4600.


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## ajayritik (May 5, 2014)

adityak469 said:


> nope. They are the worst to go with even if you don't game. Get a decent cabinet and then get a PSU other that Corsair VS series or Cooler Master PSUs,as they are not good.


So you are saying I should ideally go for separate cabinet and separate PSU Unit. Right?


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## bssunilreddy (May 5, 2014)

ajayritik said:


> So you are saying I should ideally go for separate cabinet and separate PSU Unit. Right?



Right.


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## ajayritik (May 5, 2014)

Any specific reason why not to go for inbuilt PSU? What are the drawbacks for this?
Also I have a rig purchased in 2007, should I go for complete overhaul now itself since if I buy another motherboard etc I may have to invest on a new Cabinet again.
Please advise.


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## bssunilreddy (May 5, 2014)

ajayritik said:


> Any specific reason why not to go for inbuilt PSU? What are the drawbacks for this?
> Also I have a rig purchased in 2007, should I go for complete overhaul now itself since if I buy another motherboard etc I may have to invest on a new Cabinet again.
> Please advise.


PSU is the most important component which supplies to the whole system.If you use crappy PSU then any component may get busted.What is your complete configuration?
If it is Core 2 Duo then you go with complete overhaul or else just buy a decent GPU and PSU.


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## rakesh_ic (May 5, 2014)

ajayritik said:


> Any specific reason why not to go for inbuilt PSU? What are the drawbacks for this?
> Also I have a rig purchased in 2007, should I go for complete overhaul now itself since if I buy another motherboard etc I may have to invest on a new Cabinet again.
> Please advise.



Going for a change depends on what you currently possess and what you want to run on your machine. 

Always remember that a good chassis and PSU can be retained for long and need not be changed whenever you upgrade unless they arent working. So the most stable investment on your PC are these two components.

Also make note that "PSU is the heart of the system and not CPU". Simply coz any failure in PSU can screw up any or all of your other components. So get a good PSU always may be with a little headroom for future upgrades.


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## rijinpk1 (May 5, 2014)

ajayritik said:


> Any specific reason why not to go for inbuilt PSU? What are the drawbacks for this?
> Also I have a rig purchased in 2007, should I go for complete overhaul now itself since if I buy another motherboard etc I may have to invest on a new Cabinet again.
> Please advise.



do not go for antec x1. get cooler master elite 311 at minimum. you have other choices like betfenix merc alpha, nzxt gamma, cooler master n200, n300 etc. always get a cabinet with good cable management options. will certainly last for few builds. also if you upgrade, give us an estimate of the budget for the gpu you would go. larger gpus cant be fit on small cases. other parts will easily fit except some big cpu coolers.
always buy a good psu. no compromise for that.


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## adityak469 (May 5, 2014)

ajayritik said:


> Any specific reason why not to go for inbuilt PSU? What are the drawbacks for this?
> Also I have a rig purchased in 2007, should I go for complete overhaul now itself since if I buy another motherboard etc I may have to invest on a new Cabinet again.
> Please advise.



inbuilt PSUs are crappy ones and therefore they should be avoided. I got my processor and HDD busted due to a crappy PSU, so better investing a little more on a good  PSU is always a good idea.

If you don't game, then you need not upgraded, but if you have something like a core2duo or inferior cpu, a upgrade is required.


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## ajayritik (May 5, 2014)

I'm afraid I have a Core2 Duo 2.3 Ghz. However I'm not sure if I require an upgrade right now for the Processor, Motherboard etc.
My primary purpose of the PC is for browsing and maybe some times I install Oracle to practise database other than that I don't see any other things that I will be working on with the PC. Infact since the Cabinet got damaged and the PC is occupying place my wife was suggesting I replace Desktop PC with Laptop.


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## Nerevarine (May 5, 2014)

Antec X1 is  NOT recommended.. 
Instead go for Antec V1 or X1 - E..
They have bottom mounted PSU + USB 3.0 + better cooling
If you can find Bitfenix merc alpha, that is a good cabinet as well


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## adityak469 (May 5, 2014)

ajayritik said:


> Any specific reason why not to go for inbuilt PSU? What are the drawbacks for this?
> Also I have a rig purchased in 2007, should I go for complete overhaul now itself since if I buy another motherboard etc I may have to invest on a new Cabinet again.
> Please advise.





ajayritik said:


> I'm afraid I have a Core2 Duo 2.3 Ghz. However I'm not sure if I require an upgrade right now for the Processor, Motherboard etc.
> My primary purpose of the PC is for browsing and maybe some times I install Oracle to practise database other than that I don't see any other things that I will be working on with the PC. Infact since the Cabinet got damaged and the PC is occupying place my wife was suggesting I replace Desktop PC with Laptop.



i would say to just get a new cabinet, an Antec 350p. That should be enough.

Btw what parts got damaged? Do you need a new PSU?


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## rakesh_ic (May 5, 2014)

ajayritik said:


> I'm afraid I have a Core2 Duo 2.3 Ghz. However I'm not sure if I require an upgrade right now for the Processor, Motherboard etc.
> My primary purpose of the PC is for browsing and maybe some times I install Oracle to practise database other than that I don't see any other things that I will be working on with the PC. Infact since the Cabinet got damaged and the PC is occupying place my wife was suggesting I replace Desktop PC with Laptop.



A laptop for browsing and such small work is kinda apt because of the portability. If you have a wifi router, it makes more sense to get a laptop for your usage. But if you want to get into gaming in the future, its better to invest on a desktop now and later get the GPU that you need.


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## rijinpk1 (May 5, 2014)

Nerevarine said:


> Antec X1 is  NOT recommended..
> Instead go for Antec V1 or X1 - E..
> They have bottom mounted PSU + USB 3.0 + better cooling
> If you can find Bitfenix merc alpha, that is a good cabinet as well



ante x1 has also bottom mounted psu support. even i suggest not to go for x1,v1 or x1 E because of the lack of  cable management options.


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## Nerevarine (May 5, 2014)

oh yeah ur right, but the V1 and X1 -E have more fan slots at the same price
and the X1-E has a cable management compartment, atleast according to what the official antec page says  .. Any review links ?
All three are made of flimsy steel, the only good cabinets at low price is Bitfenix merc alpha according to me.. The best VFM IMO


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## adityak469 (May 5, 2014)

Nerevarine said:


> oh yeah ur right, but the V1 and X1 -E have more fan slots at the same price
> and the X1-E has a cable management compartment, atleast according to what the official antec page says  .. Any review links ?
> All three are made of flimsy steel, the only good cabinets at low price is Bitfenix merc alpha according to me.. The best VFM IMO



CM N300 and N200's prices have give through the roof atm. They have increased by a margin of 1k. Antec X1 would be okay as OP doesn't have any gaming needs. A CM 311 would be okay too.


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## rijinpk1 (May 5, 2014)

Nerevarine said:


> oh yeah ur right, but the V1 and X1 -E have more fan slots at the same price
> and the X1-E has a cable management compartment, atleast according to what the official antec page says  .. Any review links ?
> All three are made of flimsy steel, the only good cabinets at low price is Bitfenix merc alpha according to me.. The best VFM IMO



antec x1 E doesn't have any holes behind motherboard tray for managing cables. look at the pics.

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adityak469 said:


> CM N300 and N200's prices have give through the roof atm. They have increased by a margin of 1k. Antec X1 would be okay as OP doesn't have any gaming needs. A CM 311 would be okay too.



*www.theitdepot.com/details-Cooler+Master+N200+Mini+Tower+Computer+Case+(NSE-200A-KKN1)_P17813.html.


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## adityak469 (May 5, 2014)

rijinpk1 said:


> antec x1 E doesn't have any holes behind motherboard tray for managing cables. look at the pics.
> 
> - - - Updated - - -
> 
> ...



the lasttime i checked it, it was around 2.5k on SD. And why would OP need a cable management system? He just has a pc for home usage.


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## rijinpk1 (May 5, 2014)

adityak469 said:


> the lasttime i checked it, it was around 2.5k on SD.* And why would OP need a cable management system*? He just has a pc for home usage.



for that, he wouldn't need to spend 2.5k -3k on a cabinet. a local rs 700 would do . .
he is spending good amount, so shouldn't he get the best??


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## adityak469 (May 5, 2014)

rijinpk1 said:


> for that, he wouldn't need to spend 2.5k -3k on a cabinet. a local rs 700 would do . .
> he is spending good amount, so shouldn't he get the best??



yeah he should get the best 
and well that N200 will save him some space 
he can get that too if he wants to.


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## ajayritik (May 5, 2014)

rijinpk1 said:


> for that, he wouldn't need to spend 2.5k -3k on a cabinet. a local rs 700 would do . .
> he is spending good amount, so shouldn't he get the best??



Buddy I'm not going anywhere near that Rs 700 one. Trust me!

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I'm getting more confused here regarding cabinet to buy.
Laptop is good option but I'm not so comfortable with the Keyboard available with laptops.
And with my current Desktop I was able to upgrade to USB 3.0 using the PCI Card. Also maybe easier if I plan to upgrade from DVD ROM to Blu Ray ROM Drive. However that latter can be sufficed with External ones.

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One more info needed if my current motherboard doesn't support USB 3.0, will having one of these cabinets which says USB 3.0 available help? 
Since my current motherboard doesn't support USB 3.0 I had to buy a PCI Card for USB 3.0.


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## Nerevarine (May 5, 2014)

*dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/72261408/antec.png

I donot have any review link but this is what the official product page to X1-E states.. 
But I agree, lower end antec is made of flimsy material which may not last long
Also, IMO the best cabinet ~Rs 3k is this 
Dont go for mini tower cabinet, lack of room and decent cooling options will make you regret your purchase


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## ajayritik (May 5, 2014)

One more info needed *if my current motherboard doesn't support USB 3.0, will having one of these cabinets which says USB 3.0 available help*? 

The above point is of interest to me now since anyways I'm buying above my budget. My initial budget was 2k-2.5k.


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## Nerevarine (May 5, 2014)

No, it will not.. Unless you purchase an add on USB 3.0 expansion for your mobo, that extra USB 3.0 port will operate at USB2.0 mode.. 
Seeing your budget, you only have these options :
Antec X1 
Antec X1-E
Antec V1
NZXT Gamma (Rare)
Bitfenix Merc Alpha (Search locally for low price) 
CM Elite 311
CM Elite 310 (Avoid, its discontinued as well)
And a couple of Zebronics mid tower cabinets

Even if you add a USB3.0 expansion later, you can always add a 2.5 inch USB 3.0 header to your cabinet.. they dont cost much


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## rijinpk1 (May 5, 2014)

Nerevarine said:


> *dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/72261408/antec.png
> 
> I donot have any review link but this is what the official product page to X1-E states..
> But I agree, lower end antec is made of flimsy material which may not last long
> ...



see the picture. how would you route the cables behind the tray? the only difference between the two is that x1 E has 2 usb 3.0 ports and a windowed side panel. x1 had only usb 2.0 ports. everything else is ditto even the dimensions.

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Nerevarine said:


> No, it will not.. Unless you purchase an add on USB 3.0 expansion for your mobo,* that extra USB 3.0 port will operate at USB2.0 mode*..



until he has something like this *www.amazon.com/dp/B00EMTC6AC/?tag=hardfocom-20 

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my advice is to get Elite 311 or NZXT Gamma or Betfenix Merc Alpha.


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## bssunilreddy (May 5, 2014)

Cooler Master N200 @ 3.3k


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## ajayritik (May 6, 2014)

rijinpk1 said:


> until he has something like this *www.amazon.com/dp/B00EMTC6AC/?tag=hardfocom-20
> 
> 
> my advice is to get Elite 311 or NZXT Gamma or Betfenix Merc Alpha.



I currently have USB 3.0 PCI Card. Will that help? 
So I need to get an extended cable from back?
Any ideas?


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## Nerevarine (May 6, 2014)

ajayritik said:


> I currently have USB 3.0 PCI Card. Will that help?
> So I need to get an extended cable from back?
> Any ideas?



Does that card have actual header pins for front panel ? If not, then No..
The best you can use is a usb 3.0 extender cable that will bring your back panel port to the front

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bavusani said:


> Cooler Master N200 @ 3.3k



for the last time, stop recommending that shitty cabinet, for 3.3k who is insane enough to buy a mini tower case with  3 fan slots..
Merc alpha beats it in almost every department


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## muftiazan (May 6, 2014)

You can get the NZXT Gamma...
or
CM 343 or 311


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## shubhi1395 (May 10, 2014)

If you're looking for a cheap alternative with decent cooling and sufficient space, I'll recommend checking out i-ball gamer series cabinets.....cheap and not necessarily for gaming. They provide good airflow and come without psu.


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## ajayritik (Jul 15, 2014)

Due to financial crunch had to put this on back seat. Now ready to buy one. 
Budget is around Rs 2k-3k.

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Nerevarine said:


> Does that card have actual header pins for front panel ? If not, then No..
> *The best you can use is a usb 3.0 extender cable that will bring your back panel port to the front*


How do I check if the Card has Header Pins?
What is this USB 3.0 Extender Cable?


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## Nerevarine (Jul 15, 2014)

*old.lanoc.org/images/stories/Reviews/MSI_P67A_GD80/Image_12.JPG
This is a usb 3.0 header.. check if your extension card has this protruding out.. If it does, then connect your front panel 3.0 header to it 
If your card does not have and would still like to access your front panel usb 3.0, then buy a 3.0 extender cable, what it does is reroute your back panel port to front panel


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## ajayritik (Jul 21, 2014)

I have this one. I guess it doesn't have the above pins given in your pic
Amazon.in: Buy Transcend PCI Express Interface USB 3.0 Dual Expansion Card Online at Low Prices in India | Transcend Reviews & Ratings


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