HEC Vigilance400 Black 0.5 mm Thickness SGCC MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case with Dual 8cm Fan, 2x USB2.0, Audio HP400 400W Power Supply

Pros: Because I'm studying VMware, I needed a system to run ESX. So I decided to build a PC out of used parts with a budget of less than $250.00. However I figured I would at least make the system look new if I could find a case for a decent price.

For the price the chassis is well built. The front is solid. Very easy to mount drives. 80mm fans are quiet enough. Aesthetically pleasing.

Cons: As others have mentioned, the side panels seem a little flimsy. I'm very suspicious of the "400 Watt" power supply. How long this will hold out only time will tell. I'm not disappointed. I'll probably update this review in a month or so.

Other Thoughts: HEC Vigilance 400 Micro-ATX Case
Intel DG965SS Mainboard
Intel E6600 CPU
4 x 1GB DDR-2 800 RAM
2 x Seagate ST3120814A /RAID 0
EVGA Geforce 210 512MB PCI-E
VMware Vsphere ESXi Server
Server 2008 R2 x64 (VM)

Pros: Psu works, The case is light but the front is surprisingly well built. doesnt feel cheap. The side panels are a bit flimsy but thats what you will usually get with this price point.

Cons: A little on the light side. included Psu's scare me.

Other Thoughts: Will check back in if PSU fails

Pros: Looks good, inexpensive, able to replace the rear 80mm fan with a 120mm. The 80mm fans that are installed are quiet, power supply is adequate for a general purpose system

Cons: Upper left case screw was stripped from manufacturer, case metal very thin. Power supply has only one sata connector.

Other Thoughts: I had to put J-B Weld in the screw hole and re-drill it, fine now. Front pannel Audio/USB ribbon wire just made the the Audio connector after I installed a multi card reader, I've purchased many power supplies when everything was converting from ide to sata so I had a few adapters, someone else will have to wait for thier order from molex to sata

Pros: It's a cheap case, especially since it contains a power supply. Although, chances are you should avoid this case if you are counting on the power supply.

Cons: Must remove front panel to insert CD drive.
Tooless drive clips are not good (screws are included).

But the biggest issue is power supply in ad says 400W, but mine arrived stating 230W max output. It's model HP400, but that does not mean 400W.

Other Thoughts: New egg approved an RMA, but it's going to cost me almost as much to ship the case back as to just buy a proper power supply.

Pros: The power button is huge and easy to hit, the PSU puts out decently stable voltage, the front panel USB connector is an assembled connector plug, not a bunch of individual wires like other cases, same with the front panel audio connector. The DVD drive door is a nice touch. Sleek, decent design, looks more expensive than it is, until you touch it. There are clips for both sides of the 3.5" bay that hold the drives well.

Cons: The case is a little flimsy, and flexes and warps easy, but nothing permanent. It bends right back on its own. I did nearly pop a rivet out right away on the front, but it went right back in. The power supply wires are almost weaved together along the different connector groups, making cable management harder. The case feels cheap, but what can you expect for the price? I replaced the fans it came with with quiet 120mm fans, but it's still kind of loud. The case material is cheap and the whole thing vibrates. Invest in some fan silencers if you get this case. The "tool-less" drive clips for the 5.25" bays are worthless, the drive moves around a lot just using it normally. Use screws instead.

Other Thoughts: The front panel audio connector could be longer so that it reaches the back of the board with some slack left for good cable management. It does reach, and with a little slack left over. I'll blame the board for this. I've always wondered why the FRONT panel audio connector is at the BACK of most boards.

I built this system for my 74 year old aunt, so basic is all I needed, nothing fancy. I got this case for four reasons:

1. Giant power button, easy for her to find and push.
2. USB ports towards the top, easier to find and use.
3. DVD door with silver button, easier to find and push.
4. Power supply included, and I didn't need much power.

System:
AMD Athlon II X2 270 3.4GHz
MSI 880GMS-E41 mobo
Mushkin Enhanced Essentials 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333
160GB refurb I had laying around
DVD Burner
2x 120mm fans
Windows XP Pro

That's actually all that went into the case. I used the stock CPU heatsink. So, basic system for a basic user. For that purpose it works well. I'll be honest, if I was doing another cheap build like this, I'd buy this case again, despite its drawbacks. I knocked two eggs off for the low quality of the case, how easy it flexes, the rivet that popped halfway out, and the useless drive clips.

Summary: Good for cheap, basic builds. Bad for quality, quiet or professional builds.

Pros: ~Excellent Price w/ free shipping
~MicroATX w/ PSU
~Attractive design; easy to keep clean (only the front is glossy)

Cons: ~ONLY 1 SATA connector from PSU--make sure that you buy a 4 pin to sata power cable if you intend to use more than one SATA drive
~CD/DVD drive bay puts the "open" button too close to the button on the drive; causes the drive to re-open occasionally upon being closed due to the case pressing the open button itself

Other Thoughts: I used this case for one build and have purchased 3 more already--$39.99 with free shipping cannot be beat. This case look good, feels solid, and provides a quality exterior for a quality interior.

Pros: Price. Nice looking on the outside. Power supply seems to work. (For now) Has 3.5 inch adapter built in so external 3.5 to 5.25 inch converter is not needed. Built in power supply. Big power button on front.

Cons: Terrible CD/DVD case design. Can only use one CD/DVD drive. Spring loaded cover gets in the way of proper operation. Front Audio ports didn't work - checked the connectors multiple times. (Something wrong with the wiring - bad quality control) Case material is thin and cheap. It uses cheap plastic drive mounts on the side which don't work. I ended up putting screws in. Only one SATA power cable which is ridiculous. I had to buy a Molex to SATA power splitter. Front case cover does not match up to 3.5 inch SD card reader I installed and looks cheap. Has side air vents which are unnecessary and no way to mount a third fan. The two installed fans are small and there was plenty of room to install bigger fans. They should have used larger fans. I would have paid a couple bucks more for them.

Other Thoughts: I bought this as a packaged deal and it was a very good price. In the end I guess you get what you pay for. I would never buy this case again. It is poorly designed and cheaply built. There was no thought put into it for making it easy to do a build. Having the ability to not add a second 5.25 inch CD/DVD/Blue ray drive is really bad. The front audio ports do not work which is bad quality control. It never should have left the factory like this. I'm not going to bother sending it back for the price and since I'm using it as a Media computer I really don't need them anyway. Still - it makes me angry that they don't work. In the end. It is what it is. A cheap case that is poorly engineered and sort of works. (Except for the front audio ports)

Pros: Size is good, easy to attach board, good quiet fans.

Cons: Difficult time getting the optical drive in. Included power supply not great, only one sata connection.

Pros: Larger inside than you might think, though this translated into it being a larger case than I had thought.

Build quality is above average, buttons feel solid when pressed and the side vent is pretty large. Aesthetically this thing is pretty pleasing.

Two fans included run quiet, seem to work well.

Cons: Front USB ports are a bit stiff, they don't enjoy you removing things from them.

Front disk drive door is a bit odd to say the least, not sure why they went with that design choice.

Other Thoughts: The included power supply isn't something I see a lot of users keeping, but it seems to get the job done just fine.