APEX TX-381 Black Steel MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case ATX12V 300W Power Supply

Pros: Plenty of room for my MSI ATX Motherboard, connections worked well and the board mounted perfectly in the case 6 mounting posts.

Cons: None

Other Thoughts: Nice case but may look better if the front bezel was glossy

Pros: Plenty of room for my MSI ATX mother board screws lined up perfectly.

Cons: none for the price

Other Thoughts: Not a con but front would look better if it was glossy (shiny)

Pros: Cheap. Has a handle. Made from nice materials and is very sturdy, but isn't super heavy. It has great airflow for a tiny case.

Cons: Not great cable management; I had to bend the back supports to run some of the 12V wires in the back so the rear panel would close snuggly. Ironically since the case is steel, that wasn't very easy.

Other Thoughts: Can't say much about the power supply. It worked fine and cables were plenty long, but I ended up buying a 600W after a month or 2 due to being so close to the minimum for my system. Cable management with the original power supply was still very difficult and ended up being messy, but it wasn't until the upgrade that it was completely unmanageable with the extra 2 cable rails and I needed to bend the case.

Pros: Lightweight, has a handle, cables were easy to hide.

Cons: The back of the case had some misalignment. Everything fit, but it took some bending and pushing. Also the case wobbles.

Other Thoughts: Great design for such a low cost case, but it needs better quality control.

Pros: Handle
Included PSU
Understated design (doesn't look like a robot)
Adequate airflow
Adequate strength

Cons: Every once in a long while, a power button will stick. Requires a tap to knock it loose.

Other Thoughts: I purchased 25 of these cases with the included 300w PSU about 2.5 years ago. I was building an entire office worth of computers for a new client (I'm an IT consultant). To date, every one of the original cases and PSUs are still working without issue. I put micro-ATX boards in them with AMD Athlon II 7850 processors and 4 GB of RAM. Each also had a WD 500GB HD. I used the included 90mm rear fans and basic Masscool CPU fans for the processors; no other fans, even on the ones that also had a dual head graphics cards installed to facilitate dual monitors. I've had no overheating issues, and even with a number of power surges and brown-outs, no PSU failures. I have had 4 of the rear fans fail, but I'm confident that was caused by some drywall dust that was floating around for a few weeks during an office remodel. Nothing will tear up the bearings in a fan faster than drywall dust. All-in-all, having to replace 4 $5.99 fans after 2.5 years is nothing, especially since it's not really the fault of the fans.

These are really great cases! I love the handle when I need to drag them back to my office for cleaning, etc. The USB ports on the top front are SOOOO much better than feeling around for a front-mounted port. As a side benefit, the handle creates a curve on the top the prevents office workers from stacking books/files/drinks/etc. on top the computers.

Unlike others, I haven't had any problems with the packaging or with receiving damaged cases.

For a low-power budget build, this case with the included PSU will work very well. If you need more power, you can get this case without the PSU and supply your own. I have since purchased half a dozen more (31 total) of these cases for projects for other clients, and they all still work well. Great product!

Pros: I thought this case would be cheap but it was surprising to see how well built the case was. I had no trouble installing the parts into the case.

Cons: None. Did what it was suppose to.

Other Thoughts: This case is not a mid tower, do not expect high end or large mobos to fit.

Pros: Great price for a solid built case. I found it easy to install all my components. Power supply suits my needs. Came with case fan, but added a second fan in front of hard drive bays. Good placement of usb ports, in front and on top. I would buy another.

Cons: none

Pros: 1) Cheap with low watt power supply
2) Nice placement of USB/Audio on top
3) Has handle
4) Not very many sharp edges

Cons: 1) Top where the handle is was broke off on the back side. The tabs and screw placements were snapped straight off and it was flopping around.
2) Not black on inside, minor thing
3) Wish was a tad bit bigger, minor thing
4) Cheap materials

Other Thoughts: If you are looking for a case to put a cheap project in, this may be for you, but dont expect this thing to be in pristine condition when you unpackage it. I would suggest something else over this. The handle to haul it around easier is why I bought this one and I should have picked a different case. I do not recommend this case to anyone.

Pros: Cheap.

Strong and durable case.

Cons: I bought 2 cases to put on a asrock motherboard but I have the same problem with them


Power button gets stuck very often

Pros: This case is a steal for it's price. All in all, this case is built great. And I've built systems with a lot of different cases. This has become one of my favs now. It leaves a small enough footprint, yet you can fit your larger parts in it (currently have a 4870 card and pretty large quad CPU cooler in it that hasn't fit cases bigger than this one). It has plenty of room to install a 120mm OR an 80mm HD fan in front. With a lot of cases, they give you the option to mount one of these, but never enough room for to use that option. But not this one. Sure, the panel gauge isn't what a lot of people prefer. Honestly, though, you're getting a case with a handle (that's why I initially got it) so the idea is to keep it lightweight. As far as noise, however, it does keep things pretty quiet in my opinion. Even if you are running more than a few fans. And cabling? Some people it seems have forgotten that it's an art. This cables just fine, if you know what you're doing. Really love this case

Cons: Can't think of one negative thing to say about this case. Know some complained about the PSU, but I didn't buy it for the PSU. It was a bonus, though. Especially for the price. After I purchased this, I saw they have they same case without the PSU (it's same model number without the "C" and cheaper).

Other Thoughts: Can't believe how great a case this is. And it's affordable. Would love to personally shake the hand of the guy that designed this particular case. Definitely plan on purchasing more for future customer mATX builds.