Joined on 10/25/02
Pros: Zero wasted space with this case. 300W PSU allows for many options and potential expansion. Almost zero proprietary parts. Huge bonus points for that. The case is compact and doesn't waste space, but you won't feel like a contortionist trying to get everything in there. The trickiest part is mounting the drive bay while keeping the cables under/in front of it. Aesthetically, I am pleased with the case. I was worried about it looking like "too much" (I like a clean look and don't want any of my electronics to stand out), but it just looks great. It's well constructed and is a lot heavier than you might think by checking the dimensions. Some would have this as a "Con". USB 3.0 in the front is sweet. With the motherboard I chose, I have 6 USB 3.0 slots. I'll likely never use them, but I like being able to say I have that many.
Cons: Things are tight, but cable management definitely could have been done better here. I was able to wrap about half the cables (HDD power/SATA and case to mobo cables) under/in front of the drive bay as another user suggested, but the rest is a pretty big nest. If the cables were longer, I'd have been able to manage them a bit better.
Overall Review: Do be aware that you won't be able to fit two 3.5" HDDs in this box. You'll need a SINGLE 2.5"-to-3.5" for an SSD. I had a hard time finding a single drive adapter at my local store (most are double to fill out an entire normal 3.5" drive bay). I built this box as a HTPC and am quite pleased. I was able to land a few deals and put the whole thing together for ~$525. i3 3225 ASRock Z77E-ITX 8GB Crucial Ballistix 1600 2TB WD Green (Storage) 60GB Agility 3 (Windows, XBMC) Lite-On BluRay/DVDRW combo drive I plan on adding a 7750 LP card to the mix soon, but am worried about airflow at the bottom of the case. Because others noted some noise from the stock case fan, I purchased an aftermarket 80MM fan and discarded the one it comes with before I did anything else and the machine is near-silent. I might replace the stock CPU cooler as that generates the most noise (which isn't that much). Really pleased with this case and would recommend it even though I'd like to see better cable management or at least longer cables so they're just more easily managed.
Really good PSU
Pros: I've had this thing for 6-7 years. Never have had a problem with it. I actually forgot what PSU I had in my case until I checked to see if what I had would transfer to my new build.
Cons: The excess cables are a real hassle. Shouldn't be an issue in my new case (Define R4), but it could be in slimmer cases without really good cable management. I'm a minimalist and don't pack a lot of parts in my case. I remember regretting not getting a modular PSU when I first installed it
Overall Review: This PSU was a bit overkill for my current PC and will still have more than enough for my new one. It's a Tier 2 PSU, so for 750w, it's a really good value as well.
Pros: Great quality. Keeps my CPU chilled. Looks really cool in a windowed case.
Cons: I hate the Zalman fan controllers. Louder than I'd prefer.
Overall Review: I've had this one since 2008. Very pleased with how it's treated my computer and will surely continue using it as I upgrade - so long as I can. It's big, but it also looks good in an open case. I'm sure there's a better solution for those fan controllers, but I've just been too lazy to find one. It gets ridiculous when you have 2-3 of them pouring out of the case. Worth the hassle because Zalman makes great products. I did lose one once (they come off the cable kind of easily) and it caused a GPU to overheat.
Pros: Samsung (reliable). Great picture after over a year of heavy use. Thin.
Cons: Not mountable (loses an egg here). I don't like the external power supply, but that's just personal preference.
Overall Review: I swear by Samsung. My secondary monitor is a 17" LCD that I've had for 10+ years. Picture isn't close to as crisp as this monitor, but it's been through major moves and heavy use and doesn't seem to be quitting any time soon. I use it for web browsing and word processing as I really prefer square monitors for those tasks. I'm a gamer and also use this monitor to watch movies and TV shows. REALLY wish this monitor was mountable. I'm thinking about replacing it because of that factor as I want to install wall mounts to save desk space among other factors.