Nice, simple case with lots of room for 120mm fans, great build quality (no jagged edges or flimsy plastic), mostly tool-less assembly, and not too expensive. The only thing missing is a removable MOBO tray, which helps if you're going to install a huge heatsink. But, that feature usually means a more expensive case.
I'd go with one of the better brand names such as Cooler Master, Antec, Lian-Li, or Silverstone in aluminum or steel. Stay away from the cheapy plastic cases like Rosewill, Foxconn, In Win, Compucase, etc. Everything else is kinda personal preference; I don't like plastic side windows and I like to buy my own PSU.
Less than $200 probably. Price isn't a large sticking point as I'll use it across multiple builds (only replacing the current one because it's ugly and I want better/quieter cooling).
I do want 120+ mm fans though (none of that 80mm crap).
I don't need a PSU (the kinds that come with cases wouldn't have enough watts to power my new build anyway) and I want it bottom mounted probably to keep things cooler.
In every build I had a say in I recommended going cheap. If you have no plans for weird things like excessive heat, unusual/many devices, or looking at the case lot I'd say you're wasting your money.
In every build I had a say in I recommended going cheap. If you have no plans for weird things like excessive heat, unusual/many devices, or looking at the case lot I'd say you're wasting your money.
Have to agree with narf here, I hate my case, its layout is stupid and it's hard to work with, and I have no intention of replacing it. Just not worth it for the handful of times it will give me trouble.
I can recommend Lancool cases.
Good layout, nice features, toolless, HDDs are dampened (you won't believe the difference that makes...), good cable management is easy to achieve
In terms of proper cooling solutions and good build quality, Antec has always been one of the market leaders. I have two cases myself, the airflow layout is quite clever. I don't know what their current layout looks like though.
I can recommend Lancool cases.
Good layout, nice features, toolless, HDDs are dampened (you won't believe the difference that makes...), good cable management is easy to achieve
Well, surely you want something built to last. The Lancool isn't showy at all, but the build quality is awesome. When I say plastic looks cheap I mean it feels rather flimsy.
There are some other Lancool cases out there as well. No idea about US pricing, but even over here in Australia they're not terribly expensive.
I always go for cheap cases, but if you're looking for $200 range, the Silverstone Raven RV02 is a really nice case. I saw this in person before, the build quality looks very nice.