EggXpert

I have been buying DELL notebooks forever.  I used to do a lot of travelling so it made sense back then.  Now I work mostly from home and do a little travelling.  I sold off my 17" XPS notebook and downsized to a 14" Vostro notebook with the thought that I would get a nice desktop.  I have been struggling trying to find the "perfect" setup at DELL for a reasonable price. 

At this point I am thinking I should simply build my own.  I am fairly comfortable picking out things like the CPU, graphics card, DVD burner, software, etc.  I started looking at the plethora of cases that are available and my head is spinning.  I am hoping to get some recommendations from some experienced members.  I don't want a monster sized case but I do want to be able to do some upgrades down the road so I believe an ATX mid tower should be perfect.  First and foremost I want a case that is SUPER easy to work with.  I thought I saw cases that claimed to not require tools and one even claimed that hard drives that could be swapped by just pulling one out and sliding the new one into the drive bay. 

Here are some components I have picked out thus far:

ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black IDE Model DRW-2014L1 - Retail
Item #: N82E16827135163

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822152100

XFX PVT88PYDF4 GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814150252

OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model
OCZ2P800R22GK - Retail  Item #: N82E16820227139
 
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115017 (also considering the Q9450 but its not in stock at Newegg)

Thanks!

what is your case design prefrence like LED's and side windows........

KillerGator:

what is your case design preference like LED's and side windows........

Hi.  To be honest it does not matter much as this PC will likely be tucked into a compartment.  I have a desk that was basically made for computers.  It has USB and LAN ports build into it, power strips, holes for wiring, slide out keyboard tray, and a slide out compartment for the main PC case.  That being said I am open to some neat LED's and/or side windows but they would not be considered a deal breaker to me. 

I too am in the process of switching from a 17" xps to a desktop.  Here is a list of some of the mid towers I would consider for the build.  They all have adequate space and cooling.  The egg hasn't had 9450s for a while.  You would most likely have to go elsewhere to get one.  Tigerdirect has them for $350.

Here is a few that i have built with that i like.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129154

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112040

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144151

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146018

 

 

some of the best computer cases right now are made by themaltake here are 2 tooless midtower cases i think you will like Thermaltake Armor+ MX and Thermaltake Tsunami

other computer cases to consider are these RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WB Black SECC STEEL ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail , Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

the Raidmax smilidon is diffrent from the rest in that it features a removable motherboard tray which lets u install all ur components on the outside of the casue without worrying about working room...and the Antec Ninehundred has been a legend has great colling only con is the non tooless design......... 

 

Best bang for the buck case out right now IMHO... CoolerMaster 590, awesome cooling, lots of room, passable cable management, minimal bling.