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PC Case supply drying up?

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First post, by buckeye

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Due to the "we're all in this together" virus stimulus check I'm stimulated enuff to build my first "modern"
pc as up to this point it's all been retro stuff. Problem is finding a case I like, seems every time I find
something that might work it's out of stock or priced into the stratosphere. Couple cases I had my heart
set on were Corsair models Carbide Spec-01/02/03 and Vengeance C70.

Part of the issue is me stuck on having a 5.25 bay, guess I need to get with the times! Anyone know of
other places to buy cases other than the usual outlets - newegg/bestbuy/ebay/craiglist?

Asus P5N-E Intel Core 2 Duo 3.33ghz. 4GB DDR2 Geforce 470 1GB SB X-Fi Titanium 650W XP SP3
Intel SE440BX P3 450 256MB 80GB SSD Radeon 7200 64mb SB 32pnp 350W 98SE
MSI x570 Gaming Pro Carbon Ryzen 3700x 32GB DDR4 Zotac RTX 3070 8GB WD Black 1TB 850W

Reply 3 of 32, by buckeye

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Intel486dx33 wrote on 2020-05-13, 18:05:

Wait another month because the second stimulus package bill just passed. So you are going to receive anther $1200.

Hmm, that being said tho I owed taxes this year I'll be in the clear now. Time to rework the PC budget!

Leaning towards some nice white cases from Corsair/BeQuiet!/NZXT alot of which unfortunately are out of stock!

Asus P5N-E Intel Core 2 Duo 3.33ghz. 4GB DDR2 Geforce 470 1GB SB X-Fi Titanium 650W XP SP3
Intel SE440BX P3 450 256MB 80GB SSD Radeon 7200 64mb SB 32pnp 350W 98SE
MSI x570 Gaming Pro Carbon Ryzen 3700x 32GB DDR4 Zotac RTX 3070 8GB WD Black 1TB 850W

Reply 4 of 32, by Unknown_K

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I would think since most cases are made in China and they just recently went back to work there might be few to chose from.

Maybe its just me but I think people are building extra computers to work at home with so prices for used 1-5 year old parts seem to have gone up.

Collector of old computers, hardware, and software

Reply 6 of 32, by Intel486dx33

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I am done using cheap computer cases. They just aren’t worth it and they look cheap. Not satisfying to the mind.
So I try to use only computer cases that will satisfy me. I really don’t care if it costs $200
For $200 you can get a nice quality case. ( Lian Li , or Fractal, or Cooler master ).
Define R5 R6, NZXT, Cooler Master Masterbox , etc ).
Personally, i like all black cases or aluminum. No RGB or glass side panels. I like it for business performance and not for show

What about the DUNE case ?
Standard edition is only $199 thru $299
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dune-pro-pc-case#/

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Reply 7 of 32, by chinny22

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Yeh also hadn't touched anything new in a while so when Maplin (UK's version of Radio Shack I guess) was closing down though I'd see what cases they had.
Shocked to find most of the nice plain full size cases with no 5.25 bay!
If you wanted a bay you needed to go into the "gamer how ugly can we make the face plate look" range.

Don't know of other places to shop but as soon as you select 5.25 bay and a reasonable price your options reduce dramatically .
In the end I got a 2nd hand Antec Three Thousand

Reply 8 of 32, by Intel486dx33

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I think i might buy one of these just to collect.
These are going to be a collectors item for sure.

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Reply 10 of 32, by Intel486dx33

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The way I look at it. If you are going to invest $1000 or more on computer hardware then you can afford a $200-$300 case.
I can’t stand to watch these YouTube computer builders put $1000 worth of components into a cheap $50 computer case.
It just takes all the pride and quality out of the build.
Americans want Quality and Value too. They don’t want cheap dollar store stuff.
Americans want Costco quality goods and not cheap Dollar store goods.

Build something you will be proud of.

Reply 11 of 32, by imi

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the way I see it, I'd rather invest those extra $200 in more performance or another SSD than a fancy box.

there are perfectly good and high quality cases available for under $100 including reputable brands.
it's more a question of spending $50-100 on a case instead of $20

Reply 12 of 32, by Srandista

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buckeye wrote on 2020-05-13, 14:43:

Part of the issue is me stuck on having a 5.25 bay, guess I need to get with the times!

Yeah, this is real problem lately. Especially, if you want at least two of them, and god forbids, it you want also some 3.5" external bay. I bought one such case new few years ago, and it's still available here, though I'm pretty sure, that's not available in US. But maybe this one, you should have Cooler Master there, right?

https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/cases/mi … ower/elite-342/

Socket 775 - ASRock 4CoreDual-VSTA, Pentium E6500K, 4GB RAM, Radeon 9800XT, ESS Solo-1, Win 98/XP
Socket A - Chaintech CT-7AIA, AMD Athlon XP 2400+, 1GB RAM, Radeon 9600XT, ESS ES1869F, Win 98

Reply 13 of 32, by Intel486dx33

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Srandista wrote on 2020-05-14, 10:19:
buckeye wrote on 2020-05-13, 14:43:

Part of the issue is me stuck on having a 5.25 bay, guess I need to get with the times!

Yeah, this is real problem lately. Especially, if you want at least two of them, and god forbids, it you want also some 3.5" external bay. I bought one such case new few years ago, and it's still available here, though I'm pretty sure, that's not available in US. But maybe this one, you should have Cooler Master there, right?

https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/cases/mi … ower/elite-342/

I use USB floppy drive with my modern computer.

Reply 15 of 32, by Intel486dx33

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imi wrote on 2020-05-14, 09:48:

the way I see it, I'd rather invest those extra $200 in more performance or another SSD than a fancy box.

there are perfectly good and high quality cases available for under $100 including reputable brands.
it's more a question of spending $50-100 on a case instead of $20

Well, an additional $300 is not going to get you much. But maybe a larger capacity SSD or better motherboard
But these item should already be in you build config.

Reply 16 of 32, by buckeye

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Intel486dx33 wrote on 2020-05-14, 08:38:
I am done using cheap computer cases. They just aren’t worth it and they look cheap. Not satisfying to the mind. So I try to use […]
Show full quote

I am done using cheap computer cases. They just aren’t worth it and they look cheap. Not satisfying to the mind.
So I try to use only computer cases that will satisfy me. I really don’t care if it costs $200
For $200 you can get a nice quality case. ( Lian Li , or Fractal, or Cooler master ).
Define R5 R6, NZXT, Cooler Master Masterbox , etc ).
Personally, i like all black cases or aluminum. No RGB or glass side panels. I like it for business performance and not for show

Nice case, like anything with handles for convenience but like others have mentioned rather spend the bucks elsewhere.
Planning on getting a GTX 2070 super so that's a chunk of my budget right there.

Like the Fractal cases and the prices are reasonable. Seems my fickleness has settled on a "clean" looking white case
with purple RGB & glass side panel. That CoolerMaster case was one I was looking at for my P3 build a few years ago,
ended up going with a cheaper Rosewill.

Here's the other culprit to consider, the cheaper the case the harder to keep cable management "clean" in general anyways.
Seems like the more expensive cases have more options in this regard, you all agree?

Asus P5N-E Intel Core 2 Duo 3.33ghz. 4GB DDR2 Geforce 470 1GB SB X-Fi Titanium 650W XP SP3
Intel SE440BX P3 450 256MB 80GB SSD Radeon 7200 64mb SB 32pnp 350W 98SE
MSI x570 Gaming Pro Carbon Ryzen 3700x 32GB DDR4 Zotac RTX 3070 8GB WD Black 1TB 850W

Reply 17 of 32, by buckeye

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imi wrote on 2020-05-13, 18:27:

probably just shipping delays on the spec... but you probably won't be able to get the Vengeance C70 anymore apart from ebay that case has been EOL for a while.

Yeah it's a shame, saw a C70 at a local Gigaparts store for 120.00 plus. Should've jumped on it but was just into retro stuff back then.
Liked the "rough" army color scheme for some reason, plus it had handles as a bonus.

Asus P5N-E Intel Core 2 Duo 3.33ghz. 4GB DDR2 Geforce 470 1GB SB X-Fi Titanium 650W XP SP3
Intel SE440BX P3 450 256MB 80GB SSD Radeon 7200 64mb SB 32pnp 350W 98SE
MSI x570 Gaming Pro Carbon Ryzen 3700x 32GB DDR4 Zotac RTX 3070 8GB WD Black 1TB 850W

Reply 18 of 32, by buckeye

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Srandista wrote on 2020-05-14, 10:19:
buckeye wrote on 2020-05-13, 14:43:

Part of the issue is me stuck on having a 5.25 bay, guess I need to get with the times!

Yeah, this is real problem lately. Especially, if you want at least two of them, and god forbids, it you want also some 3.5" external bay. I bought one such case new few years ago, and it's still available here, though I'm pretty sure, that's not available in US. But maybe this one, you should have Cooler Master there, right?

https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/cases/mi … ower/elite-342/

An optical drive is not a necessity with GOG/Steam available, but I may get a weird "fetish" and decide to install Crysis off a disc or watch a dvd.
Guess I'm just "oldschool" at heart!

Asus P5N-E Intel Core 2 Duo 3.33ghz. 4GB DDR2 Geforce 470 1GB SB X-Fi Titanium 650W XP SP3
Intel SE440BX P3 450 256MB 80GB SSD Radeon 7200 64mb SB 32pnp 350W 98SE
MSI x570 Gaming Pro Carbon Ryzen 3700x 32GB DDR4 Zotac RTX 3070 8GB WD Black 1TB 850W

Reply 19 of 32, by CMB75

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Intel486dx33 wrote on 2020-05-14, 08:38:
I am done using cheap computer cases. They just aren’t worth it and they look cheap. Not satisfying to the mind. So I try to use […]
Show full quote

I am done using cheap computer cases. They just aren’t worth it and they look cheap. Not satisfying to the mind.
So I try to use only computer cases that will satisfy me. I really don’t care if it costs $200
For $200 you can get a nice quality case. ( Lian Li , or Fractal, or Cooler master ).
Define R5 R6, NZXT, Cooler Master Masterbox , etc ).
Personally, i like all black cases or aluminum. No RGB or glass side panels. I like it for business performance and not for show

What about the DUNE case ?
Standard edition is only $199 thru $299
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dune-pro-pc-case#/

I agree - this looks like a legit computer case. I just ordered one and payed with ApplePay - didn't get a confirmation email though.
Kind of makes me nervous with this amount of money...