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It's been several months since Lian Li's PC-Q05 was tipped online, reportedly the first chassis to support the new Thin ITX or Thin Mini-ITX format developed by Intel. The super slim chassis then made an appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last January, and it's been relatively quiet ever since. Lian Li's lips are still sealed, though there's now an official product page for the PC-Q05 filled with glamor shots.
A hundred dollars doesn't stretch very far these days (dinner for two and movie with popcorn will just about obliterate your C-note), but it does get you a mid-tower computer case from Lancool. Lancool's new PC-K56N is the latest addition to the company's Dragon Lord Series, and it supposedly boasts an efficient interior with a mostly tool-less design for easy installation.
If a sub-$60 computer case is what you're after, Antec has the One, which is the name of the latest addition to its Gaming Series. The simply titled One takes aim at mainstream gamers and anyone in the market for an affordable chassis. It's a nickel under sixty bucks, comes with top and rear 120mm exhaust fans, and has mounts for four more 120mm fans, plus a perforated mesh construction to aid with airflow.
If Cooler Master was a person rather than a company that provides PC supplies, it'd almost be old enough to drink: this year marks its 20th anniversary of existence. And rather than just patting itself on its imaginary back and sending out press releases touting its own awesomeness, Cooler Master's tossing a little something back to the community. The company just announced that for a short time, it's shaving nearly a quarter off the price of LAN-friendly CM Storm Trooper full-tower case, bringing it down from $190 to $150.
From the looks of things, Antec decided to go back to the basics and release an affordable computer case without the razzle and dazzle of more expensive enclosures. As the newest addition to Antec's Gaming Series, the new Three Hundred Two is a mostly ordinary looking black chassis without a painted interior or side window to show it off. It's also only $80 MSRP.
When we reviewed BitFenix's Shinobi Window, we praised the company for managing to "pack a whole lotta class into its miniscule frame," noting that the case stood "firmly in mid-tower territory" at 8.1 inches wide, 18.1 inches high, and 19.3 inches deep (you can read the full review
There are more computer cases to choose from than you can shake a Shake Weight at, many of which are purpose built with a particular goal in mind, like sound proofing or extreme cooling performance, a pair of tasks that are often in conflict with each other. The new Switch 810 hybrid full tower chassis from NZXT is built with flexibility in mind for a variety of scenarios.
Spire set out to release a "versatile gamer chassis" and came up with the Sonex 6010, a $70 computer case with a meshed aluminum front panel and a "spacious internal design." And by spacious, Spire means this mid-tower case can accommodate graphics cards up to 330mm (just shy of 13 inches) in length, large-size CPU coolers, and support for up to six 3.5-inch and four 5.25-inch drives.
Don't beat yourself up if you've never heard of Gelid. Based out of Hong Kong, Gelid's only been around since 2008 and, up to this point, has specialized in cooling products and accessories, like CPU coolers, case fans, and thermal grease. Cases and cooling often go hand-in-hand, and with the introduction of the Dark Force mid-tower, Gelid can officially fancy itself a case manufacturer, too.
Life is short, play dirty. It's a motto we'd love to see Nike implement in a new sports shoe, maybe one with a steel tipped shank on the front or soles made of flubber. In a more literal sense, playing dirty describes how we use (and sometimes neglect) our PCs. Are you rocking any fan filters? You should be, whether it's one of Lian Li's new removable and washable filters, or ones you've constructed on your own à la MacGuyver.







