best budget case | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 30 Mar 2023 13:59:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png best budget case | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Montech Air 100 ARGB Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/leo-waldock/montech-air-100-argb-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/leo-waldock/montech-air-100-argb-review/#respond Sat, 31 Jul 2021 14:47:58 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=525335 It's barely £50, but this microATX case from Montech has really impressed Leo

The post Montech Air 100 ARGB Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Montech Air 100 ARGB is a microATX case that comes with four 120mm ARGB fans, a tempered glass window and the promise of great cooling to earn that Air name. That sounds like a decent list of features, however the cherry on the cake is that Montech Air 100 ARGB is cheap. Really, REALLY cheap.

Main features

  • Super Fine Mesh Face Plate
  • Excellent Thermal Performance
  • Simplistic Minimalist Design
  • Four ARGB Fans & Lighting Controller Included
  • Side Swivel Tempered Glass Side Panel
  • Fit Long Graphic Card

Specification:

  • Motherboard support: Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX.
  • Expansion slots: 4
  • Included fans: 3x 120mm ARGB front intake, 1x 120mm rear exhaust.
  • Fan mounts: 3x 120mm/2x 140mm front, 2x 120/140mm roof, 1x 120mm rear, 2x 120mm floor.
  • Radiator mounts: 240mm/280mm front, 240mm roof, 120mm rear.
  • 5.25-inch optical drive bays: None.
  • Internal drive bays: 2x 3.5-inch/2.5-inch, 2×2.5-inch.
  • Front I/O panel: 2x USB 3.0 type-A, 1x USB 2.0, headset jacks.
  • Dimensions: 425mm H x 405mm D x 210mm W.

Testing

To put this case through its cooling paces we will be using a test system consisting of an Intel Core i5-11600K, Radeon RX 6800 XT and an SSD. This system allows us to produce a substantial amount of heat and effectively test the Montech Air 100 ARGB‘s cooling capabilities. For stress testing we use 3DMark Time Spy to create a workload that replicates game play.

Test System:

  • Processor: Intel Core i5-11600K (6 cores/12 threads
  • CPU cooler: Fractal Design Celsius+ S24 Prism
  • Motherboard: MSI MAG B560M Mortar WiFi
  • Memory: 32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3600MHz
  • Graphics card: Sapphire Radeon RX 6800XT 16GB
  • Power supply: Montech Century 850W Gold
  • SSD: 500GB Sabrent Rocket 4.0 M.2 NVMe
  • OS: Windows 10

Cooling Performance

Cooling Performance Overview

The Montech Air 100 ARGB did a fine job in our Time Spy Stress Test while drawing 425W from the wall socket. The six 120mm fans were running at 1,200rpm and our test results were very acceptable.

Closing Thoughts

When Montech told us the prices of the various versions of the Air 100 ARGB we worked hard to keep our expectations in check. Once you allow for taxes, packaging and shipping you're working with a tiny sum of money that suggests the four ARGB fans cost about £2 each and the bare chassis is £20 or £25.

Our maths may be off but however you look at it the Montech Air 100 ARGB is very cheap and could be excused if it was a terrible piece of work. In fact it functions well and succeeds in pretty much every area. The list of problems we found with the Montech Air 100 ARGB is very short and doesn't contain any deal breakers.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the Montech Air 100 ARGB is the form factor as microATX has never been all that popular in the UK. A microATX motherboard is a good way to save money but most high end motherboards are ATX or larger and we know full well those are the boards that appeal to the KitGuru audience.

If you are planning to build a PC that is capable, rather than super duper high-end, and you plump for a motherboard such as the MSI MAG B560M Mortar WiFi used here, or the ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus (Wi-Fi) reviewed by Luke, you may well find the Montech Air 100 ARGB fulfils your requirements and saves you a decent amount of money at the same time.

We don't yet have a buy link but you will be able to buy the Montech Air 100 ARGB Black for £51.99.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

Pros:

  • Four 120mm ARGB fans are included
  • Glass door and front filter are retained with magnets
  • Front I/O is on the main frame of the case
  • Plenty of options for adding storage
  • Tint on glass for the black case is very light

Cons:

  • User manual does not explain RGB control modes
  • Power supply dust filter is fiddly
  • Thumb screws are not captive
  • Hinge pins are equal length

KitGuru says: Montech Air 100 ARGB is surprisingly good and offers superb value for money.

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

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GameMax Obsidian Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/paul-afxendi/gamemax-obsidian-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/paul-afxendi/gamemax-obsidian-review/#respond Tue, 14 Nov 2017 12:59:27 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=353982 Its currently less than £50 in the UK, and its actually a lot better than you might think.

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The Obsidian is a mid-tower ATX case from Game Max, and at a price of £50 it is definitely targeted towards the budget end of the market. There are many budget options out there but let us see how the Obsidian holds up.

Motherboard support: ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
CPU Cooler Clearance: 170mm height.
GPU Support: 360mm length.
Expansion slots: 7.
Included fans: 1 x 120mm rear
Fan mounts: 3x 120mm/2x 140mm front, 2x 120/140mm roof, 1x 120mm/140mm rear.
Radiator mounts: up to 280mm front, up to 280 roof, up to 140mm rear.
5.25″ drive bays: 0.
Internal drive bays: 2 x 2.5″/ 2x 3.5″ psu shroud, 2 x 2.5″ behind motherboard and 3 x 2.5″/ 3 x 3.5″ HDD cage.
Dimensions: 220 x 470 x 416 (WxHxD mm).

The overall look of the chassis is very basic yet I feel rather elegant. There is no front I/O, no optical drive cut-outs and no visible fans or vents which we have seen on other cases on the market recently.

Instead the intake vents are moved to the sides of the front panel. This is not necessarily a bad thing if you like a minimalist look. If you hate loud, ‘in your face' gaming PC cases then this is certainly going to be a selling point.

The front panel is made out of plastic which isn’t a surprise for a case at this price and its worth pointing out that the rest of the chassis is made out of steel.

At the top of the front panel we see the front I/O which includes 4 USB ports, audio jacks and a power and reset switch. There is also a fan control switch which I will get into a bit later. Also at the top there are ventilation and radiator/ fan mounting holes which can be slightly concealed using a magnetic dust filter.

There is another dust filter of the same nature located behind the front panel.  When we move to the bottom of the case we find another welcome dust filter which supports the power supply. It is great to see so many dust filters supplied with a budget chassis.

Another positive thing to mention are the metal feet which are very secure. It sounds like a unusual thing to mention but we have seen some expensive cases which have actually shipped with shoddy feet placements – which move around enough to raise an eyebrow or two.

There is an acrylic window on the side panel which is centred rather than spanning the entire side. It offers a decent view of the hardware and is very clear, as it is not tinted. You won’t have to light the case up like a Christmas tree to get view of the components inside.

Once the side panel is removed there is a lot of space inside for hardware. There is room for a 360mm graphics card with up to 170mm CPU cooler height clearance. There are plenty of radiator options – with space for up to a 280mm at the front and top with generous mounting holes to avoid any conflicts with the motherboard. There is also room for a up to a 140mm radiator at the rear.

If you feel you don’t need the quite the cooling grunt with radiators you can mount fans in the corresponding locations with front mounting support for up to 3 x 120mm fans. This is due to the cut-out on the power supply shroud not being wide enough and is the same reason why a 360mm radiator is not supported in this location.

This case has ample hard drive support… up to 7 in fact. There is space for 2 x 2.5 inch hard drives on top of the power supply shroud which uses a slide on bracket system. These brackets can actually mount 3.5-inch drives as well which is nice.

There are two hard drive brackets located behind the motherboard tray as well but this can only support 2.5-inch drives due to side panel fitting restrictions. If you want a more traditional hard drive cage there is one located at the bottom in front of the power supply which can mount up to 3 x 3.5 drives or 3 x 2.5 inch drives. Luckily this hard drive cage is removable allowing you to fit a longer power supply if the 180mm spacing isn’t enough.

Building a system in this case was simple but cable management could have been a little better. The cable mounting holes are a bit far away from the motherboard and I wish there was more space between the motherboard tray and the side panel as any slight bulge in the cables makes it really hard to fit the side panel back in place. My biggest complaint however is that the processor cut out is too small which means you have to remove the motherboard to get a CPU cooler mounted.

I mentioned before there is a fan control switch at the top of the case. This connects to a fan controller naturally which is located behind the motherboard tray.

It can support up to 7 fans, however these are only 3 pin connection headers so the switch only offers 3 speeds, slow, fast and stop. I do question the quality though as the fan controller is not made to the highest standards. I had an issue with the high-speed setting  stopping the fans entirely and sadly upon inspection I noticed one of the connections was a bit loose. I had to use a cable tie to make it secure.

Temperature Testing 

For temperature testing I used a combination of Aida 64 and Unigine Heaven running simultaneously for about 10 mins. I measured two different sets of temperatures – one with an additional two 120mm fans installed in the front (remember this case ships with one included fan). The over temperature was with only the included 120mm fan in the rear.

Test System:
Processor: Intel I5 7400 (stock speed)
Motherboard: Gygabyte GA-Z270P-D3
CPU cooler: Coolmaster Sedion 240V top mounted
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16gb LPX 2666mhz
Graphics card: Sapphire r9 285 compact
Power supply: Coolmaster SIlent M pro 1000watt bronze
Storage drives: Drevo X1 240gb
OS: Windows 10

Single fan installation as supplied

With two additional fans installed.

Temperatures are very reasonable, the 240 mm All in One cooler has no problem cooling a I5 but that is to be expected. Graphics card temperatures are also very good.

There is not much difference between the load temperatures with one fan installed and then three. I am not running hardware that is very hot in this system build, but it seems impractical that someone spending £50 on a case would not be buying a high end Core i7 and GTX 1080 ti graphics card. It would be safe to say that if you plan on running high end hardware in this case, adding another couple of fans will help.

Closing thoughts 

I enjoyed reviewing the Game Max Obsidian case. The understated yet elegant appearance will appeal to the gaming audience who loathe the latest raft of brightly lit, somewhat gaudy gaming cases which have hit the market.

While the £50 price will ensure the Obsidian hits a wide audience, it is actually quite capable of handling a fairly high cost system. By adding a couple of extra cooling fans for £10 it will easily deliver enough airflow. Our test Core i5 system build was perfectly fine under load with the single supplied fan running.

We appreciate the fact that there is a wide array of hard drive support out of the box. It will be a good case for a gamer, who also uses his system for media and storage duties. The side panel will also be welcomed by a large audience as a showcase for a good budget gaming system build. The fact that the front panel is plastic means the case is a little lighter to move, although I think if it was steel it might look a little nicer and match the rest of the materials.

We experienced some issues with the fan controller, however we might have just been unlucky. I would ask Game Max to make their CPU cut outs larger in future as it was not compatible with the motherboard i used.

Another fan wouldn't go amiss so there is a good intake – exhaust system in place from front to back. Only including a single fan is understandable at this price point however.

The GameMax Obsidian can currently be found for £48.49 including VAT from Scan.co.uk HERE

Pros

  • Low price.
  • 3 Included dust filters.
  • Plenty of storage options.
  • Decent radiator support.
  • Good hardware compatibility.
  • Clear side window.
  • Quiet operation.

Cons 

  • To apparent that front panel is plastic.
  • Cable management could be a lot better.
  • Only one fan included.
  • Corsair Obsidian anyone?
  • Not very interesting design.
  • Fan controller not secure.

Kitguru says: Another solid case from Game Max at a very competitive price point.

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Game Max Titan RGB Case Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/paul-afxendi/game-max-titan-case-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/paul-afxendi/game-max-titan-case-review/#respond Tue, 24 Oct 2017 10:33:11 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=350854 Its only £65 and its loaded with features - is it too good to be true?

The post Game Max Titan RGB Case Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
We have reviewed many of the Game Max lineup in recent months and today we take a look at the Game Max ‘Titan' – a tower ATX case targeted towards the budget end of the spectrum (around the £65 mark) that includes three RGB Fans with an RGB and fan controller. How does the quality and performance hold up at the price point?

Specification:

Motherboard support: ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
CPU Cooler Clearance: 175mm height.
GPU Support: 415mm length.
Expansion slots: 7.
Included fans: 2x 120mm front , 1x 120mm rear
Fan mounts: 2x 120mm/2x 140mm front, 2x 120/140mm roof, 1x 120mm rear.
Radiator mounts: 120mm/240mm front, 120mm/240mm roof, 120mm rear.
5.25″ drive bays: 2.
Internal drive bays: 2x 3.5, 3x 2.5.
Dimensions: 472mm length, 230mm width, 503mm height.

At first glance, there is no doubt that this is a very basic looking chassis. At the front of the case, the bottom half is equipped with a metal mesh, above which are the optical drive cut-outs. Along the top we also have the same mesh style with the I/O interface towards the front. This includes the fan speed controller, which offers 3 different speeds: OFF, slow and fast.

Overall, I would say that the chassis is well made. The main body is constructed from steel however the top and front panels are crafted from high quality, premium plastic. As I explained in the video above, I thought it was metal at first but upon further inspection it was evident they opted for plastic sections.

Another aesthetic choice Game Max made was the inclusion of an acrylic window side panel, which is a good feature as it gives you a clear view of all the hardware inside. We can't really expect higher grade tempered glass with RGB lighting at this price point.

The window offers a nice hazing effect to the hardware inside and is not too reflective – but you can tell it is plastic especially along the perimeter of the panel. A minor annoyance with this panel, is that it is held in place by six thumbscrews which makes removing it an unnecessarily long process. Some of the photos online show only 4 screws, but we checked with Game Max and they told us that the design moved to 6 holding screws as they felt it was necessary.

There is an included slide in dust filter at the bottom of the case for the power supply – this is the only dust filter that Game Max include with the chassis.

Inside the case we find a lot of space for high end components. Up to 415mm length for a graphics card and up to 175mm for a CPU tower cooler.

There is also support for 2 x 120 or 140mm fans at the top and front of the case and another 120mm at the back. In conjunction with the fan mounts you can also mount a radiator up to 240mm in these positions.

Attention should be paid to depth restrictions for the radiators though, as I measured 68mm of space at the front and 52mm clearance at the top. This should be more than enough for people looking at a case in this price range however.

Installing the radiators and fans is made simple by the fact the two metal meshes located at the top and bottom are removable by just pressing down on them – this is much more convenient than removing the entire top panel.

On the window side of the case you can mount two 2.5 hard drives in front of the graphics card. I find it strange Game Max never offered any mounting holes on the power supply shroud as I feel this would be an easier way to access the hard drives.

Moving to the cable management area on the right side we have a lot of room to manoeuvre. Cable routing is simple as there are multiple routing holes for getting the cable through to the components. There is also space for an additional 2.5 hard drive right below the CPU cut-out.

Along the bottom you have the power supply area where I measured around 190mm clearance for an HDD cage that will store 2 x 3.5 or 2 x 2.5 drives. This cage is not removable so do watch the power supply clearance, although I can’t really see many people fitting anything much larger than a 190mm in this chassis.

It would be fair to say that the main feature of this case are the included RGB fans and RGB controller. The controller itself can be configured with up to eight RGB fans or led strips. They all seem to run on one channel so you can’t control each RGB fan/ led strip individually, however at the price we need to keep our expectations under control.

The case also ships with a remote that allows you to control the lighting effects, change the colours and also the brightness. You can even turn them off entirely which is a welcome addition.

Unfortunately the remote is cheaply made and has a bad recognition sensor. Unless you point it directly at the sensor it will not work. Game Max recommend that you mount the sensor in between the mesh front plate and the fans. This did help but not enough to ensure it would always work – even from a couple of feet away.

If you want to avoid using the remote you can route the reset switch to the RGB controller and use it to change the lighting, however it’s a bit difficult to use and you have to cycle through the effects to get your desired choice. You will also lose the functionality of the reset switch as it will just control the RGB devices.

As for the fans themselves, they are actually really good as they offer lots of colours and lighting effects and are not too loud either. The fans are 3 pin, but you can connect them to the fan speed controller located on the top where the front IO is – this is convenient if you can’t be bothered fiddling around with BIOS control.

Testing

For testing I used Aida 64 and Unigine Heaven combined for a total of 10 minutes. Fans were set to high as there is not much of a noise difference between them. The test system specs are listed below:

Test System:
Processor: Intel Xeon E3 -1246 (stock speed)
Motherboard: Asus Gryphon z97
CPU cooler: Coolmaster Sedion 240V top mounted
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 2133mhz
Graphics card: GeForce GTX 1080TI Founders Edition
Power supply: XFX Pro core edition Bronze 850W
Storage drives: Samsung 850 120, Drevo X1 240gb
OS: Windows 10

As you can see temperatures are completely acceptable, cooling should not be a problem.

Closing Thoughts

Overall my opinion of the Game Max Titan case is positive. It has a high level of hardware support and incorporates welcome features such as an RGB remote and fan speed dial. It is a pretty good looking case for the price and the window will be welcomed by the target budget audience building a colour coordinated system.

I am not a big fan of acrylic panels, but at £65 it might have been a tough ask for Game Max to include a glass panel along with all the RGB features.

The RGB controller is a nice inclusion but the remote that comes with it could use a little more work in terms of quality and signal detection. I almost wish it was just integrated into the top I/O panel instead of being separate seeing as you can’t really use it from that far away anyway.

The RGB fans themselves are great, lots of effects to choose from and they push plenty of air without making a ton of noise.

Thanks to the high airflow, the internal temperatures are well controlled and there is good radiator support. It is a shame Game Max didn’t move the optical bays elsewhere though because that would allow you to fit a 360mm radiator along the front.

This chassis is targeting the enthusiast hardware user with a restricted budget. The Titan case is very functional and has features that generally cost more money, such as the RGB and fan controllers. Ultimately if you like the look of the Titan and want something that will handle larger, hot running components, it gets our unreserved approval. It really is a bargain at only £65.

We have found the case for only £66.95 from CCL ONLINE in the United Kingdom HERE.

Pros

  • Includes RGB Controller and fan speed controller.
  • Three RGB fans included.
  • Only £65 in the UK.
  • 240mm Radiator support.
  • Solid cooling performance.
  • Good hardware compatibility.
  • removable meshes to allow easy installation of fans.

Cons

  • RGB controller remote is not the best of quality and has detection issues.
  • No 360mm radiator support.
  • Only one dust filter.
  • RGB fans only 3 pin.
  • Acrylic window not glass.

Kitguru says: The Game Max TItan is another great high value case from the company with fully customisable RGB support. At only £65 in the United Kingdom it is quite the bargain.

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