Best budget PC case under $50?

My current build consists of

Intel Core i7 4770K
NVIDIA GTX 970
FORTRON 600W PSU
GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3P
HYPERX FURY 8GB 1866MHZ RAM
Cooler Master Liquid CPU Cooler
1TB Hard Drive NZDT

I am looking for case recommendations under $117 that offer decent airflow. I was considering a used Cooler Master Hyper 212 or perhaps a Cooler Master Hyper 212+, but is there a better option out there?

In that price bracket, you really don't have much to think about besides the Cooler Master Hyper 212 or the Hyper 212+... There's also the Corsair Deathclaw and maybe the NZXT Nova, but I still think the Cooler Master is the way to go.

The NZXT Nova looks sharp, but does it really come with only one cooler?
I can't find any actual info on the Corsair Deathclaw beyond how it looks.
The Cooler Master Hyper 212+ seems decent, but is an extra cooler even necessary? I know the Core i7-4770K comes with its own, and while I'm no expert, I suspect I might need more. 😁

The Hyper 212 offers a decent top and front vent setup right out of the box, whereas the Hyper 212+ actually steps things up by giving you two top vents and an additional front one—which, if you're into that sort of thing, even comes with lighting 😁 .

Yeah, the Nova only comes with one fan, but since it’s usually a bit cheaper than the Cooler Master options, you can just grab a couple of extra fans with the savings. With the Deathclaw, you get three fans pre-installed right out of the box, just like the Hyper 212+, which is what Angela Flores4 was mentioning. Personally, I’d go with the Hyper 212+. It looks better, and having those three fans already included is a huge plus. The Nova is decent enough, I guess, but it doesn't quite hit the mark compared to the other two. To me, the Hyper 212+ is easily the best-looking one, and honestly, you really can't go wrong with it in this situation 🙂

The Hyper 212 has 3 fans—one in the back, two on top, and one in the front. Now, the Hyper 212+ comes with 4 fans—one in the back, two on top, plus the front one. If you ask me, I’d personally go with the Corsair Deathclaw—it’s got a much cleaner finish and looks way better, even though it's basically just an identical twin to the Cooler Master Hyper 212+ on the inside.

Does the Corsair Deathclaw feature four fans or just three? I can't find anything definitive since they don't have an official site, and various forums seem to disagree. All I know for sure is that two LEDs are lit up. 😁
Can't those upper coolers be installed on the Deathclaw?

Honestly, just three fans is plenty—you don't really need more since the airflow is already solid. You've got LEDs in the front and on the side, plus a blue one in the back without lights. If you end up grabbing this case for a build, definitely make sure to flip that side fan so it exhausts out; for some weird reason, they ship it mounted backwards, blowing air in instead of pulling the hot air off your GPU. Just a heads-up: it fits coolers up to 160mm, but watch out for those vertical mounts where the radiator sits at a 90° angle. If you go that route, you'll just be blowing hot air straight into the closed top—kind of like how those Raijintek units work, which is why they had to release a different mounting kit.

Fair enough, but I already own a Cooler Master Liquid CPU Cooler. Is there any way I could mount it somewhere else in the case?

Is there even any point in putting it in a case?

It’s definitely worth considering since you're running that Core i7-4770K—plus, the cooler is pretty slim, so it shouldn't give you any trouble fitting inside the case.

Much appreciated.

Now I am curious about one thing. Since I'm eyeing the Cooler Master Hyper 212+ because of those top exhausts, does anyone know of a decent, budget-friendly cooler with LED lighting? Given the setup has four fans—front, rear, and two on top—where would be the best spot to add more? And which specific LED model would you recommend?

If you’re looking for a case with decent lighting, I’d go with the Newegg option—it has a larger acrylic panel, so that internal LED glow from the fans actually shows up properly. Plus, the tinting on the glass is subtle, so you don't get that annoying glare. The Hyper 212+ has room for an extra fan, but honestly, that might be overkill. Right now, those Corsair fans are a solid bet since they're pretty quiet and move enough air. Anything more expensive than that feels like throwing money away to me—unless you're planning to drop serious cash on high-end RGB fans, at which point you might as well just save up for a better case instead of swapping out stock fans. Btw, just a heads-up for the newbie here—a "cooler" refers to the CPU heatsink, it doesn't have anything to do with the case fans.

I suppose I call everything a "cooler," even if calling it a CPU cooler is technically more accurate. Still, it feels like a bit of a gamble; without that top fan, I’m worried about overheating once I start overclocking my Core i7-4770K.

If you're running the Cooler Master Liquid CPU Cooler, honestly, just forget about trying to overclock that Core i7-4770K—even if you crank up the top case fans, it’s not going to save you. For an Overclocked Core i7-4770K, you really need the beefier Cooler Master Liquid CPU Cooler. The CC 95 is basically just a decent upgrade over a stock cooler, nothing more.

It’s a good thing you mentioned that; I just canceled my order for it 😁 so now I need a recommendation for a CPU cooler. I don't need fans just yet. Is the Cooler Master Liquid CPU Cooler any good, or is there something better at a similar price point?

Douglas Fisher78 said:Glad you caught me. I just canceled my order for that one 😁 so now I actually need a CPU cooler rec lol. Don't need fans yet. Is the Cooler Master Liquid CPU Cooler any good, or is there something better for roughly the same price?

For that kind of cash, you won't find anything better.😳

That’s what I figured. I'll go with that one then. Thanks again.

I’ve been browsing some recommendations online after receiving a little birthday cash 😁 so I have a question:

http://www.nabava.net/kucista__300/t...anja__14787721
http://www.nabava.net/kucista__300/x...a-atx__9307371
http://www.nabava.net/kucista__300/l...anja__17450251

Or should I just stick with the Cooler Master Hyper 212+?

The number of included fans isn't the priority since I could always buy extras, but which chassis would be better to start with and then add fans to?

I noticed the LC CC 95 has fan speed control, though I'm unsure if that applies to everything.

Ultimately, which one is the smarter purchase if I plan on adding fans later?

😁

I gotta say, I'm actually kind of digging this Thermaltake N21 case...

http://thermaltakeusa.com/products/m...?id=C_00002680

Same here 😁 here is my final list

I’m picking one of these right now and I need you to choose. I don't care about the price tag or how many fans come pre-installed; I only care about raw airflow performance.

Corsair twelve hundred v3
Cooler Master Hyper 212
LC Power 976B
Thermaltake N21
Zalman z3 plus

One of these has to be the winner. I've been researching this for ages and still can't make up my mind.😁