[MooTaters]

Quote:

I hate the look of "gamer" cases, I think they're hideous. I literally bought a broken HP Pavilion Elite computer just to use the case because I like the looks so much lol. They're so elegant:

There are a lot of minimalist design cases out there, many high quality ones.  Basically everything produced by Fractal design is very simplistic looking.  Also, how was that to build in?  I've gone through a few HP machines before and generally they are built specifically for the parts they put in it, so it seems like it would be more hassle than it's worth.

 

[blueangel2323]

It's not just about looks either; for everyday usability I think the HP case is great. I don't have to open a door to access the power button (ridiculous IMO), card readers, front ports, and drives are all easily accessible while not looking mismatched from the rest of the case. Many minimalist cases look good with the door closed, but then you have to open the door to access anything, and once you open teh door it's super ugly. lol  
Any microATX mobo will fit, and everything else is pretty standard. I'm not someone who needs 10 hard drives (who really does, anyways?) so space isn't an issue. Btw, spec-wise it's an i7 3770, 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD, which was pretty much cutting edge back in 2011 when I built it. I don't game so no discreet graphics, although one day I might decide to get a professional card for photo/video editing.

 

[MooTaters]

I find the ones with doors these days, or at least the minimalist ones with doors tend to be that way because they are meant to be quiet PC's, and have noise dampening material behind the door.  Off the top of my head the only other one I can think of that doesn't fall into the minimalist category and has a door is the NZXT Phantom series.  Either way the whole reason we build it ourselves is to make it how we want it(and save a little cash on the side).

 

[SkipPP]

I have a cooler master Elite 430. It was cheap, and it sucks. It is okay with cooling, but I need to buy a Swifteech radbox to fit my 360mm Swifftech rad. I am scoping out the Corsair Graphite (600T) or a Fractal Design mid-tower now that they come with side-windows. I would love to see suggestions for a good mid-tower case with a side window.
 
Cooler Master Elite 430
GA-970-D3 with AMD FX-8150 @4.5 gHz
EVGA 660ti with 500+ RAM overclock (boost takes care of GPU)
16gb Corsair Vengeance  1600 9-9-9-27 running at 1866 10-11-10-31
XFX 850W Pro Power Supply
Seagate Barricuda 2T with 32gb SanDisk SSD cache
HT Omega Clara sound card
Scythe Fans throughout (with one Enermax side intake because it is ultra quiet)
Logtich Z623 2,1 powered speaker set for gaming/general, or rout out to:
 
Receiver: Pioneer [size=small]VSX 523k [/size]
[size=small]CD/DVD: Pioneer Elite DV-45A (nice Burr Brown DAC)[/size]
[size=small]Speakers: WarfDale Diamond 10.1 with subwoofer from Logitech 623.[/size]