Every month we release a new "DIY" budget gaming PC build (here's the one from this month, a $550 beast with a Phenom II X4 and 6870), and we always struggle to find a niche case with a clean look and sufficient cooling -- companies like Cooler Master, NZXT, and Zalman are our typical choices; this is where Rosewill enters the arena.
Today Rosewill announced its RANGER, what they claim to be "the best mid-tower case in value." They informed us that the case "has all the features you have come to expect in a top rank mid-tower case, including USB 3.0, top, rear, and front fans." Considering this case is retailing for $80, 3 fans is sort of expected, but USB 3.0 is certainly a nice bonus.
Here are the specs; stick around for the following paragraph if you'd like a break-down of what it all means to you:
- Black & Red two-toned interior coating.
- 3x pre-installed fans (120mm front, rear, and 1x140mm top)
- 4x optional fans (1x120mm top, 2x120mm side, 1x120mm bottom)
- Change fan positioning based on video card length (allows you to make room for particularly manly video cards).
- Mesh and window side-panel.
- Screw-less design for 5.25" devices and 3.5 HDDs.
- Top-mounting IO ports (2x USB 3.0, 1x eSATA, Audio output, microphone input)
- USB 3.0 internal motherboard connector options.
- Bottom-mounting PSU.
- ATX and MicroATX form factor compatible
The case is certainly a mid-sized tower for those of you who don't quite want the multi-ton towers available: it weighs ~13 pounds and measures at 7.88" W x 18.23" H x 18.98" D. The case looks brilliant: it's a solid steel construction, so nothing fancy there, but the paint job is where Rosewill really tries to set themselves apart as a 'gaming-focused' company. The red-black two-toned paint came off great, all the more reason for ensuring better cable management (you want to be able to see it through the windows, after all).
What does all of this mean? It has enough fans to cool your system, enough fan options to accommodate more powerful builds (like this $744 hardcore gaming build we did, or even our 3D gaming build), and is still reasonably priced (assuming you purchase an optional fan -- which we always recommend -- it would come out anywhere from $80-$95).
The case looks to be an excellent solution for some of our budget or hardcore custom PC builds, so keep an eye out in the future for the use of this case on our site. We'll try to get a review online soon so you can get a detailed competitive analysis between the Rosewill Ranger and other similarly priced options out there.
View more details here.