I see lots of new modular folks posting Palette case builds, and I totally get it... the case looks cool (and I have one, it absolutely is cool!), and it seems like starting out with just 62 hp of modules plus a 1u row is going to be manageable. But I actually think the Palette case is much better for people with some experience... they will know what they want to achieve, and what they can include or leave out. I myself have a Palette case, plus a Pittsburgh 360 hp case... I use the Palette for when I want to noodle around in a different location, or for when I want to really spend time with a particular module or two. As your only case, you'll quickly outgrow the Palette... and worse, you'll probably get frustrated with the limitations it will inevitably have.
That said, for the same money as the Palette case, you could get a TipTop Mantis... or if you can spend just a little more, Eowave now has a 7u, 104 hp case that uses the Intellijel 1u standard... you can order it from Juno Records in the UK for just a little over $400, and that's a great bargain (the build quality isn't as good as Intellijel's, but unless you're taking it out to gigs all the time, that won't matter).