The PC case often gets neglected by system builders when choosing parts for a new PC. Or, they push the case decision off until the end of the component-picking process. But you should consider your case options early on when considering your next build.
The best PC case for your build will dictate the size, shape, and identity of your computer, deciding its looks and what fits inside. Plus, the PC case is a major factor how noisy your system will get under load, thanks to its fans and mesh or glass panels. And these aspects also massively impact the cooling potential of your rig.
If you like your system’s small, you can choose to go for one of the best Mini-ITX cases to minimize your PC’s footprint on your desk. Or, you can get a chassis like Be Quiet’s Dark Base Pro 901 to house a big, butt-kicking workstation with acres of expansion possibilities. Below, we’ve collected a list of the best PC cases we’ve tested, from the dozens of models that have landed on our test bench in recent years. So long as you check whether the parts you want to use will fit and you like the looks, one of these cases should keep you and your PC parts happy for several years to come.
Best PC Cases
Best-Looking PC Case
A unique wood-and-mesh front and lots of airflow-focused features at an affordable price, Fractal’s North is a fantastic case with performance that’s just as impressive as its looks.
2. Phanteks Eclipse G360A
Best Budget ATX Gaming Case
A standout among mainstream ATX chassis, the G360A delivers good airflow and three aRGB PWM fans that deliver great thermals for around $100.
Best Budget ATX Gaming Case Alternative
Combining some of the defining features of the Lancool III and O11D Evo, plus excellent cable management, the Lancool 216 is an excellent case for less than $100.
4. Corsair Obsidian Series 4000X RGB
Best Premium RGB ATX Gaming Case
Corsair has combined pretty, minimalist design with everything you need for the vast majority of ATX builds, at a reasonable price.
Best Mainstream Airflow-Focused Case
A revamped classic, focused on cooling performance, which also kept our components surprisingly quiet under load, the H7 Flow is a breeze to recommend.
6. be quiet! Shadow Base 800 FX
Best Performance-Focused ATX Case
The Be Quiet Shadow Base 800 FX delivered some of the best cooling and acoustic numbers we’ve seen in our tests, making it an excellent case option for builders looking for quiet performance with some RGB.
7. Lian Li PC-O11 Air Mini
Best Compact ATX Case
This squat, compact ATX case offers a mesh front panel and three fans for airflow, with an unusual layout that’s surprisingly well-suited to novice builders.
Best Rear-Connector Motherboard Case
For builds with rear-connector (MG-RC) motherboards, the 2500D is the best case we’ve tested so far. This Micro ATX chassis gets the basics right, while also providing extra space behind the motherboard for cable slack, which you’ll have a lot of since you aren’t routing most to the front.
Best Design-Focused Mini-ITX Case
With its striking wood-accented front panel and extremely compact design, the Terra will look great on your desk. Just keep in mind you’ll need a small-form-factor CPU cooler, especially if you also plan on installing a powerful graphics card.
10. Cooler Master HAF 700 Evo
Best High-End XL or EATX Case
This visually striking beast of a case offers excellent performance, a striking RGB-lit glass grille, and an LCD screen. It’s also very expensive, but doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to features.
11. Fractal Design Meshify 2
Best Case for High-End Rigs and Workstations
All the space and breathing room you need for modern high-end workstation builds, plus excellent cooling performance.
The Best PC Cases You Can Buy Today
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Best-Looking PC Case
We aren’t sure who asked for a PC case that mixed mid-century modern design (wooden slats and all) and high airflow, but we sure are glad that Fractal Design answered with the excellent North mid-tower. Available with either a mesh side (as we tested) or tempered glass, and in white with chrome accents on the IO and feet, or black with some seriously pretty brass, this is arguably the prettiest PC case ever produced, period.
And thanks to its pair of 140mm fans and an included side bracket (for the mesh model) that can hold another pair of 140mm fans (not included), the North has excellent thermals as well. Just note that it can get noisy when delivering those temps. The glass side panel may help a bit on the noise front, but likely at the cost of at least some thermal performance.
If you don’t like the case’s looks, then the company’s Meshify 2 Compact (below), is probably a better option for you. But if you’re after a case that matches the pretty furniture in your living room, has lots of room for storage, and won’t break the bank at $130, nothing else comes close to the North. We hope Fractal’s bold move inspires other case makers to try something different.
Read: Fractal Design North Review
Best Budget ATX Gaming Case
Phanteks has a history of delivering value and performance with its cases, and the Eclipse G360A is no exception. At $100, it costs about $10 more than the current price of the previous Eclipse P360A, but you get an extra RGB fan and support for larger 360 radiators at the top and front. And with the new G360A, all three fans feature PWM for better efficiency, noise output and control.
Despite a few minor kinks in its design, the Eclipse G360A is a great case for gamers who want to spend more on their GPU and less on their case. Heck, even if money isn’t a big issue for you, it’s great to get good airflow and attractive RGB without spending a lot. You could of course pay more for another nice case, but the Eclipse G360A is proof you don’t have to spend $100 or more to get a great great airflow-focused case for your PC parts.
Read: Phanteks Eclipse G360A Review
Best Budget ATX Gaming Case Alternative
With a starting price of just $100 (or $15 more if you want to add an RGB controller and more USB ports), Lian Li’ Lancool 216 delivers some of the excellent design features of its pricier O11D Evo and Lancool III cases, while adding a nifty PCIe fan mount and large 160mm RGB intake fans. The top IO can be moved to the left side, near the bottom, if you’re going to keep the case on your desk.
The LanCool 216 isn’t a quiet case, but its thermal performance is excellent – especially if you add a rear 120mm below the GPU mounts, via the included bracket. There are hundreds of cases around the $100 price point, but the 216 stands out thanks to novel features for its price, great airflow, and solid design, with superb cable routing. We just wish an extra fan for the PCIe bracket were included in the price.
Read: Lian Li Lancool 216 Review
Best Premium RGB ATX Gaming Case
Corsair’s 4000X RGB is a sleek gaming tower that comes with two glass panels and three RGB spinners. Priced at about $135 now, it’s not cheap, but its design is thoroughly considered and as you build with it, it’s clear where Corsair’s gaming and PC building pedigree comes from. Indeed, the 4000X RGB (as well as the similar 4000D airflow), is an extremely easy and convenient chassis to build a system in, and everything just makes sense.
While it won’t blow you away with premium materials such as aluminum, the dark tinted glass ensures that you only see RGB lighting inside the case, allowing you to be a little sloppy with cable management because you won’t see it anyway. Add to that Corsair’s class-leading RGB ecosystem, and you’ve got a very pretty case that’s convenient in use and always looks good, no matter what you install inside it.
Read: Corsair Obsidian Series 4000X RGB Review
Alternatively, if you’re after something with a bit more flexibility, the Lian Li Lancool III RBG is an impressive option with movable front IO, excellent cable management and lots of internal space. But priced about $30 more than the Corsair case, with somewhat noisy fans and CPU thermals that weren’t quite as good as we’d expect from a mesh front case with three 140mm spinners, it’s not as easy to recommend as Corsair’s 4000X RGB.
Best Mainstream Airflow-Focused Case
With just two of the company’s F120Q Airflow case fans behind a skeletal frame with a perforated front panel, the NZXT H7 Flow manages to deliver excellent temperature and noise level numbers in our testing, beating or competing well against pricier chassis with more fans and glass panels. It’s also a pleasure to build in, with good cable management and a $130 MSRP that’s quite reasonable in this era of seemingly ever-increasing prices.
The primary missing feature here, which will feel refreshing for many builders, is the lack of any RGB to light up your system. That, combined with the boxy look and perforated front means this case isn’t the prettiest on our list, but it can certainly look good with some tasteful lighting delivered via your components, extra fans or a light strip. And if you don’t like the look of the fully vented front and you aren’t that concerned about keeping your temps a low as they can go, the non-Flow H7 model has a solid front, but with everything else we loved about the H7 Flow.
Read: NZXT H7 Flow review
Best Performance-Focused ATX Case
Be Quiet’s Shadow Base 800 FX case may not turn heads based on its looks alone, but it’s one of the best-performing thermal and acoustic cases we have tested. At $220, it’s far from the most affordable, especially for a mid-tower. But its stellar performance and inclusion of four aRGB fans make it worth the investment.
If you don’t care about RBG, a non-FX, non-lit model drops the included fan count from four to three, and sells for $170. Neither is particularly affordable. But in our testing, both the thermal and acoustic performance of the Shadow Base 800 FX approached the best PC cases we’ve tested.
Read: be quiet! Shadow Base 800 FX Review
Best Compact ATX Case
Lian Li’s PC-O11 Dynamic has been a staple, go-to PC case for pretty builds in recent years, but its days might be numbered. The O11D Mini was inspired by the Dynamic’s design, but had a few issues. Now though, the O11 Air Mini is a brilliant alternative.
Priced at around $120, you get a lot for your money with this case, including three PWM fans, bits of pretty aluminum, a glass panel, handsome looks, plentiful IO, a brilliant internal design, and full ATX compatibility.
The O11 Air Mini features an unusual side-by-side chambered design, but building in it is a breeze and its performance is well up to snuff by modern standards. With this many features, great handsome styling, and such value for money, it’s a case that easily earns its place on this list.
Read: Lian Li O11 Air Mini Review
Best Case for Rear-Connector Motherboards
Corsair’s 2500D airflow doesn’t stand out much as a general Micro ATX case. But as a case specifically for rear-connector motherboards, it’s the best I’ve tested so far. And if you’re after a case for a full-size ATX build, the company also sells a 6500D Airflow for $199. These cases get the basics right, like cutout placement (although a PSU support strip right above the bottom cutout is annoying). But more importantly, due to their dual-chamber design, they provide enough room for the large amount of cable slack that results from plugging nearly everything in behind the motherboard, instead of up front. The other cases I’ve tested with these rear-connector boards don’t have nearly enough space behind the motherboard. For even more room for cables on the 2500D, you can opt for a smaller SFX power supply. But of course, that generally costs extra.
I do find the basic presentation of the 2500D a bit drab, but adding the $69 wood accent panels morphs the 2500D from a plain bulky box to something I enjoy looing at. That’s not going to be worth the extra expense for everyone, but because the panels are accessories, you don’t have to decide whether you want them or not until after you own the case. And you are spoiled for choice, as the company offers panels in silver aluminum and four wood varieties. Other accessories include a vertical GPU mounting kit and a front panel to turn the 2500D into the 2500X.
Read: Hands-on with Corsair’s 2500D Airflow case
Best Design-Focused Mini-ITX Case
The substantial size and substantial cooling needs of today’s components – particularly graphics cards like Nvidia’s RTX 4090 – have made several compact cases from the past few years effectively obsolete. But at just 10.4 liters of volume, the Mini-ITX Fractal Design Terra case has enough room for most big GPUs, while delivering attractively thanks to an aluminum exterior with some attractive wood on the front.
It doesn’t have as wide of an appeal as its ATX North cousin, since you’ll be far more limited in your component and airflow options with the Terra. But if you don’t need to pack in the absolute most powerful CPU (cooling clearance is particularly cramped) and you don’t need several storage drives, the Terra is compact, practical, and stunning – especially if you want a respite from PC gaming’s typical RGB and aggressive designs. The Terra’s flip-up doors and adjustable spine also make this case surprisingly easy to build considering it’s so compact. Just know you’ll need to bring a modular SFX PSU, because you’ll need all the spare interanal space you can get with this case.
Read: Fractal Design Terra Hands On
Best High-End XL/EATX Case
Cooler Master‘s HAF 700 Evo packs in loads of unique features, like an edge-lit RGB glass grille front with a circular LCD display, an infinity mirror to hide ugly bits of the interior while showing off your pretty components and five front USB ports. There’s also room for up to 12 drives and EATX server-class motherboards, plus clearance for the largest graphics cards and coolers.
But Cooler Master didn’t forget about performance with its HAF 700 Evo. It lands at or near the top of our testing charts, thanks to two huge 200 mm intake fans and a trio of smaller 120 mm spinners. Plus, with 18 fan mounts, airflow can get even better.
The only downsides of the HAF 700 Evo are its $500-plus price, the fact that it weighs over 50 pounds empty, and the dust filter is behind the front panel, which is difficult to remove. If you’re after great looks and great performance with loads of room for high-end parts, Cooler Master’s flagship HAF is hard to beat.
Read: Cooler Master HAF 700 Evo review
Best Case for High-End Rigs and Workstations
Fractal’s Meshify 2 is well-thought-out and versatile, delivering an enjoyable building experience. Whether you use this case as a system where you just want to deliver copious amounts of airflow and expansion space, a workstation with a cadre of hard drives, a server, or high-end custom liquid cooling, the Meshify 2 can accommodate your build. Its thermal and acoustic performance is also in line with what we’d expect from a mesh front. All this cobined earns this case a rare five-star rating.
The only thing to consider before hitting the buy button is whether you really need the space for storage or cooling parts, or should you buy a smaller chassis and save some money and sapce?
Read: Fractal Design Meshify 2 Review
Quick PC Case Shopping Tips
- Figure out what parts you have/want first. Before prioritizing looks, you’ll want to know what motherboard, graphics card, and cooler you’ll be using, plus how many drives you’ll want to install. This will dictate the size of the cases to consider.
- Cooling is key, especially in small cases. Airflow is important in choosing the best PC case, especially when it comes to high-end components in tight spaces. Check our cooler reviews for our cooling test results before buying, and remember that cases with glass fronts and tops restrict airflow and may need extra fans.
- Choose a chassis that you like to look at. Your case of choice is likely to spend lots of time in your peripheral vision. Don’t forget to check airflow and that your parts will fit. But after that, find something that appeals to you visually. Take the time to find a case that appeals to you visually. If you want to show off your case’s internals, a case like Hyte’s Y60 with its panoramic glass is certainly appealing. But know that generally speaking, the more glass found on a case, particularly in the front, the warmer your system is likely to run.
Discounts on the Best PC Cases
Whether you’re buying one of the best PC cases on our list above or a different product, you may find some savings by checking out the latest Corsair coupon codes, Newegg promo codes or Micro Center coupon codes.
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source: https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-pc-cases,4183.html
