Some cases go the extra mile and offer muffled sound, tempered glass panels, spacious innards, lower temperatures and extensive water-cooling support, plus RGB lighting among other extras. The PC case you pick shouldn’t just be a looker, though, but you need a form factor that suits your space. It should also be as tool-less as possible with tons of cabling support and good airflow to keep your performance parts cool, efficient and dust-free. On the extreme are PC cases that incorporate deep learning and artificial intelligence to manage stuff like fan speeds automatically, thereby maintaining optimal temperatures. The challenge is in finding something worthwhile from the thousands of options available, with the perfect blend of design, quality and affordability. Whether you want a full tower, mid-tower or mini-ITX, our roundup of the best PC cases can help you get your rig up and running without the added stress.
1. NZXT H700i
NZXT’s attractive cases are increasingly popular today, though the brand has been around since 2004. This particular model was released in 2017 and offers a clean build with lots of modern features to create a capable chassis that’d make a good home for your desktop build.
The feature that sets it apart is the smart hub that controls fan speeds and RGB lighting, leveraging machine learning to balance the system’s cooling and coloring in real-time to best suit you. There’s a built-in tempered glass side window, too, if you want everyone to see your fancy lighting setup. The H700i is easy to build in its sturdy, all-steel frame, and its bespoke cable management prevents airflow impediment and makes building a clutter-free gaming PC an effortless and satisfying process. If you want a smaller size, it also comes in micro-ATX and mini-ITX variants.
2. Corsair Carbide Series 100R
This mid tower case offers many benefits including an ergonomic interior that houses four hard drive tray supports and a mesh-free front panel for airflow. Dual USB 3.0 front panel ports along with audio in/out are also available so you can access your devices quickly.
It sports an elegant, minimalistic design with thumbscrew side panels that allow for tool-less and easy building. If you want to display the power inside your rig, the Corsair’s mounted side plane window comes in handy. You can get it in a silent version, too, plus it’s really affordable, making it a good choice for newbie builders and pros alike.
3. be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900
be quiet! made a big splash when it came into the PC case market and continues to do quite well since their first case launch in 2014.
Modders will find the Dark Base Pro 900 an excellent case what with its sleek design that’s large enough to support big motherboards and radiators, plus nifty features like the wireless Qi charging and pre-installed LED lighting. The case has a fully modular design, meaning you can adjust, remove and relocate every part of the chassis, including the motherboard tray. This gives you plenty of flexibility, while the truckloads of drive bays provide lots of storage that any system builder will appreciate.
4. Cooler Master H500P Mesh
Cooler Master is a well-known name in the PC case industry, especially for cooling things.
The Cooler Master H500P case follows this, offering plenty of room for airflow and accommodates radiators of up to 360mm on the top and front when you want to increase the level of cooling in the system. It also has a tempered glass side panel and RGB lighting so you can build a gorgeous rig. Its predecessor wasn’t that good in cooling, but the H500P has a mesh grill that replaces the front panel, keeping your components cool and performing at peak levels.
5. Fractal Design Define R5
The Define R5 is a mid-tower case built by Fractal Design that features a simple but sleek aesthetic appearance that delivers the feel of a truly premium case, with an impressive variety of features.
Besides being affordable, the R5 has noise dampening materials throughout its interior with dampening covers for unused fan slots, plus support for a variety of radiator options and up to seven 140mm fans for water cooling. It is spacious, well-built and designed, though the case is big and heavy, but it holds a lot of hardware and is a delight to work on. The layout is well-planned, too, with great cable management, and you can easily swap around or remove pieces entirely. It’s also super customizable, rock solid, and quiet.
Wrap-Up
There’s a lot to consider when choosing a PC case. The right case could serve you well through multiple desktop PC builds, saving you time and money. Besides attractive looks, good airflow and size are important to house your current components (and any you may add in the future) and keep them cool. The five options in our list offer the critical features alongside extras to suit your work or gaming space.
