PC cases

How to choose a PC case

The case is the one component that stays with you through several upgrades, so choose it by dimensions and airflow, not just looks. Two things are unforgiving: too little room for the graphics card and too low a ceiling for the cooler.

• Form factor. An ATX mid-tower takes ATX and micro-ATX boards and is the most versatile. A micro-ATX mini-tower is 10–15 cm shorter and suits an office, Mini-ITX fits a TV stand or travel, E-ATX and full tower are for a workstation with two graphics cards or custom water cooling.
• Graphics card length and cooler height. Today's graphics cards are 30–36 cm long, tower air coolers 15–17 cm tall — check those numbers against the case spec. A 360 mm radiator needs free space at the top or front.
• Airflow. A mesh front lets the fans draw air in; a full-glass or solid front looks good but needs intake from the bottom or side. For a gaming PC pick mesh or a dual-chamber case.
• Fans included. A budget case has one rear fan, the mid range 3–4 ARGB fans front and rear. Three included fans save you 30–50 euros.
• Glass and looks. A tempered-glass side shows off the components and ARGB lighting; a dual-chamber case hides the PSU and cables in the rear section.

PC cases in our range

The largest group is ATX mid-towers: Fractal Design Pop 2 Air and Epoch, be quiet! Pure Base 501 and Light Base 500/600, Corsair Frame 4000D and 3200D, NZXT H5 and H7 Flow, Montech X3 and X5, MSI MAG Forge and MPG Velox, ASUS Prime AP303 and TUF Gaming GT502, Deepcool CH560 Digital, Gamemax NEX and ENDORFY Signum. Micro-ATX mini-towers — Deepcool CH260 and CC360, Gamemax T20, Chieftec HT-01B, Fractal Define 7 Mini, NZXT H31 and Lian Li A3. Mini-ITX cases are the Fractal Design Meshify 2 Nano and Era 2 and the Deepcool CH170 Digital. Glass showcase cases with dual chambers — Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO and O11 Vision, NZXT H9 Flow, Corsair Frame 4000D ARGB, be quiet! Light Base 600 LX. Full tower and E-ATX — be quiet! Light Base 900, Deepcool CH780, ASUS ROG Hyperion GR701 and ProArt PA602, Arctic Xtender. Silent cases be quiet! Silent Base 802 and Fractal Define R5, and wood-front Lian Li LANCOOL 217 and Fractal North. Filter on the left by case type, motherboard support and window.

Brands

Fractal Design is Scandinavian design and the best finish in the mid range. be quiet! builds the quietest cases and, with the Light Base series, ARGB showcases too. Lian Li O11 is the standard for water cooling and showcase builds, Corsair Frame 4000D a modular frame, NZXT H series pure minimalism. Deepcool and Montech give the most fans and glass for the money, Gamemax and Chieftec are the budget end for office and home PCs.

Related products

Pair the case with a power supply of the right length and cables, case fans for the empty mounts and a CPU cooler that fits the height. The motherboard form factor must match — see AMD motherboards; the full selection is in PC components.

Frequently asked questions

Does a micro-ATX board fit an ATX case? Yes — an ATX case always supports micro-ATX and Mini-ITX boards as well. The other way round it does not.

How many fans do I need? Two in the front for intake and one at the rear for exhaust is a decent minimum. With a powerful graphics card add two at the top for exhaust.

Mesh or glass front? Mesh gives 5–10 °C lower temperatures with the same fans. Glass is fine when the case takes air from the side or bottom.

Is a power supply included? No, every case here comes without one. An ATX PSU fits most; a Mini-ITX case may need the SFX size.

How is a case delivered? A case weighs 6–15 kg — we deliver by courier or to a large parcel-locker compartment in 1–2 working days.