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Best Of The Best, Part 2: Who Makes The Most Elite PC Case?
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1. Another Look At Elite ATX Cases

If you missed part one of this three-part series, be sure to check out Best Of The Best, Part 1: Who Makes The Most Elite PC Case?

We began our search for the cream of the crop in ATX cases by first setting up some fairly stringent qualifying criteria. Any case over $180 could compete, but every case would be judged primarily on whether or not it was worth more than enclosures priced under that mark. After filtering out more ordinary offerings, we were to choose cases offering the highest construction and material quality. Then, after turning away even the most common high-end cases, we'd look at feature sets to help us determine a winner.

Because we're getting our hands on high-priced hardware, we'd need to briefly suspend our normal value-oriented analysis in favor of a more cost-based approach. But we still ended up receiving a few value-oriented parts. Stuck side panels and low-cost materials are no way to win in a round-up of premium kit.

In this part two of three, we compare a trio of cases that really are worth at least as much as our $180 entry point. They would have been a great way to wrap up our coverage. However, a handful of late entries give us enough hardware for a third feature; we'll all have to wait a little while longer to learn the ultimate winner of this face-off.

Dimensions
Height22.4" (w/o feet)22.3"23.0"
Width11.2"9.7"9.4"
Depth22.8" (w/o handle)22.3"23.8"
Space Above
Motherboard
4.4"3.2"2.7"
Card Length20.2"18.1"14.5"
Weight23.8 Pounds23.3 Pounds29.7 Pounds
Cooling
Front Fans
(alternatives)
None
(2x 120 mm)
2x 140 mm
(None)
2x 200 mm (2x
140, 3x 120 mm)
Rear Fans
(alternatives)
None
(1x 120 mm)
1x 140 mm
(1x 120 mm)
1x 140 mm
(1x 120 mm)
Top Fans
(alternatives)
None
(4x 120 mm)
None (3x
120, 2x 140 mm)
1x 200 mm (2x
140, 3x 120 mm)
Left Side
(alternatives)
NoneNone
(None)
1x 230 mm
(9x 120 mm)
Right Side
(alternatives)
NoneNone
(None)
None
(None)
Drive Bays
5.25" External11 (4x mounts)ThreeTwo
3.5" ExternalNoneNoneOne***
3.5" InternalTwoSixEight
2.5" InternalTwo4 + 6*Eight*
Card SlotsEightNineEight
Noise Dampening
SidesNoneNoneNone
TopNoneNoneNone
FrontNoneNoneNone
*Shared on 3.5" tray **w/o Center Cage ***By 5.25" Adapter Tray 
2. CaseLabs Merlin SM08

CaseLabs is one of the few build-to-order case vendors able to achieve production-class consistency thanks to interchangeable parts. You can, for example, order the case either with or without vents on the top panel, drive covers, and left side panel. Constructed of 1.6 mm-thick aluminum panels over a 2.3 mm-thick aluminum frame, our test sample arrived with all three of those options.

It also showed up with protective paper on the optional side window, which can only be peeled after removing the window. We left it there until the final step of hardware installation.

I was even jumping ahead with the lead photo, since the case ships without its feet attached. The standard rubber feet screw into any of the four caster-supporting holes in each of the bottom panel’s corners. That panel also accommodates up to a quad-120 mm-fan radiator, but only if you move the power supply to its secondary mount.

From the back, we can see that secondary power supply mount, which is covered by default (to the left in the image above). The motherboard tray features quick-release screws and a handle that's also not factory-installed.

Other features you can choose to use (or not) include a smaller set of feet labeled “Tech station kit” for using the motherboard tray as a standalone open platform, along with a set of eight front-panel brackets that support four 5.25” external drives and/or bay devices. Eleven pairs of bracket mounts along the front-panel edges give builders a wide variety of external bay and/or radiator mounting options, a feature CaseLabs calls “Flex Bays”.

With the case standing and the tray handle installed, it’s as easy to see the optional side-panel vents in the above photo as it is to understand the challenge of photographing an arctic-white case. Even a 15 W fluorescent bulb is bright enough to make the thing glow.

3. Inside The Merlin SM08

One of the more expensive options on this SM08 configuration is the limited-edition gunmetal and white two-tone finish. That's a reasonable $35. But the four USB 3.0 ports up front add $25, and that's something we'd just expect from a modern enclosure these days. The vented bay covers add another $10, and they didn't get invoiced. As a result, we end up with a $495 price tag on what's really a $505 chassis.

The side panel can be lifted away, but keeping it in place at least gives me a non-white reflection on the rear panel. A dual-120 mm-fan radiator mount fills the bottom six “Flex Bays” on the inside, and a triple-fan radiator could be installed by extending the third fan portion above the mounting brackets.

CaseLabs gives us around an inch and a half of space between the motherboard tray and right side panel. That’s more than enough room for the cables of most builds, along with the three drive cages factory-installed there.

Exterior 1.6 mm-thick aluminum panels are attached with snap fittings, compelling you to adjust your handling methods when lifting the finished system.

Six screws secure the internal top panel section to the Merlin SM08’s upper rails, facilitating CaseLab’s “drop in radiator installation”. Anyone who prefers to place a radiator on the outside should be pleased to find a rectangular notch in the panel that supports pass-through.

The SM08’s face panel can be inverted, allowing front-panel connectors to be placed on either side. Also seen above, eight slots on the back panel gives us an opportunity to use a double-slot graphics card in an ATX motherboard’s bottom slot.

4. Building With The Merlin SM08

CaseLabs packs the SM08 with a strip of foam tape, which you cut and paste to the power supply tray before securing it to either the top or bottom rear-panel mounting locations.

In theory, you could assemble your system without the tray, since the power supply screws to the back panel (and not the tray itself). Doing so, however, would increase stress around the four mounting holes.

Silicon grommets dampen the vibrations of mechanical drives within the SM08’s two 3.5” aluminum cages. Shoulder screws keep you from squashing those grommets.

Though CaseLabs recommends installing 2.5” drives with their connectors on top, actual orientation should be determined by cable arrangement. The single included cage holds two drives, and limited vertical space precludes the use of 90° cables.

The motherboard tray slides out with its screws still attached. Four included feet attach to the underside, transforming this tray into an external test stand. But the cover must be removed to open the CPU cooler support plate’s access hole.

By placing internal drive cages behind the tray and shipping the Merlin SM08 with its external drive brackets uninstalled, CaseLabs creates vast space inside this otherwise standard-sized full-tower.

5. Corsair Graphite 760T

Last year, our crew over in Germany reviewed Corsair's Obsidian 900D (Corsair Obsidian 900D Review: Making Room For High-End Gear). That story left us looking for fresh alternatives for this year’s round-up. We didn’t need to look long; the company's Graphite 760T had already been thrown into the running for a design award at CES 2014. Though it didn't end up winning, Corsair was still willing to send us the final product for evaluation.

Hopes for a glass-and-aluminum structure to compete with the previously-reviewed In Win Tòu were dashed by the 760T’s steel-and-plastic construction. But Corsair explains those materials with a $190 price tag. That’s right. Corsair is shooting for value at the high-end.

While value might not be the point of this comparison, we still have great appreciation for the 760T’s features, starting with a two-speed fan controller on the top panel to complement an array of USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and headset connectors. I'm also pleased by the painted finish, which resists fine scratches (haze) far better than molded-in color.

The back of the 760T offers nine expansion slots, which could make this a better choice for XL-ATX motherboards than, say, CaseLabs submission. As with that competitor, both of the Graphite's side panels are rear-hinged and can be lifted out of hinge pins when opened.

Unlike the Merlin, however, Corsair's Graphite 760T has filters on both its front-panel and bottom intakes. Some enthusiasts complain that rear-access filters require turning the case around to service. But they're still more convenient than the universal filters offered by build-it-yourself companies.

The front panel uses click fittings. Push once to lock, push again to unlock. Two lighted 140 mm fans are included (in contrast to CaseLabs, which doesn't include or even sell fans to fill its mounting points).

6. Inside The Graphite 760T

The Graphite 760T includes two triple-tray cages at the bottom, each supporting pin-mounted 3.5” drives (with vibration-dampening grommets) or screwed-on 2.5” drives (without vibration dampening). Removing one cage even allows a radiator to be mounted up front, with 2x 120 mm and 2x 140 mm sizes supported.

A magnetic panel lifts away from the top to expose a triple-120 mm-fan radiator mount. Triple radiators consume the top external bay, while dual-120 mm-fan radiators don’t. And the compatibility of a dual-140 mm-fan radiator with a top-bay optical drive depends on the drive’s depth.

Four 2.5” trays fit along the forward edge of the motherboard tray. A huge hole in metal makes it easier to install CPU cooler support plates, and enough room remains to fit most cables, so long as you’re able to run your smaller cables around the main 24-lead cable.

The 760T’s two-speed fan controller supports up to four fans, using a SATA-style power plug to eliminate the need for four-pin cables.

Other front-panel leads include USB 2.0, USB 3.0, audio, and power/reset/activity functions.

7. Building With The Graphite 760T

Drives can be slipped into those 2.5” trays without removing them, and are secured without screws by a tab on the tray’s edge. Another tab allows the tray to be released.

We removed one of the 2.5” trays anyway to illustrate installation. The opening in front of the drive is tapered in a way that allows patient builders to use right-angle connectors, if necessary, by passing the power cable up the side and sliding it over.

Anyone who prefers screws can also use up to four of them to lock down the SSD from the sides. A fifth screw further secures the drive tray to the motherboard tray. Screws would also be required if we wanted to install the 2.5” drive on one of the six 3.5” trays.

Surprisingly, the Graphite 760T includes radiator and fan screws in addition to the required parts and cable ties. The kit also comes with an extra standoff.

Cables tuck away nicely behind the motherboard tray, and the side panel can then be closed easily as long as none of the smaller cables crosses over the big one.

Even though I was mildly disappointed that the side window is plastic, it’s a nice thick plastic that makes the panel rigid. It also shows interior components nicely.

8. Thermaltake Urban T81

Just when we began to question whether $180 was too low a starting point for a premium case comparison, Thermaltake stepped up with its sharp-looking Urban T81 at exactly that price. Can the T81's actual quality and feature set match its apparent value for such a conservative sum?

We do, after all, get black-anodized face and port panel inserts, even if a majority of the case is medium-thickness steel. And the face panel is double-walled plastic to reduce noise.

The front panel section is actually up top, featuring four USB 2.0 ports, along with a pair of USB 3.0 ports, audio I/O, and a two-speed fan controller.

The rear even has an eighth expansion slot to allow users of ATX motherboards and double-slot graphics cards to mount a third or fourth GPU in the platform's bottom slot. Also seen above, the right side panel is extended outward to make more room for cables, and the top panel is mesh-covered for improved ventilation.

The removable front door hides two 5.25” external bays, a 3.5” external bay adapter cover, and two fan covers. All of those features, including the door hinges, have easy-to-use release tabs.

The bottom panel also features a filter that slides out from the rear, though reaching it requires lifting the case and reaching under the back. This is slightly less convenient than Corsair’s similar design, but still easier to use than the optional screw-on or stick-on filters that CaseLabs sells separately.

9. Inside The Urban T81

A split door separately covers the motherboard and drive sections of the Urban T81. The rear door lifts off of its hinge pins in the same manner as today’s two other competitors. The front door’s screwed-on hinge appears to have a snap-away design, but our efforts to dismantle the hinge were fruitless (and undocumented in the user manual).

The side window is made of extremely hard plastic that resembles thin glass and even rings when struck. That hardness will likely make it scratch-resistant, though it could also reduce impact resistance.

Spinning the case around the other way, we find a convenient ten-fan hub for the built in controller. Conversely, we also find too little space to conveniently hold cables…without the help of that side panel extension shown on the previous page. This delayed our build process tremendously as I was forced to move wires towards the center of the tray and re-route them around each other so that none of the smaller cables passed over the largest one.

Filter removal aside, full access to front fans is only available after pulling off the front panel. Thermaltake's Urban T81 includes two 200 mm blowers, though its mounts are also designed to hold 120 and 140 mm parts.

All of the Urban T81’s drive cages are removable, as is the divider seen in front of the lower cages on the top photo. Cage removal allows the front to support triple-fan radiators at 120 or 140 mm, or dual-200 mm-fan radiators. The divider can be re-installed to hold a single fan plus one 3.5” hard drive and one 2.5" SSD.

Not interested in giving up all your storage bays? The Urban T81’s top panel supports those same radiator options. Alternatively, you could mount dual-fan radiators in both locations while leaving the top and bottom drive cages installed.

10. Building With The Urban T81

The Urban T81’s installation kit includes 3.5” external drive adapters for the convertible 5.25” bay cover, an EPS12V/ATX12V power cable extender, and a large enough variety of screws to cover drive and radiator installation.

All eight internal trays are compatible with both 3.5” and 2.5” drives. Grommets dampen the vibration of 3.5” mechanical drives, while 2.5” drives screw directly onto the tray (since SSDs don't have moving parts).

I was surprised to see that the Urban T81 uses a flap folded out of the rear panel as a card holder and a thin steel cover to hide the gaping hole; typically, that's a hallmark of lighter/cheaper cases.

Everything screws into the Urban T81 in a traditional manner without any surprises, apart from the extra half-hour it took me to re-route cables into the extended part of the right-side panel, allowing it to close.

Minor inconveniences and unexpected cost-cutting measures didn’t prevent the finished piece from looking its best.

At 29 pounds empty, the heft of the Urban T81 assures its stability.

11. How We Tested The Elite ATX Cases
Test System Configuration
CPUIntel Core i7-3960X (Sandy Bridge-E): 3.30 GHz, Six Cores
O/C to 4.25 GHz (34 x 125 MHz) at 1.35 V Core
CPU CoolerCoolink Corator DS 120 mm Tower
MotherboardAsus P9X79 Pro: LGA 2011, Intel X79 Express, Firmware 3501 (03/14/2013)
O/C at 125 MHz BCLK
RAMG.Skill F3-17600CL9Q-16GBXLD 16 GB (4 x 4 GB) DDR3-2200
Benchmarked at DDR3-1666 CAS 9 defaults
GraphicsNvidia GeForce GTX 580: 772 MHz GPU, GDDR5-4008
Maximum Fan for Thermal Tests, SLI
Hard DrivesSamsung 840 Series MZ-7PD256, 256 GB SSD 
SoundIntegrated HD Audio
NetworkIntegrated Gigabit Networking
PowerSeasonic X760 SS-760KM
ATX12V v2.3, EPS12V, 80 PLUS Gold
Software
OSMicrosoft Windows 8 Pro x64
GraphicsNvidia GeForce 314.22
ChipsetIntel INF 9.2.3.1020

We’ve retained the same hardware through several generations of case testing, allowing you to compare the thermal results from several round-ups. Case technology doesn’t change much, and neither does the heating capabilities of an overclocked Sandy Bridge-E processor.

We’re counting on that overclocked hexa-core CPU to flood each case with heat, and Coolink’s Corator DS is being used to similarly saturate the enclosures with noise as it transfers thermal energy away from the processor.

Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 580 is a great noise maker in its own right, its blower-style cooler spinning at a few thousand RPM at full speed. This reference card idles down to 40%, and we use full and idle speed settings for our load and idle tests.

Benchmark Configuration
Prime95 v25.864-bit executable, Small FFTs, 11 threads
3DMark 11Version: 1.0.3.0, Extreme Preset: Graphics Test 1, Looped
Real Temp 3.40Average of maximum core readings at full CPU load
Galaxy CM-140 SPL MeterTested at 1/2 m, corrected to 1 m (-6 dB), dB(A) weighting

12. Heat, Noise and Heat Vs. Noise

We test cases in stock configurations for a few reasons. Chief among these is that we don’t want to take responsibility for ventilation or noise problems, where temperature and noise have an inverse relationship that depends primarily on fan speed. We would need to experiment with dozens of fan model and placement options to find the ideal cooling-to-noise ratio, and chassis manufacturers are in the best position to do that. They do, after all, have the strongest motivation to improve case performance.

And then there’s the problem of price. Aside from specials and temporary discounts, cases like the fan-packed Antec Three Hundred Illusion cost more than single-fan enclosures like the Antec Three Hundred. Value might not be a big part of our search for the most premium case, but we aren't about to throw away the price/performance chart entirely.

CaseLabs presented a unique testing challenge in that its Merlin doesn’t include fans, though that might not have been a problem if fans were among the options on its configuration sheet. They aren't, though. Still, anyone prepared to drop $500 on a high-end enclosure has the money for their own fans. Testing the Merlin without any just to reflect a shipping configuration wouldn't be fair or realistic.

I don’t have more than two of any particular fan model in my lab, so I picked a pair with a fairly good cooling to noise ratio. I placed one behind the CPU cooler to pull heat away from it, and another at the bottom of the case to feed the graphics card. We can see the positive effect on thermal performance, and would confidently predict that a third fan would have likely yielded even lower CPU temperatures if it was added to the second front-panel mount.

Fans also add noise, but in a peculiar way. Two fans with opposite noise patterns could cancel each other out acoustically, though that never really happens in practice (they don’t stay synchronized). And then there’s the nearly unpredictable problem of beat tones, where overall SPL measurements aren’t detailed enough to do those calculations.

We do see that the Merlin SM08 has the highest operational noise levels, even without any added fans. That makes sense from a design standpoint because nothing stands between the graphics card and the vented front panel that might otherwise have reflected fan noise back into the case.

CaseLabs' submission approached ideal thermal conditions with a couple of quiet fans added, however, making it an average overall performer in the comparison of cooling-to-noise. Corsair’s Graphite 760T leads this chart.

13. Which Case Offers The Best Features And Quality?

Our search for the most premium case puts the quality of materials and construction first, followed by features and performance. But should materials really trump features?

The reason we prioritize materials is because we’re using manufacturing cost to offset price. And CaseLabs certainly has the “quality of materials” situation wrapped up with its 2.3 mm-thick aluminum chassis with 1.6 mm-thick exterior panels. But the accuracy of construction is matched by Corsair and, for the most part, Thermaltake.

The Merlin SM08’s “Flex Bay” design is ideal for case modders or anyone who wants to run an extra-large dual-radiator liquid cooling configuration without any front-bay devices installed. That only leaves you with two 3.5” and two 2.5” drive bays behind the motherboard tray, though. And while those drive restrictions sound great to most of the enthusiasts running big liquid coolers, they might not appeal to the high-end market overall.

Corsair packs a killer feature too: those tool-free SSD trays are really great, and there are four of them. Then you have the six additional 3.5” drive trays that are 2.5”-capable (like Thermaltake’s). The Graphite 760T will even hold a double-fan radiator up front in addition to the triple-fan unit up top if you’re willing to sacrifice a few of its many drive bays.

The only factor really holding Corsair’s Graphite 760T out of award contention is its materials. You get the same medium-thickness steel and plastic as cases selling for half as much. And there’s not a lot of steel involved, either. The 760T weighs less than the all-aluminum Merlin SM08.

Not to be left out, Thermaltake steps in with even more cool functionality, including a set of drive cages that pull out to allow radiators with up to three 140 mm fans up front, and another of those on top. Such a configuration only leaves the Urban T81 with one 3.5” and one 2.5” drive mount, though. At least you can split the difference with dual-fan radiators, since the drive cages are modular.

The Urban T81 even looks the part of a premium case, with paint that rivals the Merlin surrounding anodized-aluminum inserts. A split side panel is also a little less cumbersome for us to work with compared to Corsair’s more aesthetically-oriented design. But the T81 is far from perfect. The shiny parts of its plastic trim are prone to hazing, and every effort to clean those surfaces increased that effect. Its rear door can be difficult to remove and install, given a recessed lower hinge that partially blocks the non-recessed portion of the side panel. And nothing short of a screwdriver can get the forward side door off without breaking the hinge.

The T81 also had a few “cheap case” quirks, such as a cable management area behind the motherboard tray that requires the wiring to be bunched towards the central protruding portion of the slide-on, right side panel. That idiosyncrasy is probably acceptable in a sub-$200 chassis, but it’s not going to make the cut in a premium case comparison.

The Urban T81 might win the value portion of this premium case comparison, except that it's not really a premium case. We still consider it worthy of consideration for power users on a budget. Then again, Corsair's Graphite 760T deserves the same respect.

That leaves us heading into part three reminding ourselves that we're on the look-out for an exceptionally high-end enclosure to crown our victor. There are three cases left to judge, so the competition remains up for grabs.