It's easy to blow off choosing the best PC case for your next build, or push the decision off until the very end of the part-picking process. When building a new PC, you might first consider the best CPUs for your needs and the best graphics card for your budget. You’ll then want to choose the best motherboard for your system, and perhaps settle on some storage devices. But many builders frequently overlook the case, thinking of it as an unimportant box to put your components in.
But you really should consider your case options early. Getting the best PC case for you is key, because it's what forms the identity of your computer, dictating its looks and what fits inside, plus the noise levels in your room, and the cooling potential for your rig as well. You can choose to go for one of the best Mini-ITX cases to minimize your system’s footprint on your desk, or you can get a chassis like Fractal Design’s Meshify 2 to house a big, butt-kicking workstation with endless expansion possibilities.
Below we’ve gathered a list of the best PC cases from the dozens of models we've tested recently. As 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 happy for several years to come.
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.
The Best PC Cases You Can Buy Today
Fractal Design’s Meshify 2 Compact offers an excellent foundation for simple ATX gaming systems, and a chassis that will stand the test of time well. It doesn’t go out of its way to be eccentric, rather providing the user with a classy chassis that will look good for a long time to come -- a chassis you can grow up with.
And while its materials quality could be seen as a little lacking, this is a case where you pay for its excellent design, not only in looks, but also practicality: it has tons of cable management space, is laid out logically and with easy to access filters, a breeze to use and maintain as your daily driver.
The biggest catch to this case is its slightly steep price and lack of RGB, but we believe it’s worth paying just for how well thought-out its practical design is.
Read: Meshify 2 Compact Review
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 its design, but had a few issues. But now, the O11 Air Mini comes in as a brilliant alternative.
Priced at just $110, 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 chassis 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
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
Fractal offers a thoughtful, versatile design aimed at ease-of-use, and delivers a very pleasant and enjoyable building experience with the Meshify 2. Whether you use this case as a system where you just want to deliver tons of airflow and room for expansion, a workstation with tons of hard drives, a server, or high-end custom liquid cooling, the Meshify 2 will find a way to accommodate your build. For that, along with thermal and acoustic performance that is in-line with what we expect from a mesh front, it earns a rare five-star rating.
The Meshify 2 doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to case design, instead gently chiseling away at it to refine the experience. There’s only one thing about it that you need to ask yourself before smashing the buy button: Will you really use the room for storage or cooling parts, or can you buy a smaller case and save yourself some space and money?
Read: Fractal Design Meshify 2 Review
Phanteks’ P360A comes in at a street price of just $66, and that isn’t much especially if you consider its feature set. Sure, it won’t blow you away with quality materials or extreme silence, but it comes with all the essentials needed for simple, budget-minded ATX gaming systems while still offering a fun bit of flair.
Behind the mesh front panel you’ll find two 120mm addressable-RGB fans, which provide the chassis with class-leading thermal performance at perfectly acceptable noise levels. This is a case that’s more than capable of dealing with today’s high-TDP GPUs, and a 240mm radiator mount at the top can be used with an AIO to keep your CPU cool too.
And as a cherry on top, Phanteks also throws in an addressable-RGB strip along the side of the chassis, along with an excellent software-free RGB controller, creating a very complete and easy to use ‘just throw parts at it’ package.
Read: Phanteks P360A Review
Lian Li hasn’t been quiet about its upcoming case launches, but when it did finally launch the Q58, it blew us away. This is a 14.3 liter Mini-ITX case that costs just $130 in its base variant, and it packs great looks, excellent cooling potential, and a flexible internal design.
The basic frame is made from steel, and each side houses a half-glass, half -perforated steel. The front face and the top plate are made from fancier, prettier aluminum, giving the case a very premium feel overall. The GPU can draw fresh air straight from the side, but you can still see its pretty RGB through the glass, and you can squeeze a 280mm radiator into the case’s roof.
But the case can also be reconfigured to sacrifice some AIO and storage options in favor of fitting an ATX power supply, which is a great way of achieving some cost savings in combination with opting for the plain PCIe 3.0 riser cable. Throw another $30 in, and you can also get a version of this case with a PCIe 4.0 riser cable, ready for RTX 3000 and RX 6000 (and future) graphics cards. There are few things not to like about the Q58.
Read: Lian Li Q58 Review
The Evolv Shift 2 stands out at first glance for its its towering, small footprint design and beautiful anodized aluminum panels. Priced at $100 for the mesh version and $110 for the variant with TG and an addressable-RGB fan, it easily earns a spot on our Best PC Cases list.
With a small footprint and beautiful finish in both the tempered-glass and mesh variants, the Evolv Shift 2 is perfect as an SFF PC for use in the living room, moving around the house wherever you need it or taking to LAN parties. The easily accessible top IO makes plugging devices in a breeze too. Building in it was tight, and came with the typical frustrations associated with Mini-ITX systems, but I still managed a build within about 3 hours, and the end result was well worth the effort.
Read: Evolv Shift 2 Review
Corsair’s 4000X RGB is a sleek gaming tower that comes with two glass panels and three RGB spinners. Priced at $135 noq, 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
A dual-layout (open or extra storage) interior, vented top panel, dedicated water cooling fill port under the top filter, and a Nexus+ 2 PWM fan hub add to the Define 7's extremely solid construction and top-notch fit/finish to make it a sure hit with performance enthusiasts. If you're looking for top notch performance with a strong feature set, the Fractal Design Define 7 is worth the money.
Read: Fractal Design Define 7 review
Antec’s P82 Silent takes case design in a slightly different direction than most ATX cases do these days, instead focusing on silence and understated looks. While this means that you won’t be able to mount an AIO at the top,thanks to the closed panel there for sound dampening, the P82 Silent is an excellent air-cooling case for systems that need to draw less attention.
Priced at $60, the build quality is in-line with what we'd expect featuring mostly painted steel and cheap plastics, but the case comes with three quiet fans and a fair amount of damping material to keep it all hush hush.
With room for up to ATX motherboards, more than adequate cable management, and surprisingly good thermal performance despite the quiet intentions, the P82 Silent is a great value for those seeking a quiet PC.
Read: Antec P82 Silent review
Phanteks’ Enthoo Pro II is a very unique chassi, offering the most seamless dual-system support we’ve ever seen. And its new fabric mesh front looks really great, especially when you get close to the case.
Thermally and acoustically, the Enthoo Pro II also performs phenomenally well. Of course, the mesh does let more noise out than a closed-front case would, but if you’re careful in your component selection and only pick quiet parts, it should all remain very tolerable.
Read: Phanteks Enthoo Pro II review
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.
