Which Case Is Elite?
Our search for the most elite production case was fairly unrestrictive; our only request to vendors was that the enclosures use superb materials, features, and the build quality required to get our attention.
Azza comes up short on the materials front, and Rosewill adds injury to insult with those sticky side panels. We wouldn’t recommend against buying either product, but they're not what we'd call elite in the context of this comparison.
Value framed by performance wasn’t a significant factor in our search either, though using the same worksheet as our other round-ups did allow us to see this outcome without really looking for it. The big surprise is that SilverStone’s standard-sized, higher-priced FT04 performs so well that it beats the more budget-oriented brands.
Then again, because this isn’t a value-minded search, and since build and material qualities are important, the only case in today’s round-up that truly qualifies for elite recognition is the chassis that fits both of those criteria. In Win’s fragile, expensive, middle-performing Tòu appears to be a showpiece. But the same quality that makes it a showpiece also makes it an elite contender as we ready ourselves for the second article in this two-part series.
