The greatest PC case is more than simply a box that houses all of your components; it’s a statement that expresses your love, or absolute hatred, for RGB. You want your PC case to stand out on your desk or to be understated. You may select between full tower and mini-ITX cases. The possibilities vary depending on how huge and lavish you want your project to be.
Picking the best PC case to meet your taste and demands is a smart place to start if you want to design a gaming PC with a lot of individuality. Find one that reflects your aesthetic, whether it’s basic and clean or unbearably loud. You’ll be looking at your computer all day, so make it your own.
A poor case is one that restricts your expandability options or makes building your system extremely tough. If building a PC sounds a little out of your comfort zone, you can always go with a prebuilt gaming PC and avoid the stress of doing it yourself.
Before you spend your money on the greatest PC case ever, there are a few things you should think about first. What is the size of your graphics card? Which motherboard are you planning to use? How many drive bays are required? Determine what will go into the case before purchasing it to ensure that everything will fit. Here are the best cases we’ve tested this year, after building them up and down and, of course, inspecting them for any fire concerns .
The best PC cases in 2022
1. Cooler Master Cosmos C700P
SPECIFICATIONS
Form Factor: Full-tower
Motherboard Support: E-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
Dimensions: 25.2 x 12 x 25.6-inches (639 x 306 x 651mm)
Weight: 48.9lb (22.2kg)
Radiator Support: 120mm; 140mm; 240mm; 280mm
I/O Ports: 1x Audio/Mic, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, 4x USB 3.0
Drive Bays: 2x 2.5-inch, 8x 3.5-inch
REASONS TO BUY:
- Configurable motherboard layout.
- RGB lighting system integrated.
REASONS TO AVOID:
- There are just three internal drives.
- When utilizing standard cooling, performance is mediocre.
The C700P, like the original Cooler Master Cosmos, is a heavy beast with a hefty price tag. However, we believe it is worthwhile to spend the money. A stunning handlebar design, curved glass panel, and clean color scheme are complemented by characteristics that will support even the most expensive components (including E-ATX motherboards and oversized GPUs).
A bigger footprint means you won’t be pressed for room, making it a joy to grow into. Furthermore, the RGB lighting is mild enough not to distract you while gaming. Yes, this is a lot of money to spend on a cage. Those that are prepared to go all out on a build, on the other hand, will receive a case that includes everything they need to make a magnificent PC.
2. Corsair Carbide 275R
SPECIFICATIONS
Form Factor: Mid-tower
Motherboard Support: ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
Dimensions: 18.1 x 8.3 x 17.9-inches (460 x 211 x 455mm)
Weight: 22.4lb (10.14kg)
Radiator Support: 120mm; 140mm; 240mm; 280mm; 360mm
I/O Ports: 1x Audio/Mic, 2x USB 3.0
Drive Bays: 3x 2.5-inch, 2x 3.5-inch
REASONS TO BUY:
- Minimal branding.
- Full-length dust filters.
- Great cooling support.
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Thermal Performance
The Carbide 275R, one of Corsair’s greatest cases, may be the ultimate minimalist’s case. Aside from a small “sail” emblem on the front panel, the 275R is devoid of extra branding in favor of a clean appearance for the style-conscious. While the look is simple, the functionality is not.
At contrast to NZXT’s equally compact S340, the Carbide 275R can accommodate a 360mm radiator in the front and up to six 120mm fans. With a low price of $80, the 275R is an excellent choice for both novices and professional users wishing to construct a stylish personalized loop.
3. NZXT H1 V2
SPECIFICATIONS
Motherboard support: Mini-ITX
Dimensions: 405 x 196 x 196 mm
Weight: 7.6 kg
GPU clearance: 324 x 58 mm
Memory clearance: 46 mm
Front I/O: 2x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Type-C, 3.5 mm audio jack
PSU: 750W SFX 80 Plus Gold included
Cooling: 140 mm AIO CPU cooler, 92 mm rear fan
Riser cable: PCIe 4.0 x16
Warranty: 3 years (case, riser card, AIO), 10 years (PSU)
REASONS TO BUY:
- Excellent for future development.
- Additional cooling.
- Routed cabling is a boon.
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Tall RAM modules are not supported.
- Despite the additional cooling and power supply, the initial investment is substantial.
When it originally came out, I was a great admirer of the NZXT H1 mini-ITX chassis. But mine never caught fire, which is fortunate because I’ve been using it as the foundation of my office work machine ever since. My employer would have been furious if I had set fire to the PC Gamer headquarters due to a broken PCIe riser cable.
Aside from the riser issue, the H1 was an excellent box into which to build a wee peecee. And so is this newly upgraded version. On the surface, this H1 V2 appears similar, and you’d be forgiven for thinking it was simply a new version of the same case with a less-burn-y PCIe riser connection for your GPU. However, NZXT has made significant improvements to the overall design, resulting in a more costly, somewhat bigger, and heavier mini-ITX chassis.
The actual beauty of the H1 is that it contains both a strong PSU and a liquid CPU cooler, taking care of the most difficult aspects of a mini-ITX build. If you’ve ever constructed a compact form factor PC, you know how difficult it is to route a million excessively lengthy power supply wires around the motherboard, graphics card, and everything else. Then there’s the challenge of fitting a capable-enough cooler into the restrictive limits of a mini-ITX enclosure.
A word of caution, however: the clearance between the radiator fan and the top of your memory isn’t enormous. It is 1mm higher than the original, but with just 46mm as your maximum memory height, some DIMMs will simply be too large. Our Corsair Dominator DDR5 sticks from our Alder Lake test rig, as well as the mini-ITX B660, were just too tall to seal the case.
NZXT facilitates the building process by providing clear labeling both inside and outside the chassis. I had trouble getting into the initial H1’s tool-less design, but it comes with labeling on the outside that explains how to obtain entry. Inside, there are labels and stickers describing what goes where and how to rearrange things to allow access to the motherboard tray, for example.
Overall, NZXT has made several welcome enhancements to an already excellent mini-ITX chassis design—well-documented riser difficulties notwithstanding. I understand that the $400 price tag would sting for many people, but 750W SFX power supply and AIO coolers that would fit into something that compact aren’t cheap.
4. Phanteks Evolv X
SPECIFICATIONS
Form factor: Mid-tower
Motherboard Support: E-ATX, ATX, M-ATX, mini-ITX
Dimensions: 20.5 x 9.5 x 20.1-inches (240 x 520 x 510mm)
Weight: 33lb (15kg)
Radiator Support: 120mm, 140mm, 240mm, 280mm, 360mm, 420mm
I/O Ports: 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, 1x headphone, 1x microphone
Drive bays: 6x 2.5-inch, 4x 3.5-inch
REASONS TO BUY:
- Dual-system builds are supported.
- Interior space that is well-designed.
- Excellent cable management.
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Thermals of Average Quality
- Pricey
The Evolv X is an excellent chassis for anybody wishing to create a mid-tower PC with a little something extra. Phanteks has developed several fantastic cases over the years, but the Evolv X stands out as an outstanding chassis for anyone looking to construct a mid-tower PC with a little something extra. The ability to slip two systems into its appealing form—room there’s in the top for an ITX system to put above the primary ATX system—is something extra. It’s a tight squeeze, to be sure, but it’s doable.
If your requirements aren’t quite that ‘out there,’ you’ll find it spacious to construct in, with enough clever small details and eccentric design choices to cover practically any build you have in mind. There’s room for all-in-one liquid coolers in the top (up to 360mm) and front (up to 420mm); it has a universal fan hub, three Phanteks Premium 120mm fans, and cable-hiding flaps in the back so it looks excellent from any angle. You can also fit a ludicrous amount of storage into it.
5. Corsair iCUE 5000T RGB
SPECIFICATIONS
Form Factor: Mid-tower
Motherboard Support: Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX, E-ATX
Dimensions: 530 x 251 x 560mm
Weight: 14.53kg
Radiator Support: 120mm, 140mm, 240mm, 280mm, 360mm
I/O Ports: USB 3.0 x4, USB 3.1 Type-C x1, 3.5mm
Drive Bays: 4x 2.5-inch, 2x 3.5mm
REASONS TO BUY:
- The standard of excellence is unrivaled.
- The RGB lighting looks fantastic.
- RGB fans are provided.
- There are several cooling solutions.
- You shouldn’t be concerned if your cat rests on top of it.
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Expensive.
- iCUE must function optimally.
- The default fan curves are quite harsh.
- There is no back fan in the package.
This PC case has the potential to divert attention away from your valuable components. You may have the most flashy GPU or even gem-encrusted RAM sticks, but the first thing people will notice when they see your PC is all that RGB lighting.
The Corsair 5000T has a plethora of LED RGBs, more than any other case in the company’s history. There are six RGB strips around the outside of the chassis, and the three LL120 fans may be set to light up in any hue of the rainbow. The Commander Core XT and the iCUE software control everything.
For my tests, I went with a triple-fan radiator in a draw arrangement on top and three included LL120 fans in the front because they were available out of the box. I also installed a 120mm back fan to maintain that airflow flying through my PC components. This is one of the minor drawbacks of this case: no rear fan is supplied. It’s not a significant concern if you’re switching from another build, as I was, but because I was delivered the white model, the black rear fan from an old NZXT build isn’t quite as in keeping with the design as I’d want.
Despite the fact that this cooling setup is quite effective. A triple-fan all-in-one cooler was always going to keep my AMD Ryzen 7 5800X cool, but the RX 6900 XT in this PC can get a touch warm without some assistance. The balanced preset’s three LL120 fans give enough of that.
A 30-minute run of the Heaven benchmark gives us a solid notion of the cooling capability we have here under gaming settings. The findings show a relatively consistent 81°C under load for the entirety of the test, which is a comfortable temperature baseline in my opinion.
The Corsair Commander Core XT’s preset fan curve is rather aggressive. My CPU may often reach 60°C or more, and with the default fan curve configured, this would cause the fans to spin up at inconvenient times during the day. To correct this and reduce the noise these fans make, I had to use iCUE to develop a custom fan curve.
If you don’t like iCUE or don’t want to utilize such software on your PC, the 5000T is probably not for you. This is a situation that is heavily reliant on its software. The RGB LED strips, fan lights, and fan speeds are all controlled by the Commander Core XT, which is hooked directly into the iCUE software as the initial point of contact.
Still, it’s superbly constructed from steel, plastic, and tempered glass, and while it’s somewhat heavy, it’s a great statement PC case for a high-end PC build. You could certainly choose smaller for your PC, but few will be as well-made as this.