Best PC Cases 2019: Our Tested Picks for Your New Build

[JohnMD1022]

Here are the best cases for custom PC builds. Our recommendations take cooling and noise into account, and most sell for less than $100.
Best Cases : Read more

THOMAS SODERSTROM
@Crashman
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.

1. Glass may look nice, but it is HEAVY. Ditto for a lot of steel. This stuff becomes unmanageable for older people.

2. Many still like/need an optical drive.

 

[Crashman]

1. Glass may look nice, but it is HEAVY. Ditto for a lot of steel. This stuff becomes unmanageable for older people.

2. Many still like/need an optical drive.

I'm still running a Cubitek Mini Tank that's around a decade old: The cases you see here are primarily recommended to people who care about things that you or I might consider less practical. The good news is that our CHEAPEST recommended cases tend to have the least glass, the least weight, and are often available as an even cheaper version without the glass. You still get similar cooling, though thin steel side panels don't reflect noise as well as glass.

 

[balazamon0]

I know they are less popular to include in builds now, but how about throwing in at least one case with room for an optical drive. I can't be the only person still wanting to include a blu-ray drive add new movies to my PLEX server.

 

[mickrc3]

I am quite pleased with my Thermaltake Core X9. The case has everything you could need. Yes, it is about the size of a dorm fridge but I am not going back to a small desktop case or tower. I built my youngest child's latest PC in a Core X5 and feel like it is nowhere near the X9.

 

[Karadjgne]

Ncase M.1. $240 for a shoebox. (yes there's even an optional slim optical version). But after using everything from desktop to full tower AT, ATX and now needing nothing more than a motherboard and what fits in it, kinda hard to justify anything larger than even mATX. Apart from servers and Nas, the need for 5-12 hdd bays is gone, useless. As is all that space between the mobo and front fans that you get after removing those airblockers.

And yes, that shoebox even fits 2x240mm rads, with a full custom loop cooling on cpu and gpu.

 

[PhazerOnest]

I just built a new tower with the newer lian li lancool 2 mesh rgb case and absolutely love it. The airflow is great, it was simple and easy to build in and the cable management is top notch. Would highly recommend it, especially for the 90 price point.

 

[kep55]

Here are the best cases for custom PC builds. Our recommendations take cooling and noise into account, and most sell for less than $100.
Best Cases : Read more

THOMAS SODERSTROM
@Crashman
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.

From the photos, only one of the "best" cases had space for an optical drive and only one didn't have a glass side. In my opinion these two items would relegate all of the cases to the dust bin. Not everyone has 200Mbps internet, even 85Mbps. So unless one wants to go out to dinner while the latest toy software is downloaded, uncompressed, verified, and ready to run, an optical drive is a necessity. As far as glass panels, c'mon, get real. Glass is a horrible thermal insulator, tempered glass "explodes" into a thousands of fine particles when it breaks (try vacuuming that stuff out of your cpu cooler, let alone the carpet), and who on earth wants to look at a bunch of dust bunnies.

 

[Karadjgne]

and who on earth wants to look at a bunch of dust bunnies.

Exactly. Out of sight - our of mind. With a TG side panel, unless it's heavily tinted, you have no choice but to see the dust bunnies congregating, and can't avoid the visual reminder to get off your duff and clean the thing...

 

[Marvin Martian]

Meh. Maybe I'm a nut but I still insist on optical drives.

 

[Karadjgne]

Ahh, use an external. That offers the best of both worlds as it means case choice is not limited and can simply be tossed in a drawer when not in use.