Awards: Best & Worst PC Cases of 2019

erek

erek

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Our 2019 computer case round-up analyzes the best gaming PC cases (or just cases in general) for thermals, build quality, design, noise levels, noise-normalized thermals and thermal efficiency, and unique features. We'll also be covering some of the worst trends for the year, as is clearly deserved. New gaming PC builds start coming together around #BlackFriday every year, and so we're here to talk about the top cases we've reviewed this year.


 
It would have been nice if they listed it as "best, relatively inexpensive, off the shelf cases", as I was surprised there weren't any high end cases listed in sub categories. Neither "CaseLabs" level high end (ie boutique top of the line, modular etc), or even Corsair 1000D, Phanteks Enthoo Elite (or even Primo) , LianLi high ends etc? These mostly seem mid grade or value at best.

I know not everyone wants or can make use of a high end case, but it would be nice if there was at least a subcategory for those interested, divided into "Small, Mid-tower, Large/Super Tower" sizes perhaps.
 
RanceJustice said:
It would have been nice if they listed it as "best, relatively inexpensive, off the shelf cases", as I was surprised there weren't any high end cases listed in sub categories. Neither "CaseLabs" level high end (ie boutique top of the line, modular etc), or even Corsair 1000D, Phanteks Enthoo Elite (or even Primo) , LianLi high ends etc? These mostly seem mid grade or value at best.

I know not everyone wants or can make use of a high end case, but it would be nice if there was at least a subcategory for those interested, divided into "Small, Mid-tower, Large/Super Tower" sizes perhaps.
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If a high-end case warranted any of those awards they would give it one. Were there even that many notable new high-end cases in 2019?

Also, the 011 Dynamic XL is a $200 case. I wouldn't call that "relatively inexpensive".
 
The regular 011 Dynamic is somewhat cheaper and pretty nice.
 
RanceJustice said:
It would have been nice if they listed it as "best, relatively inexpensive, off the shelf cases", as I was surprised there weren't any high end cases listed in sub categories. Neither "CaseLabs" level high end (ie boutique top of the line, modular etc), or even Corsair 1000D, Phanteks Enthoo Elite (or even Primo) , LianLi high ends etc? These mostly seem mid grade or value at best.

I know not everyone wants or can make use of a high end case, but it would be nice if there was at least a subcategory for those interested, divided into "Small, Mid-tower, Large/Super Tower" sizes perhaps.
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Case labs is dead bruh.

RIP

A S5 with pedestal owner.
 
Derangel said:
If a high-end case warranted any of those awards they would give it one. Were there even that many notable new high-end cases in 2019?

Also, the 011 Dynamic XL is a $200 case. I wouldn't call that "relatively inexpensive".
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$200 is cheap for a high end case.
 
For some $200 is not high enough. For me $70 is not low enough for a budget case. Budget means sub $30 to me. That's what we use to build office pcs on, it would be good to know which is best.
 
They're all terrible. I cant stand these new case designs. All of them seem to have solid plastic front bezels with tiny little holes to constrict your airflow, not to mention the case materials are pretty lacking now days.

I'll be sticking with my CM Master Case pro 5
 
Although some may think it's a bit pricey @ $130 (shipped, a bit lower if you hunt for a deal) the Thermaltake Core P3 TG gets my vote for best case ever because it has ZERO thermal issues since it's an open case design. Includes a tempered glass window and a GPU riser cable :barefoot:

I have it hanging on my wall but it does also come with feet (vertical position) and rubber bumpers (horizontal position) for desktop use. You can use a simple $10 fixed TV wall mount or a more expensive swivel type TV mount (mount holes are VESA 100)

Yea, it can get a bit dusty over time but what case doesn't? Use compressed air every few months.

 
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Derangel said:
If a high-end case warranted any of those awards they would give it one. Were there even that many notable new high-end cases in 2019?

Also, the 011 Dynamic XL is a $200 case. I wouldn't call that "relatively inexpensive".
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A case that can't even be found for sale since release! Cheapest price I seen for the XL is from a 3rd party seller on Amazon for $500...
 
HAL_404 said:
Although some may think it's a bit pricey @ $130 (shipped, a bit lower if you hunt for a deal) the Thermaltake Core P3 TG gets my vote for best case ever because it has ZERO thermal issues since it's an open case design. Includes a tempered glass window and a GPU riser cable :barefoot:

I have it hanging on my wall but it does also come with feet (vertical position) and rubber bumpers (horizontal position) for desktop use. You can use a simple $10 fixed TV wall mount or a more expensive swivel type TV mount (mount holes are VESA 100)

Yea, it can get a bit dusty over time but what case doesn't? Use compressed air every few months.

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That's not a case, that's a bookshelf. A computer case is also known as an enclosure. So it should be enclosed as part of it's job is to keep noise inside as well as keeping dust outside.
That's why open cases are a fail for me. I can wipe dust off the top of my case, but with an open design it accumulates on every component inside the case.
And ultimately the design, what design? Since there is no enclosure to speak of there is no design to speak of.
 
M76 said:
That's not a case, that's a bookshelf ... And ultimately the design, what design? Since there is no enclosure to speak of there is no design to speak of.
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I agree with "that's a bookshelf" lol but to say it's not a "design" is incorrect. Much design engineering went into creating that bookshelf which is why it works so well, looks so good, is so versatile (both configuration and mounting) and ... keeping what noise inside? Mine has no audible noise even at max fps gameplay unless you place your ear about 1ft or 2ft away from the "bookcase" so it depends on one's choice of hardware (I'm using AM3+ mobo, FX-8350 CPU with Fractal water cooling, MSI GTX 970 Gaming GPU). Dust accumulation is minimal and compressed air clears it out NP so personally, I have had no dust issues with this open case
 
M76 said:
That's not a case, that's a bookshelf. A computer case is also known as an enclosure. So it should be enclosed as part of it's job is to keep noise inside as well as keeping dust outside.
That's why open cases are a fail for me. I can wipe dust off the top of my case, but with an open design it accumulates on every component inside the case.
And ultimately the design, what design? Since there is no enclosure to speak of there is no design to speak of.
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If the job of an enclosed case is to keep noise inside then every case on the market does a piss poor job of it. Enclosed cases can help with noise isolation, but the VAST majority of noise reduction is down the user picking out low noise components.

Uhh...Unless you have dust filtered that completely choke off your intake fans (in which case you have a lot bigger issues), dust is gathering on your parts in an enclosed case as well. I imagine cleaning dust off parts would be a hell of a lot easier and quicker with the P3 vs my 011 Dynamic where I have to remove every single panel to get to the interior.

You not liking something does not dictate whether or not it has a design. WTF kind of claim is that?
 
It's not a case - it's a statement. And that statement is: "I don't give a crap if my PC emits radio frequency energy that might interfere with other stuff in my house. How it looks it more important."
For the naysayers: Yeah, yeah, I know, you don't care about FCC Class B and all that crap because everything works fine and you don't have any interference issues. Good for you.
 
Azrak said:
It's not a case - it's a statement. And that statement is: "I don't give a crap if my PC emits radio frequency energy that might interfere with other stuff in my house. How it looks it more important."
For the naysayers: Yeah, yeah, I know, you don't care about FCC Class B and all that crap because everything works fine and you don't have any interference issues. Good for you.
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Don't forget your tin foil hat.
 
Derangel said:
You not liking something does not dictate whether or not it has a design. WTF kind of claim is that?
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It has no front side and back panels, just a MB tray mounted to a wall, then how can it have a case design? Unless you call the omission of an enclosure the case design itself.
I can judge its design as much I can judge the bodywork of a car with no body panels.
And I never said I disliked the looks, but it's mute if it doesn't fulfill every role of a computer case.

If the job of an enclosed case is to keep noise inside then every case on the market does a piss poor job of it
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Oh, and how did you come to that conclusion? There are numerous cases with good noise insulation that have padded sides and solid thick panels.

but the VAST majority of noise reduction is down the user picking out low noise components.
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Nobody said components don't matter, but that doesn't mean the case has no role in reducing noise. Even if you have a completely fanless build a case can still absorb electric noises.
Uhh...Unless you have dust filtered that completely choke off your intake fans (in which case you have a lot bigger issues), dust is gathering on your parts in an enclosed case as well. I imagine cleaning dust off parts would be a hell of a lot easier and quicker with the P3 vs my 011 Dynamic where I have to remove every single panel to get to the interior.
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I do have dust filter on my intake and it means I only have to clean the dust filter maybe once every 3 months, instead of having to open the case and clean all fans and heatsinks. The only time I open my case is to replace HW components, and even then I don't have to wipe dust off, becasue there is hardly any inside the case. As opposed to a case with no dust filters. Dust is bad even for fan lifespan.
 
M76 said:
It has no front side and back panels, just a MB tray mounted to a wall, then how can it have a case design? Unless you call the omission of an enclosure the case design itself.
I can judge its design as much I can judge the bodywork of a car with no body panels.
And I never said I disliked the looks, but it's mute if it doesn't fulfill every role of a computer case.


Oh, and how did you come to that conclusion? There are numerous cases with good noise insulation that have padded sides and solid thick panels.


Nobody said components don't matter, but that doesn't mean the case has no role in reducing noise. Even if you have a completely fanless build a case can still absorb electric noises.

I do have dust filter on my intake and it means I only have to clean the dust filter maybe once every 3 months, instead of having to open the case and clean all fans and heatsinks. The only time I open my case is to replace HW components, and even then I don't have to wipe dust off, becasue there is hardly any inside the case. As opposed to a case with no dust filters. Dust is bad even for fan lifespan.
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It's still a design. Just because it doesn't conform to your preferences doesn't mean engineering and effort didn't go into it. You are massively short selling it by saying it's just a case without panels.

And those cases still don't offer complete noise isolation. Even the highly silenced focused early Fractal cases or some of BeQuite's cases don't remove 100% of noise. It still comes down to part choice.

You, rather conveniently, cut off the part of that quote that stated "enclosures help but" which makes that entire explanation pointless as I already mentioned it.

I don't really like dust filters. They're either effectively useless or choke fans. I'll take a little extra dust over starving my fans of air.
 
Case roundups would be more helpful if they were simply listed by attributes that would be of interest to shoppers.

I was recently in the market for the first time in many years and discovered that finding a quality case with solid panels and external 5.25" bays is astoundingly difficult. Thankfully I came across a good deal on a Dark Base 900 which apparently barely exists since top search results lead only to the windowed Pro version.
 
viivo said:
Case roundups would be more helpful if they were simply listed by attributes that would be of interest to shoppers.

I was recently in the market for the first time in many years and discovered that finding a quality case with solid panels and external 5.25" bays is astoundingly difficult. Thankfully I came across a good deal on a Dark Base 900 which apparently barely exists since top search results lead only to the windowed Pro version.
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Do you use an optical drive enough to be worth limiting your case choices? I switched to using an external optical drive a few years ago since I barely use mine.
 
Derangel said:
It's still a design. Just because it doesn't conform to your preferences doesn't mean engineering and effort didn't go into it. You are massively short selling it by saying it's just a case without panels.

And those cases still don't offer complete noise isolation. Even the highly silenced focused early Fractal cases or some of BeQuite's cases don't remove 100% of noise. It still comes down to part choice.

You, rather conveniently, cut off the part of that quote that stated "enclosures help but" which makes that entire explanation pointless as I already mentioned it.

I don't really like dust filters. They're either effectively useless or choke fans. I'll take a little extra dust over starving my fans of air.
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I could never have a case without filters again they really help keep the I side clean. I've started adding a pleated filter behind the cheep meshe filters..does it hurt my air flow yes but two years later I have very very fine dust vs having a carpet of dust on everything.
 
M76 said:
It has no front side and back panels, just a MB tray mounted to a wall, then how can it have a case design? Unless you call the omission of an enclosure the case design itself.
I can judge its design as much I can judge the bodywork of a car with no body panels.
And I never said I disliked the looks, but it's mute if it doesn't fulfill every role of a computer case.


Oh, and how did you come to that conclusion? There are numerous cases with good noise insulation that have padded sides and solid thick panels.


Nobody said components don't matter, but that doesn't mean the case has no role in reducing noise. Even if you have a completely fanless build a case can still absorb electric noises.

I do have dust filter on my intake and it means I only have to clean the dust filter maybe once every 3 months, instead of having to open the case and clean all fans and heatsinks. The only time I open my case is to replace HW components, and even then I don't have to wipe dust off, becasue there is hardly any inside the case. As opposed to a case with no dust filters. Dust is bad even for fan lifespan.
Click to expand...

My Fractal Design R6 has dust filters for all the intake areas and I love it. I couldn’t imagine not having it moving forward. No more blowing out my cases, I just quick pull out the filter and vacuum it. Also, while it does restrict airflow, it’s irrelevant if the case is designed properly with enough room for enough intakes.
 
RanceJustice said:
It would have been nice if they listed it as "best, relatively inexpensive, off the shelf cases", as I was surprised there weren't any high end cases listed in sub categories. Neither "CaseLabs" level high end (ie boutique top of the line, modular etc), or even Corsair 1000D, Phanteks Enthoo Elite (or even Primo) , LianLi high ends etc? These mostly seem mid grade or value at best.
Click to expand...

I think the only "Best" list where the 1000D fits is "best cases to avoid." It has a lot of potential, but Corsair's signature sloppiness ends up making the case a huge disappointment.
 
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