Best PC Airflow Cases of 2020 So Far: $60 Budget to $200 High-End

This round-up looks at the best PC cases in 2020 so far, specifically relating to airflow- and cooling-oriented cases. Includes best budget airflow cases, mid-range, and high-end cases right now.
Sponsor: Gigabyte RTX 2080 Ti Xtreme on Amazon (geni.us/CpdoO)
If you're building a new computer, buy our Wireframe Mousemat (36" x 12", or 91 x 30cm) for a high-quality PC component mouse pad design at a competitive price: store.gamersnexus.net/product...
Consider buying our Modmat for a large, anti-static surface to protect your table and the electronics you work on: store.gamersnexus.net/product...
Article: [This will publish at 9AM EST, so about 5 hours after the video goes live] www.gamersnexus.net/guides/36...
PC Case Review playlist: • Phanteks P500A Airflow...
Article & methodology: www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews...
Additional methodology (standardized / normalized tests): • Test: Same Fans in Eve...
In this video, we're talking about some of the best cases currently available, but with our focus entirely on the top thermal performers. The goal is to compare gaming PC cases for best CPU or GPU temperatures, best noise-normalized temperatures (or acoustic performance), and best build quality at each price class for 2020 so far. This includes cases that have come out in previous years, so our criteria was centered around cases available right now rather than only things that have launched recently, since it's not like cases age on the shelves. We'll run another piece on the best and worst cases toward end of year, and that'll be a wider-scope look at computer cases for different categories. In this one, we're talking about budget cases, mid-range cases, and high-end cases, which we've split into ~$60 to ~$80 cases, sub-$100 enclosures, and cases north of that. We're comparing the Lian Li Lancool II Mesh, the P500A, NR600, Phanteks P300A, be quiet! Pure Base 500DX, Cooler Master TD500, and more.
CASES LISTED (in order of appearance)
Note: Due to constant inventory and availability fluctuations hitting the market particularly hard right now, some of the current case prices may be from third parties or just generally overpriced. Please listen to the content where we list off MSRP or intended prices, and try to avoid over-spending on these.
Budget Airflow Cases
Cooler Master NR600 on Amazon: geni.us/yb7zW
Silverstone Fara R1 on Amazon: geni.us/Atbt
Phanteks P300A on Amazon: geni.us/E5mWsN
Mid-Range Airflow Cases
Lian Li Lancool II Mesh on Amazon: geni.us/FAfiS3f
Phanteks P400A Digital RGB on Amazon: geni.us/TcqAX
be quiet! Pure Base 500DX on Amazon: geni.us/fIdH46k
(Honorable Mention) Cooler Master TD500 Mesh on Amazon: geni.us/IV0lB
(Honorable Mention) Fractal Meshify C on Amazon: geni.us/pMbCMQw
High-End Airflow Cases
Phanteks P500A Digital RGB on Amazon: geni.us/AkdY0g
Cooler Master H500 'Blank' on Amazon: geni.us/eNNV
Lian Li O11 Dynamic XL on Amazon: geni.us/Hi3Z7X
Like our content? Please consider becoming our Patron to support us: / gamersnexus
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Recapping the Best PC Cases in 2020 (So Far)
03:17 - Cooler Master NR600 (~$70)
06:03 - Silverstone Fara R1 (~$61)
08:40 - Phanteks P300A (~$60)
10:45 - Lian Li Lancool II Mesh (~$90-$95)
13:01 - Phanteks P400A Digital RGB (~$90)
13:58 - be quiet! Pure Base 500DX (~$100)
15:45 - Cooler Master TD500 Mesh & Fractal Meshify C
17:05 - Phanteks P500A Digital RGB (~$130)
18:49 - Cooler Master H500 (~$120)
21:11 - Lian Li O11 Dynamic XL (~$200)
23:19 - Best Cases Conclusion & Airflow Trends in 2020
** Please like, comment, and subscribe for more! **
Links to Amazon and Newegg are typically monetized on our channel (affiliate links) and may return a commission of sales to us from the retailer. This is unrelated to the product manufacturer. Any advertisements or sponsorships are disclosed within the video ("this video is brought to you by") and above the fold in the description. We do not ever produce paid content or "sponsored content" (meaning that the content is our idea and is not funded externally aside from whatever ad placement is in the beginning) and we do not ever charge manufacturers for coverage.
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Editorial, Host: Steve Burke
Guest Host: Snowflake
Editorial, Testing: Patrick Lathan
Video: Keegan Gallick, Andrew Coleman

[@GamersNexus]

PC Case Review playlist: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWmWZn99fdWYpas Article & methodology: www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/3586-thermaltake-level-20-rs-case-review Additional methodology (standardized / normalized tests): kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4fOcouJf8p-ga8 Article: [This will publish at 9AM EST, so about 5 hours after the video goes live] www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3604-best-gaming-pc-cases-for-airflow-in-2020-right-now If you're building a new computer, buy our Wireframe Mousemat (36" x 12", or 91 x 30cm) for a high-quality PC component mouse pad design at a competitive price: store.gamersnexus.net/products/gn-wireframe-mouse-mat Consider buying our Modmat for a large, anti-static surface to protect your table and the electronics you work on: store.gamersnexus.net/products/modmat

[@bledwhite409]

Still haven’t found anything as good your Mod Mat!

[@GamersNexus]

@@bledwhite409 Thanks for the kind words!

[@MHstex]

You HAVE to test the GAMDIAS Athena M1 and M2, and the Apollo M1. I just got them recently and they perform AMAZING for the price

[@SeeTheWholeTruth]

One of my gripes with time has been... How prices on cases went up.. and powersupplies stopped being included. *shrug* In fact... fans were never a question, now.. sigh.

[@daniel-1976]

Perfect content for me. Want to get an over view of the case landscape vis-a-vis airflow, but too lazy to go through all the data. Thank you very much.

[@M00NM0NEY]

I am so happy that PC case makers are focusing on Air Flow and not putting a solid piece of tempered glass in front of fans. Thanks for making manufacturers listen, Gamers Nexus

[@nosajmartinez6175]

Completely agree. Its nice to have a transparent reviewer with objective testing methodology, a large audience, and some pull to keep manufacturers at least somewhat honest.

[@TheNiteNinja19]

I actually made my Anidees AI Crystal work to have very little airflow restriction between the front glass panel and the fans. They put decorative plastic in there that was choking it. So I broke away all that decorative plastic and now my 3x 140mm front intakes get great airflow with very little restriction. Drawback is... No dust filter. But a can of compressed air every so often helps.

[@BobMotster]

Yes but not enough. They should bring back meshed side panels as well.

[@ryanmalin]

@@BobMotster no. If the front and back and top and bottom are open, the sides being closed is acceptable

[@Zetharion1]

I just hope we dont go back to focusing strictly on airflow at the cost of the case becoming a cube of mesh.

[@pho9812]

About time we have so many options for good airflow cases

[@GamersNexus]

Took a little while, but the industry is starting to figure it out!

[@pho9812]

@@GamersNexus I'm still rocking my NZXT Switch 810 because I haven't found a case that was really "worth" upgrading to although cases have come so far since then. Never got into the tempered glass hype. Your channel definitely ignited the fire for these companies to focus more on performance over aesthetics, so thank you for that.

[@Zarcondeegrissom]

@@GamersNexus yeah, people thought the cases looked horrible with the beige color, then cartoon cases happened with minimal vents, then geeks wanted to see the cool guts with side intakes, then computer illiterate folk complained the guts look ugly, and the cycle began. now we have mesh cases, maybe next to get annexed will be fans or something stupid, lol. whatever happens, it will be 'eh' I'm sure. For now, it is good we have some airflow for cooling the computer guts that no longer has adequate heatsinks on most parts thanks to the "heatsinks are ugly" and RGB craze the past few years.

[@shaneeslick]

@@GamersNexus I don't think they figured it out Steve, it just finally sunk in because you keep repeating yourself to the Case Companies & proved the Airflow = Quiet Math 😁

[@nocturnal0072]

@@GamersNexus except thermaltake...

[@Chris-pv6zw]

Case: $200 Shipping: $350

[@grazorrr0666]

Rip

[@ultisready9452]

underrated comment

[@thelumitesystem3004]

Case: $100 Shipping: $350 (As an Australian, I feel you)

[@MaicoGorll]

Here in Brazil its like that too.

[@1LuvMLPFiM]

Amazon: *STONKS*

[@syntholaesthetic4420]

I'm more impressed by the insane modeling skill of the cat.

[@aadvaithmandampully3279]

Timestamp?

[@QactisX]

@@aadvaithmandampully3279 18:57

[@denizcankaya8277]

21:35

[@ferdinandhumperdinck165]

It is quite talented. As for the topic: Both the Asgard FRG (myself) and the Hauberk from Gamemax have very good airflow for low to medium prices. As a comparison, before switching I had an older Lianli semi silent case (small but not tiny inlet for airflow, 4 120mm fans, one in each on bottom and front, 2 out at back), and luckily was able to directly compare my setup, as I intended to keep the case until smething went wrong (yes, it was my cat^^). System: Ryzen 2500 x, AMD Vega 56 Sapphire Pulse. Pulse runs on custom curve that puts it to 37 percent pretty early but stays there until 70 Degree. Ergo the case is not silent but in no way loud. Temp Lian Li after 10 continous 3DMark Fire Strike: 61.6 CPU, 64.9 Graphics card. Asgard: 57.8 CPU, 58,7 GPU. Great Value if Airflow is what you want, given I only paid 56.99 euros including the 4 fans.... As for my colleague: he stated he could reduce CPU temps by 3 and GPU by 1.5 comapüred to a Define first edition, same number of fans. Granted, a warning is also necessary, they offer some "idiot cases" as well. Looking great, no airflow to speak of. ^^ But mantioning less coslty and less well known hardware I am satisfied with is a pet project, so....there you go?^^

[@micaluzzo83]

About time we have so many options for good airflow cases

[@andyderp6473]

A couple of years ago when I built my first pc the case was an afterthought,shortly there after getting addicted to everything hardware I also became really addicted to looking into cases(currently building one from scratch with my father as a side/passion project)since then I've noticed a huge improvement in the market and honestly I feel you guys had a huge influence on that movement with your videos,thank you.

[@abhishekrathod246]

Same here but i dont have Enough budget for now,*But* no worries future still exists 😁👍

[@TheGauges420]

@@abhishekrathod246 I'm thinking of moving on from my current ~$80 case. It's a Deepcool Matrexx70 with 2 ARGB fans. It cost me $105 with 3 fans, but I'm not getting new fans (unless I go Corsair LL120, but that's like $180 for 6 fans or so, a little pricey, which I did just buy a new Deepcool Captain 240 rgb Pro v2 so I've got the 2 spare fans from that, because I originally bought the case with the 3, and bought 3 on top).

[@abhishekrathod246]

@@TheGauges420 to be honest rgb is luxury that isn't that affordable so I am the type of guy who goes for practical cases without rgb but damn a pc with rgb can cool a cpu without even a cooler and still give you 1000+fps.(just kidding it's a joke but to be honest I love rgb no homo)

[@TheGauges420]

@@abhishekrathod246 lol, I'd easily sell the case at $60 max, it's used. It cant be sold as 'like new' because there is no 'like new'. Theres new, theres open box (new with box open/returns) and theres used. My case is definitely used in that context. But hey, if you wanna spend more and get less be my guest.

[@jabatheshort660]

Same. All you at GN have helped me before I even knew who you were, reading articles you wrote before YT

[@SilkMilkJilk]

I'd claim it's fair to say you personally kinda pioneered the whole push towards actual case improvements over the last years, and I have to thank you for that, you were the voice of sanity speaking for so many of us, thanks!

[@md-im8qp]

All he had to was to wish it. He is Tech Jesus, ya know?

[@malovent538]

@@md-im8qp shut up lmao

[@scottburgess2263]

overclock3d back in 2008 or so were pretty good. Can't say I've been there since 2008, but those were good times. Would go to insane levels of detail like how you would go about custom watercooling and all that.

[@mahoobarc1439]

Steve is a LEGEND

[@REgamesplayer]

...Or maybe it was because of tough competition? When everyone had flashy, glass cases, manufacturers needed to figure out something to gain edge over competition and quality of the case was obvious next step to focus on.

[@wanesty]

*Best Budget Cases* 03:17 - Cooler Master NR600 (~$70) 06:03 - Silverstone Fara R1 (~$61) 08:40 - Phanteks P300A (~$60) *Best Mid-Range Cases* 10:45 - Lian Li Lancool II Mesh (~$90-$95) 13:01 - Phanteks P400A Digital RGB (~$90) 13:58 - be quiet! Pure Base 500DX (~$100) *Honorable Mentions Best Mid-Range Cases* 15:45 - Cooler Master TD500 Mesh & Fractal Meshify C *Best High-End Cases* 17:05 - Phanteks P500A Digital RGB (~$130) 18:49 - Cooler Master H500 (~$120) 21:11 - Lian Li O11 Dynamic XL (~$200)

[@esteller7849]

ty

[@boblefou13]

Thanks

[@RutgersJRS]

Lol so you copied what the description already is. Are you desperate for youtube likes?

[@wanesty]

@@RutgersJRS why would i care this is not reddit you dont get points when you get likes, i just did it, but with titles and for peoples who are used to look at this kind of things in the comments section

[@eyaddc]

Thanks

[@Zentennen]

Thank you so much for doing these roundups. I'm usually the one my friends contact for pc builds/upgrades and I can't always look at several 20+ minute long videos for each component. These videos save me hours every time.

[@stiprus_garsas]

Actually that is what you should be doing - lots of research on the parts you are going to be building your system with.

[@902nova3]

@@stiprus_garsas In an ideal world everyone would have the time to do the proper research but that’s not always the case. Steve does an incredible job of summarizing multiple product reviews/comparison into 20 minute videos.

[@trnibouy]

Damn, just watch a review from 2019, have to watch this one now, which I have no problem with because of it being so comprehensive covering all my concerns.

[@brett7011]

So much effort put into these videos it's amazing.... Even the "SHOW MORE" portion is amazingly detailed.... This dude deserves big success for being so detailed and knowledgeable.

[@Blue-iw9yj]

I just wanted to say ty for the case reviews. I use your videos as the standard when I’m picking a PC case for the next build. I really appreciate your attention to detail and data driven reviews. Never doubt the work you do. You the man Steve.

[@ChrisMag100]

Thank you for this Steve and GN staff. I’ve been watching and rewatching your case videos the last couple days in an effort to find a suitable replacement for my Antec P280.

[@nocturnal0072]

I had one of the variants. That thing is a beast. The build quality was on point. 👌

[@blokplaser69]

Really appreciate the effort that you put into airflow oriented cases. It’s sad that a lot of the most well known cases are terrible for airflow/temperatures.

[@heimvar]

Gonna go back and watch your view 71 review because I ended up getting into your channel awhile back from questions I had about airflow inside of cases and different fans configurations and I've been nostalgic Everytime a case review comes by. Keep up the great work mates

[@catbertz]

Just moved my pc into a Lancool 2 Mesh case this week. Really easy to build in and it turned out super clean. I'm in love with the various design features like the split side panels. Easily the best case I've ever owned.

[@Tilim1st]

Great video. There are so many airflow cases now, this video is exactly what I needed.

[@JLMtime]

try adding 2 fans & using air purifier dust filter (it comes in sheet) with neodymium magnets to hold filter on ive cut my dust down to 1/100th of what it used to be & dose not clogg my fans anymore.

[@johnbeer4963]

Thanks Steve, from a member of the "needs 5.25 bay" crowd. I do really appreciate the highlighting of these cases, it is indeed a selling point. I wonder if any manufacturers will figure out that they could fit a slimline optical bay and please everyone...

[@kadajawi6567]

Since I already have a full size 5.25 Blu-ray-drive I have no intention of replacing... meh? But it'd be better than nothing, yes, and for someone building a new system it'd be a viable choice.

[@johnbeer4963]

@@kadajawi6567 Agree. They aren't going to give us proper drive bays back though, so all of us with full size drives and accessories that fit those bays are on our own. My current PC is on an open bench but I need to case it up and i'm doing so in a 20 year old case... lol. I just... it annoys me that no case manufacturer has seen that they could put a slimline drive vertically oriented, and so that the body would be behind the "motherboard tray" in 99.99% of cases and not affect ANYTHING else the case does, like a 5.25 inch drive kinda gets in the way of watercooling a bit

[@kadajawi6567]

@@johnbeer4963 Yeah. I liked the modular approach of my Fractal Design Define R5... if I want, I have 8 3,5" bays. And 2 5 1/4" bays. If I do need the space for water cooling, I can remove some or all of those. I can chose. I'm not so keen on water cooling, so I have space for storage. But now every case designer seems to think all people will do is use water cooling. Hopefully, if GN designs a case, they think of those using air coolers too. And those wanting storage.

[@Evolution_Kills]

I've loved high airflow cases since I built a rig inside a Corsair Air-540, and I don't think I'll ever go back. Happy to see the design emphasis getting some love across the board, including budget options.

[@__dudewitagun__4607]

this is hands down the BEST pc case video for people in the market for a case. Excellent information in one place. Saves ppl time they would have spent viewing several articles and videos.

[@iliankarasimirov9685]

Did some said "Thank you" , well thank you GN Team

[@wvjeepguy8178]

Moved my system over to a Meshify C recently. Im very happy with it so far, and the 3900x stays relatively cool even with the stock cooler.

[@Haigotron]

Thanks for this awesome round up review. I ended getting the Fractal Meshify C and am very happy with the cooler temperatures I am reading, compred to my old case :D

[@Layarion]

that noise normalized chart and this video are exactly the kinds of things I'm looking for.

[@iiiEazyiii]

Appreciate it. I’ll come back to this in December when everyone releases their GPU/CPU

[@winnermatt1180]

Come back

[@WhitestOC]

Your time is now

[@Shikori_Tsuru]

Uuuh, about that...

[@OfficialUknow]

U prob didn’t get one lol

[@donh8833]

I recommend any one case shopping to check your reviews. They are among the best and most comprehensive out there. You don't sugar coat short comings, and I appreciate that

[@mathew4485]

I was lost for a good case, came here looking for a decent case. Now im lost for choices... damnit

[@JP-uk9uc]

Features matter. USB C and USB 3 are not as prolific among cases. What kind of connections matter, where they are located matter. Stock fans to me are junk. I went with the Meshify S2 tinted glass. With 3 Nactua 140s in the front and one in back. The airflow and cooling is great. I replaced all the fans with 140mm Nactua fans when I built it. Sure you can hear the cpu cooler (Frozer XL) but it's not loud to me.

[@matyezda]

Meanwhile the prices for the 60$ case in Eastern Europe: 100$

[@neatbeatfire5134]

Poggies

[@luiskaj2434]

The $90 Lian Li Mesh II is $149 in Canada...just accept price differences in other parts of the world, Fekete-bácsi...

[@astaroth5024]

This was extremely helpful as always, glad I watched your recommendations before blindly going for a meshify c

[@Sxdious]

As someone who just had their Meshify C tempered glass explode all over the place I really regret not watching this video before, thankfully I’m covered under warranty and will swap out my case for one of the ones mentioned in the video

[@MrGamer354]

I bought the cooler master td500 case based on your recommendations and I absolutely love it. Thank you for a very informative channel.

[@connormccloy9399]

Finally got my hands on an NR 600. Thanks for your review!

[@guilhermecoelho5028]

I've been wanting this video for so long! Thanks GN. Also, do you think we will see any new cases with side fans anytime soon? I really miss them.

[@pux0rb]

I like that you're highlighting cases with 5.25" optical drive bays. I still watch a lot of bluray movies and I like using my computer so I can stretch the image to the dimensions of my ultrawide, and use headphones. I am so close to buying that be quiet! 500dx but it lacks a 5.25". Don't think there's enough room to jam one in the bottom of the case either, unless I remove the hard drive bays which I need.

[@idontknowidotknow7892]

Get yourself a usb CD drive and download the videos onto your pc it saves your case from having an ugly CD drive

[@mochuck2438]

really like the detailed and in depth version of the case, going over pros and cons. Keep up the good work

[@ThomasFan2002]

Just rebuild my PC today with the Cooler Master NR600. It´s a case I can highly recommend! Great airflow, great looks, and good for cable management!

[@Antonis24]

I bought the Phanteks P400A per your recommendation. Amazing case. Thank you!

[@dava00007]

I have a USB DVD drive (or is it blueray, I can't remember) for the few times I need it, I take it out, but that may not be the case for everyone... that thing has so much dust on it!

[@unitcharles689]

Keep airflow coming! We love airflow for our toasty components

[@TheVillainOfTheYear]

Highly underrated content piece right here. I'm going to refer anyone who asks me about PC building and parting to it.

[@NeXMaX]

I've got the NR600. It's a pretty nice relatively low-cost basic case for someone who just wants a case without a lot of bling and just wants airflow. I've also got 3 120mm fans for intakes and repurposed one of the included fans as a top exhaust to supplement the existing rear one. Airflow has been exceptional, so much so that it barely makes a "whoosh" when running heavy tasks. Really happy to have picked it despite some of its compromises, the PSU filter being one of which. It does the job fine but it's also slightly more of a pain to remove, clean and reattach. The fact that it also combines the NZXT H500 design (that I've really been fond of) with very high airflow sealed the deal for me.

[@dykatran]

Hello, may I ask what cooler you're using? I'm interested in this case too, but I have Noctua NH-D15 which is 165mm in height meanwhile NR600 has a clearance of 166mm (stated on CM website). Do you think the Noctua will fit in this case?

[@MrWarhead89]

Duy Khanh Tran i have nr400, it fit nh-u12s perfectly!

[@Xqrement]

Hell yes! I have the NR400 and I'm very happy with the case. I bought it because of GN's review.

[@butre.]

@@dykatran I'm using a dark rock pro 4 in mine. it's a 163mm cooler and I think I'd have trouble getting away with any taller.

[@brauliopereira9173]

I have the nr400. I dare to say it's a better case, since it's not just a smaller nr600, but has some other differences, like a removable HDD cage. Also, smaller size seems to improve the thermals a little bit if you keep the stock fans (the front fan blows directly over the GPU). If you don't mind using mATX, it's a very compelling product.

[@norcalrallyx]

I have the CoolerMaster H500 plain mesh case recommended by Steve last year. I didn't know how bad the first CM H500 models were, thanks for the history lesson! I couldn't be happier with my build, the 2x200mm front fans run silent and push a ton of air when needed.

[@clemp3010]

I bought the same case for my 1st build. I really like it. Very quiet. I added 1 200mm fan on top to help pull the hot air out.

[@_Sh4d0ws_]

Tyvm for doing these videos! Making it so much easier to decide on new case.

[@glutenfreegam3r177]

Nice to see I am not the only one STILL using ODD's and other 5.25" bay accessories. (one of my faves is a laptop ODD in a 5.25" cage along with an SD card reader for transferring/backing up of my files)

[@luiskaj2434]

For someone who has been around computers since the days of DOS and 5.25" floppies, and watched the advances in CPUs, GPUs, motherboards, SSDs, etc, I am absolutely baffled how something as simple as designing a case with great ventilation, good build quality, and ease of access can be so hard to find! Come on, how hard is it to meet those basic needs to enclose the PC components? It's truly sad (pathetic, actually) that the multitude of cases fall so short...

[@r0e404]

It's way too easy to screw over consumers, companies have zero reason to not

[@WandererOfWorlds0]

Still happy with my Meshify C but these look interesting for someone building a brand new computer.

[@mjc0961]

Thank you so much for all you have done to bring airflow back to cases.

[@miguelzl5228]

i still have that noctis 450 in one of my systems (the airflow option of the h440) the build quality and functionality still top, thanks for all the hard work

[@paulfinch1083]

I've just bought the 'be quiet' 500DX. I like the fact that it has a more subtle RGB option on the front rather than huge RGB fans. it's a break from the norm. Great video. :D

[@alexatkin]

Also with its default orange, it strangely feels like a electric bar heater. You'd swear you could feel heat coming off the front. The only things I don't like about the case is that you can only fit two 140mm fans on the front, you have to drop to 120mm to have three. Also that its a really tight squeeze fitting my Noctua cooler with the top fan fitted, but that's probably because I have the NH-D15S rather than the D15, as it was previously an ITX build. Still amazingly I can run my blower cooler RTX 2080 at 55% fan speed at 72C clocked at 2010Mhz. I was rather shocked changing cases made such a difference as the GPU was right next to an mesh intake on my ITX build, but it seems the forced air really helps.

[@xallen7346]

Yeah that is probably my favorite case right now

[@johntotten4872]

I also have the 500DX. I am extremely happy with it. I was waiting for the Phanteks P500A or the Phanteks P400A rgb to come into stock but they never did. Honestly kinda happy they did not as I am a big fan of the 500DX. Running 10700k with Dark Rock Pro 4 cooler and RTX 2080 Super.

[@paulfinch1083]

@@johntotten4872 I was looking at the phantek P500A too but it's not available anywhere. I haven't set up the new case yet but it looks promising. I have a Radeon 7 and even with a good under volt it can be slightly noisy when pushed with my current case, the NZXT H440.

[@Cinetyk]

Would love to see a review of the Phanteks P600S, specifically comparing the case in silent mode and high-performance mode vs the P400A or the P500A in terms of cooling performance and noise. I ask this because the P600S in high-performance mode (front panel cover removed) has a more open mesh but then a dust filter underneath, so I'm wonder if that would be a detriment to performance over the straight single mesh front panel of the P400A/P500A. Anyway, great video and great job in general in reviewing and comparing so many cases. Thanks!

[@T1cksandLeeches]

I've mentioned this to them as well and I got the response "It's too old, we're not going back for it". I agree though. I love mine and I think it should be shared with consumers as another top of the line option. As long as you have the filters clean, this case performs so well in either configuration. I personally keep my panels off for extra flow, because I'm OCD like that. The panels are also great customization options for those brave enough to do some metal etching or even cutting designs all the way through (obviously losing noise dampening performance).

[@michealmorris3766]

I’m still happy with my Air540, but grateful for the content nonetheless. Keep ‘em focused on performance!

[@outsideredge]

Props to you for highlighting cases with 5.25" drive bays. I plan to build my own PC in the next little while and my case has to have a drive bay (or two) simply to have the ability to add an internal card reader. I prefer SD cards to cables when transferring files (especially photos from my camera), so yeah a drive bay is a must.

[@erich3784]

I bought my NR600 for €49 six months ago (shipping fees included), added 4 high quality Arctic fans (3 static pressure front, 1 airflow back) for a measly €23 and I'm f-ing set. GREAT prices, GREAT investments!!

[@MikeSSDD]

Meshify c represent. Appreciated the honorable mention since yeah it’s been on the market for awhile and should see some major price decreases or a decent presence on the 2nd hand market soon.

I also have Meshify C. I changed the original front 120mm fan with 2 x 140mm be quiet! Silent Wings 3 PWM, and changed the original rear fan with 1 x 120mm be quiet! Silent Wings 3 PWM. Obviously it is more expensive at the end, but the result is a much higher air flow with the original excellent Fractal Design build quality and cable management. It will be great case for some years, I hope.

[@nicholaslewis279]

@ I had the meshify c. Upgraded to the H500 because it was too cramped working in there with my hands being as thick as they are.

@@nicholaslewis279 H500 is a very good case, too. :-)

[@DzinkyDzink]

@ Are there any hidden troubles with it? Something one could only find after spending some time with it? Mine R5 reverberated faulty HDD(7 years old Barracuda) noises when observing from above the case when it was under the table, but nothing from the sides when it was on the table.

@@DzinkyDzink This build is three months old now, no problem with that. Silent and beautiful, the best PC case I have ever had. The 2TB Toshiba HDD is inaudible. All my fan (CPU and case) is a be quiet! Silent Wings 3 (it has liquid bearing), so the only thing you can hear is my Sapphire Pulse 5700XT under heavy load (not loud at all). The case is on the table.

[@amosk24]

These reviews are gold. Thanks a lot for the time and info!

[@stalbaum]

A midyear report on airflow oriented cases. Engineering journalism + consumer journalism = well I don't know but I appreciate.

[@gsainoy]

nobody: pc case prices: ight imma rise up

[@anew742]

Y'all mind if I increase by 18%?

[@StarsMarsRadio]

Tariffs.

[@iHasCaek]

@@StarsMarsRadio that and retailers taking advantage of the "work from home" demand right now

[@Dennzer1]

@@StarsMarsRadio Tough guy Trump tearing up China with Tarrifs! /s

[@mrz3ta574]

Facts

[@joeseabreeze]

Hopefully you do another one of these before the end of the year. I suspect many people are going to build a zen 3 5000 system, like me ;)

[@haroldfranklin3670]

I have used my original cooler master HAF 932 for about a decade and love it. Was my go to case for building for my friends. Great airflow, upgrade ability , good build quality and was priced right.

[@Missch_1]

So happy to see mine new H500P in every video about good air-flow cases.

[@DarxusC]

I'd love to see you do more on quiet cases. You seem to be in an excellent position to do it, and it seems like there's a real gap, since SilentPCReview fell apart.

[@dustinmassie1347]

4:00 when he forgot the O/i shield....i felt that

[@anthropicPanda]

so normal watching GN build b-roll..i don't think they ever use IO shields..

[@FlyingMonkeyMen]

Bought the Cooler Master NR600 off of your review and it has been absolutely perfect. Keep up the great work!

[@JustinHyneswashplant26]

love these types of videos because it informs me on what is the very best

[@kaidinbyrd8979]

i started watching 1440p youtube vids and i noticed how frazzled everyone's hair is

[@SrSilverstars]

I am keeping my HAF X (still a chart topper FYI) until another case is released with an intake side fan.

[@WyattOShea]

I remember back in the day the Haf X was my dream case other than the corsair 600t (I think it was called that anyway).Currently have a 5 year old Fractal r5 though and don't intend on changing it until I can no longer use it :P.

[@ji8651]

Mr Commodore64 exactly the same case I got! but I'm after something smaller, looked for a few days to be fair. Might move to a P400A. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@Rainbow__cookie]

i have my haf 932 still today I love the big fans 5.25 bay and even watercooling support

[@JeremyBuehlerJWB]

I'm about to build again using my HafX... it still holds its own.

[@mattcarter3253]

Still got my HAF X full tower case. things a beast from 8 years ago 230mm fans i love it. will never change :)

[@1nvisibleYouth]

TBH, I really like you guys, I had been followed your channel a long time, all those reviews are helpful and useful, you are the source that i trust to and would like to reference on. It's hard to find honest and professional people like you, I wish this channel can be continue forever, get more exposed and continue to bring good affection into the society and earn a lot of money, you guys are hard-working and amazing.

[@thebasilisker6595]

Thank you guys its always nice to have such a quality roundup of case's. Do you think you will include the Cooler master NR200 in the next one? i got recently interested in SFF and it seems to be by all means a good SFF beginners case in budget and build volume. Don't forget we love You, the hair and most importantly the graphs

[@Vin_Rock]

This is a great video. I've been waiting 6 years to upgrade from my haf-x to something pretty decent with airflow. Any chance full-towers make a comeback? Lol

[@dalecomer5951]

Has GN ever tested the assertion that the fine mesh "lets plenty of air through." You might be shocked by the tradeoff between mesh pitch and airflow. Fine mesh might allow adequate flow but it's still very restrictive.

[@Tommy-and-Ray]

this came in the nick of time, much love

[@Wonginism]

5.25" drive love yay. Been eyeing up the NR600 and this has secured it firmly in my sites.

[@Tripping_Through]

Nearly had a heart attack when the cooler master case broke. My heart straight dropped

[@hedeon1979]

Oh, WOW! Seams like that the time is coming that I will be able to finally upgrade my Cooler Master HAF X case ;)

[@craigsaunders1001]

Haha man im still using mine but yeah i will be upgrading soon hopefully

[@Tuntira]

That is an aboslute Classic!

[@kennethshores8608]

i love mine... its still a grate air flow case. going to put a 5900x and a rtx 3080

[@WasifSikder]

Still rocking a haf 932 from 10 years ago, but main pc now has liancool ii mesh

[@cm3462]

Who else is going to sum things up so well? Y'all are so smart, respect.

[@mwnciboo]

My Carbide 540...Still soldiering on like the trooper it is. Upgraded it with a DEMICflex Dust kit. 3 x M.2's on my New Motherboard, no more HDD's at the bottom or SSD's in the cage at the back! Best Case I've owned!

[@hardlyworgen71]

Thank you for highlighting the one case with an optical drive bay. Also: KITTY!

[@randeegunthunter1062]

I bought the Lancool 2 Mesh as soon as it came out in Australia and it's end game for cases. It's literally the perfect case for almost all uses cases

[@menco106]

Theres never an end game in the tech world

[@mg-7.929]

Same got lancool mech from Newegg. Also, this RGB version's 3 120mm fan sucks (1300rpm, non PMW, noisy, also vibrating ).

[@Sir_Brennan]

Only downside is no room for 280mm rad on top. I'm eagerly awaiting the Lancool 215 for that reason. Hopefully these guys get a review sample soon. If it's a flop, I'll have to step in price to the Phanteks P500A.

[@randeegunthunter1062]

@@Sir_Brennan It would be better to have the 280 rad on the front. Static pressure fans to pull air through the rad and air flow fans to pull the air out of the top.

[@Sir_Brennan]

@@randeegunthunter1062I prefer having my pump underneath the radiator itself. Will still have fans pulling air in from the front, then exhaust out the back of the case and up through the rad. Also, the rad on top acts as a dust filter of sorts when the system is off.

[@thedubiouswizard]

The "12 Fans, 0 Airflow" case review inspired me to find this. If enough people watched your videos and purchased accordingly, all manufacturers would be forced to get their shit together. Thank you for providing this service.

[@sonjabrajkina3995]

Just ordered Phantex Eclipse P500A Black for my next build. It will be on stock 01. Oct. Thanks for reviews. It helped a lot to make decision.

[@VictorFernandes8]

19:12 That scared me more than I expected! Jesus jumpscare LOL

[@franciscot4750]

Same and I’m using nari ultimate headsets which vibrate so that really got me 😂

[@Hauzerx]

I would like to know how these cases compare to standard old-school cases. By that I pretty much just mean 2x80mm intake, 2x80mm exhaust and a top-mounted PSU. I may or may not be still using this setup in 2020.

[@tomson129]

Awesome overview, hope there will be a maybe a "best silent cases" video, too.

[@matthewheben6161]

Super helpful vid with an informed opinion (as always at GN!)! More of this please!

[@roulettezoku]

A new “air”a of airflow focused cases. Make those Dad jokes Steve, you know you want to.

[@kesamek8537]

5.25" drive support highlighting is extremely useful for many reasons. Thank you for doing this.

[@Dennzer1]

Like what? Other than optical drives. Sound equipment? Fan controllers?

[@Hotobu]

@@Dennzer1 That's about it, but all still important to some people.

[@Dennzer1]

@@Hotobu Well of course, I would have no reason to think other wise. Just wanted to know what all the options were.

[@Dennzer1]

@Darknight Flyer Well depends on the use case. I have my fans set up perfectly in my bios, and the top fan slot gives me airflow over my terrible Rog Strix B450-F VRM, which needs all the cooling it can get. Particularity when I upgrade to an 8 or 12 core CPU from this 2600X. And for sound, I have an EVGA Nu Audio with Edifier S2000MKIII speakers. The EVGA software for that great card woks mostly fine for me.I wish they would improve it, but it does the job and has cool options and controls. Certainly the 5.25" bay can be more interesting than a mere fan like in my case though. Like you said.

[@kerwinbren]

Thank you for this... now i can buy a case.... pc componets to follow for the next 3 years ... :D

[@mandalorian43]

I bought the H500 blank thanks to this review. Thanks for the great videos.

[@includenull]

I would really like to see how the new Corsair 4000D Airflow stacks up against these.

[@TsunTzu]

21:35 - How much did the cat modeling agency charge for this?

[@DzinkyDzink]

iirc it's their CEO, they just had to ask him to work a couple extra hours for extra cash.

[@ballstothewall38]

It was free, he added the cat via A.I.

[@KokoroKatsura]

a n i m e n i m e

[@OctoMatoe]

18:58

[@bananya6020]

@@KokoroKatsura WeirdChamp

[@TSUNAMI17]

This video was really helpful. Thank you.

[@tistats]

Thank you! I got a P500A based on your recommendation. It was the only one with proper top 320mm/280mm rad support. I can't wait coming from a Fractal Design R6.

[@todayonthebench]

5.25" drive bays are honestly a rather valuable feature for those who need it, so always nice to see that support being mentioned when it exists. Now, optical disk drives is frankly only one portion of what this bay can be used for. Custom front panel IO is another thing. (instead of needing to remake/mod the case front, one can simply build/buy a small module to just slot into place and get whatever ports one needs.) Another use is to buy a hard drive cage, with either 4-6x 2.5 inch drive trays for each 5.25" drive bay. Rather nifty if one builds a storage server and needs a relatively neat setup with hot swappable drives. (downside is that these drive cages costs like 50-100 USD) Then there is also 5.25" LTO drives...

[@64bitcrafts]

Which is why I've never really shifted away from using them. :/ It's frustrating how 5.25 bays have become so rare in the 5 years or so that I've had my current rig. If I knew ahead of time, I would have just grabbed some spare cases before their production ended. For my coming build, I'm probably gonna have to drop the optical drive just to stick with my specialty audio I/O panel, if I can't anything with more than 1 5.25 bay.

[@justsomeperson5110]

I'm glad that you at least mentioned optical drives. That's still a necessity for me. It's just a shame so few new cases even offer the option.

[@OnboardG1]

Can vouch for the H500 mesh fronts. Smashing case, looks great, good airflow when paired with a Noctua cooler. I can also vouch for being VERY careful about which one you order...

[@yakovgolyadkin]

"$200 High-End" *laughs in ITX*

[@bananya6020]

even an ncase m1, which is relatively common and popular, is more, lol. at least you only have to buy those cases once, the build quality is insane.

[@lucas_vlanc]

the new Cooler Master NR200(P) is actually an amazing budget Ncase M1 alternative, although its bigger, its also a lot cheaper

[@bradenspeck3884]

VlanC Otaku I’d love Steve to take a look at it. Optimum Tech had great things to say about it in terms of thermal performance for the price.

[@TotalInsanity4]

Try mATX in this day and age *The Sliger Cerberus has entered the chat*

[@eclipsegst9419]

itx cases are the most overpriced thing in the world. i could have my local fab shop make almost alny of them with their waterjet and laser table for maybe 50 bucks including supplies. you have to be insane to pay for one of those.

[@stagdragon3978]

18:58 my brain was following along perfectly until you showed the cat. To which I think my relevant IQ dropped by about 30 points, as I had to explain to myself several times about how that was a cat.

[@spacedinvad3r115]

Switched from a Corsair Carbide Spec-03 to Phanteks P400A (non digital) a few months ago & couldn't be happier. Great airflow & looks amazing. Money well spent.

[@wb3123]

I much needed this thanks so much

[@joelfrojmowicz]

Hi Steve! What a coincidence! After sending the email asking for best airflow case, I see your new video about it! Thanks anyway!

[@hanzz9083]

"Omg, its stil hot in here..." "Shhhhhhhhh.....be quiet"

[@vsrandom9078]

lmao