Best PC Cases of 2022: $60 to $300 Airflow, Silence, & Budget Cases

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Our Best PC Cases in 2022 round-up helps you decide which PC cases are best for gaming computers, high-airflow builds, budget builds, quiet gaming computers, and more. We'll also cover some of the best mechanically designed cases this year, along with winners for the Best Overall category. With the NVIDIA RTX 4090 and AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs (like the 7950X) out, cases that are compatible and capable of high airflow (even for water cooled builds) have become more important than ever -- so we're here to help narrow-down the list.
While you get ready for your next PC build, grab one of our anti-static, heavy-duty modmats for PC building on the GN Store! It helps support our work if you like it while also getting you something long-lasting and useful in return: store.gamersnexus.net/product...
PC Case Review Playlist: • Fractal Meshify 2 Comp...
The goal here is to compare the best PC cases for CPU and GPU temperatures, cable management, water cooling builds, and mechanical design while also factoring-in the price at each point. A few 2021 cases are still on the list, and that's because no one has knocked them off -- cases don't go bad, so as long as they're still being made and the price is good, they can still land on the list. The round-up includes comparisons between the Hyte Y60, Lian Li Lancool III, Montech's X3 Mesh, the Fractal Pop! Air and Torrent, and more.
Grab a toolkit, modmat, shirt, coaster pack, or mouse mat on the GN store! You get a quality item and support us at the same time: store.gamersnexus.net/
RELATED PRODUCTS [Affiliate Links]
Best Overall Case of 2022: Hyte Y60 on Amazon - geni.us/3ngWP
Review of the Hyte Y60: • Impressive Quality: Hy...
For the Y60, remember that it's mostly meant for water cooling and now that all the new parts are such high power, it's a good time to get into water cooled builds for the high-end GPU + CPU combinations. For air cooling, you need a skinnier card (as we say in the video) and you should utilize the bottom intake!
Best Mechanical Design of 2022: Lian Li Lancool III on Amazon - geni.us/IYCirP
Review of the Lian Li Lancool III: • Lian Li Lancool III Ca...
Best Budget Case of 2022: Montech X3 Mesh on Amazon - geni.us/CmmZkO
Review of the Montech X3 Mesh: • Cheapest High Airflow ...
Best Mid-Range Case of 2022: Fractal Pop! Air on Amazon - geni.us/IYee
Review of the Fractal Pop Air: • Fractal Pop Air RGB Ca...
Runner-Up: NZXT H7 Flow on Amazon - geni.us/MGTMOz
Review of the NZXT H7 Flow: • NZXT H7 Flow & Elite C...
Alternative: Corsair 4000D Airflow on Amazon: geni.us/aMBA1r
Best Out-of-the-Box Thermals: Fractal Torrent on Amazon - geni.us/TjXG
Review of the Fractal Torrent: • Best Case of 2021 So F...
Best Noise-Normalized Thermals: TIED
Lian Li Lancool III on Amazon: geni.us/IYCirP
Fractal Torrent Compact on Amazon: geni.us/O4yWhW5
Fractal Torrent Compact Review: • Fractal Torrent Compac...
Worst Trend: Cooler Master HAF 500 on Amazon - geni.us/UHD6
Review of the HAF 500: • Cooler Master Has Lost...
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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
01:14 - Best Overall Case 2022 (Hyte Y60)
04:05 - Best Mechanical Design (Lian Li Lancool III)
07:13 - Best Budget Case (Montech X3 Mesh)
08:55 - Best Mid-Range (Fractal Pop Air & Runner-Up NZXT H7 Flow)
11:18 - Best Thermals (Fractal Torrent)
12:52 - Best Noise-Normalized Thermals (Lancool III vs. Torrent Compact)
13:40 - Worst Trend (Cooler Master HAF 500 Mid-Tower)
14:22 - Conclusion
** Please like, comment, and subscribe for more! **
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Host, Writing, Test Lead: Steve Burke
Testing: Patrick Lathan
Video Production: Andrew Coleman
Video Editing: Mike Gaglione

[@GamersNexus]

For the Y60, remember that it's mostly meant for water cooling and now that all the new parts are such high power, it's a good time to get into water cooled builds for the high-end GPU + CPU combinations. For air cooling, you need a skinnier card (as we say in the video) and you should utilize the bottom intake! Links to all the cases and the reviews of each case are in the description above! You can get more detailed information on each case in its respective reviews in the links. PC Case Review Playlist: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2XPYpZrmbKFjpo While you get ready for your next PC build, grab one of our anti-static, heavy-duty modmats for PC building on the GN Store! It helps support our work if you like it while also getting you something long-lasting and useful in return: store.gamersnexus.net/products/modmat-volt-large

[@ghost15214]

Is there any database of your recommendations ?

[@EnigmaticGentleman]

You forgot to review the Asus Anime Case, for this you must stand trial before Goku, Naruto, Eren Jeager, Monkey D Luffy, and Lord Farquaad for crimes against The People Who Watch Anime On Their Expensive PCs Instead Of Playing Games. (TPWWAOTEPCIOPG for short).

[@craigmiller332]

Thanks Steve! Is there a consensus for best overall 4090-compatible case? Probably with an E-ATX MB and water cooling for the CPU.

[@badzilla1173]

Are you guys in the process of reviewing the torrent nano? I'm trying to decide between the nano and the compact for my first build.

[@RichardSanchez137]

So how is it the best case if there's an expensive prerequisite?

[@polie67]

Still waiting on 2023......

[@FreshlinoSanchez]

Right its gonna be a year already

[@hytebrand]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! We appreciate this so much and so happy to be crowned the Best Overall Case for 2022! 💛💛

[@jaytee444444]

Is there a ver. 2 on the way? And/or are you planning on any other colours for the Y60? Great case BTW! 👏

[@hytebrand]

@@braethorn See you there 💛

[@TAP7a]

gg wp

[@stopUkrainewar666]

Deserve it we want a 120$ version : The base customers

[@TheSjuris]

@@stopUkrainewar666 they would have to redesign the rear cover to allow horizontal GPUs.

[@The23rdGamer]

Thank you so much for this video -- I can't tell you how much I've looked at the 2021 version of the video. The refresh is greatly appreciated because you're a respected source with solid, consistent testing for a plethora of cases. A rarity in today's news feed, and something we cherish dearly 💙

[@funkengruven7773]

You should add a new category for the "easiest to keep clean while not overly sacrificing performance" case. I love some of the new cases that have easily accessed and removable dust shields that can be cleaned without having to take the case apart to do so.

[@Dorraj]

Yeah I specifically chose my case because it had dust filters on the front, top, and bottom. A lot of these cases don't have filters and it kinda irks me. I get that it affects airflow, but cleaning a filter is much easier than cleaning GPU and CPU coolers

[@manh2704]

It’s not as hard as you think. My first build I did it like once every year if I remembered and now I do it regularly. Hell I do it when I get bored.

[@Dorraj]

@@manh2704 I keep my PC in a spot that isn't the easiest to get to, so having to unplug everything and pull it out isn't as easy as you might think

[@DarthDungus]

​@@manh2704 I think you underestimate how tired and lazy some of us out here are feeling, case dust filters are the best innovation I've seen in recent history

[@SMGJohn]

@@DarthDungus If you lick them with your tongue once in a while, one lick each time and if you do it 3 times a week for an entire year you never will have a dust problem.

[@snek8421]

algorithmic encouragement

[@-A-M]

When it actually matters

[@MiIIiIIion]

I'm manipulating the algorithm!

[@cummerou1]

Ye

[@ians7184]

Down with the matrix!

[@kenzie117]

Yes

[@-A-M]

Thank you GN staff for all your dedication and hard work.

[@bfish9700]

Good to see the 4000D airflow on the list. I built in this and despite narrow GPU clearance with a front mounted liquid freezer 2, it looks nice, is near silent and was pretty easy to build in. I didnt want anything much bigger because I would repeatedly bang my knee on the super wide 011 dynamic.

[@Thiniking]

I was hoping to see best case based on MB size. I was expecting some ITX evaluation to find out what's the best in class for that size, but no dice. I hope this could be something GN can add in the future.

[@kdawg3484]

I didn't know the Fractal Pop had a 5.25" bay. Since it's also a quality midrange case, that basically seals it as my new default case for all future builds I might do, especially for other people. Like the Cooler Master HAF 912 before it; I used those for everything. I was sad when I learned they weren't making the 912 anymore, so it's nice to finally have a replacement.

[@ToddandRaquiForrest]

If you can find the older Fractal FocusG, it actually has two 5.25 bays, but lacks a sealed basement and uses plexi instead of tempered glass, but is prized at half that of the Fractal Pop.

[@netiturtle]

@@ToddandRaquiForrest Fractal Pop places the bay in a spot where direct airflow isn't needed though. Focus G blocks placement of a fan blowing directly at CPU

[@bosstowndynamics5488]

@@ToddandRaquiForrest Not sure how it compares to the Pop but the Define series also retains 5.25 inch support in its latest iteration

[@Vinterloft]

Having three 5.25" bays is exactly why I'm never giving up my Phanteks MiniXL. It might forever be the only dual-system case with 5.25" bays for hotswapping SSDs between the two systems. Really boggles my mind that Phanteks doesn't think of this functionality with their new dual-system cases. Waiting for ethernet file transfer is one way to never get anything done.

[@bosstowndynamics5488]

@@Vinterloft For what it's worth, and in case you do need to upgrade cases in the future, a couple options to get around this are SAS to SATA adaptors which are capable of dual pathing (not sure how available single drive adaptors are, mind) and direct interconnect networking standards like Thunderbolt, high speed peer to peer Ethernet (both capping at 10GbE speeds in this use case, enough to outperform SATA), or even used 40Gbps server networking hardware which has relatively inexpensive options for direct interconnects.

[@MrUniq]

Appreciate it..I know it probably seems redundant to make these videos every year but I'm always on the hunt for a beneficial case. With these parts making computers into space heaters and becoming larger, getting a form factor that works well is a continuing challenge.

[@Google_Does_Evil_Now]

Steve and crew, the video clarity of this video is so high. Everything is ultra clear, ultra sharp.

[@brendanhoffmann8402]

2 years ago I was still using a case from an old Athlon 64 from about 2004! I had a 7700k system in it but in 2020 I upgraded everything and got a 5600x system. I used a Corsair 4000D Airflow. It's luxury... also keeps the dust out. My old 2004 case was super dusty!

[@doctorno3912]

I still have an old antec case from 2004. Been meaning to put something in it at some point.

[@MandoMTL]

@@doctorno3912 Had one from that era too. Remember it weighing like 30lbs.

[@jayp25]

I run a pc repair shop and upgrade my case a lot... had a 4000d airlow for a year now and not had to clean my case out once. Honestly the best experience ive had except that there is the limitation of only being able to have a 360mm rad at the front if you mount with the tubes at the top otherwise its faultless and looks amazing.

[@hyperturbotechnomike]

Sometimes old cases are still good. I'm still using a Cooler Master HAF XB cube case and i don't have plans to replace it, because it's just a great and versatile high airflow case for aircooled builds. I also like horizontal designs more than towers, because it solves some of the tower-related problems, like GPU sag, cable managent and it's easier to install new hardware, because it can be opened from all sides. It has it's own problems too, like using a lot of space and that it must stand on a table.

[@Bob-of-Zoid]

I'm still using a whole 4 core Athlon 64 Extreme PC for backups on my network. Still does a great job and it's plenty fast for everyday computing, I upgraded to a used i5 system not all that much better just to get the Cooler Master HAF X case (~2010) it was in! Used it for a year and just recently transplanted the guts into a new Fractal Mesh C case which was quite tight, to make room for the new Ryzen 7 system I just built into the HAP X case! It still has room for like another system inside! It's a freaking beast of a case!

[@em.dot.2]

Just a note, the HAF 500 has been hovering between as low as $85 - $112 the last week on Amazon. (This is roughly the price Steve said this case should be sold for, and it seems to do really well at that price class!)

[@espi8997]

Im pretty happy with my HAF 500. The GPU fan mount is arguable, but the rest of the case is solid and gets the job done. The addition of a type C USB front connector, a fan and RGB hub and a removable top pannel for easy AIO / fan mounting completes the deal imho. I just HAF to get this case!

[@20030311]

HAF500 is sold for ~$110 at the tax free port aka Hong Kong at launch, still not impressive at all

[@3dkiller]

The new one is Fake HAF, remember the old true ones man those were game changers.

[@TheDiner50]

HAF 500 is still the same price here as a Torrent Compact more or less. (the black non glass compact) I mean even Pop air plain black cost the same as any of the HAF 500's. Sweden. Heck even Pop air XL cost around the same price as the HAF 500's. There is almost nothing from CoolerMaster worth buying. And Torrent aint rainbows and sunshine either.

[@laximiro]

Always checking your reviews and recently purchased a new case with your recommendations thanks to the work you put in guys. Great work as always thanks!

[@slizerdk]

to me the best aging case winner is my Cooler Master HAF X, bought with usb 2.0 and e-sata outtakes but later upgraded with usb 3.1 outtakes as sparepart replacement prolonging life for a overall splendid case. We need a overall lifespan reward too for our planets sake, Steve and CO.

[@zaxtt1721]

I can agree, still struggle to justify replacing my HAF X for a new build even though some newer cases are more aesthetically pleasing... Their price tags or gimmicks aren't.

[@pattrickstratton1678]

In this episode Steve gives us a case-by-case comparison so he can give you the best case scenario. And remember that if some of these looked unfamiliar on the inside he was showing you... in case... you forgot...

[@edwardr8226]

I'm a fan

[@boreddog-likedemon4512]

@@edwardr8226 llll

[@Kellen6795]

@@edwardr8226 That was cool

[@Goldy01]

I hate you all

[@backbeathighway]

Definitely agreed, I have the HYTE Y60 (Hakos Baelz customized edition), and overall I'd say the review was fair in its criticisms while also rightly pointing out positives. It was by far the most spacious case I had ever built in, and it was really just a dream to work in.

[@Lishtenbird]

Wait, what - Bae got a *case* now?!

[@mineskirat]

@@Lishtenbird yep

[@ShroudedWolf51]

@@mineskirat Go on...?

[@Siscon92]

I remembered she released it and it looked similar to this years best case, so I went to check it and it was actually a Hyde Y60. I really wanted to buy it now but then he said I need a GPU with liquid cooling which automatically disqualifies the case sadly

[@hytebrand]

Thank you for your support 😍💛

[@tomtheaged]

I loved the lancool III! I just built my am5 system in it with a custom loop. I loved building in it! 😁

[@soberlicious_]

Amazing video, really helped to see how stacked the top end cases are. One suggestion if I may, could you also mention the MSRP of the cases on the graphs? That would really help to compare price vs performance!

[@trevorjensen1296]

Have you considered adding a SFF case category to the list? Not everyone likes having giant mid tower cases taking up space, and I'd love to see your style of reviews with smaller cases.

[@GamersNexus]

We have, yeah. It's tough for time reasons. It takes an entirely different methodology and approach and we don't have time yet - but we want to get back to it.

[@madskillsgaming4745]

Ive been rocking the ssupd meshlicious, Its been pretty great.

[@sniper0073088]

A4-H2O is pretty nice

[@YukiGibson]

Yes yes! sff deserves more love

[@hyperturbotechnomike]

@@GamersNexus It would be also cool to see the opposite, like very large ATX cube cases, where the mainboard is mounted horizontally and having multiple segmented compartments for different parts.

[@SilvyReacts]

Purchased the Fractal Pop case (pink one) a few days ago. It's honestly pretty rare to find a nice modern looking case with pink accents and great air flow. Also, while being affordable.

[@wile-e-coyote7257]

Wow. That was a lot of work. Thanks, Steve and crew!!

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Fantastic and well made video. Keep up the good work.

[@JonathanPolis]

Look forward to this video every year.

[@GamersNexus]

These videos are really fun to make! Nice positive angle on things.

[@Rain1]

This is such important information for a layman like me. I would be lost and I'd be going through all of these top 10 articles that I feel just aren't that good when I Google it. You guys doing this helps a ton because I trust you guys to do solid research based on your experience and skill.

[@VasiliyGolt]

It's like your best series for me. Great respect and appreciation!

[@DharcFamiliar]

This is great and helpful. I'd love to see more mini-itx cases being reviewed too

[@ChengHorn9]

I'm still keeping my eye on the o11 evo with the front mesh panel added. As far as I'm aware it has all the benefits of the o11 air mini (great air flow, low noise, etc.), but with more room. I'm hoping to build from scratch soon and want to be able to get equal-ish intake and exhaust, fans directly below the gpu, and not have to worry about three case potentially being too small. I'm grateful for this video, as I know I'm going to be helping a friend build his new rig, but none of these cases do it for me.

[@cheersmike_]

Hard to please? What case gets closest to your “standards”

[@chadmckean9026]

was looking at the hyte case b-roll and noticed that the PCI slots are very nice, being able to have 1/2 height cards and your gpu in the same, is a wonderful idea, really hope they make one with side vents for the gpu, it would be a wonderful case since it allows you to have 1/2 height cards behind your gpu

[@DJBillionator]

Did you look at Thermaltake and the Core P series? hmm

[@coffeefoot]

Great job as always ! Mouse pad is holding up very well ! Thanks !

[@Carnage8]

Awesome! Thanks for the updated video :)

[@MrWatchtower]

I have the Torrent, best purchase I did. Plus with adding the Noctua D15. It's been really good. Glad it got the best thermals awards because in the end that's what really matters, to me at least.

[@BlackhawkTDI]

Exactly, I have both the full size, and the Compact… using the Compact atm with a NH-D15. Love the airflow

[@kcgunesq]

Good choices. Same combo I used earlier this year and i couldn't be happier with performance.

[@user-wz5yf5kj2n]

@@kcgunesq в тебе який процессор стоїть в ньому? І який охлад

[@uzdi]

You have been doing good work, everyone testing how to build in case, temperatures, but almost noone make standart noise test. Most underrated category, and very important to have good temperatures with low noise. No problem to instal fast fans with a lot of noise.

[@naswinger]

nice, i was just looking for a case for my new build and this video showed up

[@shiishani3302]

YES!!! I've been waiting for this one!

[@ABouncer]

In the noise normalized tests, I wonder if GN doesn't place a little too much emphasis on just the lowest CPU temp. Looking at their wonderful graph (truly an awesome testament to their longevity and thoroughness), you can see that while the CPU temps are lower, the GPU temps are considerably higher in some cases. The P500A and the Lian Li Lancool II Mesh are basically within a degree of one another for both CPU and GPU, which means that airflow is likely more optimized throughout these cases, versus some where we see a pretty significant difference. By example: the Lian Li 011 Air Mini has a +13C difference between the CPU and GPU temps during noise normalized testing, which likely means the air flow is optimized for the CPU vs GPU. Maybe not the best idea in a case if gaming/rendering is involved, since the GPU is going to be expected to work hard. All of the top cases are really pretty good, and all keep your CPU/GPU temps in the safe zone, even under load. So maybe it's just preference, but I kind of think you'd be better off with consistency throughout the case for temperature, rather than having significant variance in locations literally a few inches from each other. It also likely means that other nearby components are being cooled/heated in an uneven fashion. Add in some humidity and that's enough to maybe make some weather in there! :)

[@Quicksilver_Cookie]

I love Fractal cases so much. Just so intelligently laid out.

[@BforVendetta6]

These case review videos are excellent when trying to pick out a case for a new build.

[@Mithinco]

Thanks for reviewing all the countless cases!

[@thestrykernet]

Appreciate your yearly roundups very much as it's interesting to see a consolidated look back and opinion piece. Wish you all had gotten a chance to run through the HAF 700 as it is significantly cheaper than the Evo bringing the case down towards a sane price range. It's obviously a giant case, but it'd be interesting to see your team's thoughts on it as there are a bunch of things CM tried with the design.

[@Dreznin]

I've been very impressed with the Fractal Torrent since building my new PC in it a week ago. It's got lots of space, good cable management, and that airflow is incredible even with an AIO in the mix. Swapped the 180mm fans to the bottom and mounted a 420mm AIO to the front in a push-pull config (2 push, 3 pull) and still had plenty of space to route the hoses even with the comically large Zotac 4090 AIRO installed. Fractal nailed that case design.

[@statsnete6535]

can you please share your thermal performance?

[@Hito343]

I just love Torrent, built a mini ITX build for my parents in Nano, Compact gaming build for my brother and my custom loop workstation in a regular Torrent. The front panel design and airflow is just perfect.

[@devilock6137]

This is always my favorite content! I just love seeing all the new cases

[@brycetech3670]

I was hoping Lian Li O11 Dynamic Evo would've been somewhere, it's my favorite case, I love it so much because it can be turned backwards and look great in my setup.

[@AlphaXY13]

Your initial review on the Y60 fully convinced me to roll with that case for my upcoming build, even more stoked that it won your "Best Overall" category.

[@seekittycat]

Planning my first PC build today today and this is the greatest channel to start 💖

[@MS6Emew]

We appreciate your hard work Steve and Co!

[@futuza]

You should list the avg market price at the time of the video's recording for each of the cases, since prices always change in the future and it would make it easier to tell what's still a good deal.

[@MGSRR1279]

I’m pretty sure cases stay relatively the same price unless there’s a V2 of a case. There are cases that are $60 that go to $30-45 on sale, I usually buy those for the prebuilds I make, or I buy a used brand one for like half or quarter of the price.

[@BallinBalla]

Would like to see a SFF-specific award category next year as well for exclusively mATX or ITX cases.

[@BryceNow]

Honestly, not everyone has the room, or benefits significantly from the increased footprint of these massive cases Steve is recommending.

[@ArchMJ88]

It's been a minute since I've watched one of your videos and I just wanted to say you are looking good dude. Keep doing what you are doing and thanks for the informative video.

[@digitized_fyre]

This will be very helpful, I'll be puting together a new pc soon hopefully

[@WindmillGS]

Grabbed Torrent per your recommendation last year for my build and it's honestly worth every penny. Especially after how well Fractal handled the fan hub situation. Glad to see it on top once again! :)

[@DJBillionator]

Hmm... have you considered open air chassis?

[@atriusvinius319]

Its so noisy at high speed and thermals are not inpressive for a GPU

[@mrfilipelaureanoaguiar]

I am with your choices, it's weird that some builds 3.5 GPU slots but new cases will have to make things deeper for risers and fireproof pcie cables 5.0 full speed in case some wants to use a 500gb network card x16...who knows may look good too. Good video 👍🏼

[@informedchoice2249]

Thanks folks. This was really useful.

[@donnydarko7624]

It would sure be nice to have a 2023 best case video. Cases, and cpu coolers are what ive come to basically defer to your channel for, so without thwt video, I dont feel confident about making a informed choice.

[@Nareimooncatt]

Kind of disappointed the Be Quiet! 500 (either DX or FX) didn't make the cut. I just rebuilt my system into the FX version and have been quite pleased. Being my first "build" as a transplant from a prebuilt system, it was easy to work with and stupid quiet even at 100% fan speed. It was also very easy to route my thick 24-pin bundle while still keeping the decorative side plate in place. It was too thick to route from the side as normal, but I could route it up and over the top with ease. Subjectively speaking, it has some of the best RGB I've seen on a fan, and has some nice presets. The only downside here is my Asrock mobo doesn't play nice with other RGB systems.

[@janetrajkoski1424]

Well I was debating myself whether to go for the Torrent or Lancool III, but this video settled that dispute. Torrent it is.

[@The23rdGamer]

You and me both :3

[@TheEthNick]

Fantastic content. Appreciate the summations.

[@jesserandall5174]

The squarecle is now my favorite shape. Thank you for sharing your enlightenment.

[@SilverJoystix]

Thermaltake took your advice and improved the P3

[@kylestewart4444]

I've been using the Lian Li Lancool II Mesh for the last couple of years and I've been supremely pleased with it's thermal and noise performance. I'm sort of window shopping to potentially buy a new case just to change up the look a little bit but it would be such a shame to end up with a case that doesn't perform as well.

[@kylestewart4444]

I just picked up a Corsair 5000D Airflow. Really like the look of the case and I think it'll be a pleasant case to build in.

[@SloppyDeck]

My Corsair 1000d came in today as my endgame case, but i still love watching these breakdowns and reviews

[@philharryman4479]

Hurry up with the Focus 2 review please !! 😁 Great work so far !

[@Professorkek]

For next year, can you do best inverted case? As in a case that opens on the opposite side than normal, or can be flipped so it opens on the opposite side than normal.

[@muddystick]

Someone wants the o11 Dynamic Evo ro be in a best case list.

[@milo8425]

Any hope of adding a best compact category?

[@kbeezyk]

Really helpful video!

[@paco1669]

Thanks for this!

[@15Bravo]

Still Rocking my Coolermaster HAF-X. Started with an FX8350 & R9 290X a decade ago. Now I have an Ryzen 5600x /w H150i platinum 360mm rad, and liquid cooled Toxic 6900xt. Disc drives and HDD are gone since original build, and have 4x 2tb samsung ssds as backup/storage using the hafx hotswap bays, and 2x 980evo's 1tb m.2 nvme ssds on the motherboard. The only thing original in my 10+ year old case is my coolermaster 850 silent pro power supply. It being a decade old however, i have it just powering the board and drives, and got a new 1600w evga platinum+ psu powering the gpu and various case fans and my coffee mug heating pad. - I got the HAF-X a decade ago telling myself given its size and airflow, that the 200$ price was worth it because its the last case ill need, and im sticking to it lol. It fits 2x big ass radiators, big ass gpu, and 2x psu's and still have load of room to work with even with 5-6inches of the right of the inside of the case being taken up top to bottom with drive bays. - - One mod i did a long time ago given how much airflow this thing has, is get a roll of very fine mesh screen and cut out sections to go over the front and side panel intake screens as its a pain in the dick to clean all the screens inside of it. I got a bunch of small neodymium button magnets and with the mesh and case being steel, i could put the fine mesh screens on the outside of the case and have them held on by the magnets, with i had anodized flat black so you dont even see them. This way i can just slide the magnets to the side and clean the outer screens quick and easy vs taking the whole case and fans out/apart to clean the dust out. The outter screens reduced the dust buildup in the case by roughly 90% and with it being a HAFX case, there is still massive amounts of airflow even with the significantly more restrictive outer screens. P.S. - funny - - - Only thing i dislike is that a year ago i had my pc out in my workshop where i build muscle cars and firearms, and i had my pc case door leaning against the bench on the floor as i was going to clean that filter and replace that fan. But before doing that i was finishing up turning down a new 50bmg rifle barrel on my lathe. The acid i was using to etch the barrel surface to prep it for ceramic coating had spilled on the acrylic case panel window and now there is a permanent massive cock looking "burn" in the acrylic that ron jermey would be jealous of. The "7" shaped window now has a giant ghostly opaque dick looking mark on it, fully verticle and erect, curving to the left, covering about 80% of the window...rofl...

[@Xirpzy]

Happy with my fractal design meshify 2. What struck me the most is how silent it is. Sometimes I have to double check that I actually hit the power button lol. On my old pc the fans started spinning immediately.

[@craigpratt8875]

Got the meshify 2 lite and meshify 2C lite and they are the best I've ever had.

[@peterparser995]

Same haha, love that case :)

[@jimatperfromix2759]

Hey GN, great job as usua with your case reviews - very thorough. To me, the chart for Best Noise-Normalized Thermals is the most useful, because everyone likes low noise, yet everyone wants to run a RTX 4090 with a Ryzen 7950X without said CPU/GPU throttling due to overheating. This chart shows the best a given case can do (in air-cooled mode without adding more fans) against a standardized load and limited to a standardized sound output - very useful. You sort the chart in order of lowest CPU temp, which is great for folks like me who plan on a beefy CPU but lightweight GPU. Those running a lightweight CPU along with a RTX 4090 might want to re-sort the chart in order by lowest GPU temp. For the average PC builder - say someone who has a middle-ish CPU and a middle-ish GPU - one might actually want to sort these cases in increasing order of the Average of CPU and GPU temps achieved. That is, maybe you want a case that does a decent cooling job on both the CPU and the GPU, without over-kill on either the CPU or GPU by itself. If you sort in this order, you get a different picture of these coolers. I've taken the trouble to do that for readers, as shown in the table below. I added the Average (of CPU and GPU temps achieved) to each line, and then sorted by that Average. An interesting thing to note is that the range of GPU temps achieved spans only 6 degrees C, while the range of CPU temps achieved spans about 22 degrees C. As you might expect, the Average spans a middle number of about 13 degrees. Best Noise-Normalized Thermals (for Air Cooling) (CPU and GPU fan fixed, case fans slowed to meet total system noise of 36 dBA) Cooler CPU (C) GPU (C) Avg (C) Lian Li Lancool III 44.6 54.0 49.3 Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2 51.9 46.9 49.4 Lian Li Lancool 215 46.7 52.7 49.7 Phanteks P500A Digital 50.0 49.6 49.8 Fractal Torrent Compact 44.3 55.8 50.05 Fractal Torrent 45.6 54.6 50.1 Lian Li Lancool II Mesh 49.8 50.8 50.3 Cooler Master HAF 500 47.9 54.1 51.0 Fractal Meshify 2 50.7 51.7 51.2 Phanteks P400A RGB 50.5 52.3 51.4 NZXT H7 Flow 50.2 53.8 52.0 be quiet~! Silent Base 802 50.5 54.2 52.35 Phantekx P360A 50.9 54.5 52.7 Corsair 5000D Airflow 48.9 57.9 53.4 Fractal Pop Air RGB Stock 48.3 58.8 53.55 Fractal Meshify 2 XL 53.1 54.4 53.75 Cooler Master TD500 Mesh 55.7 52.0 53.85 Corsair 4000D Airflow 54.5 53.3 53.9 Fractal Meshify 2 Compact 49.1 58.9 54.0 Lian Li 011 Air Mini 47.8 60.5 54.15 Corsair 7000D Airflow 49.7 59.3 54.5 NZXT H510 Flow 57.4 56.4 56.9 Montech Air 1000 Lite 53.6 60.9 57.25 Fractal Define S2 Vision RGB 57.9 59.7 58.8 Corsair 4000D Solid 61.3 56.5 58.9 NZXT H5 Flow 55.9 62.0 58.95 Hyte Y60 58.6 59.7 59.15 Lian Li Lancool II 62.9 56.6 59.75 Phanteks P300A 66.5 57.8 62.15

[@bosstowndynamics5488]

In the process of building out a server with a Meshify 2 XL, with all the core components in place and a Noctua tower cooler I can barely hear it even with the side off

[@sirremoche]

I bought a Fractal Torrent Compact for my first ever build earlier this year based on your reviews. It was a pleasure to work with overall and it does work great out of the box, thanks for your reviews lads !

[@textme098]

Contact me ⤴️ i got something special for you...

[@Revol729]

Brought the Fractal Design Pop Air to complete my white themed based PC after seeing your reviews. Best money spent!

[@doro626]

I really like that optical drive option on the fractal pop. i thought most modern cases got rid of the external drive bays. I do wish that the door was hinged instead of fully removable.

[@sunlightheaven]

Fractal Torrent is amazing. Very happy that I picked it based on your video in January. I hope Fractal will improve this design in future. The only real downside is that you can't really clean it efficiently because you need to take off both side panels to take off front panel.

[@Snakee423]

I understand you bought the normal model, not the compact or nano. Is It too Big for a mid case? Or smaller?

[@Hartbreak1]

I kept using the HAF932 for many years because I was waiting for Silverstone to release a case that continued the legacy of the legendary Raven cases as I was never able to get one of those. In the end after many years it was Fractal with the Torrent that finally took the mantle for best cooling. I’m sad that Silverstone never decided to do a follow up but at the same time I’m glad that Fractal took the challenge to make airflow cases cool again (excuse the pun).

[@ReikaBirdVods]

Thank you for helping me find the best case scenario.

[@randomisedantics6732]

Hi GN team, I've found your content to be the most thorough and trustworthy of all the tech tubers - even when it risks damaging relationships -. I was wondering if you could add a section to your case reviews that shows the "maximum" capabilities of a case, where you would just fill it with fans in whatever configuration you thought would be best. It would be most useful for cases such as the 011 or the North. I know you guys have a busy schedule already so I understand if you can't fit it in.

[@videogamer281]

I think this is a great idea. Also can't wait for the G500A review

[@Dorraj]

I too would love this. There's way more to a case than the fans it comes with.

[@BrendanGeormer]

Fractal have been consistently pretty impressive to me these last few years.

[@KingCrimson82]

Ive got one of these ! The Compact, what a case. Sometimes i miss my foot warmers, its literally cold in the case. 140 *2(bottom) 180*2(front)

[@IzzyTheTanuki]

Do you use water cooling for your case?

[@Kevrix]

Amazing video!! the amount of options they gave on this video.. i just don't need to watch any other video thanks!

[@lostremnant1140]

I would have liked to see the CM HAF 700 EVO. I thought that was gonna win the best overall to be honest. It has all features I'd like to see in a case, but out of my budget.

[@guitarsolos89]

Such well made tests, incredible effort you put into this! Much appreciated. I'm gonna stick to my Phanteks P500A, very happy with it :)

[@hendryroodt3100]

i bought my lian li 215 after your review, one year later and the case is still amazing Thanks Guys

[@kaltonian]

thanks Steve, informative as ever,

[@hehe88hehe]

With the gigantism that gpu is experiencing in the last 2 gen, I think I'll need to replace my CM 690 in my next build, I've been surprisingly pleased at how well it holds up through the decade, it lasted 4 builds over the years. I think I'll go for Liancool series (perhaps IV will be released by the time I'd want a new build)

[@jamesqwuan]

Contact me ⤴️ i got something special for you...

[@Deltarious]

Hexagons are the bestagons ;)

[@scherge]

Awesome Best of ... (so far) video, as usual. Thank you. I would really love to see a review of the Asus TUF GT502 case in one of your next reviews. I am super interested in seeing how it performs regarding thermals and noise levels.

[@wimagik8698]

I hope we'll get something similar for 2023 this was great

[@n56ssd]

I would really love to see a be quiet! Pure Base 500 review from you guys! My guess is that with another Silent Wing 2 fan in the front, we would get a great silent performer for only 80$ total.

[@usbsol]

Its a very good case with a very competitive price 👍

[@usbsol]

Btw they have a review on the 500dx kzbin.info/www/bejne/sHTRkpqYgNCJsKc

[@n56ssd]

@@usbsol I know, but that case is hardly the same :)

[@OmegaTempest]

Would love if you reviewed more budget cases even if they didn't launch this year, the same way you tackled lower cost air coolers. Prices naturally change over time (as you've acknowledged previously with the Thermalright cooler) but the "Montech X3 Mesh 6pcs" is now a whopping $75 on amazon from the default seller "QuickDealStore" and a shocking $90 from presumably the actual brand's seller, "Montech PC" - if $89.99 is the new MSRP, that's definitely no longer a budget case. When there are several different acceptable options, we can pick the one that is still lower in price. If people pretending to be Arctic reps got you to finally review the Arctic Esports Duo, I'll hold my nose and pretend to be a Zalman shill and ask you to review the Zalman S2 - while the acrylic, inside tooling, lack of cable management space, and stand off installation reminds me more of 2014 rather than a modern case, it's cheap mesh front with 3 fans that as of today is in your budget range at $55. Additionally, thanks to Linus misdirecting everyone to get the closed front Zalman S3 instead in his holiday 2022 guide he released today, the S2 is mildly less likely to get the typical 'raise the prices because of induced techtuber demand'

[@darrellid]

Thanks for doing what y'all do. Five years on and I'm still loving my CoolerMaster MC500. Large, roomy and basic ... yet flexible. Even the built-in handles have come in handy as I've taken it all over the country for work. Also, LoL @ "squarcle."

[@electrontube]

personally timely for me, i just pressed the button on a Fractal Torrent due almost solely to the reviews and information put out but your channel. keep swinging that axe, you're doing good work, and we appreciate it.

[@AaronShenghao]

Keep in mind, sometimes it really depends on what styles and features you want. Friend of mine chosen the older LianLi LANCOOL 2 mesh instead of the newer 3 be cause he liked it better.

[@sammiller6631]

How is the LianLi LANCOOL 2 mesh better than the 3?

[@AaronShenghao]

@@sammiller6631 style and local availability/price

[@polelix1023]

How good is Lancool 2 mesh? It's cheaper than the 3 mesh.

[@MaximusProxi]

Struggling to decide between the Lian Li Lancool 3 and the NZXT H7 Flow! I'm going for a High End Build with a rtx 4090 and i9 13900k. I adore the NZXT H7 Elite look but it just isn't an option in terms of performance. So I do like the look of the H7 better but stats of the Lancool 3 are better.. What would you guys recommend me?

[@NomadMongols]

Yo I rewatched 2021 best case video yesterday glad i waited this video

[@Artista_Frustrado]

i really wish the Hyte was available internationally, especially because there was a limited Hololive edition that had some amazing custom art on it 🥺

[@kirito1267]

two limited editions now, Kronii just announced one

[@Artista_Frustrado]

@@kirito1267 well, now im double salty yet happy

[@Lobanium]

The HYTE case looks great. I'm hoping Lian Li adopts this style. It looks like they're at least giving you the option with the removable support pillar on the announced EVO XL.

[@TheEchelon]

Lian Li's tyling looks a lot more sleek, and premium imo.

[@Blafard666]

Lian Li's O11 Dynamic EVO and O11d-ROG are both better cases than the HYTE in my opinion ...

[@minisculex3]

Lian li o11 look more cooler for me

[@fooook92]

Nice video as always! I still rock an o11 dynamic (with 12 fans, 3 on side and bottom as intake, 6 as push pull on top as exhaust) and probably will keep if for next years, but glad to see there are a lot of awesome cases that really point on important points, especially airflow, in the last years.

[@textme098]

Contact me ⤴️ i got something special for you...

[@andrewdias478]

Happy with my Lancool II Mesh after you guys recommended it last year.

[@FDFANATIC541]

I bought the LianLi lancool 215 and I absolutely love it. 200mm fans are so quiet and move a lot of air