The best PC cases in 2025: These are the chassis I'd use for my next gaming build

Two PC cases on a grey background with the PC Gamer recommends badge in the upper right corner.
(Image credit: Future, Havn, Hyte)

These are the best PC cases we've tested. Every case we reviewed goes through a test build with someone on our team of experts: the best cases that are easy to use, offer excellent airflow, and look great—they end up right here on this page. Building PCs over and over again in cases great and small is a gauntlet, but it sorts the best from the rest.

The best PC case right now is a surprise hit from a brand with only a single product: it's the Havn HS 420. Available with a vertical GPU mount or without, this pristine and panoramic chassis offers a spacious interior with some of the best cable management on the market. Few tools are required to peel away its panels, leaving a spacious frame with easy access to everything. It looks good, but airflow options are also excellent and varied.

The best budget PC case is the Thermaltake Ceres 500 TG. A slightly older design now, its age is why it's frequently discounted to a very tempting price. That's including four 140 mm fans, which helps save costs elsewhere in a build. It has an industrial finish with heaps of perforated panels for maximum airflow, and there's room for many a radiator in both the front and top positions.

Oh, and if you're after small form factor check out the Fractal Design Terra, or our page dedicated to the best Mini-ITX case.

Curated by...
Jacob Ridley headshot on colour background
Curated by...
Jacob Ridley

Jacob builds a gaming PC most months. That might sound like a nightmare for some but, for our Jacob, it's a joy. At least when said PCs boot first time. In all of those builds, he's cataloging what makes a PC case one of the best, and what's a nuisance to avoid, and he uses that knowledge to build this guide of the greats.

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Recent updates

This guide was updated on February 24, 2025 to include all new picks.

Best PC case

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The best PC case

Specifications

Form Factor: Mid-tower
Motherboard support: E-ATX / ATX / M-ATX / Mini-ITX
Dimensions: 541 x 259.5 x 547 mm
Weight: 17.84 kg / 39.33 lbs
Radiator support: up to 420 mm, side: up to 420 mm, bottom: Up to 420 mm (non-VGPU model only)
Fans included: None
IO ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A)
Drive support: 5x 3.5-inch, 9x 2.5-inch

Reasons to buy

+
Looks fantastic
+
Clever modularity
+
Gorgeous glass
+
Effective cable management
+
Good dust protection

Reasons to avoid

-
Heavy
-
Limited motherboard airflow
Buy if...

✅ You want to show off: If you're hoping to build a gaming PC that will turn any nerd green with envy, this is the case to do it.

✅ You want all the fans:
This case has room for 11 fans, which can fire on your components every which way.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want any degree of portability: This is a heavy case and a corner of it is entirely glass... trust me, you don't want to move this often.

The Havn HS 420 is our pick for the best PC case. It has a stellar look, superb cable management, and you can stuff it with more fans than a Taylor Swift concern (hyperbole—it can fit exactly 11 fans). Perfect for a showcase build or just stuffing under your gaming desk.

The HS 420 is available in two versions: standard and VGPU. The latter is the one we reviewed, and it includes a few extras to lift your graphics card onto its side for greater visibility. That's a riser cable, GPU mount, and tilted fan mount. It looks gorgeous, though the standard version is no slob.

The HS 420 draws you in with its panoramic fishtank-style design. The entire front and side panel is one unbroken (if you're careful) sheet of glass. Not only does it look superb with a clean build, it comes away easily with short rails at the top of the case—just slide and lift and it's away, offering full accessibility to the innards. This glass does mean that you're not sticking fans in the front of the case, as is often the case (unintended pun), but don't fret, the HS 420 has plenty of room for fans elsewhere.

There's room for three fans in the bottom of the case, then, unusually, a spot for another just beneath the GPU. Above, room for three more fans at the top of the case and another in the usual exhaust spot. Finally, three fans can be mounted vertically to the right of the motherboard, parallel to the side panel. That's 11 total, in what can be considered a 'chimney' configuration. It's generally recommended to set it up so that cool air comes through the bottom, side, and rear of the case. The case is vented on the bottom with lots of room for air intake even on a carpeted floor. Hot air is then exhausted out the top and rear.

Though, one of few downsides to this case is the lack of fans. Those need to be purchased separately. That gives freedom to pick and choose a full selection of the same fan or fans, or use an ecosystem like Corsair or Hyte's. Though it is more money for the money gods unless you have at least eight or so fans lying around already.

The other downside, of which there are few, is how much this thing weighs. It's 17.84 kg, according to Hyte, and as the person that has repeatedly pulled it out of the box and moved it to and from PC Gamer towers, I can attest to that.

Yet that weight is due to a quality construction. The glass is thick, sturdy and clear. The sheet metal used for the case's construction is tapered, bent and smoothed off to keep you from cutting your fingers. Oh, and there are heaps of clever little additions to make a build easier: like the fan mounts that come away from the case, the magnetically attached panels and dust filters, or the deep channels for cable management.

The cable management is a particular strong point. Channels criss-cross down the hidden side of the motherboard tray and along the top of the case, which offers all the room required to neatly lay your cables inside. This means, even for someone that hates cable management as much as I do, it wasn't an issue. Out of sight, out of mind.

For the top IO, a couple of USB 3.2 Type-A and a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C. Standard stuff in 2025, but good to see the full selection of high-speed ports nonetheless.

If you want a full run-through of what it's like to build in the Havn HS 420, you can read all about my own testing with the chassis. Altogether, it's a case that feels impressive when you pull it out of the box, and is even more so once you've built a PC into it.

Read our full Havn HS 420 review.

The best budget PC case

The best budget PC case

Specifications

Form Factor: Mid-tower
Motherboard support: ATX / M-ATX / Mini-ITX
Dimensions: 525 x 245 x 507.7 mm
Weight: 10.5 kg / 23.15 lbs
Radiator support: Front: up to 420 mm, top: up to 360 mm, rear: 120 mm
Fans included: 4 x 140 mm CT140 ARGB
IO ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C), 2x USB 3.0 (Type-A), 1x HD Audio
Drive support: 2x 3.5-inch, up to 8x 2.5-inch

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent and sturdy build quality
+
Four high quality CT140 fans
+
Lots of room for big components
+
Thoughtful I/O placement

Reasons to avoid

-
Fan and ARGB cables could be a bit longer
-
Optional LCD panel is expensive
Buy if...

✅ You want to save some money on fans: This case comes with four 140 mm fans included. Enough for most builds, and then some.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want the absolute cheapest case around: While the Ceres is a great deal on a midrange case, which brings it into budget territory, especially including those fans, you could spend even less on a truly cheap option.

The best budget case right now is the Thermaltake Ceres 500 TG. It impressed us in testing when it cost a lot more money than it does now. Now that frequent price drops have seen this capable case enter the budget to midrange arena, it packs a punch with four 140 mm fans included in the box.

With an industrial finish and frame, the Ceres 500 TG turns heads. Mostly for good reasons, but I'll admit that some might find its flared front-end a little offputting. We called it a "weird chin" in our review, which isn't the biggest compliment, I know. Importantly, however, those looks allow lots of air to flow freely through this case—a job made easy by those four 140 mm fans that come with it.

Larger fans can push more air through a chassis without needing to spin as fast as a smaller fan. Thus, they're great for airflow and keeping the noise down. You won't need to purchase any more with the Ceres, which is a great money-saver, especially when the case itself is often on sale. These fans are controlled via the motherboard BIOS rather than any sort of dedicated controller, which keeps things simple. Though do check your BIOS fan curve if they're running loud.

With heaps of room for radiators, cooling in general shouldn't be an issue. Neither should be reaching inside your case to add or remove anything. The tempered glass side panel is hinged for easy access, and hinged from the front, too. The Ceres is, then, a great case for upgrading your rig as you go. It might be a budget build now, but you could happily swap out the cooling, components, and more all within the Ceres and end up with a much more powerful build.

We tested the Ceres with a 365 mm-long RTX 4080 Airo from Zotac and it had room to spare. I wouldn't fret too much about the size constraints for any future upgrades.

The IO on the Ceres is mounted down the side of the front panel, so that cables fall out neatly in one direction. Just make sure you take this into consideration if you're planning to stuff this case into a tight area on either side—these ports won't be accessible if you do.

One added accessory with the Ceres is something that's becoming more and more useful as time goes on: a GPU sag bracket. There's a mechanism for keeping your GPU sturdy and stable, and not put so much pressure on your PCIe slot, included here. That's another small money-saver, especially if you have a heavy card.

One accessory that Thermaltake offers for the Ceres is a tin screen that can display some key stats about your rig. It sits in the lower front quadrant of the side panel, sort of in front of the PSU, and costs extra to purchase. I probably wouldn't recommend getting one, as it's unnecessary for most and you'll only catch sight of it with your case on your desk within eyeline anyways.

Read our full Thermaltake Ceres 500 TG review.

The best midrange PC case

The best midrange PC case

Specifications

Form Factor: Mid-tower
Motherboard support: ATX / M-ATX / Mini-ITX
Dimensions: 439 x 240 x 472 mm
Weight: 8.57 kg / 18.89 lbs
Radiator support: Side: up to 280 mm, top: up to 360 mm, rear: 120 mm
Fans included: None
IO ports: 1x USB 3.2 (Type-C), 2x USB 3.0 (Type-A), 1x HD Audio
Drive support: 1x 3.5-inch, 2x 2.5-inch

Reasons to buy

+
Impressively affordable
+
Super easy build process
+
Modern design and broad compatibility

Reasons to avoid

-
Limited to ATX Mobos and Vertical GPUs
-
Cable management could see improvements
-
Limited HDD options
Buy if...

✅ You care about looks: If you want maximum savings, look elsewhere. But few cases can match the Hyte Y40 for both looks and value.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want straightforward cooling: These fishtank style cases look great but the lack of direct airflow from the front can be limiting without liquid cooling.

The best midrange PC case is Hyte's Y40. You might have seen this case bundled with a prebuilt gaming PC as it's extremely popular with some manufacturers—for good reason. It's smart-looking, plenty capable, and gosh-darn affordable.

The Y40 boils down a lot of what we like about the Y70 and Y60 into a more budget-friendly and traditional form factor. It's still a fishtank-style case with lots to look at through its glass front and side panels, and it still comes in a couple good-looking powder coats, but there's less to it and it's more affordable. If you're looking for a case that stands out but doesn't cost a fortune, this is said case.

This is a true fishtank-style case, with a black plastic shroud covering the lower regions of the chassis and keeping the PSU, and all its nasty cables, out of view. This shroud is itself quite a good looking thing, as it creates a slightly unconventional look for the finished build.

There are two fans in this case, which means you'll likely be looking to add at least one more into the mix, if not a couple and a radiator. One of the included fans sits out of sight under the PSU shroud, which draws air in from the underside of the chassis. There's room for a lot in here, just bear in mind the glass panel does restrict airflow from the front and you'll want to be a little smart with how you configure it to keep air moving around inside.

What is surprising for a case at this price point is the inclusion of a vertical GPU mount as standard, and including a PCIe 4.0 riser cable. The riser cable is a part of the case's aesthetic, thanks to a chunky PCIe slot add-in card, though that's somewhat covered once you put your GPU in place. It's held in firmly by the IO slots behind, so no need to worry about it flapping around.

We've had a few of these cases floating around at various times, either for testing the case itself or as part of a wider build, such as this iBuyPower RDY PC. In all instances, we've noted how easy it is to access everything in this PC, and when it comes to building a PC inside it, "I'm mostly wrapped up in 45 minutes to an hour from start to finish," says our reviewer Zak. That's not him bragging about how great he is at building PCs (though he is), it's just a simple case to get to grips with.

Cable management options are minimal compared to say the Havn HS 420. The Y40 doesn't have all the discrete channels of that beefy case, but it does have plenty of points to zip-tie your cables firmly in place. You do have to be a bit careful with chunky cables and where you route them, however, as a stray cable could bend into the blades of a fan. Don't worry, a fan won't mash a thick or braided cable—I can attest to that from how many times I've stuck my fingers in a PC fan—but it will stop spinning or make an annoying noise.

Just scroll through the gallery above and you'll see why we're such big fans of the Hyte Y40. It makes any PC look like it cost a lot more than it did, or, if it did cost a lot of money, look the part. Capeesh?

Read our full Hyte Y40 review.

The best high-end PC case

4. Hyte Y70 Touch Infinite

The best high-end PC case

Specifications

Form Factor: Dual-chamber mid-tower
Motherboard support: E-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
Dimensions: 18.5 x 12.6 x 18.5-inches (470 x 320 x 470 mm)
Weight: 11.05 kg / 24.4 lb
Radiator support: Up to 360 mm side / Top: up to 360 mm
Fans included: 2x 120 mm
IO ports: 1x Audio/Mic, 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C
Drive support: 2x 2.5-inch, 2x 2.5/3.5-inch

Reasons to buy

+
Great component display case
+
Touchscreen is great
+
Will take almost any GPU

Reasons to avoid

-
Limited to vertical GPU mounts
-
Limited storage bays
-
Tight working space in the rear chamber
Buy if...

✅ You want a big ol' touchscreen on your case: You heard me, a big ol' touchscreen right down the front of it, and you can use it for key thermal metrics or just pictures of your cat.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want lots of fans in the box: Not only does the Y70 have only two fans included, they're both 120 mm. Some on this list come with even more 140 mm fans, which are preferable in many cases.

It's all about that big ol' touchscreen on the angled front of the Hyte Y70 Touch Infinite. And that's the real change between the original Y70 Touch and this latest version, it has a slightly different panel inside it. But all the benefits of the original remain—it looks great, it's easy to add widgets onto, and will make your rig a real centrepiece.

Though the caveat to that is you're wasting your near $400 on this case if you're going to stick it on the floor and not have it sat atop your desk where you can gaze lovingly across at it every now and then. That's what I've been doing ever since I built a rig into this thing and slapped a gallery and performance overlay onto the super-portrait 682 x 2560 IPS panel.

The Hyte Nexus software is the same you would use on the Hyte THICC Q60 cooler, with its phone-sized pump-mounted display, and has a fair number of widgets you can pick from, with more promised in the future. You can also have different windows you can flip through—again like a phone screen—which allows you to stack widgets on multiple pages. For me, I have a gallery and system metrics on one, with a media player and calculator on another. It's quicker than reaching for my phone most of the time.

But, to Windows, it's just another monitor. Which can be a blessing and occasionally a curse. There's a Type-C cable which plugs into the panel internally and a short DisplayPort cable that pokes out the back of the case to go into an empty port on your GPU. I've two other monitors plugged into it, and a couple of different operating systems, which means every now and then the OS selection screen will appear the wrong way around on the Hyte panel instead of my main monitor.

The blessing is, it's super easy to setup, and if you didn't want any of the Hyte widgetiness then you could simply use it as another screen to drop whatever portrait app you might want on there instead.

I will say, sometimes the actual responsiveness of the touch input isn't great—I have to be relatively slow and deliberate when using the calculator for example—but that's my only real issue with the screen itself.

I have a lot of love for the case itself, however. The cavernous 70 litre interior allows a lot of space for your components to breathe, and to be seen. That's largely the point of these kinds of fishtank chassis, evidenced by the vertical GPU mount. It's a PCIe 4.0 x16 riser, which is still fine for now even in this new world of PCIe 5.0 graphics cards.

I've an RTX 5090 in there right now and it's performing just as well as in a native PCIe 5.0 motherboard slot. There's a whole lot of bandwidth those cards aren't using… yet. That's a good thing, because there is no actual way to mount your graphics card in the traditional, in-the-actual-motherboard way with the Hyte Y70 Touch. The PCIe slots are all half-height in terms of the brackets, with only full-height versions available for the vertical mount.

On the plus side there's space enough for a full quad-slot GPU and one of concerning length, too. I've recently had the MSI RTX 5090 Suprim slotted in there comfortably, and that is a graphics card of almost comical girth. What I will say, however, is that until I had it screwed in to the brackets at the back it was worryingly weighing down the ABS plastic floor of the case below the riser card.

Despite being a dual-chamber design, it's not the easiest to build into. The panels are all tool-less, so it's easy to access the innards, and the main chamber is huge, but once a big PSU has been installed (the EVGA 1600 W I'm using is a monster) there is precious little space in the secondary chamber to be particularly smart about the cable tidying. Especially if you need a ton of PCIe power cables for a high-end build.

It's also not one for those with a ton of storage drives, either. There are two removable 2.5/3.5-inch bays on the back, and another two 2.5-inch mounting points inside, but that's it for physical drives. Defo something to keep in mind if you were hoping to build your media server into it.

My last note is about that supposedly tactile power switch which is meant to 'create an emotional response every time you power on the system.' My response is generally: 'urgh'. It's not that pleasant-feeling to me and doesn't look or feel particularly high-end.

Which is a shame because the rest of the chassis does allow you to build a really high-end feeling system into it. It's a show-off case, and with the colourways on offer allows you to really tailor your system how you want.

The best PC case for beginners

The best PC case for beginners

Specifications

Form Factor: Mid-tower
Motherboard support: E-ATX / ATX / M-ATX / Mini-ITX
Dimensions: 550 x 247 x 522 mm
Weight: 13.8 kg / 30.42 lbs
Radiator support: Front: Up to 420 mm, Top: Up to 420 mm, Rear: 120 mm
Fans included: 4x Light Wings PWM 140 mm
IO ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type C), 2x USB 3.2 (Type-A), 3.5 mm mic jack, 3.5 mm headphone jack, LED control button
Drive support: 1x 3.5-inch, 3x 2.5-inch

Reasons to buy

+
Heaps of room
+
Easy to work in
+
Few tools required
+
Awesome fans included
+
Fan/RGB controller preinstalled
+
Looks great

Reasons to avoid

-
A little on the pricey side
-
Large for a traditional mid-tower
Buy if...

✅ You want great fans and a great case: You get both here, in one convenient package. Four 140 mm Light Wings fans are already installed in the case on arrival, you don't have to lift a finger. There are cheaper options with less flashy fans, too.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want a compact case: With lots of room on the inside, the Shadow Base 800 FX is quite a large mid-tower, both up and out.

The Be Quiet! Shadow Base 800 FX is our pick for the best PC case for beginners for a few reasons. Namely, heaps of room for easy access while building. Though it also has a wicked fan and RGB controller, big fans, a PSU shroud twice as big as it needs to be, and clearance for a chunky radiator up top.

The Shadow Base 800 is available in a few models: the Shadow Base 800, with no RGB lighting and Pure Wings 3 fans; the Shadow Base 800 DX, with RGB lighting on the case and Pure Wings 3 fans; then the Shadow Base 800 FX, with RGB on the case and Light Wings fans. The Light Wings fans are the only ones with RGB lighting on them, and that's the model we ultimately got our hands on for review.

The Shadow Base 800 FX is a phenomenally good case for beginners, as you get most of what you need for a high-airflow, quiet and good-looking PC included in the box. That starts with the four Light Wings 140 mm fans, which offer an RGB light ring around the circumference of the fan blades. They look oh so good for the inclusion.

Not only do the fans come preinstalled but they're also pre-wired into the integrated fan controller on the rear of the motherboard tray. It's not much to look at but it contains loads of headers for both PWM and RGB control. All you need to do is plug the controller into your motherboard and control is at your fingertips. There are spares of each PWM and RGB headers here too, three a piece, should you want to connect up any more system fans. You won't need any more, but you could plug your liquid cooler fans into this too.

These fans do a great job of keeping air steadily flowing over the components inside. It's pretty traditional in its layout, with fans up front and exhaust out the rear, though why change a tried and tested configuration. It works, and these large fans mean you don't have to hear it whirring too often.

A cable cover makes light work of hiding most of the larger cables out of sight, and this is removed with a single screw and some plastic clips. A lot of this case is removable or adjustable with either very few tools or mere fingers alone.

As I mentioned in the intro, there is so much room inside this case. The PSU shroud is almost laughably large. You can slot a PSU into place using the handy removable bracket (tool-less, providing the thumbscrews aren't on too tight) and then lay all your cables out with room and still have room for another. It makes organising cable runs and fitting any new cables to a modular PSU extremely easy. Above the motherboard there's also lots of room for a radiator, without hitting a mobo's oversized IO. Even if you did, you can scooch a radiator right to the front of the case without hitting the front fans, which are nestled safely away in their own compartment in the front of the case.

The case is pretty large for a mid-tower—an obvious side effect to having all that room on the inside. It's not the TARDIS, after all.

Altogether, a great case for those just starting out in PC gaming and with a bit of budget to throw at their chassis/case fan combo. A polished centrepiece for that PC build you've planned out.

Read our full Be Quiet! Shadow Base 800 FX review.

The best Mini-ITX PC case

The best Mini-ITX PC case

Specifications

Form Factor: Small form factor
Motherboard support: Mini-ITX
Dimensions: 343 x 153 x 218 mm
Weight: 3.1 kg / 6.83 lbs
Radiator support: 1x 120mm (kinda)
Fans included: None
IO ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (Type C), 1x USB 3.0 (Type-A)
Drive support: 2x 2.5-inch

Reasons to buy

+
Tiny
+
Plenty of access
+
Real wood!
+
Good GPU support

Reasons to avoid

-
Easily marked
-
Limited cooling options
Buy if...

✅ You want a truly tiny PC: This is about as small as a PC can get with any reasonable amount of room leftover for a discrete graphics card.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want space to expand: You won't find much spare room inside this case for future expansions, nor on a Mini-ITX motherboard.

The best Mini-ITX PC case is the Fractal Design Terra. You can use every inch of this chassis for a powerful small form factor PC case—be that a multithreaded monster or a frame flinging machine.

The Terra is one of my favorite PC cases of all-time. I built a tiny PC inside one recently and nearly shed a tear when I had to rip it back down a few weeks later. Goodbye, sweet prince. The case obviously looks fantastic once fully assembled—that's a panel made of real wood on the front there—though its beauty is more than just skin-deep.

To access the inside of the Terra, you need only give either of the full-length panels running either side a light pull. Each one swings upwards, though for truly unimpeded access you can remove them altogether with the simple clip on the inside of each panel. It's a solid system, as the panels sit flush against the case and look great but don't get in the way during the build process, or when you want to take a look under the hood just for fun.

The motherboard tray is the key structural element within the Terra, as its position decides what you can install inside it. The tray can be shifted a few centimeters one way or the other, offering either more room for your CPU cooler or for your GPU. The CPU side can be set to either 48 – 77 mm, while the GPU can be 43 – 72 mm. Generally, it's a good idea to keep your GPU as small as possible to give yourself more leeway on the CPU side—a Noctua NH-L12S is 70 mm in height, which is close to the maximum size offered by the Terra on the CPU side.

With limited space for a CPU cooler, you have to choose a CPU with a reasonable TDP, ie not a 14900K. You probably knew that already. I used a Ryzen 7 9700X inside my build and this sort of 65 W chip or thereabouts is a good pick overall.

There's room for an SFX or SFX-L PSU inside the Terra. I'd recommend picking up a modular unit to keep the cables to a minimum and only use the ones you need. That's because the PSU hangs above the only slot for a case fan, a single 120 mm. You don't need the fan, though it's nice to have to keep temperatures at bay beyond the one on the CPU cooler. With one installed, it's a bit of a tight fit. If you had a much shorter GPU than most, you can also fit a radiator in here on the GPU side, though it's not a very practical solution with most of today's larger-than-life cards.

For such a small case, it does get the heat out surprisingly well. This will depend on your choice of card and cooler, though the entirely vented side panels and two-chamber design keeps the hottest components away from one another.

The Terra is one of the smaller Mini-ITX cases on the market (with room for a discrete graphics card, anyways) and yet is one of the more convenient to build in. Even compared to other great cases like the Fractal Design Era 2, we came away feeling the Terra is still on top.

Read our full Fractal Design Terra review.

The best full-tower PC case

The best full-tower PC case

Specifications

Form Factor: Full-tower
Motherboard support: E-ATX / ATX / M-ATX / Mini-ITX
Dimensions: 565.2 x 327 x 599.2 mm
Weight: 16.7 kg / 36.82 lbs
Radiator support: Front: up to 420 mm, Top: up to 240 mm, Right: up to 420 mm, Rear: Up to 420 mm, Bottom: up to 360 mm
Fans included: 3x 140 mm CT140
IO ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type C), 4x USB 3.0 (Type-A), HD Audio
Drive support: 12x 2.5-inch

Reasons to buy

+
Highly flexible
+
Loads of space for fans and radiators
+
Good price

Reasons to avoid

-
Awkward motherboard I/O access
-
Internal cables can be difficult to route
-
Too big for 'regular' systems
Buy if...

✅ You want all the fans, in all the directions: This case has a weird layout, which means it can be stuffed with 11 fans, or lots of radiators, in all manner of ways.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want something sensible-looking: This case looks like an industrial machine, which is cool, unless you don't think that's very cool, in which case neither do I.

The top full-tower PC case of the moment is the Thermaltake CTE C750 Air. Now, what exactly constitutes a full-tower PC is anyone's guess. Manufacturers usually use it to denote a case that's larger than your average chassis, whatever that is, and traditionally it's been a tall and wide unit. That's not the case with the C750 Air, however, as it's a stubby and wide dual-chamber case that's earned Thermaltake's 'full-tower' name.

Though you cannot deny that the cooling potential on the C750 Air is deserving of some sort of credit. This thing can be stuffed with more fans than a… oh wait, I already did this joke. You can fit 11 fans inside this case, and in a rather unconventional layout. The rear of the case, which usually only fits a single 120 mm fan at best, can be fitted with a full 420 mm radiator. Why's that? The motherboard is all topsy-turvy.

The motherboard has been rotated 90 degrees in the C750 Air, meaning the motherboard IO is up on the top of the case, and the graphics card hangs from the top. That does mean that gravity won't work so hard to try to bend your graphics card over time, which is handy, though you need to be sure you've absolutely secured it down with the provided thumbscrews. Not only can the motherboard rotate, the PCIe IO slots, too. These spin around for a 'vertical' GPU mounting position, which in this case just means the card's fans are facing the side panel, rather than the front and rear.

There's just something about an unconventional layout that draws the eyes in—the Thermaltake looks great through the glass side panel. It also makes for some stunning liquid cooling runs if you're hoping to get your hands wet with your own custom loop.

There are three fans includes on the C750 Air, which is one fewer than I'd like, but it's again due to that unconventional layout. These are 140 mm fans, which can run slower and therefore quieter, while maintaining great performance. We found the airflow to be sufficiently impressive in this case, and the absence of much noise is impressive.

Spinning to the rear side of this case and you'll find a cubby hole for cables, controllers and power supply back there. One of the highlights we mentioned in our review is just how much space there is behind the motherboard tray, allowing for easy stuffing of thick cables out of sight. You do have to consider where those cables end up on the more visible motherboard side, however. The unconventional layout means you have to plug fans into headers out of the usual positions, and therefore the usual tricks for keeping them out of sight don't always apply.

The C750 Air's final trick is its price tag, which we remarked at review was excellent. It's even more excellent today, however, as this case is slightly older now and often found with a decent discount. Cases have changed over the past few decades, but you really won't notice a huge loss for saving some pennies on this marginally older case (it came out 2023) versus the very latest.

Read our full Thermaltake CTE C750 Air review.

Also tested

NZXT H9 ElitePC Gamer score: 79%

NZXT H9 Elite
The H9 Elite would make a great home for any show build, and its compartmentalised design makes working inside it easy. Though it is expensive and we have a few others we like a little more.
PC Gamer score: 79%

Read our full NZXT H9 Elite review.

Fractal Design Era 2PC Gamer score: 82%

Fractal Design Era 2
This compact case from Fractal Design is definitely worth consideration for its wood finish and good looks. We just prefer the compact Terra as our Mini-ITX pick.
PC Gamer score: 82%

Read our full Fractal Design Era 2 review.

NZXT H1 V2PC Gamer score: 91%Read our full NZXT H1 V2 review.

NZXT H1 V2
This compact case is like the Terra, only upwards. It had some issues with the first version I won't relitigate here (you can read all about that here), but the second version was a great Mini-ITX case. I say 'was' for a reason: it's sold out most places now.
PC Gamer score: 91%

Read our full NZXT H1 V2 review.

Best PC case FAQ

What size case do I need?

The main thing to consider when choosing a PC case is the size motherboard you intend to use in the build. This is perhaps the most important thing, as some cases only fit certain sized motherboards.

In size order, from largest to smallest, the motherboard standards are: E-ATX / ATX / M-ATX / Mini-ITX.

Providing you get a case that supports the same standard as your motherboard, you're good. And note that most cases that support up to E-ATX size will fit all the others, too. They have the same general screw layouts.

Then, you want to be sure that your cooling solution will fit, which means checking for either plenty of clearance above the CPU for an air cooler (most fit inside most standard sized cases) or whether there's room for a liquid cooling radiator. Most cases will have somewhere to install a radiator, just make sure your tubes are able to run the length between motherboard and mounting point. Again, most cases are designed for this, so it's not usually an issue.

A couple other things to keep an eye on are GPU length and PSU requirements. With larger and larger GPUs becoming more of a thing these days, you have to be a little more careful in choosing a case to accomodate. If you are planning a front mounted fan or radiator, that might gobble up some room from the GPU too.

Then, PSU requirements. These are pretty simple, as almost any reasonably sized case can fit any sensibly sized PSU. Small form factor cases often require SFX or SFX-L PSUs, however, and there are some massive PSUs that might extend too far for smaller cases. Just make sure to check the lengths.

What's the difference between a mid-tower and full-tower case?

No one knows. It's lost knowledge now. Some say the Aztecs buried the secret deep in the Earth, but who can say for sure.

Seriously, though, it's not really all that scientific. Manufacturers just slap 'full-tower' on any goliath PC case they make and called it a day. If it's a bit smaller, it's a mid-tower.

Though, in reality, the blurred lines have led to some weird calls. For example, our best full-tower, the Thermaltake CTE C750 Air is hardly a towering chassis. It has a lot of room, but it's not like the full-towers of yore with room for 20 HDDs on top of one another. Maybe this is emblimatic of the downfall of society—our full-tower PC cases aren't as big as they used to be. Probably not.

Moral of the story: mid-tower and full-tower are merely suggestions of size, which can help narrow down your search. It's more important to check the actual dimensions, though.

How do we test PC cases?

We build into them. Simple as that. We get our hands dirty, so to speak.

This means we're always able to offer you our opinion from first-hand experience, and that's important for a PC case. The best ones are a dream to build into, the worst ones leave you with cuts on your fingers. We test them all here, from building to benchmarking, and we only put the best ones in this guide.

Jacob Ridley
Managing Editor, Hardware

Jacob earned his first byline writing for his own tech blog. From there, he graduated to professionally breaking things as hardware writer at PCGamesN, and would go on to run the team as hardware editor. He joined PC Gamer's top staff as senior hardware editor before becoming managing editor of the hardware team, and you'll now find him reporting on the latest developments in the technology and gaming industries and testing the newest PC components.

With contributions from
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