Watch our review of the $68 SilverStone case here: ruclips.net/video/BCB8ptoJ1aA/видео.html And find our review of Corsair's trainwreck of a pre-built here: ruclips.net/video/Gqm4V-8F-7k/видео.html Or our fab tour documentary! ruclips.net/video/IUIh0fOUcrQ/видео.html
Thank you for this wonderful review. You 100% convinced me to log into my Amazon account and buy a Lian Li Lancool 27 Airflow Case! Okay, maybe not, but I really enjoyed typing Lian Li Lancool 27 Airflow. Typing it is like poetry for my fingers.
Can you publish the specifications of your test bench. The ATX test bench is missing from your website article "Current Test Bench Hardware & List of Methodologies"
@@GamersNexus not yet. they’re focusing on zelda related things right now. i think i’ll live a few more months until the new pokemon comes out and then im a goner.
@@GamersNexus I got a 216 for the same reason, so I'm really grateful for your reviews as well! Was the last part to arrive, so my PC lived in a cardboard box for close to two months x)
I bought 215 before his review, was happy to see it did well with cooling. Wasn't happy about the cable management part. But my front end looks awesome, back end doesn't need to be seen :D
I would’ve never thought to shift the PSU to the front, but more importantly, I’d never have thought it’d top the charts! That’s extremely impressive, props to Lian Li. I just really dislike the “toolless” decision for the side panels, at least have one screw up top so an extra cable won’t be the reason you add 20 minutes of cable management. I swapped my Meshify 2C out for that reason, as much as I loved it. Rocking the North now.
Lian Li had a few cases with front PSU placement in early 2010s era, when they were making cases out of aluminium. It's nothing new to them or to the case market as a whole, they're just rehashing old designs with better ventilation. Bit of a bummer it's limited to 150mm PSU's :/
@chris51911 as a retired mechanical engineer, with zero pc building experience. I have designed HVAC systems for 10 plus story buildings, wafer fabs, and university buildings. If you notice, most downtown skylines of large cities is quite similar. The majority of that is air flow, be it fresh air make up, conditioned air, and exhaust. Over 50 years and all fabs are still the same shape. Unfortunately, only so much one can do, short of building ones own custom box.
I bought the 216 based on your review a couple years ago, and I couldn’t be happier. Its quality is far above its price, and there is nothing I feel like I am missing as someone who strongly prefers air cooling. I find it hard to believe that what appears to be a similar case is being sold for even cheaper. A “bloodbath” seems accurate to describe this as segment of the market
My only issue with the 216 is the lack of anti-vibration rubbers on the HDD cage which gets quite loud if you have a old HDD. Yes, I am aware my 12 year old 1tb HDD needs a replacement but my point stands, my old zalman Z11 plus did great. I patched it up with some rubber and sponge I had lying around tho. Other than that I love the 216, best case I have ever owned and the airflow its just awesome even during the summer heat
An 80-dollar case managing to tie (and sometimes even beat) the chart toppers is actually very impressive! Budget cases are getting so good these days and I wouldn't have it any other way! I might even buy this as my next case to upgrade from my Silverstone Fara H1M. Great job, Lian-Li! 👍
GN pumping out case reviews like no other. I for one, looking forward to Montech HS01. Saw it back in Computex and that thing looks dope. Hope GN would cover that particular case in the future.
It would have been more interesting to cover the unfiltered vent at the back and test the resulting performance impact, since it could be a real modification to ensure that dust does enter the unperforated back. Disregarding that minor detail, it was an enjoyable video.
Really appreciated the case side-by-side shot at 10m49s This is a really useful comparison when looking for a new case. Obviously can’t have everything shown but there were enough big players to give an idea of what the case (in review) is like physically! More of this please
Picked up a Lancool 216 a couple weeks back. Best case I've ever built in. It just felt so roomy and nice to work in. From the roominess of the backside for the cable management to the fact that you can just remove the entire to to get to hard to reach plugs and screws. I'm never getting a new case again unless the form factors for components drastically change in the future.
I actually really like that the front takes 140's but not 120's. If someone absolutely insists on fitting 120's they can get an AliX/Ebay adaptor, and it means that it doesn't compromise every single set of 140's that are fitted in to the case design.
Yep, I bought one recently and added more fans to it as bottom intakes and top exhausts as I already had said fans and I'm sure it has a lot of airflow and a strong case on the charts, especially for GPU as I got it in that air cooling mode (my RX 6950 XT is going to need it far more than a Ryzen 7600X). Solid case for sure, those 160mm fans are beasts. Was definitely a good upgrade over my old cheaper case as temps did improve and it just has more space to work with.
@@Hayden2447 Sounds like a great case ! I am planning to build my own PC in couple of months and 216 still be my first choice. With the additional GPU's bottom intake fans I believe the 216 is tough to beat with this 2024 case lineup.
@@avikchatterjee007 Well, in my config with a 360 rad up top, i found barely any difference at all for GPU thermals. I reckon adding top exhaust fans wouldnt do much either because then you'd just be either stealing air from the tower cooler, or maybe disrupting flow in the rear of the case past the tower cooler. I think the lancool 216 is best as a front to back system, if you add top intake in the front of the case, you're pushing some of the air from the 160s down and that will probably encourage mixing and disrupt flow to any tower cooler. Bottom intake is also troubled imo, the rear most fan is directly over the PSU with a 1cm? gap for any air warmed by the PSU chassis to shoot up into your GPU compartment. The other slot might have some benefit though, its over empty space where your PSU cables run out so unless you stuffed extra length in the space and called it a day, it should be able to feed some cool air into the space. But for me, with 2x bottom intake vs no bottom intake, i didnt find any big difference, maybe a .5 degree C improvement at best to my GPU thermals running furmark with basically 100% case and GPU intake fans. Personally i dont find it worth it to expend a few more watts to cool .5 degrees and with the 216, im already having more than acceptable thermals so 0.5 degrees is a footnote. The 216 is a awesome "as is" case imo. The preinstalled 160s and rear 140 move plenty of air to keep everything cool and function very well as a front to back system. Top and bottom fans i think would just disrupt the flow to any tower cooler or GPU respectively.
24:55 This is why I believe all reviews should be carried out with all storage options filled. There is no point in a case offering storage options, if they do not leave enough room for cables. My own case, the Be Quiet Silent Base 802 was reviewed fairly favourable by GN, but I had to scrape off the silly sound dampening foam off of the side cover, just to be able to put the side cover on. The issue was cables (3 HDDs, 2 SSDs, front fans/rgb).
Looking at these case reviews still make me appreciate my Fractal Torrent. While it isn't at the top of all the charts anymore, I still find it much more aesthetically pleasing than many of the other cases in my opinion. I also like the fact it comes with fine mesh filters, as they're really good for keeping most of the dust out, combined with the high positive pressure.
@@coolcat23 ? Where there is airflow, dust flows as well? If it is just a wall, any dust on it would be from sitting around or someone cleaning house...
@@ruikazane5123 I'm not sure what you mean. Dust filters serve a purpose. They should prevent dust from entering the inside of the case. One cannot create such airflow inside a case that any dust that enters is blown out. My point is that GN makes it too easy for companies to forgo effective dust filtering and reap lower temperatures in return. I remember when GN at least taped off some giant opening in the front bottom of a Lian Li case, but this time they did not even attempt to tape off the back end or install make shift dust filtration. That and not investigating the efficacy of dust filtration without any dust filters is not fair to other cases.
@@coolcat23 Particulates including dust flows where air flows. You simply cannot "reject" dust, it has to be "caught". Steve did mention that the back "bottom" intake (where the power supply would have been) would have been nice if it had a filter. Case in point (sorry), filters are and will always be an obstruction. It's just this case doesn't provide them, and perhaps you are asking for them to test the case with makeshift filters and see how much impact it would bring on airflow and consequently, temps. Their testing methods are standardized across the cases recently tested - if it doesn't have filters it don't, keeping the playing field level. It is unfair otherwise. Maybe GN can have a dust specifc test for cases, a specific size and amount of dust (which has to be representative of typical dust, perhaps sand or baking soda, flour) to be sucked by the case in a sealed box for recirculation. Any dust sucked in the case would show up clearly where it goes.
I wonder how those cases without proper dust filters will perform in 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. You get lower temperatures but I'm pretty sure those cases with unrestricted, unfiltered airflow will eventually catch up to cases with proper filters. Of course it all depends on user's habits: I clean my PC maybe once a year but I do simple vacuuming and clean filters every week. I'd say it's easier to clean filters every week than clean GPU or CPU heatsinks which often can't be cleaned properly without disassembling them.
Thank you a lot for your reviews. I recommended a lot of cases to friends based on them, and I'm happy and planning to keep my Lancool Mesh 2 for many years to come too. It's been an excellent case! Also it's been great to see how you guys just keep improving, I've been watching for years by now!
I have been using Lancool II Mesh for 2 years now and considering moving to either North or 207 for compactness reason. I'd probably go for the North since it has dust filter, Lancool series without filter is very difficult for me to maintain regularly. Dust build up is too much for my liking. I just worry the thermal on the North will not be as good as II Mesh or the 207 especially GPU thermal.
Best case I got based on your recommendation is the Fractal Torrent Compact, with an ambient room temperature of 30°C my CPU will be at 32-35°C idle and 45°C ~65°C while gaming. Thanks for the recommendation Steve!
I bought a Lancool 216 last year and am very happy with it. It was that or a Torrent but that second one was too expensive. The only reason I was able to select those cases was because of your testing. Thank you!
Should have made it 20mm wider tbh. Not being able to fit a Seasonic prime is a deal breaker for me. It would have also helped the cable managment situation.
this shouldn't really be a dealbreaker, seasonic makes mediocre power supplies compared to similarly priced options from other brands. I do agree that a slightly wider case, or a way to mount the power supplies in a more traditional way (even if it came at a cost in thermal performance) would've been nice.
Well for me it is, because I own one. And I am not about to toss a 1 year old PSU. Btw. I bought it because of the 12 year warranty. My last Unit, a be quiet, died literally 9 days after it's 6 year warranty ended...
11:18, not sure why they didnt just rotate it 180 degrees instead and psu length wouldnt be a problem. Maybe thats what the removeable front plate idea was supposed to be at one point? to be able to access the psu from the front by removing a plate
Really glad to see more case reviews! They always make it incredibly easy to recommend cases to friends and give valid reasons why to choose certain cases over others. Edit: Also for 80$ this seems incredible, especially compared to the already decent silverstone case from the last review. Apart from the cable management issue this seems to be on par with cases that cost 50-100% more.
Would be great to see, the 903 Base sells for roughly half the price of the Lancool 215/216 here in Brazil, around 300-350 BRL for the Montech, 600~ for the Lancool 215 and 650-750 for the Lancool 216 Replaced my gf's X3 Mesh with a 903 and liked it so much that I ended up replacing my Lancool 2 Mesh as well, sure it feels cheaper with thinner metal panels but I found it way easier to work with
Steve found what I surmised when he taped shut the visible bottom-side vent and it made no difference to temps. One bottom-side vent is enough intake for those 2 x 120 GPU-feeding fans and I would have preferred the visible bottom-side location and the bottom-back location to have been fully sealed, to help with aesthetics and some noise reduction. Great review. Nice case. This is exactly how the PSU and any hard drives should be laid out in a compact ATX case, imo. Might buy it and seal the vents I don't want with sound-dampening material. Though I want to see the Lancool 217 when it comes out, first.
Current Fractal Pop Air owner here, this entire review has made me HEAVILY interested in grabbing the 207 and retiring my Pop Air. It honestly will be my go to case for the eventual upgrade I’m planning given the price to performance ratio. Thank you as always Steve and the GN team for your amazing reviews 🫶🏼
In fan normalized tests the Pop Air's CPU temps are excellent so I think the stock fans are part of the problem. Swapping out fans can't really fix the GPU thermals though :(
Would love to see a review of the Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 140mm fans that were recently released. Maybe a comparison of its peers using that beautiful sound chamber. Thanks Steve!
Thanks to you guys, I got the best budget friendly case ever made, Lian Li Liancool Mesh II , I get EXTREMELY BETTER TEMPS than segotep Argus or more cases, ABSOLUTELY LOVINGLY WIRE MANAGEMENT, Fan management, etc etc, and a superb design. Thank you guys this way!
@@auturgicflosculator2183 entry level usually runs under $100 between $45-80 its at the higher end of entry level hence why i put "budget" after and we're talking reputable brand/retailer not a case from Shenzhen made of plastic purchased for $40 on Temu GN has reviewed $200+ cases that are much worse
@@auturgicflosculator2183 Not really... Sure 80 bucks is a pretty penny but it certainly isnt expensive like many of the more premium options going up to 120,200,250 dollars. In terms of value, you get alot of it with the top in class thermals. If you're buying a 80 dollar case, chances are you're more focused on performance/value for money rather than looks (although this looks pretty good) which the Lancool 207 offers in spades. It is already one of the cheapest cases out there and the 80 USD price tag will certainly go down to maybe 60,70 USD at which point, nothing else can compare for price to performance. Also, if you're building a computer, You're spending at least 1000USD. Whats a the harm in spending 50 dollars more to upgrade from a 30 dollar repurposed dell thinkstation chassis to a case that you will happily port over to any new build you're gonna do for the next 10,20 years?
Hi Steve, thanks for the great review, I've now looked at a lot of posts about the 207 but none were as informative as yours, and none of them highlighted the weak points like that. Thanks keep it up
Welp, to anyone who directed me to this video, looks like I just didn't wait long enough! Thanks for the in-depth review GN! This has helped me figure out which way I'm gonna go for my new case.
So basically it is a top-notch case for an experienced builder, but the restrictions on PSU and cable management might prove frustrating for beginners.
This Lian Li Lancool 207 might be the best inexpensive case I have seen in years! Considering that Lian Li has excellent customer service, I'll buy it for my next office pc build!
Enjoying these case reviews as this really helps in making correct decisions for anyone that builds a pc. Purchased the Torrent Compact because of your review of it along with the original Torrent. Still cooling my pc these past few years. Been one of the best decisions I’ve made in PC building because of your in-depth reviews. Continue being awesome Steve and the whole GN crew.
Actually can't wait to look at that one. Has some really interesting features. The wood from the prototype really needed some work to not look cheap and bolted on, but the rest of it was really promising!
Ordered in white this morning. I'm fine with the notes "cons" given what I'll gain by moving away from my current bulky, offbrand box. Thanks for the thorough review, as always.
For $85, the Montech AIR 903 MAX gets the job done for me. I'd buy a larger case for SSI-CEB (or loosely defined extended ATX) and SSI-EEB motherboards. With the east cable grommets blocked, I would need PSU cable extensions for the 24-pin ATX power connector to reach the header without using the PSU shroud cutout intended for front-mounted 360mm radiators.
I agree with everything you've said, beside the cable space at the back of the case. As you said it, with proper and pedantic management, you can place even sleeved cables behind, which is all that is needed. You don't need to have a room to just to throw in your tangled cables and call it a day, since it's basically done once every couple of years at the most. I understand you are a PC tech person who opens, closes cases, and manages cables on a daily basis, so it can seem like a problem to you. For the rest of us, it's practically not a problem at all. Cheers and keep up the great reviews!
already gotta comment 20 seconds in to the video, i've been hoping since picking up the lancool ii mesh performance per your review years ago that they would take that incredible performance and put it into something A LOT smaller, lancool ii is a BEAST of a case and i always felt the size was unncessary; now lianli seems to be proving that right. Very cool, and $30-40 cheaper than what i invested into the lancool ii!
I would really like to see your guys' take on the somewhat new NZXT H6 Flow case. I don't recall you covering it at all. I bought the white non-RGB version, and it's been an interesting experience to say the least. It's a pretty solid case, but I feel NZXT really cheaped out in some areas. And the 3 included fans are very questionable at best.
I really appreciate this video because most reviews I've come across just say how great it is, what interests me is the issues surrounding PSU space and ventilation.
I absolutely love the detailed case reviews you guys do and the extend the reviews go to. I bought the Fractal Pop Air because of the review you guys did for it a while ago when those came down in price to around 70 Euros. I actually bought two of them, a Pop Air Magenta for my main system and the Pop Air Cyan for my second system and both run color matching RGB settings and I'm currently in the process of fitting a custom watercooling loop to the Pop Air with my main system.
Would love to see review of NZXT H6 flow. It's in my top 3 for next build. Your testing for cases is superior to any other channel and I would like to see it compared to other +-100€ cases.
Very well packaged and low restriction air flow case. Currently using the older Lian Li Lancool 205. Intrigued enough to get one since the 207 also supports ATX sized motherboards. Thanks Steve and the Gamers Nexus Team for the very detail approach to the review. Peace!
If i was to get this case, I would close off the lower rear venting. Only using the more fine mesh side intakes. This would control dust intake, and likely not affect the ability of the fans to pull in enough air. If i ever need to build a new PC for someone on a tighter budget, this looks like a good option. But the Pop Air is also a good option with the pricing. One of my builds uses the standard Pop case, and it is nice with the color adding visual interest.
One I am interested in seeing in the charts is the NZXT H6 Flow. Its from december 2023 so not really 2024 but I saw a lot of people talking about how great it is, but no actual thermal reviews on it.
Hearing the Torrent being described as "older" hurts a bit :') I bought it as soon as they revised the fan hub and seeing your "Best Case of 2021 So Far" video. I've been 100% satisfied with it. I'm glad it's still up there on the charts. But I could be a bit of a Fractal fanboy... they've just about been the only case manufacturer I've purchased throughout the years.
Easily best case reviews out there and seem be one first with useful data for temps etc. The bulidzoid mobo and grahpic card pcb break downs are also amazing(been few years since watches much yt so not sure still do).
What a great design! The cable routing issues for the power supply are solvable. I'm not in the market for a computer case, but this one almost makes me wish I was. Edit: this is the case that system integrators should use! Custom wiring harnesses would solve all the problems, and could make this case freaking amazing.
Re: powersupply temps. You could just measure and compare the PS exhaust airtemp. Do that on all PS measurements and you're still apples to apples, and it's quick and easy.
Right of the bat i'm gonna say the case should be wider as well Cable management space seems to be getting lower and lower which could be solved (along with allowing bigger fans) by just widening the case a bit
I love that the fan mounts are only one size, I hate all these new cases that have all the rails with a bunch of extra openings if you use a smaller fan or extra restrictions if you use a bigger fan, the only thing that'd make this case perfect for me would be better dust filtration on all the bottom intake holes, and would it kill manufacturers to give you one 5.25 bay. I like how the fan mounts are made in a way that seems to prohibit the use of 38mm thick fans too, although the stock 30mm front fans are a good enough compromise that I wouldn't feel the need to chuck some silver stone FHP141s in there, so many cases put the fans to the exterior of the case under the front panel and give no space to really mount anything thicker than 25mm fans, Looks like if I got longer screws and didn't mind losing my last expansion slot I could easily stick 120x38s in the bottom.
A a review of the new NZXT H7 Flow would be interesting. It flips the PSU on it's side, to make room for bottom intake fans, instead of shifting it forward. That approach should avoid all the downsides of the 207.
I love the wide shot of "here's this 'compact' case next to all these ordinary cases, see if you can spot the difference", and the easy bake oven shot with a profusion of Reese's minis. The visual pisstakes. Also Patrick demonstrating all the most awful-feeling tasks in PC assembly, like SQUIIIIIIISHing the PSU where it was too tight and the wires were all bending harshly at the connectors, or in this video Patrick showing how you can really push all around the back of the well-organized cables and still fail to close this one because of how tight it all is back there. It's hard to deliberately fail at something and not look like the black and white beginning of the infomercial but he manages it.
Watched the entire video before commenting, for $80 the performance is pretty good despite the compromises, and for some reason this case reminds me of the Darkflash DLC29, that “all mesh panels” case It would’ve been nice to see Lian Li for the other side panel to use a lip at the front w/ a slide in panel instead of a tool less one that’s using a push pin so you don’t get jammed cables that would pop out against the side panel
Watch our review of the $68 SilverStone case here: ruclips.net/video/BCB8ptoJ1aA/видео.html
And find our review of Corsair's trainwreck of a pre-built here: ruclips.net/video/Gqm4V-8F-7k/видео.html
Or our fab tour documentary! ruclips.net/video/IUIh0fOUcrQ/видео.html
Thanks Steve! Looking forward to the King 65 review.
Thank you for this wonderful review.
You 100% convinced me to log into my Amazon account and buy a Lian Li Lancool 27 Airflow Case!
Okay, maybe not, but I really enjoyed typing Lian Li Lancool 27 Airflow. Typing it is like poetry for my fingers.
You should review the phanteks xt pro ultra at some point
Can you publish the specifications of your test bench. The ATX test bench is missing from your website article "Current Test Bench Hardware & List of Methodologies"
Thermaltake TR100 when it comes out
steve says he has “some” case reviews coming up and it turns out he’s in the process of reviewing every case ever manufactured. and i’m here for it.
Nintendo didn't get ya yet with that username, huh? Whew!
@@GamersNexus not yet. they’re focusing on zelda related things right now. i think i’ll live a few more months until the new pokemon comes out and then im a goner.
😂
Reviewing some "historical" cases would be sweet tbh
@@Zapdos0145 careful, Nintendo is known to shock you in a flash when they thrash their targets like a thunder bolt!
Still rocking my Lancool 215 based on your review years ago. Best case I ever owned, especially for the price.
That's awesome! Glad the review helped!
Same. 215 is great. Only downside for me is that you cannot install 360 mm AIO at the top.
Same. I want a new case, but there is no reason to do so because it's so good. The review informed the purchase, and it's perfect.
@@GamersNexus I got a 216 for the same reason, so I'm really grateful for your reviews as well! Was the last part to arrive, so my PC lived in a cardboard box for close to two months x)
I bought 215 before his review, was happy to see it did well with cooling. Wasn't happy about the cable management part. But my front end looks awesome, back end doesn't need to be seen :D
I like that you showed the exact reason why it's a good and bad case within the first 2 minutes. Good video, thanks for the useful information!
I would’ve never thought to shift the PSU to the front, but more importantly, I’d never have thought it’d top the charts! That’s extremely impressive, props to Lian Li. I just really dislike the “toolless” decision for the side panels, at least have one screw up top so an extra cable won’t be the reason you add 20 minutes of cable management. I swapped my Meshify 2C out for that reason, as much as I loved it. Rocking the North now.
100% agreed on the need for a single screw!
North gang 💪
Lian Li had a few cases with front PSU placement in early 2010s era, when they were making cases out of aluminium.
It's nothing new to them or to the case market as a whole, they're just rehashing old designs with better ventilation.
Bit of a bummer it's limited to 150mm PSU's :/
This case looks like every other case that has come out in the past 10 years.
@chris51911 as a retired mechanical engineer, with zero pc building experience. I have designed HVAC systems for 10 plus story buildings, wafer fabs, and university buildings. If you notice, most downtown skylines of large cities is quite similar. The majority of that is air flow, be it fresh air make up, conditioned air, and exhaust. Over 50 years and all fabs are still the same shape. Unfortunately, only so much one can do, short of building ones own custom box.
I bought the 216 based on your review a couple years ago, and I couldn’t be happier. Its quality is far above its price, and there is nothing I feel like I am missing as someone who strongly prefers air cooling. I find it hard to believe that what appears to be a similar case is being sold for even cheaper. A “bloodbath” seems accurate to describe this as segment of the market
My 216 is awesome but it's a little too bulky for my tastes, I'm strongly considering to move to this 207 for this ever so slightly compactness 🤔🧐🤔
Why not, since you can likely sell the 216 for the cost of this case @@glmchn 😂
@@glmchnit's perfect for sticking a 360mmx60 rad and a 360x30 rad tho, I even kept the massive fans for push pull 👍
My only issue with the 216 is the lack of anti-vibration rubbers on the HDD cage which gets quite loud if you have a old HDD. Yes, I am aware my 12 year old 1tb HDD needs a replacement but my point stands, my old zalman Z11 plus did great. I patched it up with some rubber and sponge I had lying around tho. Other than that I love the 216, best case I have ever owned and the airflow its just awesome even during the summer heat
An 80-dollar case managing to tie (and sometimes even beat) the chart toppers is actually very impressive! Budget cases are getting so good these days and I wouldn't have it any other way! I might even buy this as my next case to upgrade from my Silverstone Fara H1M. Great job, Lian-Li! 👍
maybe think of it more like this: the premium cases are finally getting cheaper. Expensive doesn't mean good.
Since I started building pcs in the early 2000s, expensive cases were usually more expensive for aesthetic or brand reasons a lot of the time.
GN pumping out case reviews like no other.
I for one, looking forward to Montech HS01. Saw it back in Computex and that thing looks dope. Hope GN would cover that particular case in the future.
Working on the King 65 first!
@@GamersNexus o7
keep it up with those budget case reviews!
3:29 you know it’s a good case when steve is talking about a lot of features with no nonsense because there’s so much to point out
I'm currently in the market for a budget case for my GF and I am STOKED that we are back into case reviews, ESPECIALLY budget cases. Hell. Yeah.
These recent cases have been punching so high performance-wise, and I'm super excited for what's to come in the near future. It's very refreshing.
It would have been more interesting to cover the unfiltered vent at the back and test the resulting performance impact, since it could be a real modification to ensure that dust does enter the unperforated back. Disregarding that minor detail, it was an enjoyable video.
Finally, an actually new, improved case design!
Really appreciated the case side-by-side shot at 10m49s
This is a really useful comparison when looking for a new case. Obviously can’t have everything shown but there were enough big players to give an idea of what the case (in review) is like physically!
More of this please
Picked up a Lancool 216 a couple weeks back. Best case I've ever built in. It just felt so roomy and nice to work in. From the roominess of the backside for the cable management to the fact that you can just remove the entire to to get to hard to reach plugs and screws. I'm never getting a new case again unless the form factors for components drastically change in the future.
I actually really like that the front takes 140's but not 120's. If someone absolutely insists on fitting 120's they can get an AliX/Ebay adaptor, and it means that it doesn't compromise every single set of 140's that are fitted in to the case design.
Truth.
Nearly 2 years of review for 216 and it still got the strong result on the chart. What a beast airflow case with price tag only $99.
Yep, I bought one recently and added more fans to it as bottom intakes and top exhausts as I already had said fans and I'm sure it has a lot of airflow and a strong case on the charts, especially for GPU as I got it in that air cooling mode (my RX 6950 XT is going to need it far more than a Ryzen 7600X). Solid case for sure, those 160mm fans are beasts. Was definitely a good upgrade over my old cheaper case as temps did improve and it just has more space to work with.
@@Hayden2447 Sounds like a great case ! I am planning to build my own PC in couple of months and 216 still be my first choice. With the additional GPU's bottom intake fans I believe the 216 is tough to beat with this 2024 case lineup.
Yup got a 216 a month back. Do not even need top or bottom fans.
@@Hayden2447 How much of a difference adding bottom and top fans made?
@@avikchatterjee007 Well, in my config with a 360 rad up top, i found barely any difference at all for GPU thermals. I reckon adding top exhaust fans wouldnt do much either because then you'd just be either stealing air from the tower cooler, or maybe disrupting flow in the rear of the case past the tower cooler. I think the lancool 216 is best as a front to back system, if you add top intake in the front of the case, you're pushing some of the air from the 160s down and that will probably encourage mixing and disrupt flow to any tower cooler.
Bottom intake is also troubled imo, the rear most fan is directly over the PSU with a 1cm? gap for any air warmed by the PSU chassis to shoot up into your GPU compartment. The other slot might have some benefit though, its over empty space where your PSU cables run out so unless you stuffed extra length in the space and called it a day, it should be able to feed some cool air into the space.
But for me, with 2x bottom intake vs no bottom intake, i didnt find any big difference, maybe a .5 degree C improvement at best to my GPU thermals running furmark with basically 100% case and GPU intake fans. Personally i dont find it worth it to expend a few more watts to cool .5 degrees and with the 216, im already having more than acceptable thermals so 0.5 degrees is a footnote.
The 216 is a awesome "as is" case imo. The preinstalled 160s and rear 140 move plenty of air to keep everything cool and function very well as a front to back system. Top and bottom fans i think would just disrupt the flow to any tower cooler or GPU respectively.
24:55 This is why I believe all reviews should be carried out with all storage options filled. There is no point in a case offering storage options, if they do not leave enough room for cables. My own case, the Be Quiet Silent Base 802 was reviewed fairly favourable by GN, but I had to scrape off the silly sound dampening foam off of the side cover, just to be able to put the side cover on. The issue was cables (3 HDDs, 2 SSDs, front fans/rgb).
Thanks for reviewing again, Lian Li 216. Thanks to your positive review, 2 years ago I chose it and couldn't be more happy with this case. Thank you.
Looking at these case reviews still make me appreciate my Fractal Torrent. While it isn't at the top of all the charts anymore, I still find it much more aesthetically pleasing than many of the other cases in my opinion.
I also like the fact it comes with fine mesh filters, as they're really good for keeping most of the dust out, combined with the high positive pressure.
GN pays too little attention to dust rejection. It is easy to improve temperatures by improving dust flow rather than air flow.
@@coolcat23 ? Where there is airflow, dust flows as well? If it is just a wall, any dust on it would be from sitting around or someone cleaning house...
@@ruikazane5123 I'm not sure what you mean. Dust filters serve a purpose. They should prevent dust from entering the inside of the case. One cannot create such airflow inside a case that any dust that enters is blown out. My point is that GN makes it too easy for companies to forgo effective dust filtering and reap lower temperatures in return. I remember when GN at least taped off some giant opening in the front bottom of a Lian Li case, but this time they did not even attempt to tape off the back end or install make shift dust filtration. That and not investigating the efficacy of dust filtration without any dust filters is not fair to other cases.
@@coolcat23 Particulates including dust flows where air flows. You simply cannot "reject" dust, it has to be "caught".
Steve did mention that the back "bottom" intake (where the power supply would have been) would have been nice if it had a filter.
Case in point (sorry), filters are and will always be an obstruction. It's just this case doesn't provide them, and perhaps you are asking for them to test the case with makeshift filters and see how much impact it would bring on airflow and consequently, temps. Their testing methods are standardized across the cases recently tested - if it doesn't have filters it don't, keeping the playing field level. It is unfair otherwise.
Maybe GN can have a dust specifc test for cases, a specific size and amount of dust (which has to be representative of typical dust, perhaps sand or baking soda, flour) to be sucked by the case in a sealed box for recirculation. Any dust sucked in the case would show up clearly where it goes.
I wonder how those cases without proper dust filters will perform in 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. You get lower temperatures but I'm pretty sure those cases with unrestricted, unfiltered airflow will eventually catch up to cases with proper filters. Of course it all depends on user's habits: I clean my PC maybe once a year but I do simple vacuuming and clean filters every week. I'd say it's easier to clean filters every week than clean GPU or CPU heatsinks which often can't be cleaned properly without disassembling them.
The case is:
17.95" H x
17.94" D x
8.6" W.
Essentially 18x18x8.5 for measuring for desk furniture space.
Thank you a lot for your reviews. I recommended a lot of cases to friends based on them, and I'm happy and planning to keep my Lancool Mesh 2 for many years to come too. It's been an excellent case!
Also it's been great to see how you guys just keep improving, I've been watching for years by now!
I have been using Lancool II Mesh for 2 years now and considering moving to either North or 207 for compactness reason. I'd probably go for the North since it has dust filter, Lancool series without filter is very difficult for me to maintain regularly. Dust build up is too much for my liking. I just worry the thermal on the North will not be as good as II Mesh or the 207 especially GPU thermal.
@GamersNexus I just realized the hemi-anechoic chamber has GN color themed wedges. Whoever thought of that detail, props.
The GN themed blue/white Cable Extension Kit looks very great! Especially with the Gold cable combs
Best case I got based on your recommendation is the Fractal Torrent Compact, with an ambient room temperature of 30°C my CPU will be at 32-35°C idle and 45°C ~65°C while gaming. Thanks for the recommendation Steve!
Would love to see the Lancool 217 when it comes out.
Highly anticipated for the 217 considering it's predecessor is top tier.
I bought a Lancool 216 last year and am very happy with it. It was that or a Torrent but that second one was too expensive. The only reason I was able to select those cases was because of your testing. Thank you!
Should have made it 20mm wider tbh. Not being able to fit a Seasonic prime is a deal breaker for me. It would have also helped the cable managment situation.
I wonder if they would have needed different tooling for a wider case driving cost up.
this shouldn't really be a dealbreaker, seasonic makes mediocre power supplies compared to similarly priced options from other brands.
I do agree that a slightly wider case, or a way to mount the power supplies in a more traditional way (even if it came at a cost in thermal performance) would've been nice.
Well for me it is, because I own one. And I am not about to toss a 1 year old PSU.
Btw. I bought it because of the 12 year warranty. My last Unit, a be quiet, died literally 9 days after it's 6 year warranty ended...
11:18, not sure why they didnt just rotate it 180 degrees instead and psu length wouldnt be a problem.
Maybe thats what the removeable front plate idea was supposed to be at one point? to be able to access the psu from the front by removing a plate
it feels to me like it wasnt a solid wall at some point in the dev process so yeh
Really glad to see more case reviews! They always make it incredibly easy to recommend cases to friends and give valid reasons why to choose certain cases over others.
Edit: Also for 80$ this seems incredible, especially compared to the already decent silverstone case from the last review. Apart from the cable management issue this seems to be on par with cases that cost 50-100% more.
Ok that power supply orientation is pretty dope. Love the budget case attention these days!
Please look at the MONTECH Air 903. I think that’s the best budget airflow case.
Will see if we can add it to the charts for our November round-up!
@@GamersNexusthanks
@@GamersNexusdo the air 100 argb with it! Superb value for m-atx case high quality for the price
Would be great to see, the 903 Base sells for roughly half the price of the Lancool 215/216 here in Brazil, around 300-350 BRL for the Montech, 600~ for the Lancool 215 and 650-750 for the Lancool 216
Replaced my gf's X3 Mesh with a 903 and liked it so much that I ended up replacing my Lancool 2 Mesh as well, sure it feels cheaper with thinner metal panels but I found it way easier to work with
Highly agree! Mine is really nice!
Steve found what I surmised when he taped shut the visible bottom-side vent and it made no difference to temps. One bottom-side vent is enough intake for those 2 x 120 GPU-feeding fans and I would have preferred the visible bottom-side location and the bottom-back location to have been fully sealed, to help with aesthetics and some noise reduction. Great review. Nice case. This is exactly how the PSU and any hard drives should be laid out in a compact ATX case, imo. Might buy it and seal the vents I don't want with sound-dampening material. Though I want to see the Lancool 217 when it comes out, first.
Great in depth review as always, I'm thinking of getting the 207 or the Phanteks G400A, just waiting for the G400A review.
Current Fractal Pop Air owner here, this entire review has made me HEAVILY interested in grabbing the 207 and retiring my Pop Air. It honestly will be my go to case for the eventual upgrade I’m planning given the price to performance ratio.
Thank you as always Steve and the GN team for your amazing reviews 🫶🏼
In fan normalized tests the Pop Air's CPU temps are excellent so I think the stock fans are part of the problem. Swapping out fans can't really fix the GPU thermals though :(
If your pop air is the green one I'd buy it
Would love to see a review of the Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 140mm fans that were recently released. Maybe a comparison of its peers using that beautiful sound chamber. Thanks Steve!
Thanks to you guys, I got the best budget friendly case ever made, Lian Li Liancool Mesh II , I get EXTREMELY BETTER TEMPS than segotep Argus or more cases, ABSOLUTELY LOVINGLY WIRE MANAGEMENT, Fan management, etc etc, and a superb design. Thank you guys this way!
Gotta love when Entry level/Budget cases can top charts.
More expensive doesn't mean "BETTER" in the PC enthusiast market.
@@auturgicflosculator2183 entry level usually runs under $100 between $45-80 its at the higher end of entry level hence why i put "budget" after and we're talking reputable brand/retailer not a case from Shenzhen made of plastic purchased for $40 on Temu
GN has reviewed $200+ cases that are much worse
@@auturgicflosculator2183 Not really... Sure 80 bucks is a pretty penny but it certainly isnt expensive like many of the more premium options going up to 120,200,250 dollars.
In terms of value, you get alot of it with the top in class thermals. If you're buying a 80 dollar case, chances are you're more focused on performance/value for money rather than looks (although this looks pretty good) which the Lancool 207 offers in spades. It is already one of the cheapest cases out there and the 80 USD price tag will certainly go down to maybe 60,70 USD at which point, nothing else can compare for price to performance.
Also, if you're building a computer, You're spending at least 1000USD. Whats a the harm in spending 50 dollars more to upgrade from a 30 dollar repurposed dell thinkstation chassis to a case that you will happily port over to any new build you're gonna do for the next 10,20 years?
Hi Steve, thanks for the great review, I've now looked at a lot of posts about the 207 but none were as informative as yours, and none of them highlighted the weak points like that. Thanks keep it up
Why is the Fractal Torrent Compact no longer in the charts?
It was topping a lot of charts while you still had it.
They did change testing methodology kinda recently. Maybe that's it.
Oddly, the one in the picture is the Torrent Compact even though is labelled as Torrent.
was literally just waiting for the review of this case before deciding on a case for my new build. good shit Lian Li and GN
Would be very interested in the new BeQuiet Light Base 600/900 cases
Same. They aren't my cup of tea aesthetically, but I'm curious how they perform.
Same here! I love the looks so if they perform I'll get one for my upcoming build.
Welp, to anyone who directed me to this video, looks like I just didn't wait long enough! Thanks for the in-depth review GN! This has helped me figure out which way I'm gonna go for my new case.
So basically it is a top-notch case for an experienced builder, but the restrictions on PSU and cable management might prove frustrating for beginners.
This Lian Li Lancool 207 might be the best inexpensive case I have seen in years! Considering that Lian Li has excellent customer service, I'll buy it for my next office pc build!
28:28 minutes of video for a single case shows the amount of research and knowledge Gamers Nexus provides.
Enjoying these case reviews as this really helps in making correct decisions for anyone that builds a pc. Purchased the Torrent Compact because of your review of it along with the original Torrent. Still cooling my pc these past few years. Been one of the best decisions I’ve made in PC building because of your in-depth reviews. Continue being awesome Steve and the whole GN crew.
now we wait for the 217
Actually can't wait to look at that one. Has some really interesting features. The wood from the prototype really needed some work to not look cheap and bolted on, but the rest of it was really promising!
yeah those dust filters on the fan exhaust side looked interesting
Ordered in white this morning. I'm fine with the notes "cons" given what I'll gain by moving away from my current bulky, offbrand box. Thanks for the thorough review, as always.
Gamers Nexus should have a competition where subscribers send in their own ideas for case designs. I've already got mine.
16:44 Noooo, I was hoping you would tape off the filterless back to see how it would affect. I think closing it is a more realistic scenario.
NZXT H7 Flow (2024) review waiting room.
This comment aged like fine milk. :)
Just bought a mod mat. Im happy to be in a place where I can support you guys, keep up all the awesome work!
For $85, the Montech AIR 903 MAX gets the job done for me. I'd buy a larger case for SSI-CEB (or loosely defined extended ATX) and SSI-EEB motherboards. With the east cable grommets blocked, I would need PSU cable extensions for the 24-pin ATX power connector to reach the header without using the PSU shroud cutout intended for front-mounted 360mm radiators.
If you’re buying larger motherboards, you’ve got the cash for a nicer case!
I agree with everything you've said, beside the cable space at the back of the case.
As you said it, with proper and pedantic management, you can place even sleeved cables behind, which is all that is needed.
You don't need to have a room to just to throw in your tangled cables and call it a day, since it's basically done once every couple of years at the most.
I understand you are a PC tech person who opens, closes cases, and manages cables on a daily basis, so it can seem like a problem to you.
For the rest of us, it's practically not a problem at all.
Cheers and keep up the great reviews!
Lian Li hates dust filters it seems. A lot of their cases don't have them. That's the only thing that stops me from buying their cases.
Or just buy them off market if thats the only issue?
@@mAdcaTzm4a1 nah thanks. I'd rather buy a case that already has everything I need for way cheaper.
already gotta comment 20 seconds in to the video, i've been hoping since picking up the lancool ii mesh performance per your review years ago that they would take that incredible performance and put it into something A LOT smaller, lancool ii is a BEAST of a case and i always felt the size was unncessary; now lianli seems to be proving that right. Very cool, and $30-40 cheaper than what i invested into the lancool ii!
Would love a mATX case that's small but of this airflow philosophy
H5 Flow, but you have it already. Hoping for a review soon-ish.
Pretty cool case from Lian-li again, looking forward to the Antec Flux non-Pro case review!
Competition is good for consumers! Big props to Lian Li for keeping the price under $100.
2024 NZXT H5? Interested to see how it compares
That shot with all the peanut butter cups inside the case really got me!
I will for sure buy this case thanks to your review
You just can't beat it for the price
Thanks Steve
The 216 is by far the best case I've ever owned.
NZHT H5 (2024) is another bottom intake you guys should test. Very comparable to the Torrent, Antec Flux, and 207.
I would really like to see your guys' take on the somewhat new NZXT H6 Flow case. I don't recall you covering it at all. I bought the white non-RGB version, and it's been an interesting experience to say the least. It's a pretty solid case, but I feel NZXT really cheaped out in some areas. And the 3 included fans are very questionable at best.
I really appreciate this video because most reviews I've come across just say how great it is, what interests me is the issues surrounding PSU space and ventilation.
I absolutely love the detailed case reviews you guys do and the extend the reviews go to. I bought the Fractal Pop Air because of the review you guys did for it a while ago when those came down in price to around 70 Euros. I actually bought two of them, a Pop Air Magenta for my main system and the Pop Air Cyan for my second system and both run color matching RGB settings and I'm currently in the process of fitting a custom watercooling loop to the Pop Air with my main system.
glad to see the 216 is still great, got it after seeing your review last year
"This is the new best performing case on our thermal charts"
Okay, so this the new case for my next build. Got it!
Would love to see review of NZXT H6 flow. It's in my top 3 for next build. Your testing for cases is superior to any other channel and I would like to see it compared to other +-100€ cases.
Finally a good and an interesting budget case. Definitely going to consider this for my upcoming AM5 build.
Very well packaged and low restriction air flow case. Currently using the older Lian Li Lancool 205. Intrigued enough to get one since the 207 also supports ATX sized motherboards. Thanks Steve and the Gamers Nexus Team for the very detail approach to the review. Peace!
If i was to get this case, I would close off the lower rear venting. Only using the more fine mesh side intakes.
This would control dust intake, and likely not affect the ability of the fans to pull in enough air.
If i ever need to build a new PC for someone on a tighter budget, this looks like a good option. But the Pop Air is also a good option with the pricing. One of my builds uses the standard Pop case, and it is nice with the color adding visual interest.
Wouldn't mind seeing either the Sama IM01 Pro or the new NZXT H5 Flow (rip toilet fan) cases reviewed
One I am interested in seeing in the charts is the NZXT H6 Flow. Its from december 2023 so not really 2024 but I saw a lot of people talking about how great it is, but no actual thermal reviews on it.
I have the 206 and it’s my favourite case ever. Probably won’t get this one but this lian li line is jsut insane performance for the value.
im kinda exited for the antec flux (not pro) would love to see a case review for that
Glad you guys reviewed this! Looking forward for a review of the Tecware Timber and the Montech XR Mesh or basically more budget cases soon!
Lian Li has to be the king of case design. #1 on airflow
Just started the video but I'm very excited for this review right away just because of the PSU orientation and the bottom intake fans!
Still rocking my p300a, bought it because of your review, love you guys
Hearing the Torrent being described as "older" hurts a bit :') I bought it as soon as they revised the fan hub and seeing your "Best Case of 2021 So Far" video. I've been 100% satisfied with it. I'm glad it's still up there on the charts. But I could be a bit of a Fractal fanboy... they've just about been the only case manufacturer I've purchased throughout the years.
Easily best case reviews out there and seem be one first with useful data for temps etc. The bulidzoid mobo and grahpic card pcb break downs are also amazing(been few years since watches much yt so not sure still do).
What a great design! The cable routing issues for the power supply are solvable. I'm not in the market for a computer case, but this one almost makes me wish I was.
Edit: this is the case that system integrators should use! Custom wiring harnesses would solve all the problems, and could make this case freaking amazing.
Steve! I would be very appreciative if you guys tested the new 2024 NZXT H5 Airflow!
I have 216 and it's awesome
Still love my lancool I got long ago from your videos. Still been watching all this time even though I rarely ever buy of stuff these days 😂
Re: powersupply temps. You could just measure and compare the PS exhaust airtemp. Do that on all PS measurements and you're still apples to apples, and it's quick and easy.
Right of the bat i'm gonna say the case should be wider as well
Cable management space seems to be getting lower and lower which could be solved (along with allowing bigger fans) by just widening the case a bit
I have Lian-Li LancoolIIIC-RGB. It was 100e and all perfect. This is great.
I love that the fan mounts are only one size, I hate all these new cases that have all the rails with a bunch of extra openings if you use a smaller fan or extra restrictions if you use a bigger fan, the only thing that'd make this case perfect for me would be better dust filtration on all the bottom intake holes, and would it kill manufacturers to give you one 5.25 bay. I like how the fan mounts are made in a way that seems to prohibit the use of 38mm thick fans too, although the stock 30mm front fans are a good enough compromise that I wouldn't feel the need to chuck some silver stone FHP141s in there, so many cases put the fans to the exterior of the case under the front panel and give no space to really mount anything thicker than 25mm fans, Looks like if I got longer screws and didn't mind losing my last expansion slot I could easily stick 120x38s in the bottom.
A a review of the new NZXT H7 Flow would be interesting. It flips the PSU on it's side, to make room for bottom intake fans, instead of shifting it forward. That approach should avoid all the downsides of the 207.
I`m rocking a Streacom DA6, thanks to one of your ads back a while; it is fantastic
I love the wide shot of "here's this 'compact' case next to all these ordinary cases, see if you can spot the difference", and the easy bake oven shot with a profusion of Reese's minis. The visual pisstakes. Also Patrick demonstrating all the most awful-feeling tasks in PC assembly, like SQUIIIIIIISHing the PSU where it was too tight and the wires were all bending harshly at the connectors, or in this video Patrick showing how you can really push all around the back of the well-organized cables and still fail to close this one because of how tight it all is back there. It's hard to deliberately fail at something and not look like the black and white beginning of the infomercial but he manages it.
Hope to see the Be Quiet! Lightbase 600 and 900 case reviews soon!
Please review the Deepcool Morpheus. Jonsbo d500. H7 flow 2024.
Watched the entire video before commenting, for $80 the performance is pretty good despite the compromises, and for some reason this case reminds me of the Darkflash DLC29, that “all mesh panels” case
It would’ve been nice to see Lian Li for the other side panel to use a lip at the front w/ a slide in panel instead of a tool less one that’s using a push pin so you don’t get jammed cables that would pop out against the side panel