Individual case reviews & links in the description. PC Case Review Playlist: ruclips.net/video/94l1c5dMRX8/видео.html If you're building a new system or updating an old one, consider buying our GN Wireframe Mouse Mat for a high-quality mousing surface with a sharp, unique design and focus on high-quality materials: store.gamersnexus.net/products/gn-wireframe-mouse-mat For PC maintenance and other projects, like video card disassembly, please consider our GN Tear-Down Toolkit: store.gamersnexus.net/products/gamersnexus-tear-down-toolkit
I know you don't typically like MSIs case offerings, but I think you should take a look at the Mag Forge 100R. It's budget(ish) at $60, and comes with 3 pre-installed fans (2 rgb intake, 1 non-rgb exhaust). Its on the smaller side, so cable management is a bit tough, but I was able to fit a non-modular atx PSU in it just fine.
Thanks for the video, going to probably buy a full new PC (+case) in the next two weeks as moving countries and my laptop seems to be giving up on life.
I run a msi ventus 3090 and I was in a video about thermals. A guy commented his thermals were hot , 81c under load. He listed his build and his case was the H170i NZXT. I figured it was because of his case as I have heard NZXT cases are hot boxes. My 3090 runs at 65 to 68 under load with Lian li lancool 2 mesh rgb. May even add some fans under the GPU if it will help cool it even better.
Quite the Achievement. Seems like someone at MSI wanted to build an "All out Gamer Case" but Management was like "More Glass and Brushed Steel! Make it look like our Monitors". Some unqualifiefed meddeling had to occur, for a Case to be THAT bad, this can't be an accident.
If anyone is worried about noise levels on any of these air flow cases just buy some Be Quiet fans. I legit threw in 3x PWM140mm (front) + 1x PWM140mm (rear) and a Dark Rock 4 into my Phanteks P500A. I can't even tell if it is on or not. Just pure bliss.
Be careful, though... if you run the fans too low in terms of CFM, they do next to nothing in terms of added thermal performance, and you might actually be better off with a more closed case that channels air over components better. There's a reason servers in data centers have such loud fans, after all.
@@Magnulus76 Fans don't have to be loud to offer airflow. Servers in data centers aren't desktops and most people don't need some obnoxious delta fans. My case is fairly quiet running a 200 phanteks up front (though will replace with 2x 140's before long), 2x noctua redux 140's in the top and a phanteks 140 in the rear. The 140's don't have to spin as fast and while people often think my fans are unbalanced in terms of intake vs exhaust they're really not. That's what fan controllers are for, the exhaust fans are dialed back and there's just a slight soft sound of air passing out the rear.
Really nice to see airflow being an important factor again. It feels like the last decade it was all about just clean looks, blocking all the ways air could move through. And all those "silent" cases would run really hot, instead of providing good airflow at low (and quiet) fan speeds.
"Neutral to positive for us: glowing praise from other reviewers", probably the best way to understand gamer's nexus review style. And yes, sometimes it feels they are too stingy, but considering almost EVERYBODY else gives way too positive reviews it seems a good trade off.
Remember that stupid Corsair air cooler with the sliding fans? Everyone else giving it glowing praise because of the pointless sliding fans, as if the average user changes their configuration enough to get any benefit from that feature. I have an air cooler with the "awful wire clips", I clipped them on once and haven't touched them again. No concern whatsoever for how it performed as a cooler, they all gave it thumbs up because of a gimmick. GamersNexus is the only one to say "Hey this thing sucks as a cooler, buy something else."
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by CCP china soon to SPY's on us also......................................,,,
they wont review it for some reason, because its "old", but the Phanteks P600s would be at the top of these charts for sure. For a full size build, just put it on the list of things to consider.
Favorite case by far this last year is the Phanteks P600S. Great airflow and filtration in the mesh configuration, super nice build quality, great fan & radiator support, and just plain good looks in general
Awesome! That's great. Cases are just boxes anyway. Sure, they do genuinely advance, but if you don't mind all the new detailing, then that's perfectly fine.
Still using a Coolermaster HAF X, and tbh, i struggle to find something which isn´t a downgrade in aircooling....They need to bring back sidepanel fans....
I have a case from 2007 as well. Some HUGE chieftec case. I don't even know it's name. Looking to change is now after upgrading my pc but all the caves here are either unavailable at local retailer or have a significantly higher price. Wanted the Lancool mesh II, goes for like $200 here. And ordering out of country has a shipping cost higher than the case itself. I will wait for a bit longer before I upgrade my case.
I'm still using a full sized nzxt phantom tower, I really want to upgrade it but I spent too much money on the components already and the case is "fine" 😂
You need a category for best airflow outside of stock configurations. A lot of people are going to buy a case in order to install their own fans, and it would be useful to know how these cases perform in some of those configurations. I suggest a category for best airflow with all fan mounts populated.
Yes, indeed. With the current methodology, cases which provide more air intake opportunities, e.g. by moving the power supply to another chamber, cannot demonstrate their superiority over boring stock designs with power supply shrouds.
@@user-fo1nk3pd1t I've been waiting for like 6 months. And waited through the 2000 series to upgrade my 1080 for lile 2 years. So, no, it didn't happen "before I know it"
The "Best Noise-Normalized Thermals" category is seriously _so useful._ I know airflow is important, I know lower noise is important, but I just don't have enough experience to know where the balance lies. That category precisely answers this question, so thanks for this video!
Love this video! I convinced my friend to get the Silent Base 802 and he got it today and this video came out while we were FaceTiming as he was unboxing it. Great timing and it made me look extra smart lol.
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by EV!!L CCP china soon to SPY's on us also...............................: P
I enjoy these roundups, as someone who builds PCs pretty often it's nice to know what to buy. I watch every full case review you put out but sometimes a roundup is all you need.
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by CCP china soon to SPY's on us also....................................... : x
Love the case award videos, and it's so nice to see such a rich market of good cases these days. Maybe one day we'll be able to buy something to put in them. A man can dream...
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by CCP china soon to SPY's on us also.........................................: xxxxx
the lancool mesh looks great. i was thinking of getting that for my next build. is the lack of a dust filer in the front a big deal? and i was thinking of getting a top mounted arctic liquid freezer cooler 360 rad but im not sure if it would fit or not
@@Aleph-Noll I've got the Lancool II Mesh as well, and haven't noticed too much dust in the ~4 months I've had it. But I imagine it'll vary some depending on living situations and where it's located. The top mount won't fit a 360 rad. A 240 will fit fine, and maybe a 280 as the top can fit either two 120 or two 140 fans. The front can fit a 360 rad- I've got a gallahad 360 in mine. Overall, it's a great case. I love it.
@@drewb1314 thanks for the info! thats something to take into consideration. i wouldn't mind mounting the rad in the front for sure if thats the only option. id put it in a push pull configuration so i wonder if it would fit like that too?
I’m not convinced that dust filters are necessary. Small particles will pass through the screen either way and the charge from the components will cause collection no matter what. The screens only stop large particles. The vast majority of dust passed through the case anyway. As a filter gets clogged airflow decreases, reducing efficiency until you clean it. But either way, you’ll need to clean your internals. The filter may just decrease the time between component cleaning, but then again, you need to clean your filter more often. So I don’t miss them with the Lancool Mesh II. IMO, a good cleaning with an air compressor (outside of course) once a year is sufficient, at least for my dust levels.
@@ryanbecker6584 i find it easier on average to clean dust off a filter periodically then do a deep clean after a set amount of time. than just do a deep clean without a filter slightly more often then if it didnt have one. but i see what you mean.
I upgraded from a H440 to a Lancool II Mesh because of your reviews and I went from 75C on the CPU and 95C on the GPU to 60C and 65C on my 2700x on a Kraken X63 and 6800XT. Thank you so much for your super detailed content it made the whole process so much easier!
@@ginxxxxx Nice try, but they give their review hardware to charity. Unless you like buying GPUs for prices they aren’t even remotely worth, I think they give very good advice.
I ended up buying the meshify c earlier this year since I never keep the stock fans and I couldn't be happier with it even if it is an older case compared to the newer stuff out there but I'll always appreciate these videos since it really does help with deciding!
What fan setup did you end up going with? I'm curious if I can improve on my current layout. My Meshify C has 2 Corsair Sp 140 intake front, 2 140 top exhaust, and 1 120 rear exhaust
Gamers Nexus would you ever do a warehouse showcase (just showing us cool stuff y’all have)? Basically showing us heaven because at this point you should be able to I mean you are Tech Jesus
I love my Lancool II mesh non rgb and bought it because of your first review on it! Easy to build in and cable management is impossible to mess up and hide cables if you are new to pc building! Great case!!
Got myself the Fractal Meshify 2 XL a week ago moving over from the Define R4, and I've got to say, the case design, building process and putting everything together was truely enjoyed. Fractal did an amazing job.
I wish there was a "best dust protection" award - basically which case is the most resilient to dust and can protect your components from degrading (or fire).
So, personal experience, but I've had my Fractal Define R6 in my room, around me and my partner and my very fluffy cat for over a year now. I clear the front filter every time I vacuum but beyond that haven't paid it too much attention. Had to swap out an SSD a few weeks ago and figured I'd use the ol' compressed air can to get rid of the dust buildup at the same time. Was genuinely surprised at how little dust had built up over that time compared to my previous case (Which was an old beast of an Antec P280) would have gathered in a similar time frame. The R7 is similar enough that I'd assume it would do a similarly good job, but the R6 is also quite cheap at the moment if you can find it in stock as it's been superseded by the R7.
Well, they specifically honored the fractal meshify 2 for good thermal performance while providing good dust filtering (front, bottom, top, basically everywhere you would maybe place intake fans). A friend of mine has one of those and is really happy with it. But ofc you will probably get more dust compared to a more closed case with less airflow:) As Steve mentioned though, a case is basically just a box, so maybe you are fine with trading thermal performance for dust protection. Not sure, which aspect is more important for the longevity of your components.
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by EV!!L CCP china soon to SPY's on us also...........................................: P
I'd love to see you guys reviewing cases from more brands like Deepcool for example. It seems you guys only review the top dogs in the market. You guys are the best on YT so it would help a lot to see you guys talking about other brands.
its a hard process so they prefer the top models. Id like to see more brands featured too. Also brands that go for europe and middle east even. Low down group...
@@esatd34 yeah, I imagine it's hard, but it sucks when you want a good review of a case that seems really cool but can't find any, or just find those ones that go over the features without talking about thermals, etc.
@@RafitoOoO yeah I feel you. If it's a mesh and non restrictive case you can try looking for the fan model it uses and try for a fan review. It can give a good idea. That's what I did for my zalman case. Result was, almost as expected.
@@GamersNexus Steve, Tasmania is the Australian equivalent of Alabama or West Virginia because they're disconnected from the mainland, so the family trees there are a single branch. 😉👍
@Bryce Tech Not really, they're used to copping it from mainlanders like myself. 😁👍 Now, unless you're Aussie, stop being a triggered wimp and move along. 😎
I finished my build a month ago and your reviews is why I picked up the Lancool II Mesh. So far it's been amazing. Paired with my NH D-15 my temps have been great. I have a 10600k overclocked @ 5Ghz and thermals haven't hit above 65 degrees even at full load
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by EV!!L CCP china soon to SPY's on us also...................................... xxxZ
I remember Sheldon in the Big Bang Theory. Had a podcast named fun with flags. Maybe Steve should take that idea and make padcast named fun with PC cases ;)
I currently use a Fractal Design Focus G case and I am completely happy with the Thermals and the ease of build. It shipped with 2 120mm fans in the front, i have added 2 120mm on top and a 120 in the rear. It has plenty of filters to help catch dust and pet dander. All in all, I would most definitely recommend this case for someone working on a budget.
@@T1cksandLeeches No need to argue fellas. They are just cases. We have seen cardboard box cases perform better than some manufactured ones😂. I wish everyone a very lovely day/night.
Big problem GN has just created for themselves and consumers. MSI can now advertise their case as winning a GN award for design. Not only is this an award they won, it's one they didn't pay to win.
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by CCP china soon to SPY's on us also...................................... : PP
I would love to see the category "Best ITX case". I love the in-depth content/testing provided by GN, but there are only a few ITX cases tested compared to "normal" ATX cases.
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by CCP china soon to SPY's on us also.....................................: Z
I have to say I hugely respect the honesty of GN reviews. If something is trash, they'll tell you it's trash, and if it's good they'll tell you it's good. You'd think that would be a basic component of a review, but it's sadly lacking these days in a lot of other sources.
NZXT wins the hottest case award: So hot, it's literally on fire. While Gigabyte should win the shockingly horrible award: So shockingly horrible that it shocks you into debt.
Can we have Phanteks P600S review at some point? It's an airflow case that comes with two noise suppression plates that you can add/remove on the fly. I'm surprised you haven't reviewed it yet.
You helped me choose the P500A for my new AMD build and I couldn’t be happier with the choice, thank you. Coming from a Phanteks Evo the graphics card is breathing a whole lot better.
I really like the case reviews and especially these cluster of best cases. Thanks! I have one suggestion though: a new category for workstation cases. IE a good airflow case that has both mounting for four 3.4" spinning rust bays AND at least one 5.25" optical bay. I know it's not a "gaming" category, so isn't necessarily a Gamers Nexus focus, but your study of airflow and mechanical design is superb, so would fit this well. Just an idea. Because some people do more than game on their gaming PC. LOL
GN will probably never see this comment but I want to make the exact same request. There are definitely modern improvements to be had over my current case - it'd be nice to have side panels move convenient than those old sliding metal clips and thumbscrews, and I'd like USB 3 in the front I/O - but not having a 5.25" bay is a dealbreaker.
Just finished a build in my new Silent Base 802. Just really liked the idea of picking what you want in a case in one package. Great to see it win the best mechanical design award.
The best case I've ever had, I bought 10 years ago and starting next week it will be going through it's 3rd build. I love this case. It is the Nzxt 410 Phantom Mid Tower in White. It is a very solid case. I like some of the cases in this video but they are all missing a very important feature, NO 5.25 for my DVD/bluray drives. without that the case is a deal breaker for me.
I still like the Cooler Master TD500 Mesh over the Lian Li Lancool II Mesh because of the 360mm fans space on the top. You can place a 360mm fans in the front and another one above, plus a 120mm in the back. Cooling is a easy job in this case.
Bought the Lian Li Lancool II Mesh last year and still lovin it. Does everything, holds everything and the temps are always well under the limits. For the price it's one I've been recommending to customers with no regrets. Great case in all respects, a little tight with AIO's in place but solid anyway.
Picked up the Coolermaster NR600 for a budget mid-range build for a young lady recently. Amazing, amazing case for the price. Great airflow, and clean to work with. Got it for $60.
I have the H500. I left the two 200mm fans in the front, and put a 360mm rad behind them, and put the three fans that came with them on the back of the rad (pull config), keeps my 5900x very cold at a SUPER low idle (i.e. barely spinning at all) :) Love it lots.
I originally skipped this video because I've watched every case review and I'm not on the market for cases, but I'm really glad I decided to watch anyways now because those tiny fans made my night.
Thanks for taking the Filter into consideration! For some of us it really matters. I got carpet floor and live close to a mainroad. Dust really piles up quick here !
I love how you test cases, but instead of "best noise levels & silence" and "best noise-normalized thermals" i would love to see a case test where all cases use the same fans and you install a gpu with coilwhine or maybe something that can emulate coilwhine and then look at noise-levels. (for example it feels almost impossible to get a mid/high-tier gpu that has no coilwhine .. or maybe a dedicated video define 7 vs. meshify 2 with strong coilwhine, if in this instances a noise dampend case can benefit and how much ?) Still Great Video !
Yep. This, but also add a couple of clicky drives. Some people still use spinning rust in their builds. I love GN's case testing methodology and rigour but I don't like their airflow-or-bust mentality. Sometimes people put noisy things in their cases, eg. noisy GPUs, mechanical drives, whiny coils, screaming toddlers, etc.
The Phanteks P600A has been an amazing blend between airflow and noise in my experience. It was a joy to build in. The plastic sliders were pointless, but are inconsequential. I wonder why there are never any reviews on Cougar cases. The Cougar Panzer Max full tower looks really good too.
There needs to be a list that includes cases that have optical drive bays as there are many including myself that use them. Yes of course you can use usb optical drives but for someone who regularly uses them having an internal drive is better.
i absolutely agree not everyone want flashy rainbow led fan with no airflow i want a minimum of 2-3 drive bays and no front glass just a filter with 2 fan 120mm is enough just a glass on the side i like the concept of hiding cable in the back and hide the powersupply with a back plate but i love to get many space to add more hdd the main ssd is nvme anyway we dont really need of sata ssd with low capacity and a hdd cost less and get more capacity and is more a solid choice in term of reliability there is more chance to loose all your files using an ssd than an hdd
nice graphics in the transitions instead of buy a sick car or a building a new house it seems youve invested in your channel maybe youve done the other things too but your determination and drive is inspiring
I ordered the p300a for my first gaming pc not knowing that there were only 4 places you can put fans. I’m going to return it and buy the Corsair 4000d airflow even though it costs 40 more bucks. (My budget is $750 btw)
When you do these case reviews will you add the category “Most potential air cooled case”? So using a “standard” fan and as many as the case will most effectively allow using the fan mounts provided. I don’t mind buying extra fans to get temps down so what fans come with the case doesn’t matter to me. If a case allows 20 fans but only comes with 2 then with your scoring it may get a low score. Buy utilizing more of the fan mounts provided that same case could be the #1 air cooled case. Kinda like what you did with the Lian Li 011 dynamic series. You swapped out more fans to see how good it could be. I want to buy the case (open or closed) that will be best for air cooled. Maybe minus having an AIO for the cpu. Thanks!
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by CCP china soon to SPY's on us also..............................xxxD
Getting here late. Just purchased the Corsair 5000D Airflow (2023) and although it still cost a premium two years later it is worth it. With six Corsair fans I am averaging temps from mid 40*C to low 50*C (CPU) and mid 50*C to low 60*C (GPU) while gaming. Components were running 80*C+ in my older Corsair Spec-04 case (only three frontal fans installed) on a regular basis. Great vid, even in 2023.
Individual case reviews & links in the description.
PC Case Review Playlist: ruclips.net/video/94l1c5dMRX8/видео.html
If you're building a new system or updating an old one, consider buying our GN Wireframe Mouse Mat for a high-quality mousing surface with a sharp, unique design and focus on high-quality materials: store.gamersnexus.net/products/gn-wireframe-mouse-mat
For PC maintenance and other projects, like video card disassembly, please consider our GN Tear-Down Toolkit: store.gamersnexus.net/products/gamersnexus-tear-down-toolkit
I love your for the consumer videos like going over the NZXT fire hazard case, can’t wait to see the investigating video on the power supply!
What about deepcool cl500?
I know you don't typically like MSIs case offerings, but I think you should take a look at the Mag Forge 100R. It's budget(ish) at $60, and comes with 3 pre-installed fans (2 rgb intake, 1 non-rgb exhaust). Its on the smaller side, so cable management is a bit tough, but I was able to fit a non-modular atx PSU in it just fine.
What happened to nr200 and lian li 011 mini . i might get the nr200 but i need a build guide this is my first time
Thanks for the video, going to probably buy a full new PC (+case) in the next two weeks as moving countries and my laptop seems to be giving up on life.
Alternate name for this series- "Best Case Scenario"
Wow!!
wow, what a genius
Nice
Damnnnn
Brilliant!! I would suggest though to alter it slightly to "Best Case Scenarios" to reflect their multiple categories.
NZXT should get a reward for "Hottest case, literally on fire"
XD
Just lit
NZXT ... So hot right now.
I run a msi ventus 3090 and I was in a video about thermals. A guy commented his thermals were hot , 81c under load. He listed his build and his case was the H170i NZXT. I figured it was because of his case as I have heard NZXT cases are hot boxes. My 3090 runs at 65 to 68 under load with Lian li lancool 2 mesh rgb. May even add some fans under the GPU if it will help cool it even better.
@@terryfredrick5149 yeah it definitely will
MSI won "best worst case" when their closest competitor was a case that caught on fire...
I mean - The case wasn't the fire issue itself
Quite the Achievement.
Seems like someone at MSI wanted to build an "All out Gamer Case" but Management was like "More Glass and Brushed Steel! Make it look like our Monitors".
Some unqualifiefed meddeling had to occur, for a Case to be THAT bad, this can't be an accident.
They should stick to motherboards and GPU's.
i think it's not that bad. it's score a little bit better than meshify c
I was expecting nzxt. When I saw msi I genuinely laughed.
If anyone is worried about noise levels on any of these air flow cases just buy some Be Quiet fans.
I legit threw in 3x PWM140mm (front) + 1x PWM140mm (rear) and a Dark Rock 4 into my Phanteks P500A.
I can't even tell if it is on or not. Just pure bliss.
Be careful, though... if you run the fans too low in terms of CFM, they do next to nothing in terms of added thermal performance, and you might actually be better off with a more closed case that channels air over components better. There's a reason servers in data centers have such loud fans, after all.
@@Magnulus76 Fans don't have to be loud to offer airflow. Servers in data centers aren't desktops and most people don't need some obnoxious delta fans. My case is fairly quiet running a 200 phanteks up front (though will replace with 2x 140's before long), 2x noctua redux 140's in the top and a phanteks 140 in the rear. The 140's don't have to spin as fast and while people often think my fans are unbalanced in terms of intake vs exhaust they're really not. That's what fan controllers are for, the exhaust fans are dialed back and there's just a slight soft sound of air passing out the rear.
Not a day goes by when I don't think about those ps5 "heaters"
cool username
lmaoo
they're ps5 coolers^-1 wdym
LMAO i just came from that video
Just use your space heater. It will help that urge.
Really nice to see airflow being an important factor again. It feels like the last decade it was all about just clean looks, blocking all the ways air could move through. And all those "silent" cases would run really hot, instead of providing good airflow at low (and quiet) fan speeds.
"Neutral to positive for us: glowing praise from other reviewers", probably the best way to understand gamer's nexus review style. And yes, sometimes it feels they are too stingy, but considering almost EVERYBODY else gives way too positive reviews it seems a good trade off.
Remember that stupid Corsair air cooler with the sliding fans? Everyone else giving it glowing praise because of the pointless sliding fans, as if the average user changes their configuration enough to get any benefit from that feature. I have an air cooler with the "awful wire clips", I clipped them on once and haven't touched them again. No concern whatsoever for how it performed as a cooler, they all gave it thumbs up because of a gimmick. GamersNexus is the only one to say "Hey this thing sucks as a cooler, buy something else."
@@mjc0961 yeah remember 3dgm?
"There are no two words more harmful than good job" - Terence Fletcher
@@mjc0961Linus from LTT also said to just buy Noctua instead.
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by CCP china soon to SPY's on us also......................................,,,
2:57 - That 3D model is siiiiiiiick 👍
its 3 am. perfect time to watch a GN video and ironically I was looking to buy a case xD
Its for Russia :-D для меня это 10 утра. (In Yekaterinburg was 10 am) Nice watching for the work.
they wont review it for some reason, because its "old", but the Phanteks P600s would be at the top of these charts for sure. For a full size build, just put it on the list of things to consider.
1:25 am
coincidentally*
ikr i was looking for one too
Favorite case by far this last year is the Phanteks P600S. Great airflow and filtration in the mesh configuration, super nice build quality, great fan & radiator support, and just plain good looks in general
Steve, I re-purposed a case from 2007. Cable management is almost non-existent, but I saved money and reduced e-waste.
It's a Thermaltake Armor Jr.
Awesome! That's great. Cases are just boxes anyway. Sure, they do genuinely advance, but if you don't mind all the new detailing, then that's perfectly fine.
I still have a Thermaltake Soprano. Hoping by the end of this year to make it into a custom case. See what I can do with those old case styles.
Still using a Coolermaster HAF X, and tbh, i struggle to find something which isn´t a downgrade in aircooling....They need to bring back sidepanel fans....
I have a case from 2007 as well. Some HUGE chieftec case. I don't even know it's name. Looking to change is now after upgrading my pc but all the caves here are either unavailable at local retailer or have a significantly higher price. Wanted the Lancool mesh II, goes for like $200 here. And ordering out of country has a shipping cost higher than the case itself. I will wait for a bit longer before I upgrade my case.
I'm still using a full sized nzxt phantom tower, I really want to upgrade it but I spent too much money on the components already and the case is "fine" 😂
You need a category for best airflow outside of stock configurations. A lot of people are going to buy a case in order to install their own fans, and it would be useful to know how these cases perform in some of those configurations. I suggest a category for best airflow with all fan mounts populated.
Yes, indeed. With the current methodology, cases which provide more air intake opportunities, e.g. by moving the power supply to another chamber, cannot demonstrate their superiority over boring stock designs with power supply shrouds.
💯
Any case would have good airflow for me, since there's nothing I can buy to fill it
Rip
You could maybe get some beans
Real talk 😆
You will though. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but you'll get an awesome build before you know it
@@user-fo1nk3pd1t I've been waiting for like 6 months. And waited through the 2000 series to upgrade my 1080 for lile 2 years. So, no, it didn't happen "before I know it"
The "Best Noise-Normalized Thermals" category is seriously _so useful._ I know airflow is important, I know lower noise is important, but I just don't have enough experience to know where the balance lies. That category precisely answers this question, so thanks for this video!
Love this video! I convinced my friend to get the Silent Base 802 and he got it today and this video came out while we were FaceTiming as he was unboxing it. Great timing and it made me look extra smart lol.
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by EV!!L CCP china soon to SPY's on us also...............................: P
I enjoy these roundups, as someone who builds PCs pretty often it's nice to know what to buy. I watch every full case review you put out but sometimes a roundup is all you need.
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by CCP china soon to SPY's on us also....................................... : x
@@creeplyjoes8828 What are you even saying?
19:54 Best GN Employee.
That's the boss of this operation.
Multi-talented!
CEO, Temperature Control Operative, Box Analyst, Table-Edge Gravity Analyst!
FEARLESS Leader!
That employee needs some sunglasses. Those lights are too bright!
True but its also the boss
Love the case award videos, and it's so nice to see such a rich market of good cases these days.
Maybe one day we'll be able to buy something to put in them. A man can dream...
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by CCP china soon to SPY's on us also.........................................: xxxxx
I love my Lancool ll mesh. The Msi case looks good but is more like a pressure cooker. You can game and cook dinner all in the same place.
the lancool mesh looks great. i was thinking of getting that for my next build. is the lack of a dust filer in the front a big deal? and i was thinking of getting a top mounted arctic liquid freezer cooler 360 rad but im not sure if it would fit or not
@@Aleph-Noll I've got the Lancool II Mesh as well, and haven't noticed too much dust in the ~4 months I've had it. But I imagine it'll vary some depending on living situations and where it's located.
The top mount won't fit a 360 rad. A 240 will fit fine, and maybe a 280 as the top can fit either two 120 or two 140 fans. The front can fit a 360 rad- I've got a gallahad 360 in mine. Overall, it's a great case. I love it.
@@drewb1314 thanks for the info! thats something to take into consideration. i wouldn't mind mounting the rad in the front for sure if thats the only option. id put it in a push pull configuration so i wonder if it would fit like that too?
I’m not convinced that dust filters are necessary. Small particles will pass through the screen either way and the charge from the components will cause collection no matter what. The screens only stop large particles. The vast majority of dust passed through the case anyway. As a filter gets clogged airflow decreases, reducing efficiency until you clean it. But either way, you’ll need to clean your internals. The filter may just decrease the time between component cleaning, but then again, you need to clean your filter more often. So I don’t miss them with the Lancool Mesh II.
IMO, a good cleaning with an air compressor (outside of course) once a year is sufficient, at least for my dust levels.
@@ryanbecker6584 i find it easier on average to clean dust off a filter periodically then do a deep clean after a set amount of time. than just do a deep clean without a filter slightly more often then if it didnt have one. but i see what you mean.
I upgraded from a H440 to a Lancool II Mesh because of your reviews and I went from 75C on the CPU and 95C on the GPU to 60C and 65C on my 2700x on a Kraken X63 and 6800XT. Thank you so much for your super detailed content it made the whole process so much easier!
You had a virus on your pc
I love the GN render. Some solid work has gone into that.
@@ginxxxxx Nice try, but they give their review hardware to charity. Unless you like buying GPUs for prices they aren’t even remotely worth, I think they give very good advice.
I ended up buying the meshify c earlier this year since I never keep the stock fans and I couldn't be happier with it even if it is an older case compared to the newer stuff out there but I'll always appreciate these videos since it really does help with deciding!
What fan setup did you end up going with? I'm curious if I can improve on my current layout. My Meshify C has 2 Corsair Sp 140 intake front, 2 140 top exhaust, and 1 120 rear exhaust
Gamers Nexus would you ever do a warehouse showcase (just showing us cool stuff y’all have)? Basically showing us heaven because at this point you should be able to I mean you are Tech Jesus
Tech jesus
Yes!
They've done office tours in the past. I believe some are on the GNSteve channel
Jech Tesus
That would be cool. I bet they got more stuff than a Memory Express or Micro Center lol.
I love my Lancool II mesh non rgb and bought it because of your first review on it! Easy to build in and cable management is impossible to mess up and hide cables if you are new to pc building! Great case!!
Got myself the Fractal Meshify 2 XL a week ago moving over from the Define R4, and I've got to say, the case design, building process and putting everything together was truely enjoyed. Fractal did an amazing job.
nice i got my self a obsidian series 1000d from corsair
0:02 Steve used Flurry of Cases.
It was super effective!
I wish there was a "best dust protection" award - basically which case is the most resilient to dust and can protect your components from degrading (or fire).
Thats exactly what I'm looking for to buy a case, my PC is in bedroom and I have so far bought a small vacuum, an air purifier just to combat dusts
So, personal experience, but I've had my Fractal Define R6 in my room, around me and my partner and my very fluffy cat for over a year now. I clear the front filter every time I vacuum but beyond that haven't paid it too much attention. Had to swap out an SSD a few weeks ago and figured I'd use the ol' compressed air can to get rid of the dust buildup at the same time. Was genuinely surprised at how little dust had built up over that time compared to my previous case (Which was an old beast of an Antec P280) would have gathered in a similar time frame.
The R7 is similar enough that I'd assume it would do a similarly good job, but the R6 is also quite cheap at the moment if you can find it in stock as it's been superseded by the R7.
Well, they specifically honored the fractal meshify 2 for good thermal performance while providing good dust filtering (front, bottom, top, basically everywhere you would maybe place intake fans). A friend of mine has one of those and is really happy with it. But ofc you will probably get more dust compared to a more closed case with less airflow:)
As Steve mentioned though, a case is basically just a box, so maybe you are fine with trading thermal performance for dust protection. Not sure, which aspect is more important for the longevity of your components.
That feeling when you see "best worst case", look to your right and see you have that exact case....
remove front panel and youre good to go
MSI is like the mom that leaves her kids in the car on a record hot Summer day.
My 12 year old MSi MB still kicking lmao
Basically it is a company that the boss says so and fire anyone who objects.
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by EV!!L CCP china soon to SPY's on us also...........................................: P
That cat knows how to pose in front of camera
I'd love to see you guys reviewing cases from more brands like Deepcool for example. It seems you guys only review the top dogs in the market. You guys are the best on YT so it would help a lot to see you guys talking about other brands.
its a hard process so they prefer the top models. Id like to see more brands featured too. Also brands that go for europe and middle east even. Low down group...
@@esatd34 yeah, I imagine it's hard, but it sucks when you want a good review of a case that seems really cool but can't find any, or just find those ones that go over the features without talking about thermals, etc.
@@RafitoOoO yeah I feel you. If it's a mesh and non restrictive case you can try looking for the fan model it uses and try for a fan review. It can give a good idea. That's what I did for my zalman case. Result was, almost as expected.
@@esatd34 thanks for the idea. Will try to do it in the future
I was hoping for a "Best Splurge" category to contrast the "Best Budge Case" category. Enjoyed the vid, regardless. Thank you!
Petition to change the worst case category to “Worst case scenario”.
Yes
why, does it hurt your vagina?
@@chino852456 yes daddy 🥺
David Wong Chu are you bitching about a pun💀 damn boy😭😭
I don’t know whether to be upset at this pun for it existing or proud cause it’s funny
Based on your reviews, I bought a Fractal Meshify 2 last week, and it's been working well. Keep up the good work, GN!
hi steve! from tasmania, australia
Always cool to see people comment from all over the world!
@@GamersNexus Steve, Tasmania is the Australian equivalent of Alabama or West Virginia because they're disconnected from the mainland, so the family trees there are a single branch. 😉👍
@Bryce Tech Not really, they're used to copping it from mainlanders like myself. 😁👍
Now, unless you're Aussie, stop being a triggered wimp and move along. 😎
@@GamersNexus Hi steve, from Mars.
@@GamersNexus brazil here
I finished my build a month ago and your reviews is why I picked up the Lancool II Mesh. So far it's been amazing. Paired with my NH D-15 my temps have been great. I have a 10600k overclocked @ 5Ghz and thermals haven't hit above 65 degrees even at full load
This should be called: Best PC Cases of 2021 Q1 (Part 1) AIRFLOW STONKS
No joke, you guys should do tier lists for cases by type/size year over year. These vids rock.
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by EV!!L CCP china soon to SPY's on us also...................................... xxxZ
I remember Sheldon in the Big Bang Theory. Had a podcast named fun with flags. Maybe Steve should take that idea and make padcast named fun with PC cases ;)
I bought a Corsair 4000D Airflow 4 days ago and still enjoying this video. GN is love, GN is life
1:31 Steve eloquently explains the ingredients for a case recipe.
Most Companies: *make increasingly oversimplified logos*
Gamers Nexus: *makes increasingly intricate 3D animations of their logo*
I currently use a Fractal Design Focus G case and I am completely happy with the Thermals and the ease of build. It shipped with 2 120mm fans in the front, i have added 2 120mm on top and a 120 in the rear. It has plenty of filters to help catch dust and pet dander. All in all, I would most definitely recommend this case for someone working on a budget.
I used that one for my first build but I struggled so bad with cable management, and after a few weeks the fans got loud fr fr
I really like the (new?) animation/transition when switching categories. Looks very cool
Feels good to have the best overall hehe
of the cases they've tested...
@@T1cksandLeeches they test tons of cases. Name one that you would place higher that they haven't tested
@@jackmoseley1628 Phanteks P600S. Not scientifically of course, but that’s just an example of a case that could easily be on the top of the list.
@@T1cksandLeeches No need to argue fellas. They are just cases. We have seen cardboard box cases perform better than some manufactured ones😂. I wish everyone a very lovely day/night.
@@T1cksandLeeches P600s loses in thermal performance and is not even from 2020/21 lmao
Proud owner of a Lancool II Mesh Performance
1) RGB is still stupid
2) so is tempered glass
3) Give me back my f**king 5.25 bays
Big problem GN has just created for themselves and consumers. MSI can now advertise their case as winning a GN award for design. Not only is this an award they won, it's one they didn't pay to win.
true but now then "best worst case award" is not something to be proud of lol, especially when their competition literally caught fire
Love that my Lian Li Lancool Mesh is still crushing it. I highly recommend it.
I love these roundups. Cases are still one of the most interesting aspects of PC builds.
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by CCP china soon to SPY's on us also...................................... : PP
I would love to see the category "Best ITX case". I love the in-depth content/testing provided by GN, but there are only a few ITX cases tested compared to "normal" ATX cases.
NR200P is the only good itx case I've come across. www.amazon.com/dp/B08BF8YMXC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_09QKQ2DPMVK1TPSM7PC3
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by CCP china soon to SPY's on us also.....................................: Z
Can you do a list of the best cases of the decade?
I have to say I hugely respect the honesty of GN reviews. If something is trash, they'll tell you it's trash, and if it's good they'll tell you it's good. You'd think that would be a basic component of a review, but it's sadly lacking these days in a lot of other sources.
NZXT wins the hottest case award: So hot, it's literally on fire.
While Gigabyte should win the shockingly horrible award: So shockingly horrible that it shocks you into debt.
As someone who still uses an optical drive for an aging collection of DVDs and classic games the end of front slots is really annoying.
Can we have Phanteks P600S review at some point? It's an airflow case that comes with two noise suppression plates that you can add/remove on the fly. I'm surprised you haven't reviewed it yet.
You helped me choose the P500A for my new AMD build and I couldn’t be happier with the choice, thank you. Coming from a Phanteks Evo the graphics card is breathing a whole lot better.
I really like the case reviews and especially these cluster of best cases. Thanks! I have one suggestion though: a new category for workstation cases. IE a good airflow case that has both mounting for four 3.4" spinning rust bays AND at least one 5.25" optical bay. I know it's not a "gaming" category, so isn't necessarily a Gamers Nexus focus, but your study of airflow and mechanical design is superb, so would fit this well. Just an idea. Because some people do more than game on their gaming PC. LOL
GN will probably never see this comment but I want to make the exact same request. There are definitely modern improvements to be had over my current case - it'd be nice to have side panels move convenient than those old sliding metal clips and thumbscrews, and I'd like USB 3 in the front I/O - but not having a 5.25" bay is a dealbreaker.
Just finished a build in my new Silent Base 802. Just really liked the idea of picking what you want in a case in one package. Great to see it win the best mechanical design award.
No idea why you'd give this a thumbs down. Was just thinking when reading the detailed video discreption: You couldn't do this any more professional.
This channel fills a TechTV void I’ve had in my soul for a long long time.
I miss you TechTV
The best case I've ever had, I bought 10 years ago and starting next week it will be going through it's 3rd build. I love this case. It is the Nzxt 410 Phantom Mid Tower in White. It is a very solid case.
I like some of the cases in this video but they are all missing a very important feature, NO 5.25 for my DVD/bluray drives. without that the case is a deal breaker for me.
Thank you for having such detailed content that I don't feel the need to look elsewhere for case information
Should make this a series and call it "Best Case Scenario"
Even if Phanteks was not in the mix, then the Corsair 500D Airflow wins the competition.
I always watch Steve’s videos twice. Once to fall asleep at night and a second time to actually watch it lol
youre not exactly wrong haha
I still like the Cooler Master TD500 Mesh over the Lian Li Lancool II Mesh because of the 360mm fans space on the top. You can place a 360mm fans in the front and another one above, plus a 120mm in the back. Cooling is a easy job in this case.
Steve ITX cases please! From Philippines!
Bought the Lian Li Lancool II Mesh last year and still lovin it. Does everything, holds everything and the temps are always well under the limits. For the price it's one I've been recommending to customers with no regrets. Great case in all respects, a little tight with AIO's in place but solid anyway.
Steve, is there a full review planned for the O11D-Mini? Been looking forward to seeing a GN deep dive on it.
Just picked up a mouse mat, super happy to get a high quality product while also supporting this channel! Thanks for the good work Steve!
So glad I got the Lancool when it came out.
Picked up the Coolermaster NR600 for a budget mid-range build for a young lady recently. Amazing, amazing case for the price. Great airflow, and clean to work with. Got it for $60.
I have the TD500 mesh, currently watching and hoping it's still good.
It's still great! Not on this list, but still very good. We're happy to recommend it.
I have the H500. I left the two 200mm fans in the front, and put a 360mm rad behind them, and put the three fans that came with them on the back of the rad (pull config), keeps my 5900x very cold at a SUPER low idle (i.e. barely spinning at all) :) Love it lots.
@@GamersNexus Best case is which has got a DVD drive bay. Why the hell dvd drive bay is ditched?
@@Almighty_Flat_Earth because it's essentially a dead technology.
Also oddly currently the only case i can get online that comes without Disco lights
im not gonna lie the airflow of the Nzxt cases is soooo good
to use it as a heater
But do they beat the Enso?
@@ginxxxxx Salty much?
I originally skipped this video because I've watched every case review and I'm not on the market for cases, but I'm really glad I decided to watch anyways now because those tiny fans made my night.
There’s only one contender in the innovative case pyrotechnics category.
Your reviews allowed me to make the choice for the Lian Li Lancool II Mesh - nice to see it still gets a mention in 2021! Love this thing!!
I'm leaning towards this still in Nov 2022! The only thing concerning me is the dust buildup. How did it fare for you on that department?
All of this is quite informative and generously helpful... BUT more importantly what case do you actually use and why ?
Thanks for taking the Filter into consideration! For some of us it really matters. I got carpet floor and live close to a mainroad. Dust really piles up quick here !
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by CCP china soon to SPY's on us also........................: C
I love how you test cases, but instead of "best noise levels & silence" and "best noise-normalized thermals" i would love to see a case test where all cases use the same fans and you install a gpu with coilwhine or maybe something that can emulate coilwhine and then look at noise-levels. (for example it feels almost impossible to get a mid/high-tier gpu that has no coilwhine .. or maybe a dedicated video define 7 vs. meshify 2 with strong coilwhine, if in this instances a noise dampend case can benefit and how much ?) Still Great Video !
Yep. This, but also add a couple of clicky drives. Some people still use spinning rust in their builds. I love GN's case testing methodology and rigour but I don't like their airflow-or-bust mentality. Sometimes people put noisy things in their cases, eg. noisy GPUs, mechanical drives, whiny coils, screaming toddlers, etc.
@@irridiastarfire Yup. Got 7 clicky drives. BeQuiet!
like 15minutes in google looking for ANY information and nothing, thanks dude, for all the info 👍👍
The Phanteks P600A has been an amazing blend between airflow and noise in my experience. It was a joy to build in. The plastic sliders were pointless, but are inconsequential. I wonder why there are never any reviews on Cougar cases. The Cougar Panzer Max full tower looks really good too.
Do you mean p600s can't find a 600a
There needs to be a list that includes cases that have optical drive bays as there are many including myself that use them.
Yes of course you can use usb optical drives but for someone who regularly uses them having an internal drive is better.
i absolutely agree not everyone want flashy rainbow led fan with no airflow i want a minimum of 2-3 drive bays and no front glass just a filter with 2 fan 120mm is enough just a glass on the side i like the concept of hiding cable in the back and hide the powersupply with a back plate but i love to get many space to add more hdd the main ssd is nvme anyway we dont really need of sata ssd with low capacity and a hdd cost less and get more capacity and is more a solid choice in term of reliability there is more chance to loose all your files using an ssd than an hdd
Picked up the meshify 2 compact and so far love it. Time will tell if I'll add even more dust filtration but it's a promising start.
A best small case category would be a great addition but I dont think you guys have too many ITX focused case reviews.
School project: Find the best computer case for a client, without breaking the bank
GN: * makes this video *
Me: *yus*
Loving the new graphics on the title screens!
How many hours went into making this guide? Building and testing all these cases had to take a very long time. Thanks for getting it done though!
Love these videos! Maybe a mini/micro ITX some time?
I miss the 5¼" bays, where do I put my internal DVD writer now?
Define R6 is still available at retail (at least in .au).. otherwise, you're only using it occasionally perhaps an external drive?
Full Size Define 7 has a few 5.25 bays now
nice graphics in the transitions instead of buy a sick car or a building a new house it seems youve invested in your channel maybe youve done the other things too but your determination and drive is inspiring
Would love to see a review of some ITX options as I'm looking to build a SFF PC later this year
I ordered the p300a for my first gaming pc not knowing that there were only 4 places you can put fans. I’m going to return it and buy the Corsair 4000d airflow even though it costs 40 more bucks. (My budget is $750 btw)
When you do these case reviews will you add the category “Most potential air cooled case”? So using a “standard” fan and as many as the case will most effectively allow using the fan mounts provided. I don’t mind buying extra fans to get temps down so what fans come with the case doesn’t matter to me. If a case allows 20 fans but only comes with 2 then with your scoring it may get a low score. Buy utilizing more of the fan mounts provided that same case could be the #1 air cooled case. Kinda like what you did with the Lian Li 011 dynamic series. You swapped out more fans to see how good it could be. I want to buy the case (open or closed) that will be best for air cooled. Maybe minus having an AIO for the cpu. Thanks!
:D MSI again ... Best Scrap metal Casing again. cut so many cost & going to own by CCP china soon to SPY's on us also..............................xxxD
I bought the FARA R1 because of last year’s Best Budget Case. I totally love it!
Getting here late. Just purchased the Corsair 5000D Airflow (2023) and although it still cost a premium two years later it is worth it. With six Corsair fans I am averaging temps from mid 40*C to low 50*C (CPU) and mid 50*C to low 60*C (GPU) while gaming. Components were running 80*C+ in my older Corsair Spec-04 case (only three frontal fans installed) on a regular basis. Great vid, even in 2023.
My poor P500a didn't even get in
Big Sad
My cpu temp dropped by 40c and gpu 30c when I went from nzxt h500 tp P500a. Totally worth it.
Underrated case
@@smash461986 NZXT h500 and h510 cases are very crappy. I'm glad u upgraded
He still said it was arguably the best for balancing thermals with noise. I've got the P500a too and it's the best case I've ever had by some distance
P500a trumps them all