Jul 24

Best Case for Your PC Build: 8 New Chassis Tested & Rated

Best Case for Your PC Build: 8 New Chassis Tested & Rated Posted 06/13/2011 at 12:12pm | by Nathan Edwards and Alan Fackler 15 Print

When you’re outfitting a new computer, it can be tempting to just buy the cheapest no-name case you can find, slap your new parts into it, and call it a day. While that might have been a valid choice in ye olde beige days—heck, early Dream Machine builds didn’t even list the case—it’s not one we’d recommend today. Enthusiast components today put out a lot of heat, and if that heat isn’t dealt with, your rig’s lifespan and performance will suffer.

That doesn’t mean you have to spend an arm and a leg on your chassis, though you certainly can. This month, we round up eight cases, from the budget to the extreme, to see how they measure up to the task of holding your precious modern components.

How We Perform Thermal Testing

To ensure useful thermal test results, we have to use components that put out a lot of heat. Our case test system consists of a Core i5-750 CPU overclocked to 3.2GHz on an Asus P7P55D Premium motherboard, a dual-fan Prolimatech Armageddon cooler, and an Asus GTX 590—arguably the hottest GPU currently available. We use Intel’s internal Lynnfield testing utility to stress all four CPU cores and loop Unigine’s Heaven benchmark maxed out at 1920×1200 to put load on the GPU. Temperatures are measured with HWMonitor after an hour of activity, and then again after an hour of idling.

Our thermal test bed is designed to put out more heat than the majority of systems—the dual-GPU videocard expels air both fore and aft, and the overclocked processor would throttle on a less able cooler. We tested all cases with their stock complement of fans at their highest settings, so if your favorite case in our roundup has higher temperatures than you’d like, don’t despair—a few judiciously placed extra fans and you’ll be in business.


Big as it is, the Prolimatech Armageddon cooler fits into each case we tested—we worried that it wouldn’t.

CM Storm Enforcer

GOOD LOOKS, LOTS O’ FEATURES, LOW PRICE

Our initial impression of the Cooler Master Storm Enforcer wasn’t great. Though the case is only $90, we can’t help but feel wary running our hands over a lightweight plastic front panel. It’s just instinct.

But after spending some time with the Enforcer, we actually came away impressed—mostly. The Enforcer comes with two USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports—with an internal header, which is uncommon at this price point. Other welcome details: a removable dust filter, four toolless optical bays, six toolless hard drive bays, two 2.5-inch bays, seven standard PCI expansion slots plus an extra one suitable for a fan or light controller, and a large CPU-cooler backplane cutout.

The Enforcer looks a little bland until it powers up and the 20cm front fan lights up its red LED, which contrasts well with the case’s black trim. The Enforcer also comes stock with a 12cm exhaust fan, and includes additional mounting holes up top. The inside of the chassis feels roomy enough, and you can remove the top hard drive cage to accommodate longer graphics cards. For $90 you get a solid mid-tower that’s spacious and offers a broad range of cooling options, and looks good doing so.

CoolerMaster Storm Enforcer STORM TROOPERS

USB 3.0 with internal header; lots of cooling options, removable cages

STORM CHASERS

Plastic front panel; Very simple appearance

$90,

BitFenix Shinobi Window

A RARITY: INEXPENSIVE AND ALSO GOOD LOOKING

BitFenix’s Shinobi Window manages to pack a whole lotta class into its miniscule frame. At 8.1 inches wide, 18.1 inches high, and 19.3 inches deep, the Shinobi Window is firmly in mid-tower territory. It’s made of steel and is painted matte black inside and out, with BitFenix’s smooth, rubberized SofTouch coating running up the front and top panel. The left-side panel includes a dark plastic window with a 12cm fan mount (fan sold separately) and the case comes with one filtered 12cm front fan (another is optional) and one 12cm rear exhaust fan. The top panel can hold two 12cm or 14cm fans (not included).

The Shinobi accommodates ATX, microATX, and Mini-ITX mobos, and the tray has four cutouts for cable routing. It has seven PCI expansion slots and can take videocards up to 12.2 inches. It has three 5.25-inch bays, one of which includes an adapter for external 3.5- or internal 2.5-inch drive mounting.

The eight hard drive mounts are toolless. Due to the lack of stock fans and cramped inner quarters, the Shinobi’s temperatures ran among the highest in our roundup in the thermal tests, but slapping a few more fans into it will improve that.

For $70, it’s a classy-looking and surprisingly capacious case, and a hell of a deal.

BitFenix Shinobi Window PHOENIX

Great looks; surprisingly capacious

PHONICS

Lack of fans mean high internal temps


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