Best PC cases 2023

What’s the best PC case in 2023? Some PC gamers might think of it as a purely aesthetic choice. However, a PC case contains all of the vital components when building your own gaming PC, so it’s important to get a case that can keep temperatures low, prevent thermal throttling, keep things stable, and give you more headroom for overclocking your CPU and GPU.

The best PC case can be almost as important as getting the best graphics card or gaming CPU. Whether you want the build something to replace your console, a build with a fantastic array of RGB lights, or a chassis with superb airflow, we’ve got something for you on this list.

These are the best PC cases in 2023:

• Be Quiet Dark Base 700 – best overall
• Corsair Carbide 175R – best cheap option
• Cooler Master Cosmos C700M – best premium case
• Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P – best mini ITX case
• Lian Li Lancool 205M – best micro ATX case
• Corsair 4000D Airflow Tempered Glass  – best for airflow
• Corsair iCUE 4000X RGB – best for RGB

1. Be Quiet Dark Base 700

Our favorite PC case overall.

Be Quiet Dark Base 700 specs:

Pros:

• Allows for near-silent operation
• Slick design with RGB lights

Cons:

• Could have more vents
• May be too large for some setups

The Be Quiet Dark Base 700 is a mid-tower, with a beautifully slick design and RGN lights running down the trim, plus a large side window that allows you to gaze at the majesty of your gaming PC. It’s a spacious case that should have no trouble housing all your components and has been designed with easy cable management in mind. Beautiful inside and out, you might say (unless you put some rubbish CPU in it).

As the name suggests, this is a case with a strong emphasis on silent operation. Have you got several of the best CPU coolers all keeping your PC at an optimal temperature while you play some of the most powerful games of our time? Well, that might make a lot of noise, and that noise could break your immersion and ruin the gaming experience. This case has you covered on that front.

This is one of the larger cases we’ve got on this list, which is great if you want to squeeze one of the best AIO coolers in there, but it’s not so great if you have a smaller setup and don’t have that much space. If you need a larger one, then this is fantastic, but check out some of our other recommendations if you’re working with something smaller.

2. Corsair Carbide 175R

The best budget PC case.

Corsair Carbide 175R specs:

Pros:

• Affordable price
• Great for cooling
• Lots of space

Cons:

• Boring design
• Design not HDD friendly

The most expensive PC cases will set you back an enormous amount, but you can get a pretty reliable piece of gear for a relatively low price. Building a custom gaming PC doesn’t necessarily have to cost you the moon, and many of the best cheap gaming PC builds will have been put together with this case in place.

While it could use a little extra space for HDDs, for the price you pay, this is a pretty fantastic piece of gear. There’s plenty of room for a 120mm AIO cooler, and its design doesn’t trap an enormous amount of heat, so even when you’re using it for something that pushes your PC to its processing limits, you needn’t worry too much about overheating.

It’s kind of a case of function over form in that it doesn’t look particularly exciting, but we also wouldn’t like to say that it’s ugly, per se. The slick black design with a small selection of customizable RGB lights looks absolutely fine, but it’s not as flashy as some of the other PC cases we’ve seen. Still, it’s a fantastic design with a small price tag, so we strongly recommend it if you’ve spent most of your budget elsewhere.

3. Cooler Master Cosmos C700M

The best high-end PC case.

Cooler Master Cosmos C700M specs:

Pros:

• Absolutely gorgeous
• RGB lighting options
• Excellent cable management

Cons:

• Expensive
• Too large for smaller set-ups

If money is no object to you, the Cooler Master Cosmos C700M is the case you’re going to want to get. Its curved glass side panel looks absolutely fantastic, and this is a rare example of a PC case that has RGB lights both inside and out. If you’ve got one of the best gaming motherboards, you’ll even be able to synchronize the lighting across them.

Its enormous size means that you can fit practically anything inside it. If you know how to overclock your CPU and GPU, you know that the extra space will be essential (though it is less convenient for anyone with a simpler setup). Heck, it even has space to install a DVD drive, which is going to be good news for anyone who wants to play their old physical games, or just wants to be able to watch their movie collection on their gaming PC.

Of course, this is a very expensive choice, so it’s not going to be for everyone – but let us reassure you, you get what you pay for. There are toolless drive slots, spaces for 5.25-inch bays, and the cable management on this thing is fantastic. The perfect PC case may not exist, but this thing comes pretty darn close.

4. Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P

The best mini ITX PC case.

Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P specs:

Pros:

• Great for smalls setups
• Reasonably priced

Cons:

• Design is bland
• For smaller setups only

We mentioned that a few of the previous models on this list are too big for smaller set-ups, but this one should be just right – baby bear style. Unexpectedly for a case of its size, the Cooler Master MasterBOX NR200P has pretty great airflow, especially if you choose one with a vented side panel, rather than a glass option.

While it may be small, that doesn’t mean that it’s not capable of holding some of the largest flagship graphics cards, and it supports GPUs of up to 330mm in length. Of course, it will be important to check the measurements of your components before buying one though, which is going to be less important for the other cases.

This case comes in both black, white, and pink, so you can choose one that’s going to be most appropriate for your space, you might choose one or the other based on aesthetics, but we recommend you get a white one if it’s in direct sunlight. It may not be the flashiest of the bunch (though it does have RGB lighting) but it looks nice enough and there’s a lot to love about this little bundle of joy.

5. Lian Li Lancool 205M

The best micro ATX PC case.

Lian Li Lancool specs:

Pros:

• Affordable pricing
• Glass side panel available

Cons:

• Limited orientation options
• Design a bit dull

One of these cases will help you to cut down the size of your PC without some of the sacrifices to airflow and PSU compatibility that you often get with smaller mini ITX variants. With a flashy glass side panel that allows you to show off any RGB components, plus a steel frame, this is a pretty impressive piece of work.

While it is advertised as having room for a 240mm AIO cooler, it’s actually pretty difficult to get one in there, so we would advise against it, which is pretty disappointing. All in all, it’s not bad for smaller setups, but you do need to be extremely conscious of measurements with this one, and keep in mind that you’ll have limited orientation options for certain components.

Nonetheless, it’s a decent price and a fantastic option for a Mini-ITX chassis. It’s also available in a few different colors, so, despite the slightly bland design, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting it to match with everything else in your gaming room.

6. Corsair 4000D Airflow Tempered Glass

The Corsair 400D Airflow Tempered Glass is the best airflow PC case and costs around $100 (£105).

Corsair 4000D Airflow Tempered Glass specs:

Pros:

• Offers amazing airflow
• Tempered glass side
• Affordable

Cons:

• Side panels hard to remove
• Has a few small spacing issues

Have you been burned (literally and figuratively) but a custom PC setup that didn’t have sufficient airflow? Well, if you want to be completely sure that you can avoid this happening again, we recommend going for this case. Its front panel is designed to take in as much air as possible, and it has room for three 120mm fans or even a 360mm AIO cooler.

Its biggest drawback comes from the fact that its side panels are quite difficult to remove. If you’re somebody who routinely adds new components to your gaming PC, this is going to get irritating fast. You might also struggle a bit when it comes to fitting things into the upper regions of the case, where spacing can get a bit tight.

We don’t want to end a negative though – this is a beautifully designed piece of hardware that is unrivaled when it comes to airflow. This option will not only look fantastic as part of your setup, but it’ll keep everything cool even when you’re playing the most processing-intensive of games.

7. Corsair iCUE 4000X RGB

The best RGB PC case.

Corsair iCUE 4000x RGB specs:

Pros:

• Beautiful RGB setup
• Not too loud

Cons:

• Airflow could be better

Do you have a stunning games room filled with a beautiful display of RGB lights? The Corsair iCUE 4000X RGB will be right at home. With the iCUE hub, you have complete control over its RGB displays, allowing you to synchronize it perfectly with any other devices, or components that are displayed behind its glass panel.

We should mention that a few users have reported that the glass panel shatters quite easily. We can’t say that we have experienced this ourselves, but it is something to be conscious of. As long as you are careful (as we suspect most gamers already are around their custom PCs) we don’t anticipate that this will be a problem.

Meanwhile, this case is not only a treat for the eyes but also a treat for the ears. Though it doesn’t keep things quite as quiet as our top choice on this list, it has to be said that this case is very good at keeping noise distractions to a minimum. While it could have been better designed to facilitate airflow, if you’ve got a few coolers, they’ll easily fit and then there’s almost nothing bad to say about this case.

How we chose the best PC case

We’ve listed the best PC cases in a range of prices, styles and sizes so you can find exactly what’s right for your needs and budget. To narrow down your choices, here’s what to consider:

• Pricing: Prices of the best PC cases vary enormously. While there are some options out there upwards of $500, cheaper ones like the Corsair iCUE 4000X RGB we have covered here are still excellent.
• RGB lights: Do you have lots of RGB lighting in your gaming setup? If so, you might want a case that matches. While you might pay fractionally more for lots of RGB lights, it’s a relatively inexpensive addition and every case on this list includes it in some way or another.
• Space: What size are the components that make up your custom gaming PC? Obviously, the answer to that question will be different for everyone, but make sure to check your measurements against the dimensions of each case.
• Airflow: A good PC case will have plenty of vents to ensure that it has good airflow and that the components can remain cool. We haven’t included anything with overtly bad airflow, but those with more vents are better than others, and those with fewer should be supplemented with a CPU cooler or AIO cooler.
• Noise: Do you use your PC to play new, high-end games that will push your processor to the max? If so, you might want to be conscious of your case’s sound insulation. You may need lots of fans to keep a CPU or GPU cool, but this may make a lot of noise, which in turn might ruin your experience of the game. Many of these have been designed specifically to stifle the noises made by a gaming PC in operation, and we recommend you choose one of those if you’re worried about noise.

Find out how we test hardware at PCGamesN so that we recommend products like the best PC cases.

Which PC case brand is best?

The answer to this question will depend on your taste and your needs, but anything from Corsair, Cooler Master, or Be Quiet in particular is going to be a notch above many of the cheaper, unknown brands.

Is a black or white PC case better?

In most cases, this is a matter of style. Which would look best in your room? However, if your gaming PC is going to be positioned in direct sunlight, then we recommend going for a white one so that it can reflect the light that shines onto it and reduce the risk of overheating.

Does PC case airflow matter?

Yes, absolutely. Especially if you are planning to push your gaming PC to the limit. While it might be the case that you can achieve a lot with CPU coolers, it’s always going to be better to go for a case that facilitates airflow as much as possible to reduce the risk of overheating as much as possible.

Which PC case has the best airflow?

We recommend the high-end PC case, the Corsair Carbine 175R, the second option on our list. Though every case on this list has good airflow, that one is the best that we’ve come across.

Will my components fit?

If you’re going for a smaller mini ITX case, be sure to check out the supported dimensions for larger components like the best graphics card or the best CPU cooler, as they won’t always fit. You’ll also need to check whether you’ll have to purchase an SFX power supply rather than the usual larger ATX power supply. In addition, these smaller cases can be a headache to build in depending on their design, although Cooler Master’s MasterBox NR200 is an exception to this problem thanks to its 360-degree dismantling granting you easy access to all areas.

For more on finding the right case and building the right setup, read our guide on how to manage cables. You might also be interested in reading our gaming PCs vs gaming laptops piece, for more information on getting the right setup for you. Having second thoughts about building your own? Our guides on the best mini gaming PC and the best gaming PC will give you some ready-made options to consider.