Cases

The Lian Li LanCool 207 is a great case that we recommend often. We use it on our Aurora pre-built, have used this case on many custom builds, and it is even the case used on our main shop computer. It's a great case that is very affordable and has many good features.

To start, the main novel gimmick of this case is the PSU is not in the standard place mounted in the rear basement of the case. Not even in the less common rear attic. No. Instead, this case moves the PSU to the front basement, and rotates it 90 degrees. The included C13 power cable extender is long and flexible enough to fit in many different power supplies. The 90 degree turn makes cable management more manageable on most power supplies, but specialty PSUs like the Corsair Shift series of PSUs will be at a disadvantage, as well as extra long PSUs simply will not fit. Depending on how long your stock CPU cables are, you may need an extender to make it fit. Which is a minor but necessary thing to check manually, as this is not a check that is included on resources such as PCPartPicker.

By moving the PSU to the front under the two 140mm infinity mirror ARGB fans, the main basement is left open for airflow. With two 120mm solid black fans mounted directly underneath a dedicated GPU, and mesh covered intake on the back and both sides, this has best-in-class air cooling for GPUs and still excellent cooling for the CPU, motherboard chipset, SSDs and RAM, and anything else installed. The case also supports one rear 120mm fan, and up to a 360mm top mounted radiator. The interior of the case is designed with extra channels for airflow all around, and it's built of solid materials and is very firm and sturdy. All of this cooling does come at a cost, as the case is a bigger dust magnet than most other similarly sized cases, requiring cleaning more frequently. But all that dust building up on the outside is not getting inside the case, so there's a silver lining.

All side panels in this case are tool-less and easy to remove. Which is important. The front, rear, and glass side are secured with snap-locks and can just be pulled right out. The basement side has 2 thumbscrews securing it on, and as long as you don't tighten them too much it would be relatively simple to remove this with no tools required. All of the mesh is integrated steel, which makes it very easy to wipe the dust off with a microfiber cloth in a matter of seconds. The only exception is the PSU dust filter; accessed by a convenient pull tab on the front of the case just below the Lian Li logo, this is a plastic mesh that slides out for easy cleaning.

One very small but very nice thing to have is the accessory kit included with this case. Lian Li includes a small plastic box with extras of every type of screw and standoff used in the case, radiator screws, extra cable ties and velcro straps for cable management, and extra rubber anti-vibration rings and snap-locks in case those pre-installed are lost or damaged. These are also color-cordinated, with white and silver bits for a white case and black and grey bits for the black version. In addition to those things, it also supports up to 2 3.5" or 2.5" SSDs or HDDs, has an included adjustable GPU sag bracket, a very sturdy tempered glass side panel, and four included fans. The two basement fans are plain black 120mm pressure optimized fans, and the front 2 are 140mm ARGB fans with an infinity mirror center. All of these fans use universal connectors, and come pre-routed and split so that both basement fans need just a single 4-pin PWM connector and both front fans need a 4-pin PWM connector and 1 3 pin 5050 ARGB connector. We are always a fan of universal solutions instead of proprietary adapters that need extra accessories or adapters to use.

For Front I/O, the Lian Li LanCool 207 has 2x USB Type-A 3.2, 1x USB Type-C 3.2, and a combo headphone jack for front I/O. There are no LEDs, either for power or for drive activity, so make of that what you will. A minor complaint is that there is no splitter cable included for the combo aux jack, which means anyone who doesn't have a headset with microphone will not be able to utilize it properly. All cables are standard and have plenty of length to connect to a variety of motherboards.

Overall, there are minor faults with this case as there are with any, but they are very minor. The case has great airflow, good quality included fans, looks nice, and has good cable management options. It is easy to work in and build in. The goods heavily outweigh the bad. And at a purchase price between $80-$90, we highly recommend the LanCool 207, and you can read all about the more technical specs or order your own on Amazon here. 

The NZXT H7 Flow (2024) is the newer version of the H7 Flow. There are significant improvements on this model versus the previous version of the H7 Flow, and it hits very good in the airflow and cable management department. NZXT has some questionable business practices, and we don't necessarily recommend them as a company, but this is aiming to be an unbias review of this product alone. And the newest version of this case is worth recommending, with a few caveats.

The H7 Flow is marketed as being airflow centric. They certainly mean that claim, with support for up to 10 fans, designed to encourage a positive pressure environment, with 3 120mm fans pre-installed in the front, though the front does support up to 3 140mm intake fans in front instead. This case supports 3 additional 120mm intake fans mounted to the bottom of the case, which directs fresh air directly at the GPU and helps keep it cool. We have a love-hate relationship with this layout. On the one hand, it looks really nice with fans installed, does a great job of improving the airflow, and provides fresh air to the GPU. On the other hand, it looks really bad with no fans installed, and is very difficult to adequately clean dust away. The three basement fans are basically required to make the case look good. But, unlike most conventional basement fan solutions, they are mounted directly onto a fresh air intake, with the entire bottom of the case open and available from the side to have nothing but a steel mesh panel for dust filtration. This means these fans get air as fresh as is available. This mounting also has small rubber anti-vibration pads included to keep the fans silent, which is a nice touch. The downside is that, being mounted directly to the frame as it is, it's a bit harder to clean the dust off. The bottom panel does not come off the case, so dust must be cleaned by turning the entire computer on it's side and cleaning it off with a dry soft cloth as best as you can, though it may not be possible to get all the dust off, especially in the corners. This problem is unique to the bottom intake, as the front panel, top panel, and even the rear panel are easily removable for better cleaning access.

The rear exhaust supports 1 fan, either 120mm or 140mm, and on top it can support 3 120mm fans or 2 140mm fans. Unfortunately, the 3 included F120Q fans are like most non-RGB NZXT fans; very quiet and sleek designed, but low quality in a PC fan. They move very little air, even at maximum speed, and do not have the fin shape to maintain pressure. In addition, the basement lacking stock fans sticks out like a sore thumb, as when no fans are mounted in the basement it completely ruins the aesthetic of the case and looks like a big cavity in the base. We recommend moving the 3 included fans to the basement, if you're going to be using them, as it will improve the overall look of the case. But if you are using hotter equipment that needs extra fans, replacing these entirely would be the recommended solution. The case itself gets very good airflow, especially when fully equipped with fans, so it's a shame that the included fans are low quality and a detriment to that cause. 

For liquid cooling, this case has support for to 2 radiators, up 360mm on top and up to 420mm on the front intake. In our testing, however, you cannot fit a 420mm front intake radiator and a 360mm top exhaust. Having both of these radiators at the same time will cause fitment issues, where they both need to occupy the same space on the front top of the case. It's possible that with a thin/shorter top 360mm radiator and front 420mm radiator, they might fit, it would be close, but we didn't have any luck with the parts we had on hand to test. Though a 360mm radiator on both front and top work fine. The bigger issue is that any top mounted radiators have fitment issues all their own. We tried with an Arctic Liquid Freezer, a Lian Li Gallahad, and even an NZXT Kraken. With any top radiator, including NZXT's own, it doesn't fit in quite right. We had to unscrew and remove the snap joints that attach the glass side panel, as they slightly overlap with where the radiator needs to be when screwed in. Then replace the snap joints, though they will only screw in about 75% of the way, so that the glass side panel doesn't sit flush anymore and it sticks out on the top just a little bit. It still works and seems to be attached securely, but it does slightly detract from the aesthetic of the case, in addition to being an unnecessary step to install a top radiator. Just to be sure this wasn't a one-off manufacturing defect, we bought a second H7 Flow; the first one was black, the second try was white, just to be sure. And yes, the fitment of any top radiator is a problem in this model every time we tested.

Behind the rear panel, cable management is great. With the power supply turned sideways, facilitating the 3 120mm basement fans, cables are routed in a slightly different way than normal. However, the basement and rear chamber is designed in a way to make this not a problem but a nice bonus. In the front end of the basement there's support for up to 2 2.5" drives installed, and above the power supply will fit 2 more, including 3.5" HDDs, on an easily removeable mounting bracket. Extra support brackets, velcro tie-downs, and mount points all around the rear panel means it will be possible to cable manage this case well, even if there's many drives with their own cables everywhere. Cable management is done VERY well and there are two main channels that can both comfortably fit a thick bundle of cables without any problems attaching the rear panel. The rearmost channel is designed for power supply cables, with plenty of room for custom cable extenders if you want a more colorful option. The front channel is designed more for the front IO cables and front fan cables.

The Front IO itself is the NZXT standard; power button with the LED ring around it, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Type-C, and the combo 3.5mm Aux port. All USB are high speed, with the two Type-A ports having individual flat cables that only meet on the connector to the motherboard. This makes a bit of an interesting time routing these cables, as it is very easy to get another cable between these, which will prevent it from lying flat. Still, all cables are of a sufficient length to have no problems connecting to any motherboard that supports them. The accessories included are adequate. Nothing groundbreaking but they do have everything you need and a few extra nice-to-haves.

Overall, we would recommend picking this up if you want a case with great airflow. The style is very nice, but only if you make sure there are exactly 3 120mm fans in the basement. Cable management is exceptional and it supports a larger variety of options than many other cases that look this nice. At a MSRP of $130, you could do much worse. You can read all about the more technical specs or order your own on Amazon here.  

The Okinos Cyprus 5 is a good case at a very affordable price. Okinos is a newer brand in the PC Gaming market, and this is the first Okinos product we have tried. At a price of just $60, we weren't sure how we would feel about this case and had a backup plan if it didn't work out. We used it with our Fireweed pre-built, and our main motivation was to get a case that fit the sub-$1000 budget while having some kind of wood accent for the theme of the case. After going through the options, the Cyprus 5 was the one that offered the best airflow and versatility. 

The very first thing noticed about the Cyprus 5 when pulling it out of the box was the size. It's a bit smaller in person than it appears in photographs, clocking in at the exact same height as a more traditional case like the NZXT H5 Flow or the Lian Li LanCool 207, it is slightly shallower and slightly thinner. It is also made of lighter materials and weighs less. With the side panels taken off it is a bit flimsy and wiggles a bit side-to-side.

The Cyprus 5 contains 4 pre-installed 120mm ARGB fans, 3 in the front and 1 in the rear, using the standardized 3-pin 5050 connector. All of the RGB is routed through a provided ARGB hub, that is wired up to a button on the front case. This lets the user cycle through about 20 different default RGB profiles. Unlike other cheaper options we've seen, it also has a motherboard connector, allowing the user to connect it to the motherboard and use whatever software they like to have even more control. This is an awesome touch that is pretty standard on more expensive options but is usually absent from budget line options. The fans themselves are only 3-pin addressable DC connectors. Not as good as PWM, but not bad per-se. The front 3 are connected in series with a 3-to-1 adapter while the rear fan's connector is on it's own. This would make it easy for the user to program different fan profiles for intake and exhaust if they so choose; another nice touch that is rarely seen in the budget market.

This case also has some other nice features usually not seen in the budget case market, such as a dedicated PSU basement with additional ventilation for mounting GPU fans. Though this ventilation is partially blocked, more or less depending on the PSU used, it's a nice touch. A separate dust filter for PSU air, front fan mounting options supporting a variety of configurations, velcro cable ties and dedicated cable management routes, and up to 1 3.5" drive and 3 2.5" drives. The front I/O is also surprisingly nice, with 2 USB 3.0 Type-A, one USB 3.2 Type-C, separate mic and headphone aux ports, and the previously mentioned dedicated LED button.

The biggest question is watercooling support. Officially, in both the paperwork for this case and the online listings, it lists no radiator support. Despite this, some stock photos show radiators and the GPU length limits include a separate measurement when using a radiator. In our test fitting, a 360mm rad fits nicely in the front. The top fits a 360mm but it's a very tight squeeze and you cannot secure it with all the screws, as some holes are blocked by the case frame, though a 240mm fits without issue. Additionally, unless it's a thin radiator it may block access to the top parts of the motherboard, especially the 12V CPU power. Despite not officially being supported, we wouldn't see a problem with using a front radiator, but wouldn't recommend using a top radiator in this case.

The single biggest complaint I have about this case, is the cheap construction. No big surprise, things like thinner metals or no slide-out tray for the PSU dust filter are to be expected. but the biggest one that is always irksome is breakaway PCIe slot covers. Any change to configuration to this case, or even just a mistaken check when measuring the GPU, can and will result in large holes in the back of the case. This is unsightly and lets in excess dust if not maintained as a positive pressure environment.

Still, questionable marketing and flaws aside, those kinds of things (or worse) are expected to be seen on a budget case. At a purchase price of just $60, if you are looking for a budget case you could get way worse than the Okinos, and you can read all about the more technical specs or order your own on Amazon here. 

The Thermaltake The Tower 300 is one of the best Mid-Sized showcase towers available. Available in 12 colors, Thermaltake offers more color variety than any other major manufacturer on the market. We used the Bumblebee (yellow) for our Toxic Deluge build, though everything but the color it is painted is the same for any The Tower 300 case. 

Starting with the most obvious, The Tower line of cases are vertically integrated, with the motherboard rotated 90 degrees and facing straight ahead, and the "rear I/O" is actually found at the top of the case. This departure from the norms keeps this case series novel and identifiable. Though the orientation means setting up the computer once it is build is a bit more difficult. On The Tower 300, the top has a dust filter and cover that pops off with a simple retaining clip; simply push in until it "clicks" at the two arrows and the top cover pops off, giving you access to the rear I/O. From there, all cables (including mouse & keyboard, speakers, monitors, or anything else) gets routed through two small pass-through channels and plugged in. This pass-through method does require the cables make an almost 90 degree turn to plug in, so it's difficult with thicker or stiffer cables, and in the long term may put unnecessary strain on both the cables and the ports.

For Front I/O, this is actually a great options with 2x USB Type-A, 1x USB Type-C, separate mic and speaker aux ports, and both power and reset buttons. There are also separate, dedicated lights for both power and hard drive activity, all of which is exactly the same as The Tower 100. This front I/O is on the top center of the unit, so it is neither good nor bad for any setup, in terms of accessibility and cable reach. 

Inside the case, the power supply is located in the center of the basement. This basement is somewhat tight, so a modular power supply is recommended. This location means that power supplies with shorter included cables (especially the CPU power cable) may not fit without extensions, while cable extensions may not fit easily (or at all) in general due to the cramped space. The ability to remove multiple bottom panels to give room to work in the basement isn't just nice, it's necessary, as it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to properly manage power cables without it. As far as cable management goes, despite the tight working space, there are multiple routes for cable management and many tie-down spots along them all, which relieves some stress on the need for appropriate length cables as they can be routed along shorter or longer paths as necessary.

The extra cable management options carries over to the rest of the case, as well. This case, in a very uncommon move for mATX focused cases, supports not just an AIO up to 360mm but even one up to 420mm! With support for a 420mm AIO (a tight fit) on the right and a GPU up to 400mm if it extends into the basement, there may be cables running left right and center. Cooling is excellent, with The Tower cases designed for vertical, rather than horizontal, airflow. Air intake is the basement all around the PSU, drawn up through the case, and exhausted out the top and/or the rear. This cooling solution works surprisingly well, somewhat better than similarly sized horizontal cases in our testing. This case supports up to 2 top exhaust fans, up to 2 rear exhaust fans, and one center mounted "airflow" fan, that mounts on top of the basement. This last fan is somewhat awkward and blocks access to some motherboard ports. Possibly more importantly in a showcase like this, it looks awkward and cumbersome. Unlike The Tower 100, in our testing, there was minimal if any difference using it, so we wouldn't recommend installing this last fan.

This case supports both ITX and mATX, but not full sized ATX. Despite its size being nearly the same size as a full sized case, much of that space is dedicated to the view. With 3 tool-less glass panels to remove which cover around half of the case, it sure is a beautiful one!  The GPU is mounted on the left side, sitting very close to a dedicated filtered air intake all its own. The right side is meant for an AIO exhausting all the CPU heat away. Combined in the way that it is, it spreads all the cooling out and around the motherboard, giving an unrestricted view to the main build itself. This case was meant to show off a beautiful combination of motherboard, RAM, SSD, and whatever else is visible when mounted, so don't skimp out on their aesthetic options. But all of these consideration for style come at a cost; it's hard to build in this case, and your cable management must be top notch or else it will be very obvious immediately and ruin the look of this build.

Still, despite being difficult to build in, and inconvenient access to the I/O, once the build is done and setup it looks great, and shouldn't need to be changed in any way, anytime soon. The temporary trouble for a great end result, at a MSRP of $170 we may not recommend this case, but it often (always?) is on sale for $150 or less, which makes this case is still a good buy for someone looking for a unique mATX build, if they're willing to struggle through the assembly. You can read all about the more technical specs or order your own on Amazon here. 

This review was written in tandem with our review of The Tower 100, and will share many similarities.

The Thermaltake The Tower 100 is one of the best Micro-Sized showcase towers available. Available in 8 colors, Thermaltake offers more color variety than any other major manufacturer on the market. We used the Racing Green for our Mint Chocolate Chip build (now sold out), though everything but the color it is painted is the same for any The Tower 300 case. 

Starting with the most obvious, The Tower line of cases are vertically integrated, with the motherboard rotated 90 degrees and facing straight ahead, and the "rear I/O" is actually found at the top of the case. This departure from the norms keeps this case series novel and identifiable. Though the orientation means setting up the computer once it is build is a bit more difficult. On The Tower 100, the top has a dust filter and cover that is held down by 5 screws. This means, in order to access to the rear I/O, for anything from mouse & keyboard to your monitor, you have to break out the screwdriver. You could leave the top unscrewed for easier access, but then it's not secured in any way and may just fall off and hang on whatever cables are plugged in. All cables get routed through two small pass-through channels and plugged in. This pass-through method does require the cables make an almost 90 degree turn to plug in, so it's difficult with thicker or stiffer cables, and in the long term may put unnecessary strain on both the cables and the ports. 

For Front I/O, this is actually a great options with 2x USB Type-A, 1x USB Type-C, separate mic and speaker aux ports, and both power and reset buttons. There are also separate, dedicated lights for both power and hard drive activity, all of which is exactly the same as The Tower 300. This front I/O is on the top left of the unit, so it would be great to be on the right side of your setup, which is the more common orientation.

Inside the case, the power supply is located in the center of the basement. This basement is extremely tight, so a modular power supply is highly recommended. This location means that power supplies with shorter included cables (especially the CPU power cable) may not fit without extensions, while cable extensions may not fit easily (or at all) in general due to the cramped space. Additionally, larger power supplies may not fit at all. The ability to remove multiple bottom panels to give room to work in the basement isn't just nice, it's necessary, as it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to properly manage power cables without it. As far as cable management goes, despite the tight working space, there are multiple routes for cable management and many tie-down spots along them all, which relieves some stress on the need for appropriate length cables as they can be routed along shorter or longer paths as necessary.

The extra cable management options carries over to the rest of the case, as well. With support for a GPU up to 330mm if it extends into the basement, there may be cables running left right and center. CPU cooling only supports a 120mm top mounted AIO. Unfortunately we never recommend 120mm AIOs because they are less efficient and effective than a comparably priced air cooler, which is all we would recommend in this case. Cooling is excellent, with The Tower cases designed for vertical, rather than horizontal, airflow. Air intake is the basement all around the PSU, drawn up through the case, and exhausted out the top and/or the rear. This cooling solution works surprisingly well, somewhat better than similarly sized horizontal cases in our testing. This case supports 1 top exhaust fan, 1 rear exhaust fan, and one center mounted "airflow" fan, that mounts on top of the basement. This last fan is somewhat awkward and blocks access to some motherboard ports. Possibly more importantly in a showcase like this, it looks awkward and cumbersome. Unfortunately, unlike The Tower 300, in our testing, there was significant difference to the cooling potential using it, so we would recommend installing this last fan unless you do not need the extra airflow over your CPU cooler.

This case supports only ITX motherboards. Despite its size being nearly the same size as a mid sized case, much of that space is dedicated to the view. With 3 pseudo tool-less glass panels to remove which cover around half of the case, it sure is a beautiful one!  The GPU is mounted on the left side, sitting very close to a half-and-half dedicated filtered air intake and glass side panel all its own. The right side is mirrored, half filtered and half glass view. Combined in the way that it is, it gives a half fishtank feel to this case, giving an unrestricted view to the main build itself. This case was meant to show off a beautiful combination of motherboard, RAM, SSD, CPU cooler, and whatever else is visible when mounted, so don't skimp out on their aesthetic options. But all of these consideration for style come at a cost; it's very hard to build in this case, and your cable management must be top notch or else it will be very obvious immediately and ruin the look of this build. As an added bonus, the side panels and the front panel are all the same physical dimensions, so while not "officially" supported, you can move the panels around how you want to get the best view for your build. It is 100% possible to mount the all glass panel directly in front of the GPU if so desired to change the view to focus on that instead, for example. (Though we wouldn't recommend it, as that limits the fresh air the GPU gets.)

Still, despite being difficult to build in, and difficult access to the I/O, once the build is done and setup it looks great, and shouldn't need to be changed in any way, anytime soon. The temporary trouble for a great end result, at a MSRP of $120, we wouldn't really recommend it if not for the style, but it is often on sale for $100 or less, which means this case is still a good buy for someone looking for a unique ITX build, if they're willing to struggle through the assembly. You can read all about the more technical specs or order your own on Amazon here.  

This review was written in tandem with our review of The Tower 100, and will share many similarities.