Our search continues for the one performance-oriented case with the highest-quality fit, finish, features, and materials. A spate of recent arrivals extend our series out into three parts, so today we see if the second round can top the first.

If you missed part one of this three-part series, be sure to check out Best Of The Best, Part 1: Who Makes The Most Elite PC Case?
We began our search for the cream of the crop in ATX cases by first setting up some fairly stringent qualifying criteria. Any case over $180 could compete, but every case would be judged primarily on whether or not it was worth more than enclosures priced under that mark. After filtering out more ordinary offerings, we were to choose cases offering the highest construction and material quality. Then, after turning away even the most common high-end cases, we'd look at feature sets to help us determine a winner.
Because we're getting our hands on high-priced hardware, we'd need to briefly suspend our normal value-oriented analysis in favor of a more cost-based approach. But we still ended up receiving a few value-oriented parts. Stuck side panels and low-cost materials are no way to win in a round-up of premium kit.
In this part two of three, we compare a trio of cases that really are worth at least as much as our $180 entry point. They would have been a great way to wrap up our coverage. However, a handful of late entries give us enough hardware for a third feature; we'll all have to wait a little while longer to learn the ultimate winner of this face-off.
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| Dimensions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 22.4" (w/o feet) | 22.3" | 23.0" |
| Width | 11.2" | 9.7" | 9.4" |
| Depth | 22.8" (w/o handle) | 22.3" | 23.8" |
| Space Above Motherboard | 4.4" | 3.2" | 2.7" |
| Card Length | 20.2" | 18.1" | 14.5" |
| Weight | 23.8 Pounds | 23.3 Pounds | 29.7 Pounds |
| Cooling | |||
| Front Fans (alternatives) | None (2x 120 mm) | 2x 140 mm (None) | 2x 200 mm (2x 140, 3x 120 mm) |
| Rear Fans (alternatives) | None (1x 120 mm) | 1x 140 mm (1x 120 mm) | 1x 140 mm (1x 120 mm) |
| Top Fans (alternatives) | None (4x 120 mm) | None (3x 120, 2x 140 mm) | 1x 200 mm (2x 140, 3x 120 mm) |
| Left Side (alternatives) | None | None (None) | 1x 230 mm (9x 120 mm) |
| Right Side (alternatives) | None | None (None) | None (None) |
| Drive Bays | |||
| 5.25" External | 11 (4x mounts) | Three | Two |
| 3.5" External | None | None | One*** |
| 3.5" Internal | Two | Six | Eight |
| 2.5" Internal | Two | 4 + 6* | Eight* |
| Card Slots | Eight | Nine | Eight |
| Noise Dampening | |||
| Sides | None | None | None |
| Top | None | None | None |
| Front | None | None | None |
| *Shared on 3.5" tray **w/o Center Cage ***By 5.25" Adapter Tray | |||
- Another Look At Elite ATX Cases
- CaseLabs Merlin SM08
- Inside The Merlin SM08
- Building With The Merlin SM08
- Corsair Graphite 760T
- Inside The Graphite 760T
- Building With The Graphite 760T
- Thermaltake Urban T81
- Inside The Urban T81
- Building With The Urban T81
- How We Tested The Elite ATX Cases
- Heat, Noise and Heat Vs. Noise
- Which Case Offers The Best Features And Quality?
Create a new thread in the UK Article comments forum about this subject
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0 Hidejldevoy , 23 July 2014 02:35You rated 'elite' cases but didn't include silverstone?
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0 Hidemi1ez , 24 July 2014 04:54A bit half-arsed.
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0 HideDenis Stoikovski , 30 July 2014 20:17What about NZXT is it good?