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The Final Five: Mainstream Gaming Cases Rounded-Up

The Final Five: Mainstream Gaming Cases Rounded-Up
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Our 15-way shootout of cases priced between $80 and $120 ends as we compare the last five models to the previous ten, yielding an overall winner. Which chassis offers the best balance of quality, cooling, and noise reduction, and which is the best buy?

Mid-range gaming hardware is a favorite among Tom’s Hardware readers. So, we were not surprised last year when a poll revealed that a majority of responders wanted us to focus on the $80 to $120 range for our next round-up of cases. That's a super-dense field, involving more enclosures than one reviewer can tackle. We set a few reasonable ground rules, though, that helped reduce the number of submissions we received to a more manageable 15. As we prepare to test the last five entries, here are a few links to the coverage of the 10 models that came before.


Previous performance analysis revealed several award-worthy products, such as NZXT’s high-quality Phantom 410 and Cooler Master’s high-value Storm Enforcer. The big question today is whether any of the final five enclosures are better than the cases we've already tested. At the end of this piece, we'll compare all 15 submissions to determine one overall winner. But first we have to test the last quintet.

  Antec Solo II Corsair 400R In Win Buc MSI Ravager Raidmax Seiran
Dimensions
Height17.3"19.7"19.1"18.4"18.9"
Width8.1"9.3"8.6"8.1"8.0"
Depth18.9"21.3"20.2"19.7"19.7"
Space Above
Motherboard
0.6"1.3"0.7"1.3"0.8"
Card Length16.0"13.1"12.0"12.0" to 16.9"**^^11.7" to 16.6"
Weight20.5 Pounds16.8 Pounds16.6 Pounds15.7 Pounds13.0 Pounds
Cooling
Front Fans
(alternatives)
None
(2 x 120 mm)
2 x 120 mm
(None)
1 x 120 mm
(None)
1 x 120 mm
(2 x 120 mm)
1 x 120 mm
(None)
Rear Fans
(alternatives)
1 x 120 mm
(None)
1 x 120 mm
(1 x 140 mm)
1 x 120 mm
(None)
1 x 120 mm
(1 x 92 mm)
1 x 120 mm
(1 x 80 mm)
Top Fans
(alternatives)
None
(None)
None
(2 x 140/120 mm)
1 x 120 mm
(None)
None
(2 x 140/120 mm)
None
(None)
Left Side
(alternatives)
None
(None)
None
(2 x 140/120 mm)
None
(2 x 120 mm)
None
(2 x 140/120 mm)
1 x 180 mm
(1 x 120 mm)
Right Side
(alternatives)
None
(None)
None
(None)
None
(None)
None
(None)
None
(None)
Drive Bays
5.25" ExternalTwoFourThreeThreeNine
3.5" ExternalNoneNoneOneNone1x Adapter
3.5" InternalThreeSixFiveSix6x Adapter
2.5" InternalThree* +1Six* Five*Six*Seven*
Card SlotsSevenEightSevenSevenSeven
Price$90 (£80)
$89 (£78)
$95 (£70)
$80 (UK Pricing Not Available)
$80 (UK Pricing Not Available)
*Shared on 3.5" tray **Slots 1-5  ^^w/o Center Cage


Prices have dropped on several models since our series began. Because all of these cases had to be priced in the $80 to $120 range to qualify for this round-up, we're using the price floor in our comparison. However, we'll factor in the updated prices when it comes time to compare the value of each product in the 15-way evaluation.

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