Spring Case Madness: 24 Of The Best

Conclusion:
With This Many Cases, Selecting The Winners Wasn't Easy

Our first Editors Choice award goes to the ATCS-Tek MRO-16 . We were impressed with the quality of design. This case strikes a good balance between form and function for an excellent investment. We liked the features that this case offers better than many of the others. Still, it was hard to ignore the other models from ATCS-Tek and Coolermaster, which are built on a similar platform; but the MRO-16 offers just that little extra that we were looking for.

Thermaltake's new Xaser III is our second Editors Choice award selection. This case is incredible and packs almost everything but the kitchen sink into one slick package. While we are not in love with the orange 80mm fans that Thermaltake uses (because they're orange), this case was the only case to receive a perfect score of "10" for cooling potential. It is amazing that you can get this many fans into a case! If you want the ultimate configuration, certainly Thermaltake has it covered with the Xaser III. Some might balk at the price of this case, but you should be able to find it for less than retail price if you do a little research on the Web and at various retail locations.

The third Editors Choice award goes to `new kid on the block' GMC with their new Noblesse SE . While the Noblesse SE isn't perfect in every aspect for everyone, it does offer a level of innovation that isn't found in other cases. The drive selector is almost like having three PCs in one box, which solves a problem that many of us have been seeking a solution for. The package offered by GMC with the Noblesse SE is excellent value for the money.

We also award honorable mention to the Compucase CI-6919BK , which is a great case that offers a solid value for the money. While the CI-6919BK does offer some of the fancy styling that some of the larger manufacturers' cases have, it is clearly a well-designed case that you would be very pleased with purchasing.

In addition, we give an honorable mention award to Chenbro for its PC61319 . The innovative front bezel styling of the PC61319 is unique. This case is a good looking case that is ideal for resellers who want to build systems that look good. The Chenbro has a nice design and it will be interesting to see how they build upon this in future cases.

Selecting a case is one of the most important product purchases that you can make. If you opt for one of the more exotic case models, it may outlast your computer build several times over (and may be with you longer than some of your romantic relationships).

Most importantly, we think the best is yet to come as case manufacturers find new ways to improve and innovate a product category that has not received as much attention as it should have in the past. That's good news for all consumers. This is just the beginning of what promises to be a very competitive, and interesting segment of the computing biz in the coming months.