I've never really been the biggest case guy. With upkeep around PCs (both upgrades and general cleaning), I've always found myself in favour of something tidy and easy to hide away, rather than something to show off. That's until I had the realisation it's not quite an either-or situation back in May. Now, months later, the Thermaltake S100 TG Snow Edition takes its rightful spot as the best budget compact PC case, and boy, does it make a good argument for building that all-white build that's been on my mind ever since.
The S100 TG is what Thermaltake calls a 'micro case', which is to say it can fit Micro-ATX motherboards and smaller. You won't get all the trappings of a full tower here, but you get a smaller size in return. Despite this, it's quite a capacious case, with room for a 160 mm PSU and 330 mm GPU. In a real-life test, our Jacob found that it could house a Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Eagle OC Ice SFF, but not an XFX Swift RX 9070 XT.
The tempered glass side panel is on just a few hinges, which means you can move it aside super easily, and the white of the case looks striking. Thanks to black highlights on the side, fan, and hinges, we found that it can house black GPUs and internal components without looking a little off. This is great, as you don't have to pay the extra price that many white internals will cost you.
There's a reason this isn't our new best budget pick (even though it's very cheap), and it's not just the limited cable management. The size and compatibility make it a tad niche, the one fan that comes with the case isn't really enough for a decent rig, and the expansion slot covers can't be replaced. This means if you need three slots now, and swap to a two-slot GPU, you will just have a hole in the back of your rig.
Our current budget pick, the Phanteks Eclipse G400A, has support for up to 280 mm E-ATX motherboards. It also includes some superb fans throughout. They are two different cases for two different types of people, and knocking one off for the other wouldn't feel right.
Should you be on the lookout for a compact case, though, and on a bit of a budget, the S100 TG Snow Edition will give you that, and a lovely look. I've been looking to build something new for my partner for a while now, and that look and price are mighty tempting.
The quick list
1. Best overall: Havn HS 420
2. Best budget: Phanteks G400A
3. Best midrange: Hyte Y40
4. Best budget compact: Thermaltake S100 TG Snow Edition
5. Best high-end: NZXT H9 Flow RGB+
6. Best Mini-ITX: Fractal Design Terra
7. Best Micro-ATX: NZXT H3 Flow
8. Best full-tower: NZXT H7 Flow
9. Best dual-chamber: Hyte Y70 Touch Infinite
10. Best fish tank: Lian Li O11 Vision Compact
11. Best looking: Phanteks Evolv X2
12. Best for beginners: Be Quiet! Shadow Base 800 FX
The best PC cases
The best overall
Every inch of the Havn HS 420 has been planned out and optimised for easy building or devilish style. With heaps of options for mounting fans and radiators, it delivers ease, style, and efficiency.
The best budget
The Phanteks G400A is a good-looking mid-tower that comes with four (count 'em) 140 mm RGB fans. These make for a great value proposition once you factor in fan costs on the rest of these cases.
The best midrange
This fishbowl-style case certainly looks the part of a high-end design, though it doesn't have the price tag of one. It's a popular case among system builders for its blend of rogueish good looks, simple set-up and value.
The best budget compact
With a clean white aesthetic and very affordable price tag, this little compact case is a wonder. It's also more roomy than you might think for a Micro-ATX/Mini-ITX case.
The best high-end
This is NZXT's absolute best offering, and while it's not cheap, it comes with all you might want from a luxury chassis. It's a fishbowl design case with tons of room, fans aplenty, and lots of options for cable management.
The best Mini-ITX
When you want to stuff a functioning gaming PC into a space no bigger than a shoebox, look to Fractal Design's Terra. It's bewilderingly easy to build into considering its small stature.
The best Micro-ATX
This case is ideal for those who don't want to fiddle around with an absolutely tiny and finicky chassis, but equally still want a pretty compact build. It features some great air flow upgrades over previous line-ups thanks to lots of ventilation, and it comes in at a very reasonable price, too.
The best full-tower
The 2024 edition of NZXT's H7 Flow is all the full tower PC case you could ever want, yet for all its cavernous interior space, it's not a hulking monster either. If you're looking for the ultimate in cooling potential, the H7 Flow is hard to beat.
The best dual-chamber
Do you need a screen on your PC case? No, but we have to admit we rather like how it looks. You can set all sorts of stats to go up on there, or just a gallery of pet pics. Oh, and the case beneath the screen is excellent, too.
The best fish tank
With stunning looks, incredible versatility, and potent cooling potential, the Lian Li O11 Vision Compact is far cheaper than you expect it to be. If you want to show off your parts with plenty of glass panels, this is the case to go for.
The best looking
This case lets you build the sci-fi computer you've always wanted. The floating effect on offer with the GPU sure helps, at an added extra, but even out of the box, this case is a neon dream.
The best for beginners
For taking the hassle out of your first PC build, pick the Shadow Base 800 FX. Even our seasoned pros appreciate its simplicity. With four 140 mm fans and great looks, it's a beginner's dream.
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