My very first PC—a random IBM clone with an Intel 80286, I think—was housed in a chassis that every other desktop computer used at that time: a rattling, cavernous beige box. As manufacturing processes improved, the plastics became black in colour, and it's still the norm today.
What is surprising to me is how it's taken for other colours to take off. White cases have been around for a while, of course, but anything else has been slow to appear. Well, that was the case (if you pardon the pun) a couple of years ago, but thankfully, things are much better now.
This is especially true if you want to go all cosy and have yourself a perfectly pink PC. Case in point (sorry again): the Hyte Y70 in Strawberry Milk. It's such a great case that we've made it our top pink choice for the best PC case.
While it's not perfect in every aspect, the Y70 offers bags of space for today's hulking graphics cards, plus lots of ventilation for all the fans needed to keep said GPU cool. It's even better if you fit the optional Touch Infinite display panel upgrade, though it does cost as much as the case itself.
Eagle-eyed readers might notice that we've also dropped a category from our PC case buying guide, and it's the one for dual-chambered chassis. The reason it went is simple: an awful lot of the cases in our guide are dual-chambered, so it didn't make sense to single out one for a feature that's pretty common these days.
At this year's Computex event, it was clear that PC component and peripheral manufacturers were becoming ever bolder in their designs and feature sets to get one over the competition. It's something that's sadly absent in the CPU and GPU market, and will probably never change given the cost of chip designing, but at least all the other sectors have plenty of battles going on.
Pink might not be your favourite colour for a PC case, but it's proof that when there's strong competition for your wallet, companies will always churn out the stuff that you really want.
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 pink: Hyte Y70
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 gaming mice for every budget
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 setup and value.
The best budget compact
With a clean white aesthetic and a 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 airflow 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 pink
Bored with a traditional black or white chassis? Then add a little cheer to your life with a cosy pink PC case from Hyte. This Y70 not only looks pretty as heck, but it's also a fantastic chassis all-round, with bags of space inside for big hardware and lots of ventilation to cool it all down.
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, as 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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