We take some of the guesswork out of choosing the right chassis
When you’re trying to build a system, finding the best bargains can take a lot of research. You have to compare price and performance, as well as considering the economy of what you need now against what will be cheaper to buy in the future.
Few of us have an unlimited budget for building a PC, and when the time comes to start shaving the pounds off components, the case is probably the first place people look. After all, it’s not like it actively does anything, right?
But if that’s true, then what are all those expensive cases actually charging money for? Are they really selling themselves on their cosmetics, or can having a high-end case actually help your system’s performance?
For
There’s an argument that getting miserly when it comes to buying a case doesn’t make much sense, given how much you may have spent on computer hardware. After all, a good case – a really good one – might remain in use for decades to come. The obvious counter-argument is that so would a bad one, but then if you’re going to be stuck with the same case for a decade, shouldn’t it actually be a good one?
The benefits of a high-end case run through several different areas of your PC experience. For a start, a good case tends to have a lot of room inside. That means you’ll never find yourself running out of space for upgrades – something that’s a very real possibility with smaller and low-end cases. Furthermore, the extra space allows air to circulate and heat to dissipate, which feeds into the true benefit of high-end cases: they’re better at cooling.
Standard cases are little more than metal boxes, but premium and gaming cases tend to have built-in vents, more cooling mounts, better cable management features and less internal kibble, all of which feeds into keeping the air inside as fluid and low-temperature as possible. Low-temperature components have a longer lifespan and give better performance than those that are allowed to heat up, so your money doesn’t just get you more toys to notionally play with; it gets you genuinely better performance.
High-end cases are also designed with respect to users who like tinkering with their hardware as well. You won’t find tool-free fixtures and hot-swappable drive bays in just any case. If you’re the sort of person who cracks their PC open every couple of weeks to try out a new tweak or install some new hardware, a decent case is going to significantly reduce the amount of effort you expend on the tedious practicalities and let you get straight to the good stuff.
Even noise can be reduced. More expensive cases are more likely to be better-engineered, reducing the chance of components rattling, and they’re more likely to have noise-absorption features built in. Elsewhere, a dust-tray might allow you to clear out the fur that settles in every case without getting on your hands and knees with a washcloth. Internal edges will be smoothed off so you can’t slice your finger open on them. It’s details like this that make high-end cases worth considering for anyone familiar with their PCs internals.
And all of that doesn’t even touch on the things that gaming cases are most known for: their looks. If you want your system to have a truly impressive appearance, no £30 case is going to give that to you, no matter how attractive its price. If you want a system that looks as powerful as you’ve made it, you need a case that demands a proportionate amount of money.
But before you go out and spend your money, let’s also look at the other side of this answer…
Against
So here’s the thing: you don’t actually need a case at all. One of the best ways to keep your PC cool is to simply remove a side panel, giving air more than enough room to circulate. Many a kitbashing maverick on the internet has set up their PC to run inside a cardboard box, lunchbox or fridge. It’s not like there isn’t significant leeway when the time comes to enclose your PC in something. You might care what it goes in, but your PC certainly doesn’t.
For the most part, cases are just a convenient way to keep your PC components from getting tangled up with one another. After all, they have the right framework to support standard components, and the screw holes have already been drilled. Strictly speaking, the most useful function they perform is that they keep dust and debris away from your hardware, you away from some potentially shocking electrical incidents, and your delicate components away from heavy household items that could quite easily shatter them into dust.
But most of us don’t have the time or willpower to spend the start of every day cleaning the dust off our hardware, nor the daring required to run several hundred pounds of hardware in an unconventional setting, so the reality is that you probably do need a case of some kind. But once you’ve accepted that premise, what’s the difference between a cheap case and a REALLY good case?
In performance terms, maybe a degree or two. Unless you’re running your system on an overclocked knifeedge, your case isn’t going to be the difference between life and death for your system. Sure, cooler is always better when it comes to computer hardware, but in practical terms the small shift in temperature isn’t going to dramatically extend your components’ lifespans.
But even though there is some tiny performance gain to be had from a case, the reality is that most of what you get are features designed for convenience and ease of use. If you don’t take your PC to bits fairly often, then all the smooth edges and tool-free fittings aren’t going to matter.
Likewise, no amount of cosmetic value will improve your experience if you’re the only person who ever sees your system. There’s a reason high-end gaming cases are designed to look as impressive as possible, and it’s because they’re supposed to intimidate and impress those you play against at LAN parties and gaming events – something that isn’t a concern for the vast majority of users.
But the biggest difference between a high-end case and a low-end case is, of course, the money. And that’s something most high-end cases can’t ever justify to a user that’s on the fence. When you’re on a budget, turning pounds into performance is the most important thing, and cases are the worst way to do that.
Ploughing £100 into a case won’t reap the kind of improvements you could get by spending £100 on a faster processor, better graphics or bigger SSD. Cases are down there with PSUs and fans for providing the most marginal improvements for every extra pound you spend. And ultimately, that’s what keeps the high-end versions from being attractive to anyone other than the most enthusiastic system-builders.
So Which Is It?
As you can see, it heavily depends on what type of user you are and whether you have the money to spare. For the most part, cases that cost more than £50 to £70 are far beyond what most of us will benefit from.
That isn’t to say you should turn one down if it’s offered, but understand that high-end cases are the height of frivolity when it comes to upgrading a system. You may be okay with that, but if you are, you’re probably in the minority.