QOTW: Who makes the best PC chassis?

[Gh0sty]

Had a Silverstone case for many years have changed the internals a few times but never needed to change the case. It does everything I need and more.

[Rad77]

Still using my beloved ten year old Lian Li PC-7B.

No issues with the anodised finish, it still looks like new. Not sure how many builds I have put in this case, at least four. And those seemingly fragile side panels have managed to withstand years of accidental knocks and kicks without denting.

Only mod that I have done is to put a strip of black tape around the concealed edges of the side panels, to prevent any vibration. I keep thinking about converting the top blowhole from 80mm to 120mm but have yet to pluck up the courage.

I recently did a budget build for someone else and used a Phanteks Eclipse P300 which I found very impressive for the price. I had ordered a second fan for the front but it ran for a week through the recent heatwave with just the rear fan in place and coped just fine with an i3 under gaming load all day long.

[Tunnah]

Been using Lian-Li since forever, would be weird going with any other. I'm a big fan of the "more is better" school of case design, plus have a penchant for a butt-ton of HDDs, so Lian-Li always gets the job done.

[Muaadib]

I have a soft spot for Coolermaster ever since i got the first Storm Scout, 9 years later and the thing is still as solid as the day i bought it.

[snowsurfer]

For me Fractal Design definitely.

[Dashers]

Nobody.

Nobody makes good cases these days. There are a lot of gimmicky cases, but genuinely good cases are thin on the ground. They're all compromises. It doesn't help with the gamer focus, with cases becoming more about picture frames for LEDs rather than a functional box for cooling and reducing noise.

CaseLabs look like a contender, but they're US based without any reasonable channels in the UK.

Lian Li have had some great looking cases, but the cost and soft aluminium is concerning. I've got a drive bay adapter and first fit it got property scratched up.

[Wolfclaw]

Fractal get my vote.

[Mr_Jon]

Nobody.

Nobody makes good cases these days. There are a lot of gimmicky cases, but genuinely good cases are thin on the ground. They're all compromises. It doesn't help with the gamer focus, with cases becoming more about picture frames for LEDs rather than a functional box for cooling and reducing noise.

Amen to that. All I want a case to do is cool my components with dust-free air, via sensible fan placement (heat rises!) and easily cleaned filters, and also not to put my hardware at risk - which is pretty tricky now as the vast majority of cases have the mobo upright, meaning there's a heavy graphics card and cpu cooler swinging away on there. If there were rotated 90 degrees, so the gpu is mounted vertically, that'd be a start.

[Ttaskmaster]

Corsair used to be my favourite, but their aesthetics have gone really screwy lately.
BeQuiet cases suck, as they're a compromise on too many points.

The best for building in is currently Phanteks, so you just need to find one with aesthetics that match. I personally enjoy the Luxe.
Phanteks also have loads of room for modding, which is where the RGB ought to come in rather than being specifically designed in.

CaseLabs look like a contender, but they're US based without any reasonable channels in the UK.

Out of the running, I'm afraid. They've declared bankruptcy, following difficulties over trade taxes and a massive default from one of their larger customers.

[Dashers]

Mr_Jon, there are a few cases that come with supporting braces for graphics cards. Take a look at Cooler Master I think.

I've got backplates on my EVGA cards, but even then they sag a bit and the fans can crash with the card in the next slot if not installed very carefully.

[peterb]

Trouble with this question is that its too open ended.

Best ATX, ATXm, ITX?

Desktop, tower, mini-tower, rack?

2U, 4U?

Server or consumer?

Price range?

Critera? (value for money, outright cost, appearance (sooo subjective) )

So many possibilities and no one manufacturer will make the best for all those options.

[Mr_Jon]

Mr_Jon, there are a few cases that come with supporting braces for graphics cards. Take a look at Cooler Master I think.

I've got backplates on my EVGA cards, but even then they sag a bit and the fans can crash with the card in the next slot if not installed very carefully.

I have a daisy chain of cable-ties supporting the card, looped conveniently over the heatpipes and up to the 5.25" drive bays.

[Xyphus]

I've had cases from Thermaltake, Cooler Master, and even some generics. But I guess my favorite would be Corsair. I love my 750D. Plenty of room, great cooling ability, cable management is a breeze, and it looks really nice in a dark room with the high-airflow front bezel with some white LED fans in there...

[madmaca]

I've been impressed with NZXT, Corsair and Thermaltake recently. I've currently got a Thermaltake Core P3, and the build quality and features are excellent!

[Shane74]

The one that is about to shut down!
Caselabs