How to choose a case for your PC

Build quality and assembly
Size is clearly important, but doesn’t give an indication of quality. There are plenty of large cheap cases available, but many will end up disappointing in the long term. When you pay more for a case, much of the budget is spent on design and build quality.

Cheaper cases tend to be built from a steel chassis with a plastic exterior, while pricier models generally use aluminium in their construction, at least for the exterior panels. Aluminium is not only tougher, better-looking and (when finished well) avoids sharp edges, but it can also act as a heatsink.

Open up a number of cases and you’ll also see their internal design and build quality can also greatly vary. Cooling is critical for a modern PC and better cases will have put some thought into airflow.

All cases should have fan mounts, but are they in optimal positions to draw cool air over key components and expel it out of the rear or top? Also remember for quiet cooling, you’ll want larger fans spinning slowly, so look for a case that can handle bigger fan sizes.

Messy cables can ruin good airflow (not to mention access), so better cases feature a cable-management system where unruly wires can be routed around edges.

Many of today’s top-end cases feature innovative layouts that separate the drives, board and power supply into distinct sections, each with their own optimal cooling. Do bear in mind, though, that everything still needs to be connected, so a distant drive may need longer than normal cabling.

Superior cases will also make the initial assembly as easy (and literally pain-free) as possible. This may seem like a luxury for an event that may only take place a handful of times in a case’s lifespan, but once you’ve struggled to squeeze parts into a badly designed case and cut your fingers on sharp edges in the process, you’ll wish you went for something better designed.

Removable motherboard trays allow you to easily install the main electronics before sliding the whole system into the case, while tool-less designs minimise the need for screwdrivers.

Accessories
In an attempt to differentiate cases and add value, many manufacturers include a number of accessories. The most common include front-mounted ports, case fans or power supplies, although more specialist models may offer removable drive trays for hot-swappable configurations.

Like accessories supplied with any other goods, these can greatly vary in quality. Superior models with price tags to match can come with decent accessories, but budget models often compromise. It’s hard to go wrong with front-mounted USB and Firewire ports, but we’d recommend buying a power supply separately, unless the case is a pricier model from a manufacturer that’s already well-respected in the power supply unit business.

If you’d like a really quiet PC, you’ll almost certainly have to replace any supplied fans, even on higher-end cases. As always, larger fans running slowly are the best bet, and for a wide selection of models, check out the Quiet PC store - we’ve heard good reports on Noctua’s case fans from several PCW readers.