TOP 5 affordable gaming PC cases

Thanks to the combination of high-quality materials, interesting design and a bargain price, Aerocool cases have become a kind of analogue of Xiaomi in the gaming world. The trick of the company's engineers lies in thoughtful unification, which allows you to use similar frame schemes, changing only the front panel and small details. And once you have saved on development, then you can set the price lower.

The hero of this review Aerocool Bolt is a fairly light and compact Mid Tower format case. According to the specification listed on the manufacturer's website, its dimensions are 444x194x410 mm, and its weight is 3.4 kg. One of the walls is made of transparent acrylic, and the other is steel with a protrusion of 1 cm for laying cables. You can't find fault with the assembly part: everything is neatly fitted, there are no cracks, no burrs, or other manufacturing defects. The metal, though not too thick, is strong. Accidentally bending it or leaving a dent will be difficult.

Bolt's design is interesting, it looks clearly more expensive than it actually costs. The front acrylic panel is visually divided into 2 asymmetric halves: the right glossy, the left with a carbon fibre texture. Between them, a rather large cutout stretches along the entire panel for air access to the fans, if they are installed in the front of the case. This decor looks great when the computer is turned on and the RGB ribbon stretched along the neckline lights up. Another question is how practical it is — the gap is such that more than one fly will fly into it, and perhaps even a kitten will crawl through. Plus, there is no dust filter in the front, so in the summer, fluff from the street can be banal in the crack.

The interior is made on the principle of assembled quickly and forgot. At the back of the case, there is a place for a 120 mm fan (fan included) and seven holes for expansion boards. The compartment for the power supply is located at the bottom, there is also a metal mesh from dust. I liked pcs more about the Aerocool Bolt device:a convenient separate pocket for SSD drives and the ability to place 8 coolers inside to cool top-end components.

Aerocool's Shard is a small work of art in the genre of suprematism, which looks much more expensive than its real price. The front panel of the case is acrylic, it consists of three triangular volume parts divided diagonally by an insert made of transparent plastic, under which the LED strip is hidden. The left side panel is also made of transparent acrylic and opens up a view of the computer's hardware. In general, in terms of design, Shard seems to be an extremely versatile option that skillfully combines monochrome minimalism with the outrageousness of typical gaming cases.

The RGB backlight, which stretches along the front panel of the case, can work in 13 modes: seven monochrome (red, green, blue, yellow, white, purple and blue) and six preset programs: a long colour-changing wave, a wave with a set of pale colours, an RGB wave and "rain" modes (you can choose direction, either from bottom to top, or vice versa) and "breathing". The system remembers the last selected backlight mode and reproduces it when the PC is turned on. It's just a pity that there is no full-fledged backlight synchronization like Asus Aura Sync, so that the case and the filling shine in time.

Aerocool Shard is made in the Midi Tower form factor, its interior space is divided by an L-shaped lid. A standard slot for the power supply unit and a pocket for drives have settled under it, in which you can put two 3.5-inch and two 2.5-inch devices. The case supports ATX, Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX motherboards, as well as graphics adapters up to 355 mm long. In other words, almost any gaming hardware will calmly get up here, and there will still be room for a stash. For cooling, there are 8 seats for coolers. It is also possible to install liquid cooling with a 240 mm radiator. Dust filters inside the case are competently scattered around the perimeter and can be easily removed for cleaning. Well, the most important thing is that during the assembly of Aerocool Shard did not present any unpleasant surprises.

Considering all this, plus the quality of materials, plus an interesting design, plus a very attractive price tag of $ 40, it becomes clear why Shard is in the top sales.

The Starlight case from Gamemax is designed to attract attention. Its front transparent wall opens up a view of 3 massive backlit coolers, which, when turned on, resemble either the engine of a spaceship, or the eyes of a hypnotist from the animated series Futurama. If you need a memorable flashy design, then it will be extremely difficult to find something more provocative for this money.

StarLight is made of standard 0.5 mm thick metal for this class. One of the walls is glass, which opens an overview of the inside of the PC. On the front part, the place of honor was taken by large and quiet fans with backlight, which set the tone for the entire appearance of the case. The backlight, though not RGB, looks spectacular. The only inconvenient thing is that it does not turn off. On the top cover there is a navigation panel, which, in addition to the standard power buttons, USB ports and headphone outputs, is equipped with a speed controller for coolers. Most of the upper panel is occupied by a large grate with a dust filter to remove excess heat from the housing.

The case belongs to the universal Midi Tower form factor, which allows the installation of ATX, Micro-ATX and mini-ITX motherboards. Inside, all ventilation units are protected by dust filters. The maximum height of the processor is 170 mm. The maximum length of the graphics card is at the level of 360 mm. That is, virtually any popular model will fit. There are 4 standard storage compartments and the possibility of installing water cooling. The power supply is installed from the bottom. In general, the internal device is quite ordinary, but thoughtful, it's easier to assemble a computer here. A slight inconvenience is caused only by the proximity of the power supply compartment and one of the HDD pockets. First you need to fasten the hard drive, and only then put the power supply, otherwise you will not get close to the first one.

Zalman S3, as you can guess from the name, is part of the "Z" line, which over the past couple of years has proven itself well due to a good price, quality and functionality ratio. It is interesting because it is one of the few modern gaming cases that do not have RGB backlight.

In terms of design, S3 is the complete opposite of gaming electronics. Nothing glows, does not stick out in different directions and does not shimmer in the sun with several colours. Instead of flashy colours, there is a solid black colour, instead of decorative patterns and large logos, a minimalistic front panel made of polished metal. The gaming nature of the case is hinted at only by the transparent side wall, which opens a view of the interior of the computer. Sometimes the thought creeps in that the S3 was designed by a prim English lord who thought that the case could easily fit into any interior.

The build quality and thoughtfulness of the internal device deserve a solid five. The black-painted metal looks expensive and strong, nothing plays and does not hang out, there is a large cutout for an air intake with a dust filter on top. The housing provides the lower location of the power supply, so models with short wires may not be suitable. The maximum allowable length of the video card is 330 mm, and the height of the processor cooler should not exceed 156 mm, that is, there is enough stock for a powerful modern graphics card and a fairly large cooler. The ventilation system has 8 seats: 3 on the front panel, 1 on the back, 2 from the bottom and 2 from the top, and from the unusual, you can immediately note 4 compartments of the 2.5 format. You can only scold the heap arrangement of the cooler mounts here. If you put ordinary 25 mm coolers facing the front cover, then the distance between them and the wall will be only 1 cm. And they will have to suck in air through a tiny crack.

In general, the system unit is designed to create a sufficiently powerful gaming PC and is not suitable only for ultra-powerful overclocker assemblies. But the matter is not limited to games alone, such a model will surely appeal to designers, animators, graphics specialists and anyone who wants to pack powerful hardware in a strict and stylish box. There are not so many such universal options on the market, and I don't really want to pack hardware for 3K dollars in a simple office building.

The exterior of the Thermaltake Versa N27 is dominated by smooth lines and glossy surfaces. In the centre along the entire body runs a small gutter, which continues from above with a lid. According to the logic of the manufacturer, an RGB tape will run along the gutter. The front panel and the side "viewing window" are made of translucent plastic and plexiglass, everything else is made of metal 0.5 mm thick. Despite the standard materials for this price, the Versa N27 for some reason looks much more expensive than it actually costs. He seems both strict and brutal at the same time. Probably, it's all about the quality of materials and an interesting design with an abundance of gloss. However, there is also a small minus, since gloss instantly collects fingerprints and dust.

The internal layout is slightly different from other cases up to $100. The power supply is located at the bottom, just above there are 7 expansion slots and a pre-installed 120 mm blow-out fan. At the bottom of the case there is a vent for the power supply. There are at least five seats for fans in total. Some of them can be used for the installation of radiators SOZHO. On the top of the I/O panel there are two USB ports of the second generation, one USB of the third version, headphone jacks and a microphone. The ports are closed with rubber plugs, which on the one hand adds practicality to the case, and on the other hand promises inconvenience if the case is installed in the recess of a computer desk. It is not very convenient to search for a port blindly, while simultaneously struggling with a rubber plug.

It is also unusual that there are 4 compartments for ordinary HDD here at once, and only one for SSD. Other 2.5 slots are located in special pockets behind the motherboard tray and on the power supply casing. Therefore, when installing several SSDs, it may happen that one of them will partially block the output for the graphics card, limiting its maximum length to 250 mm. If additional pockets are not needed, then almost any modern vidyakha up to 360 mm long will easily become a case.