TOP 5 affordable gaming PC cases

Taiwanese manufacturer MSI has recently been trying to open new doors to the video game market by adding gaming monitors and specialized peripherals to the usual video cards and motherboards. At the end of 2019, the company announced the creation of a division that will design gaming cases. One of their first creations was the MSI MAG Forge 100M case, which, according to the manufacturer's idea, symbolizes the forge where the weapons of champions are forged.

The MAG Forge 100M is a smartly designed Midi Tower Chassis with MSI's lighting system, side viewing windows and the ability to install a full liquid cooling system. Its design combines restraint and aggression at the same time. This was achieved by combining clean lines and traditional black with chopped decorative inserts and RGB lighting. The chassis has a 2-section design, where the bottom tier is dedicated to the power supply and drive pockets, and the rest of the system can be installed on top: an ATX motherboard (approx: or smaller), a powerful processor with a tower up to 160 mm high and a video card up to 330 mm. And between the tiers is a dust filter. There are also 7 additional expansion slots available inside.

However, few people will be surprised now with high-quality materials, lighting and sensible layout, so MSI focused on the cooling system. Inside the case, 3 fans are already installed to cool the hottest components of the system. One cooler is hidden on the top of the back wall, the other two are located right behind the front door. For the most part of the perimeter, it is covered with a mesh with an anti-dust coating, through which hot air is ejected. Plus, the fan blades are covered with LED strips, which can create a variety of color special effects when the blades spin.

Gamemax Aero is a popular Midi Tower computer case, which is positioned by the manufacturer as an inexpensive option for building a gaming PC. It can fit almost any ATX motherboard, a video card up to 340 mm long, a 170 mm high tower cooler and a full liquid cooling system. Like all cases of this level, it is equipped with dust filters and removable baskets for drives, it has an inspection door on the side, and the existing fans are equipped with addressable lighting.

In 2021, the market is literally littered with similar looking gaming PC cases with a side viewing window, bottom power supply, hidden wire routing, and oversized RGB coolers on the front door. So why is Gamemax Aero better and what is the reason for its popularity? Firstly, it has an excellent balance between the final price, quality of materials and functionality. Secondly, it looks solid. Most computer cases for 60 - 70 dollars look either too modest, or, on the contrary, too pretentious and pretentious. In contrast, the neat black and white Gamemax Aero looks more like a premium model from Fractal Design and Be Quiet! And a pair of 200mm addressable turntables add a twist to the Gamemax Aero's look. It is a pity that there are not so many interesting lighting effects here, but the simplest effects like a rainbow look best.

Thirdly, the case turned out to be comfortable. Unnecessary expansion slots can be removed to free up space, drive pockets can also be swapped or removed. And in addition to the front door with a dust filter, there is a second door on the side, where the viewing window is located. Well, the trinity of fans already installed in the case is a good bonus to the overall set. Well, the last. In addition to the case itself, its owner will find in the box a hub with a controller for connecting addressable lighting and a remote control for controlling it. A trifle, but nice. At the same time, there are also disadvantages: for example, the HDD pockets are not very well located, the steel is rather thin here, and the layout has been seen better. But against the background of the price and all the advantages of this case, you don’t really want to find fault with such trifles.

There is a feeling that in recent years the production of gaming cases has come to some general standards both in terms of design and internal layout, so many mid-range cases are ready to completely free the user when it comes to assembly. Zalman N4 is fully consistent with this thesis. Inside the case, you can place a full-size motherboard (ATX and less), a CPU with a massive tower cooler (maximum height 163 mm) and a full-size video card up to 315 mm long. The power supply is traditionally hidden in the lower compartment next to the additional expansion slots.

The highlight of the case is its cooling. Almost the entire front door of the case is covered with a mesh through which hot air is ejected from the case. To do this, 6 fans are already installed inside the case - 3 of the largest are located on the front panel, 2 are hidden under the ceiling and one more is on the back wall. Using this approach, Zalman engineers were able to significantly increase the airflow inside the case, achieving almost the same temperature values as during tests on an open bench. True, this applies rather to mid-level assemblies. If you stuff a couple of video cards, a couple of hot SSD drives inside and spice it all up with a massive tower cooler, then it will become really cramped and hot inside.

Despite belonging to the middle price category, Zalman 4 pleasantly surprised with its high level of quality. The black-painted metal looks expensive and strong, nothing looses or hangs, the air ducts are covered with dust nets, and the front panel has everything you need, including USB ports, a headphone jack and a controller to control the speed of the fans.

Aerocool Aero One Frost is one of the most current representatives of the people's line of Aero gaming cases. It went on sale in early 2020 and has quickly become a favorite among gamers looking for a reasonably stylish, roomy and affordable case for their gaming system. The highlight of the case is a large solid internal volume, a rather serious regular cooling system for 4 coolers and RGB lighting and a side viewing window, which are mandatory for gaming assemblies. However, they fell in love with him not for illumination (you won’t surprise anyone with this now), but for the high quality of the materials used, the thoughtful internal layout and a minimum of shortcomings. You don't see that often in a $70 case.

Aerocool Aero One Frost is compatible with high tower coolers, long video cards, drives (there is room for 3 HDD + 2 SSD), liquid cooling systems (up to 360 mm) and allows you to assemble a fairly serious gaming system inside with a conditional Ryzen 7 Vermeer and a GeForce level video card RTX 3080. There is definitely enough space inside. The design of the case is made in the now popular style, when the transparent front panel opens up a view of 3 backlit coolers, which turn into spectacular fiery circles at maximum speeds.

Hidden in the back is another 120mm backlit cooler. Together, they provide good ventilation inside the case and save the user from having to build a cooling system on their own. Given that the Aerocool Aero One Frost is spacious, affordable, and well-ventilated, it doesn't have many competitors that can offer a similar package. Therefore, we are ready to turn a blind eye to the inconvenient fastening of the drive baskets and the strange location of the front dust filter, which, for the sake of beauty, was hidden behind the fans, and not in front of them, as is usually done.

Deepcool Matrexx 70 is a stylish, massive and far from the cheapest case by Deepcool standards, in which the manufacturer tried to simplify the assembly process for the user as much as possible. Say, assembling a computer should take place with a twinkle, and not make you feel like going to the dentist. In the case of the Matrexx 70, simplified assembly translates into custom thumbscrews, additional mounting stands, and advanced options for rearranging expansion slots and drives.

The second important nuance is the capacious internal space of the case, which unties the hands during assembly. Still, no one likes to spend half a day with a screwdriver, only to see later that the video card rests on the expansion bays, and the tower cooler does not fit because of the high heatsinks on the RAM modules. The owner of the Matrexx 70 is definitely not in danger of such a problem. The chassis accommodates a full-size E-ATX (!) motherboard and a 380 mm video card. By comparison, most cases in this class are limited to standard ATX motherboards and graphics cards up to 360mm long. Even more convenient, the video adapter can be placed both horizontally and vertically. You can also install a processor cooler up to 170 mm high or a large-sized coolant in the case.

Thanks to the use of high-quality metal, screwless fasteners, and durable tempered glass, the Matrexx 70 begs to be compared not so much with budget gaming cases as with serious chassis from Fractal Design, Cougar, Corsair and Thermaltake. Plus, it looks great, in many ways reminiscent of modern skyscrapers with a metal frame that is covered with miles of glass. It's the same here - the front and side panels are made of transparent tempered glass, and another glass panel closes the lower compartment with the power supply. By itself, such a number of mirrors creates an interesting visual effect, and if you add address lighting, it will be very interesting.