Cases

By Niels Broekhuijsen @ Tom’s Hardware

When Fractal Design launched its Meshify 2 chassis, it impressed us so much that we had no choice but to award it a rare five stars. So you can imagine that I was quite excited when the company reached out asking if I wanted to review the new Meshify 2 Compact. In essence, it’s the same case but a little shorter, cutting back on the extreme storage or radiator setup possibilities, but offering the same basic design.

Because of this, the Meshify 2 Compact is arguably the more mainstream case suited to standard ATX setups that don’t need a ton of space – the vast majority of gaming systems. However, priced at $110, it’s not the most budget-friendly option, and it’s competing in a crowded segment. Let’s find out if Fractal Design has what it takes to earn yet another spot on our Best PC Cases list.

Read the Review Here

An Affordable, Stylish PC Case

By Chris Ledenican @ Hot Hardware

SilverStone released a handful of new cases and coolers a few months back, targeting an array of price points for DIY PC builders. One of the more affordable additions to the line-up was the SilverStone Fara B1 mid-tower we’re evaluating today. The Fara B1 is priced to move at about $60, but it has the looks and features of much more expensive cases. Of course, looks can be deceiving, so we decided to get our hands on the Fara B1 to see if its worthy of consideration for your next budget-friendly desktop #PCMasterRace build.

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By Peter Donnell @ eTeknix

Fractal Design is one of the most respect brand names in the PC market. Sure, they make some nice cooling hardware, the occasional PSU and a few other bits and bobs. However, it’s their flagship Define series that erm, defines them. Every generation of the Define has been a hallmark of quality, reliability, versatility and performance. So, with them finally getting around to making a 7th generation of the Define, you know they must have something pretty special lined up. I mean, no pressure on them, right?

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By Peter Donnell @ eTeknix

There’s no shortage of amazing PC cases on the market right now, so each brand has to do something to stand out from the crowd. They can focus on price, features, or throw in some unique X-factor. On paper, it looks like Cougar has decided to try all three with the Gemini T. At £129.96 it’s not “cheap” but it’s a competitive price for such a feature-packed PC case. That’s a bit less than an NZXT H510 Elite, Corsair 570X, and Thermaltake View 71 TG.

As for the X-factor, the Gemini T has a strong focus on its unique tempered glass design, as well as their Trelux Dynamic RGB Lighting. That’s technical jargon for curved glass and some funky LED strips on the exterior of the case. We’ll see all those in action shortly though. On top of all that, you get support for an ATX motherboard, vertical GPU mounting, a built-in PSU shroud, cable management, and plentiful fan and radiator support too.

Read the Review Here

By Peter Donnell @ eTeknix

Just recently, we brought you a review of the lovely Thermaltake S500 TG Edition Case. Now, we’re back again with something (amazingly) even more premium than that! The Thermaltake A700 Aluminium TG Edition. That’s right, aluminium and tempered glass from Thermaltake; watch out Lian Li, the TT team are coming for ya! Plus, if you thought the S500 TG was big, which it was, then guess what? The A700 is even bigger! it’s easily one of the bulkiest ATX cases I’ve ever had in the office, so make sure you take some measurements before you order it.

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By Peter Donnell @ eTeknix

The Fractal Design product range is one often associated with premium quality and performance. Admittedly, they’ve stepped into the budget realm with a few of their more recent cases. When you think of premium Fractal Design cases, however, you likely think of the Define R5. It’s a bit old now, but it still sets a high standard even today. That’s about to change though, as the Vector RS is here, and it’s out to kick-ass and chew gum, and it’s all out of gum!

Their latest flagship case is absolutely overflowing with luxurious and premium features. sleek ARGB integration wraps around the edges of the glass panels and comes with a built-in controller. There’s a built-in fan hub for up to 9 fans, as well as three GP-14 140mm fans pre-installed! Admittedly, this case isn’t going to be cheap, but if it’s anything like previous Fractal Design cases, you’re paying for over the top build quality and performance.

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By Hilbert Hagedoorn @ Guru3D

We review the be quiet! Pure Base 500. It has been a while since we have tested a new be quiet product as they often refresh the existing range. The Pure Base 500 is exciting though, sleek look and available in white, black and gunmetal colors it catches the eye and surely can make up for an impressive yet silent build. You can opt two versions, a window (tempered glass) or closed version for even better acoustics. We received the gun-metal colored chassis design and can we say we like the new color option?

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By Bob Buskirk @ ThinkComputers

One of the first cases to fully support Corsair’s iCUE software was the Crystal Series 680X. We really enjoyed that case and would recommend it to anyone, but not everyone wants to pay $249.99 for a case. With that in mind Corsair is releasing the iCUE 465X RGB case. As you can guess this mid-tower is made to work with Corsair’s iCUE software and comes with three LL120 RGB PWM fans and the iCUE Lighting Node Core smart RGB lighting controller. So you have RGB lighting and control out of the box. On top of that you have front and side tempered glass panels, room for up to 6 hard drives, and a very clean internal layout. Is this the case you need for your next build? Read on to find out!

Read The Review Here

By Peter Donnell @ eTeknix

Regular eTeknix readers may recall our review of the Lian Li 011-Dynamic just a couple of months ago. Well, Lian Li is back and they’re going big! The new Lian Li 01–Dynamic XL is their latest monster-case built for those with big intentions. Massive water cooling and air cooling potential, huge tempered glass windows, and uncompromising hardware support? It has them all, and then some. If that’s not enough, it’s also ROG Certified. Albeit, to my knowledge that means the built-in RGB can be used with Aura Sync and it has a ROG logo on the side. But hey, that’s still cool with me.

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By Krzysztof Hukalowicz @ Guru3D

It’s time to check out the new Cooler Master Silencio S600 mid-tower PC chassis. CM released many new cases recently, including the Masterbox Q500L and the NR600, which we reviewed on Guru3d in May and June respectively. I’ve mentioned the latter on purpose, as the Silencio S600, which is the hero of this test, is very, very similar in overall design to the NR600. The case was announced in mid-June. As the name of the series suggests, it should be a silent chassis, and it comes with several design elements that minimize noise pollution. There’s a soundproofing internal lining, a light frame, and several anti-vibration pads inside. If the external design is sober and consistent with such staples of the Silencio family as e.g. an SD card reader on the I/O panel, then the internal layout has evolved. It’s been adapted to meet modern standards in terms of gaming chassis design and water-cooling compatibility.

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