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- Supported motherboards: Mini-ITX - ATX
- Dimensions: 416 x 220 x 490mm
- Max CPU cooler height: 170mm
- Max GPU length: 350mm
- Supported motherboards: Mini-ITX - E-ATX
- Dimensions: 490 x 235 x 492mm
- Max CPU cooler height: 180mm
- Max GPU length: 292mm
- Supported motherboards: Mini-ITX - ATX
- Dimensions: 453 x 230 x 466mm
- Max CPU cooler height: 170mm
- Max GPU length: 360mm
- Supported motherboards: Mini-ITX - ATX
- Dimensions: 450 x 200 x 400mm
- Max CPU cooler height: 165mm
- Max GPU length: 355mm
- Supported motherboards: Mini-ITX - ATX
- Dimensions: 427 x 215 x 451mm
- Max CPU cooler height: 170mm
- Max GPU length: 405mm
- Supported motherboards: Mini-ITX
- Dimensions: 349 x 210 x 372mm
- Max CPU cooler height: 165mm
- Max GPU length: 325mm
- Supported motherboards: Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX
- Dimensions: 435 x 217 x 410mm
- Max CPU cooler height: 166mm
- Max GPU length: 344mm
- Supported motherboards: mATX, mini-ITX
- Dimensions: 205 x 439 x 398mm
- Max CPU cooler height: 170mm
- Max GPU length: 338mm
PC case design philosophy is different than it was a decade ago. Hardly anyone needs bulky 5.25″ bays anymore, and SSDs are so cheap that going the HDD route only makes sense if you need a lot of storage at the cost of speed. That’s why today’s best budget case can offer good airflow and a roomy interior without compromising on quality.
Budget means different things to different people. $100 seems like a reasonable cut-off point, so all our picks cost as much or even considerably less. Conversely, we didn’t want to go with bargain bin junk that would be uncomfortable to build in or put your other components at risk. That still leaves a plethora of differently-sized cases that focus on everything from low temperatures to bling. These are our eight favorites.
Montech Sky One Lite
Dimensions: 416 x 220 x 490mm | Supported motherboards: Mini-ITX – ATX | Included fans: 2x 120mm front, 1x 120mm back | Max CPU cooler height: 170mm | Max GPU length: 350mm | Internal bays: 2x 3.5"/2.5”, 2x 2.5"
- Exceptional value for the money
- Comes with three fans
- Spacious interior with excellent cable management
- Loud fans
Some case manufacturers push the envelope through innovation. Others, like Montech, propel the industry forward by making high-end features accessible. That’s the idea behind the Sky One Lite, an enclosure we still can’t believe you can snag for around $70! It has a hinged glass panel and a modern I/O and takes several radiator sizes. Hold on tight because that’s just the warm-up.
Symmetrical comes to mind first when examining the Sky One Lite’s exterior. An RGB strip serves as the mirroring line, flanked by two front mesh pieces with holes small enough to prevent dust buildup. A similar mesh covers much of the top and the power supply’s underside.
A handle on the barely tinted glass panel lets it swing out on a hinge for easy access to the interior. The layout is traditional, barring the breezy PSU shroud and its many cable routing cutouts. You could technically put fans on it, but they would obstruct an ATX motherboard’s bottom connections.
Conversely, there’s plenty of clearance above the board for a 280mm radiator. Montech generously includes three fans. You may install 140mm spinners instead of the two 120mm ones in front, and a 360mm radiator would fit without issue.
Despite its name, the Sky One isn’t light on high-end features. All seven expansion slots come with reusable brackets. The I/O has two third-gen USB-A and a 10Gbps USB-C port, not to mention separate reset and RGB effect cycling buttons.
Grommets on the side of the motherboard help keep cables in place, while ample hooks ensure you can mount straps or zip ties wherever needed. Two 2.5” drives fit behind the motherboard, while two more or 3.5” HDDs slide inside the PSU shroud.
Some of our picks have better cooling, and most are quieter overall. However, the Sky One Lite delivers solid thermal results and is especially suited for keeping CPU temperatures low.
Lian Li Lancool 216
Dimensions: 490 x 235 x 492mm | Supported motherboards: Mini-ITX – E-ATX | Included fans: 2x160mm front, 1x140mm back | Max CPU cooler height: 180mm | Max GPU length: 292mm | Internal bays: 2x 3.5"/2.5”, 2x 2.5"
- Exceptional cooling
- Two motherboard mounting positions
- Tidy cable management
- Louder than most while idle
The Lancool line has produced some genuine bangers, and the 216 counts among them. If you don’t mind parting with a Benjamin, it’s the best budget PC case in terms of out-of-the-box cooling and build flexibility. Unlike many affordable cases, it even fits E-ATX boards.
Unusual width is the first thing seasoned builders will notice about the Lancool 216. It’s due to the large 160mm front fans covered by a fine mesh that doubles as a dust filter.
Excellent CPU cooler clearance is a welcome benefit, so bring on your NH-D15s and Fumas! You may replace the fans with smaller ones or up to a 360mm AIO. Doing that will restrict you from installing GPUs longer than 30cm.
The left side is split between tempered glass and a mesh that aerates the PSU area. You can mount SSDs on the shroud’s side, while its top is perforated for fan or AIO placement.
The Lancool 216 features two motherboard positions. The lower one is standard and makes reaching EPS and other top-mounted connectors a snap. Alternatively, you can move the board upward to free up space for fans underneath it.
Lian Li ensured that building inside this case is a hassle-free and orderly experience. Grommets and hooks abound, and a deep trench in the back lets you concentrate most of the clutter in one sealed-off area. You may even flip some of the expansion slot brackets to mount your GPU with a riser cable.
Excellent cooling is the Lancool 216’s main draw. The three large fans already make it one of the coolest enclosures on the list, and its efficiency grows with extra fans & radiators. It’s louder than most cases when idling ,yet barely gets louder when you’re running demanding programs or games.
Corsair 4000D Airflow
Dimensions: 453 x 230 x 466mm | Supported motherboards: Mini-ITX – E-ATX | Included fans: 1x 120mm front and back | Max CPU cooler height: 170mm | Max GPU length: 360mm | Internal bays: 2x 3.5"/2.5”, 2x 2.5"
- Excellent out-of-the-box cooling with room for improvement
- Clean aesthetic and attention to cable clutter
- Several well-placed filters keep dust at bay
- Fewer liquid cooling possibilities than in other cases
Corsair recently released a revamped version of the 4000D, complete with RGB fans and iCUE support. We’re sticking with the original for this article since it’s the best cheap PC case if you’re after simplicity combined with quality. It doesn’t excel at any one feature but does offer above-average airflow at an attractive price.
Corsair has an eye for the beautiful, whether it’s a fancy keyboard or the budget 4000D. Its Airflow version features a metal grille with triangular cutouts that hides an air funnel and mesh filter. A lone 120mm fan sits in the middle, awaiting two buddies or a 360mm AIO replacement. An identical fan expels heat out the back.
The glass panel has heavy tinting, while the right one is a metal slab that obstructs the cables. The case has a deep cable channel and plenty of spots for fastening zip ties. The PSU shroud features two large holes for straightforward cable routing. It also acts as a storage hub since two HDDs fit inside its toolless drive cage.
Seven expansion slots in the back come with yellow-accented thumb screws – a high-end feature for the price. Two vertical ones let you mount a slim graphics card vertically if you purchase a riser cable.
A magnetic mesh covers the top, awaiting twin fans or up to a 280mm AIO. Unlike many modern cases, the interior isn’t designed to support tubes, reservoirs, and other custom water loop equipment. While we’re nitpicking, Corsair could have added a second USB-A port to the I/O.
Such complaints lose force once you see the 4000D in action. Its thermals and acoustics are boringly average when idle. The latter doesn’t change compared to other cases at load. However, the 4000D Airflow keeps everything from NVMe SSDs to your GPU and CPU cooler than most.
Phanteks Eclipse P300A
Dimensions: 450 x 200 x 400mm | Supported motherboards: Mini-ITX – ATX | Included fans: 1x120mm back | Max CPU cooler height: 165mm | Max GPU length: 355mm | Internal bays: 2x 3.5"/2.5”, 2x 2.5"
- Exceptionally easy to build in
- Excellent value for the money
- Glass side panel and fine mesh front
- Single exhaust fan
The original P300 got rave reviews as a beginner-friendly case back in 2017, so Phanteks made the re-release even better by including a mesh front. The P300A is the best budget PC case for first-time PC builders due to its traditional layout and thoughtful design choices. It’s also among our cheapest picks if you go with stock, although we advise you to get at least one more fan to make it even better.
Simple yet elegant aptly describes the P300A’s design. Much about it is plain, except the front. It sports a dense mesh that works as a dust filter along with grilles on the top and bottom for more aesthetic appeal. Other than clear glass and a standard back panel, the rest of the case is essentially a box.
Openings on the top and bottom are minimal. The PSU’s fan gets a dedicated dust filter, while the opening on top is large enough to fit a 140mm fan. You may place two more or a radiator towards the front.
A 280mm one won’t fit, so limit yourself to 240mm AIOs. Whatever your preference, you’ll need some form of extra cooling since a single 120mm exhaust fan may not be able to handle the kind of heat advanced builds give off.
The PSU shroud is fixed in place and comes with an HDD caddy you access from the front. Phanteks provides several Velcro straps to manage your cables. The trench to the left of the motherboard tray is deep enough to hide any unseemly building traces.
The P300A does well thermally for a single-fan case. Adding intake fans will further improve temperatures, especially for the GPU.
Fractal Design Focus 2 RGB
Dimensions: 472 x 215 x 451mm | Supported motherboards: Mini-ITX – ATX | Included fans: 2x140mm front | Max CPU cooler height: 170mm | Max GPU length: 405mm | Internal bays: 2x 3.5", 2x 2.5"
- Great build quality and design
- Roomy for water cooling
- Attractive RGB fans
- USB-C sold separately
- Lack of PSU shroud limits cable management and storage placement
Fractal Design cases rank among the most stylish, but that doesn’t mean all of them are prohibitively expensive. If you crave the company’s attention to detail and innovative ideas, then the Focus 2 is the best cheap PC case to open the gates.
The enclosure makes a deceptively simple first impression. It shares several elements with the Pop line yet offers no room for 5.25” drives. The front has chamfered corners and is mostly a dense mesh that protects two 140mm fans from dust ingress. The glass on the side panel offers a clear view inside obstructed only by two thin strips.
The lack of a PSU bay sets the focus 2 apart. On the one hand, it makes building less hectic since PSU access is easier. On the other, Fractal Design had to relocate all four storage slots to the back. Two SSDs reside under the motherboard, held with flimsy pins. You can mount as many HDDs to the left of them more securely.
Bling is high on the Focus’s priorities list. The two fans come with ARGB that does nothing to diminish their cooling capabilities. An RGB controller is also present and easy to access through the I/O. Speaking of, Fractal Design continues to vex by supplying a USB-C cutout yet charging extra for the privilege of owning the port.
The shroud absence and visible power cables make the Focus 2 messier to build than our other recommendations by default. Even so, the design compensates by offering numerous zip tie hooks and a space in front of the power supply for reservoirs and other knickknacks.
The Focus 2 is among our louder enclosures, even though it only has two fans. Its thermal results aren’t special, with excellent GPU cooling being a welcome outlier.
NZXT H210i
Dimensions: 349 x 210 x 372mm | Supported motherboards: mini-ITX | Included fans: 1x 120mm top and back | Max CPU cooler height: 165mm | Max GPU length: 325mm | Max PSU length: 310mm | Internal bays: 1x 3.5"/2.5”, 3x 2.5"
- Affordable for Mini ITX when on sale
- Conventional layout makes building easier
- Excellent cable management and storage support
- Single USB-A port on I/O
A distinct breed of PC user swears by Mini-ITX and its ability to pack the most potent rigs inside the tiniest spaces. The format is appealing, yet small cases tend to cost more rather than less.
That’s why we love the H210i’s approachable price, breadth of features, and unique styling. Some of its color choices are more popular than others, letting you spend as little as $80 if you go with the red variant.
The H210i is a refresh and shares most of its visual identity with the original H200i. It’s spacious for a Mini-ITX case, allowing you to easily slot standard PSUs in through the back. NZXT used premium materials for the chassis and clear window.
Unique to this series is a built-in RGB strip on top that illuminates components nicely, and the iconic NZXT bar. It sits towards the front third, covering up cable clutter and providing somewhere to hang a custom loop reservoir.
The case arrives with preinstalled 120 fans on the front and top. Both blow air out, so you might want to augment them with a front intake. Despite being solid metal, the front panel has small side grates that let two 140mm fans in uninterrupted.
The layout is traditional, with the PSU bay taking up the bottom third. Apart from the power supply, it houses a 3.5″ HDD drive bay. It has a 2.5″ bracket on the side you can use to show off your favorite SSD. Two more fit inside similar mounts on the back of the mobo tray.
Building inside the H2101 can get cramped towards the back due to the two fans but is otherwise pleasant. GPU and CPU clearance are excellent for the form factor. The LED strip and an RGB fan controller compatible with the CAM software allow for excellent customization.
If there’s anything to nitpick, it’s the I/O. While including USB-C is admirable, any motherboard with at least one USB 3.2 header can handle two USB-A ports. NZXT missed an opportunity by including only one.
Cooler Master Masterbox MB311L
Dimensions: 435 x 217 x 410mm | Supported motherboards: Mini-ITX, Micro ATX | Included fans: 2x120mm front | Max CPU cooler height: 166mm | Max GPU length: 344mm | Internal bays: 2x 3.5", 2x 2.5"
- Comes with two ARGB fans and a controller
- Plenty of room for standard components despite mATX form factor
- Can achieve good airflow with extra fan in the back
- No USB-C
- Not enough mounting hardware for all storage locations
Not wanting to spend much on your enclosure doesn’t mean it can’t look pretty! Case (pun intended) in point, the Masterbox MB311L. It comes with two ARGB fans and is the best cheap PC case if you’re into that sort of thing. That’s not enough to put it on our list by itself. However, low cost, straightforward component access, and solid cooling support seal the deal.
The MB311L might seem familiar to knowledgeable readers since it’s based on the older NR400. It has a mesh front with two pre-installed 120mm ARGB fans as the highlight. The case has a built-in fan controller for easy effect cycling, but you’ll have to hook the fans up to your motherboard if you want solid colors.
You should place one more fan in the back for better airflow, while the mesh top can fit 280mm AIOs if the radiators have a standard thickness. There are no fan mounting options on the solid backside or the bottom, only a dust cover for the power supply.
Said PSU sits on top of vibration-reducing foam pads inside a shroud. It shares the space with a drive bay fitting two 3.5” HDDs. Installing them is easy since you have to attach rails to each and slide it in without using screws. Two mounting positions on the shroud work with 2.5” SSDs, and you’ll find two more behind the motherboard. It’s a shame CoolerMaster provides trays and screws only for two, though.
CoolerMaster cut some corners to make the MB311L as affordable as it is, but most users shouldn’t be too bothered. You can’t replace the expansion slot covers, so only remove as many as your GPU needs. We don’t mind removing the side panels using thumbscrews as much, but the I/O could have done with USB-C.
Thermaltake Versa H18
Dimensions: 205 x 439 x 398mm | Supported motherboards: mATX, mini-ITX | Included fans: 1x 120mm back | Max CPU cooler height: 155mm | Max GPU length: 350mm | Internal bays: 2x 3.5", 2x 2.5"
- Fits most AIO radiators in front
- Affordable
- Stylish design with tempered glass side
- Dated I/O
What’s the minimum one can spend on a case and not end up with a dud? The answer seems to be around $50, which is what the Versa H18 is currently going for. We already mentioned it as an affordable option in our mATX case article. Now, we’re reaffirming its status as the best budget PC case when you’re looking to spend as little as possible yet still get a quality product.
The Versa’s design is functional and highly developed for the price. The glass panel is downright luxurious in this context. We’re also digging the decorative yet dust-stopping mesh filter and corner-mounted I/O on the front. No one expects a $50 case to carry USB-C, but more third-gen USB-A would have been nice.
Smaller dimensions mean the space-saving versa had to make a few concessions. Its 120mm exhaust fan sits next to the motherboard I/O cutout, and only one 140mm fan fits through a mesh-covered hole in the ceiling. You’ll gain much by populating its two front fan slots, or you can squeeze a 280mm rad in there if you’re going for a hotheaded gaming CPU.
Going the radiator route means the longest GPUs are off-limits. Luckily, most ATX power supplies fit seamlessly. You’ll have to make do without grommets for cable management. Still, the shroud and back panel have several holes that are just big enough for the cabling not to make a mess.
The standard layout and thoughtful positioning mean there’s little need to stress or room for error when putting a PC together. The exhaust fan can’t cut it alone if you go with a thermally demanding system, which puts a damper on the Versa’s price advantage. It’s a great enclosure for first-time budget builders, though, so that may not even be an issue.
