Review links & retailer links in the description. Most cases are priced where they should be, but some are still missing from Amazon or are overpriced by third-party sellers. Just be mindful of where you buy your PC cases. Our round-up of the Best CPUs of 2020 is here: th-cam.com/video/43pa3Y4Nqa8/w-d-xo.html You might like our review of the Lancool 215 here: th-cam.com/video/un82B93xKOE/w-d-xo.html
Just curious if GN tried using standoffs on the Lian Li cases 200mm fans to put them farther back in the case this should improve airflow. Although you may don't have don't have the hardware so no pressure. Cheers
I wish case manufacturers would offer a "no fan" SKU since I am going to replace them most of the time anyway. It would also avoid the situation Steve described with the Lian-Li case where he does not recommend either using a front radiator or switching out the fans so you can.
@@cmidnite Stock keeping is already incredible error prone, I think the trouble having more SKUs that look alike might just not be worth the shipping error it will create. Shipping errors also waste carbon emissions so it;s a balancing act
Yeeesss finally! I remember poor Steve just two years ago having almost no cases to be happy about, and now he has dozens. I just wish some of them would still have a 5.25" bay for my optical drive, as I am unwilling to let go of my ancient games from when life made sense and things were worse yet better. :-)
@@reinierovertoom7123 I remember seeing people say that you could somewhat easily mod a 5.25 inch drive into the bottom of the lancool II, since the bottom hinges out and there's space down there
@@jimiyu. Sounds cool, but I have to admit I'm one of those who actually want their parts to fit normally into the box. :-P That one CM case looks so dull tho...
great informative review. I learned a lot. hilarious review of the best worst case. I nearly started choking on my food when you Mention how their slogan open the wind way was a Cry to get more oxygen because of the lack of airflow in the case
Hey Steve, thanks for being so consistent with case reviews, I don't think the case market would have been what it is today without your channel's input and influence.
There is no doubt in my mind that GN's objective, performance based criticisms have shifted case design in the last 3-4 years. There was awhile where every case was basically an S340 but with worse and worse airflow.
I'd like all case reviews be compared to some older, long standing case as baseline comparison. Something like the HAF X from 2010 which is still a really good airflow case even today that can beat most of the modern glas boxes. There are reasons I'm still in my almost ancient Xigmatek Midgard: Airflow and room for hardware.
@Vyrisus Since a case is something that doesn't break or becomes obsolete over time. If you got a good one, you keep it through multiple builds. Wouldn't be too weird seeing someone still using a Chieftech Dragon, Silverstone TJ07, Lian Li G70, Cooler Master HAF X or similar. Especially if it does the job.
Would definitely be interested in a full review of the NR200P! It (or the NR200 for better value) looks like a good starter / trial case for SFFPCs, and it would be really awesome to see comprehensive noise and thermal testing to get a quantitative, evidence-based idea of the amount of compromise required in these areas (vs. a P400A say) for the sake of a smaller footprint.
its kinda baffling how it takes so long for basic design decisions like "function first" to take prevalence in this market. thanks for the coverage love the reviews
@@N3RFTHIS yeah it’s really weird though, you’d think they’d dip into both utility + looks trends at the same time with different lineups at least, but no they full-on neglect one in favor of the other a lot these past few years
I came back to re-watch this particular video/series some 2 months later specifically because I'm about spend money to upgrade my case and cooling solutions. I wasn't reminded of it existing by youtube, I searched for it (best airflow etc...) knowing it would be a top result. So...for real thank you for the good work. I hope your advertisers realize that this channel caters to people specifically in their customer moment. It's like a niche consumer reports operation that actually allows advertising, they should be salivating at the opportunity to corrupt your perspective (not that it would) and firehose you with ad money and product.
Still loving my CM H500 that I chose a little over a year ago. It was all thanks to your thermal charts and videos. Keep it up Steve and team at GN! Thank you.
Yep, I went with the H500M based on crunching all of the contemporary charts and reviews up to and around its review. It was between that and the O11 score wise, and the H500M just edged it out. Price was not a factor (within reason) when I ran the charts.
@@VL4DST3R their review of the case you can see where it places. The nr600 only slightly outperforms when it has its full compliment of fans installed. It overall scored nicely, my only gripe is that there could be a bit more cable management room and routing cutouts to the backside or bigger. Does the job and looks clean.
I bought a Pure Base 500DX after watching Steve's review earlier this year, and it has remained the highlight of my entire build ever since. I've never seen temps over 64C in gaming using the stock 140mm fan configuration while remaining nearly silent. Thank you to the GN team for always dishing out phenomenal content
I got the 215 after your review of it and couldn't help myself by using a burr bit to grind out a lot of the metal obstructing the fans. I didn't benchmark any temps before doing so so I don't know how much it actually improved the thermals, but I can imagine it'll at least do more than setting my rgb to all blue.
Even if you didn't benchmark any thermals before, think you could post your set up and thermals now with your modded case? I just got the Cooler Master h500, and the fan obstruction bothers me too. Wanna see if it's worth opening up the airflow a little bit or if it doesn't do much
@@noaddrag I would, but I got the case intended for a new build with a 30xx card and, well, you can imagine where that's gone (nowhere). :( I've seen someone on reddit who similarly used a dremil to cut out all of the obstructing metal in their 215 claim that their temps dropped by 10 degrees in their setup. If you want to ask them about it: r/lianli/comments/jnf9i7/lancool_215_casemod_finished/
I look forward to see the review of the NR200, it's good and cheap enough for a SFF case. If the thermals and noise are okay it may be a good fit. The masterbox H100 also looks convenient but not as compact :(
Lancool 2 Mesh performance owner and I bought it because of your review. Great case, easy to work with, good looks and good thermals. Keep a look at the stock fans, my had significant bearing noise and I had to swap them out for a bunch of arctic cooling fans. Thanks for the review, your time and afford is highly appreciated
@@Outland9000 Felt like it was meant to be, built my first PC 2 years ago and bought the Meshify C white because I thought it looked cool, had no clue it was a good performer lmao, best of both worlds, only part of that PC I haven't replaced
I built a new PC this year and have been building my own PCs since 2003, but this is the first year I could say I learned a lot on the topic, in part because of thorough and well-presented videos like this one.
I wonder how that would work. It would be a pretty obvious conflict of interest if they do a case roundup including thier own case, but it would be strange of they didn't use thier own case as a sort of benchmark. If it happens that's awesome, I'll probably buy it (if it's affordable), but I'm not holding my breath for it.
@@devindykstra We wouldn't include it, if one were to exist. We might mention it briefly as one we made, but leave it there and not assign such a hypothetical case any awards.
@@GamersNexus If such hypothetical case does ever come to exist will you please include one strand of hair with every purchase? That would be pretty dope bro, love the channel!
"Help people who go on a hiatus and come back every couple years and build a new system and take another break" - Falling into this category, I thank you for all your videos like this.
Your previous test of the Lian Li Lancool II Mesh Performance was the reason I bought it for my new build and I was not disappointed! Thank you Steve and all your colleagues working with you at Gamers Nexus :)
"it comes with a tempered glass side panel, which we'll ignore because it shouldn't include one" There's actually an NR200, no "p", without the glass panel (and without the PCI riser, which is fine if you want the GPU to be horizontally)
Yeah, I was expecting a recommendation for the NR200, but I guess Cooler Master wanted to send the more premium option for review. I'm really tempted to get that case for a SFF build. It's just a shame that it doesn't have a front USB-C port.
@@qwertyferix on reddit, there's some talk of replacing the front panel audio jack with usb-c. The mount is there, but it requires hacking the plastic bezel to make the hole large enough. Likely I'll just get a back panel pci slot bracket for usb c
@@CyberMew atx psu can be used with a printable mount (they have the file for 3D printing on their website) or with zip ties. I ended up getting an SFX power supply for it though since I needed a new one anyway, and I found the Corsair platinum in stock.
@@JustAnotherPoorSlob Modding it to add the USB-C port occurred to me, but I didn't look into it. I'll have to check that out. Availability for components is so bad right now that I'm not ready to settle on a case for a new build just yet. I think CM made a mistake in omitting the type-C port in the first place. That should be a standard on any new mid tier or higher cases coming out now.
Thanks for putting this up, I’ve been looking at cases to replace my old lian li case for a while. The struggle I have is that I still prefer to have a blu ray drive, at all times and in all pc’s. It kind of sucks that none of the better performing new cases seem to care. I guess I’m in the minority or something now:/ I feel the same way about consoles having disk drives... I must be getting old
Hi Stephen, thank you soo much for the round. I am legit picking up a new case this Monday (30th Nov) and the fact that you featured the LANcool 215 for best overall help me make my choice of said over the Corsair 4000D, cause I'm more of a form over function guy. Thank you Gamers Nexus team, you guys are a true gem.
Thanks for the great video and all the constant great videos in the past. Makes me especially happy that the Lian Li Lancool 215 won the best case overall as that's the one I'm planning on buying in my first build that I'm building soon. Now after like 2 weeks of researching the perfect case for me I can confidently say that the Lian Li Lancool 215 will fit me perfectly and perform wonderfully (perform as in good thermals, stock fans, space, cable management ability, etc).
I love that Steve acknowledged those of us who disappear for years then come back when it's time to build a new system. I just built a new rig after 9 years. GN was a huge part of that relearning process. Admittedly, I stop in every once in a while when GN does a video that grabs my attention but, I have hammered GN's content hard to build my new rig. I've also discovered other great creators like Buildzoid and Der8auher(sp?) watching this channel. Thanks GN.
@@GamersNexus ive been looking all day though your vids for cases since I need one and now the day is over and you come out with a new ranked case vid, my prayers have been answered!
I bought the Lian Li Lancool II MESH Performance, and all I have to say is... lowest temps I have ever had (I also added two 140mm fans on the top for exhaust until I go AIO or custom loop and put a radiator there), and the most AMAZING cable management. Literally I didnt even have to think about it, managing the cables came so naturally and it was so easy that only the very ends of the cables that NEED to connect to the mobo are showing. Its so good. Cannot recommend enough. Thanks for helping me make this choice GN! :)
Haha your timing couldn't possibly have been worse on this, GN team. I needed this 24 hours before you released it, literally bought a case today. Fortunately, I've been watching your videos, so it was the Fara R1 as there was also a price cut on it for BF.
Hey GN, I've seen a lot of airflow focused cases in 2020. Listening to your videos give good points and education, and I have changed my case from an old DIY PC (with small airflow and little cable management) to one that has a mesh and a way better case. Thanks for the videos.
Loving your content, GN. You've been a real boon to us poor plebs who have to work around a minuscule budget, No AC, and very long pauses between builds. Can't wait for the CPU cooler and GPU reviews.
I have the be quiet! 500DX in black and honsestly the thermals are so good, and I love the look of it it has LED strip on the top inside the case, and nice looking RGB on the front it was only 100 euro's also
These mesh based airflow cases taking over is a direct result of the hard work GN put into quantifying why airflow is important. Thanks for all your great, science based reviews. Happy Holidays!!
I regret so much buying a case last year when I knew almost nothing about computers. I'm happy that I got my case for less than $30 but the Aerocool Cylon Atx Mid-tower isn't really on the great side for cooling.
@@innocentiuslacrim2290 Really I think I'll keep it for as long as I don't need water cooling (no support for rads over 120mm except on the front which has virtually no room for air) but the case is fine for now. I'm running a 65W CPU with a GTX970 and the only moment anything actually gets hot is rendering something with blender because this particular 970 model has very bad airflow design and just floods the case with hot air, rest of the time it's ok. In the worst case, if I really need water cooling, I can just remove two big triangles on the front to replace with mesh like someone did on reddit. Looks pretty good too.
@@rijaja It is great that it is usable and perhaps can be modded also for better airflow. Water cooling is not really a solution to any heating issues with such low TDP CPUs (I run 5950X myself with an air cooler PBO turned on), but that mesh front panel sounds like a fine solution if you need it at some point. Have fun and take care!
I have the meshify mini with four corsair 140mm fans. They're rgb but they are the more expensive ones that have higher pressure or whatever it's called. Anyways, the fan filter really stuffs up the case even with an agressive fan curve. As soon as I take this off my gpu never peaks or 71 degrees celsius without touching afterburner. Albiet, its a solid dust filter and needs to be cleaned often but it definitely starves my gpu. If I leave my gpu on auto with the filter on it would easily reach 80+ and downclock. Hope this helps. Still one of my favorite cases and I swap fairly often
Steve, excellent video quality as we've come to expect. A quick grammatical note: I've heard you mispronounce the word "foray" in a few different videos. It's "four-ay", not "fur-ay", but you've been saying the latter. Only meant to be constructive, and keep up the great work.
Been waiting nearly a year for the Lian Li O11 Mini and I can’t be happier with how it turned out. Have one pre ordered for an mATX over powered build. Will eventually water cool in it when stock comes back, if it ever does... It’s a niche case and I love it, it’s the best in its class, a “large SFF case”, true SFF is too small for me and ATX is way too big. Thank you for the round up GN, I hope everyone can find the case they want at a good price.
I'm using what many would consider an "ancient" case but for some reason, I still love it. It was released back in 2011 and I bought it in 2014. Antec P280. It's a bit bigger than I would like, but I love the fact it has 4 front USB ports (2 3.0 and 2 2.0) and separate mic/headphone outputs. It also has 3 5.25" drive bays which, yes, aren't used by most folks but I still do use it from time to time as my daughters school mails out their pictures on a CD for example, and I have retro PC's that I need to burn DVD's/CD's for. 6 internal 2.5" - 3.5" drive bays are extremely handy since I have 6 drives at the moment. I dunno... newer cases seem so lacking of features and are more about design, windows, etc.
I built my very first gaming rig this year. I want to thank you and Jay. You and jay have been just invaluable with just knowledge and understanding. I didnt even think about case thermals until i came to your channel. I can actually say "i know things" about pc's because of you mostly, and all tge knowledge your videos provide. So thank you. I recently watched your video on transparency and how stupid people are. Just know, you are helping alot of people out! And i never comment on TH-cam. 😅
I started watching this channel not interested in building a PC at all, I just liked Steve. 2 years of watching later and I know all the ins and outs of part selection, thermals, cases, etc. One day I thought, I want a PC, and I can build one! So I bought parts and they're in the mail! What a gateway drug lol
Love everything you guys do, have been a fan since the beginning. These videos especially as I'm always looking for different cases. Out of both pure bordem and new hardware. Also get sick of looking at the same thing. I know you all focus on what was covered above, would be awesome if you could do best watercooling cases. I understand the diversity with watercooling alone, but the basics of ACTUAL rad/fan clearance, pump mount locations outside of fans, and just overall ease of use when it comes to doing a custom loop. Keep doing what you're doing. I've learned so much since I started watching you, and look forward to all future content.
I'd love to see the testing of the 011 Mini as I'm really excited for it's release. I know it's not an airflow based case, but your testing is the best on YT, IMO
I'm really pleased with my be quiet! 500dx purchase this year. Your channel brought it to my attention and had a really nice in-depth review for it which definitely helped with choosing my purchase. Noise levels are good and cooling is excellent with added fans, plus the RGB is nice without going over the top and the case looks great from all angles. I bought the white version. Strongly recommend.
I wish you did a review on the Phanteks P360X/A. They're quite aesthetically pleasing in my opinion, but I couldn't find much thermal testing on it. Thanks for the great content GN 🙌🏽❤️
Thanks Steve for the work involved in these vids. Nice to get the low down on the current line up of cases. I noticed that the SilverStone RV02 isn't in the comparison data anymore. Probably right to not include it since it hasn't been in the retail market for years now. Mine has been through many iterations... currently with an X570, 3700X and a GTX1080ti. I like the rotated motherboard, vertical GPU (no sag issues) and the 180mm fans at the bottom. Too weird for the world but I think it was awesome.
Nice that 2020 was a very kind year to cases (both in terms of quality, price and availability). A small shimmer of light in a dark year of massive GPU and CPU shortages with heavily inflated prices.
Thanks for these case reviews. I picked the P500A for my latest build (upgrading from an S340) because of your review and its performance has been great.
@@Olds79Starfire gamers nexus is a very reputable tech review channel. You should watch the video they released like a week ago talking about potentially teaming up with a company to design their own case. In that video they've been extremely transparent
The NR200P deserves it's own review. After having just built a computer using it, I can say confidently that it is truly a masterpiece when it comes to SFF cases.
I bought the 500dx a month ago based on your previous recommendation. I simply love it!. Its quiet and still manages to cool my components with only the incuded fans. This I will use for a long time.
NR200 (without P) is really the top one this year. I managed to put 5950x and 3090 inside with 280 radiator and 10 fans (two 12x25 top, two14x25 for the radiator, two 12x15 bottom, three come with GPU, and one 92 under the sfx power unit facing the side of GPU for drawing hot air out) for cooling.
Review links & retailer links in the description. Most cases are priced where they should be, but some are still missing from Amazon or are overpriced by third-party sellers. Just be mindful of where you buy your PC cases.
Our round-up of the Best CPUs of 2020 is here: th-cam.com/video/43pa3Y4Nqa8/w-d-xo.html
You might like our review of the Lancool 215 here: th-cam.com/video/un82B93xKOE/w-d-xo.html
the video we were all waiting for
Your case will probably be best
Maybe it was just me but I found a stutter at 5:59 in video.
WHERE the gamer nexus case i dont see it on here
Just curious if GN tried using standoffs on the Lian Li cases 200mm fans to put them farther back in the case this should improve airflow. Although you may don't have don't have the hardware so no pressure. Cheers
Shame, none of these companies even get close to my cardboard box and flex tape case.
I just have my parts laying on the table. Best thermals and easy maintenance.
@@BAMB00STE until stray cat jump onto your desk
That's a lotta damage.
Flex that case!
seriously, someone should make a video! I want to get rid of my atx case but I dont want to replace my mobo
I love the panned shot they did with all the cases lined up together. Makes it incredibly easy for me to discern dimensions
"Sent to us by Brian of BPS Customs, because he tricked us into taking his garbage because he hates us." I love you steve never change
I LOLed.
Brutal
I laughed so damn hard when he said this. 😂😂😂
Someone should mod the hell out of that case and turn it into something cool. Like Doc Brown putting a time machine into a DeLorean.
Lol Somehow I started reading comments at the same time Steve was saying this and laughed a lot.
I wish case manufacturers would offer a "no fan" SKU since I am going to replace them most of the time anyway. It would also avoid the situation Steve described with the Lian-Li case where he does not recommend either using a front radiator or switching out the fans so you can.
It would probably only save like $5 per case
@@davidmendez9256 Understood, but from an eWaste perspective, there would be less fans ending up in land fills.
@@cmidnite Stock keeping is already incredible error prone, I think the trouble having more SKUs that look alike might just not be worth the shipping error it will create. Shipping errors also waste carbon emissions so it;s a balancing act
So much pride in Steve's face when talking about having lots of good cases to recommend. We are proud too!
Tru that
Seeing Steve's happy face is quite rare, it's usually buried under tons of dissapointment and fatigue.
Yeeesss finally! I remember poor Steve just two years ago having almost no cases to be happy about, and now he has dozens. I just wish some of them would still have a 5.25" bay for my optical drive, as I am unwilling to let go of my ancient games from when life made sense and things were worse yet better. :-)
@@reinierovertoom7123 I remember seeing people say that you could somewhat easily mod a 5.25 inch drive into the bottom of the lancool II, since the bottom hinges out and there's space down there
@@jimiyu. Sounds cool, but I have to admit I'm one of those who actually want their parts to fit normally into the box. :-P That one CM case looks so dull tho...
Waifu case has the everlasting honor of being in the shot, luckier than the cat :)
This ought to be named: "Best Case Scenario"
I like your out of the box thinking
@@rednammoc *BOX*
These puns seem to flow very well, until you get to mine.
Case closed.
Drop a like in case you forgotten to
great informative review. I learned a lot. hilarious review of the best worst case. I nearly started choking on my food when you Mention how their slogan open the wind way was a Cry to get more oxygen because of the lack of airflow in the case
Hey Steve, thanks for being so consistent with case reviews, I don't think the case market would have been what it is today without your channel's input and influence.
Agreed without a titan pushing it the market would have been stagnant (insert bad case airflow joke here)
Agreed without a doubt.
There is no doubt in my mind that GN's objective, performance based criticisms have shifted case design in the last 3-4 years. There was awhile where every case was basically an S340 but with worse and worse airflow.
RETURN OF THE KING
Airflow
I'd like all case reviews be compared to some older, long standing case as baseline comparison. Something like the HAF X from 2010 which is still a really good airflow case even today that can beat most of the modern glas boxes.
There are reasons I'm still in my almost ancient Xigmatek Midgard: Airflow and room for hardware.
@Vyrisus Since a case is something that doesn't break or becomes obsolete over time. If you got a good one, you keep it through multiple builds. Wouldn't be too weird seeing someone still using a Chieftech Dragon, Silverstone TJ07, Lian Li G70, Cooler Master HAF X or similar. Especially if it does the job.
Would definitely be interested in a full review of the NR200P! It (or the NR200 for better value) looks like a good starter / trial case for SFFPCs, and it would be really awesome to see comprehensive noise and thermal testing to get a quantitative, evidence-based idea of the amount of compromise required in these areas (vs. a P400A say) for the sake of a smaller footprint.
its kinda baffling how it takes so long for basic design decisions like "function first" to take prevalence in this market.
thanks for the coverage love the reviews
Crazy part is its not like any of these don't look pretty good. Turns out if you make your case meshy enough the RGB fans are still perfectly visible!
Airflow used to be pretty good. So it's not a new market swing. Just changing trends
@@N3RFTHIS yeah it’s really weird though, you’d think they’d dip into both utility + looks trends at the same time with different lineups at least, but no they full-on neglect one in favor of the other a lot these past few years
you have apple users and other people who pay for shit that only looks cool.
@@devilmikey00 Smiles in phanteks P400a
I came back to re-watch this particular video/series some 2 months later specifically because I'm about spend money to upgrade my case and cooling solutions. I wasn't reminded of it existing by youtube, I searched for it (best airflow etc...) knowing it would be a top result. So...for real thank you for the good work. I hope your advertisers realize that this channel caters to people specifically in their customer moment. It's like a niche consumer reports operation that actually allows advertising, they should be salivating at the opportunity to corrupt your perspective (not that it would) and firehose you with ad money and product.
Still loving my CM H500 that I chose a little over a year ago. It was all thanks to your thermal charts and videos. Keep it up Steve and team at GN! Thank you.
I wonder where it sits compared to the rest. A bit sad to see it wasn't at all included in the charts.
CM H500 gang represent.
Yep, I went with the H500M based on crunching all of the contemporary charts and reviews up to and around its review. It was between that and the O11 score wise, and the H500M just edged it out. Price was not a factor (within reason) when I ran the charts.
I also got mine h500 argb after watching their videos
@@VL4DST3R their review of the case you can see where it places. The nr600 only slightly outperforms when it has its full compliment of fans installed. It overall scored nicely, my only gripe is that there could be a bit more cable management room and routing cutouts to the backside or bigger. Does the job and looks clean.
"Corsair's design is more aesthetic than mechanical."
Corsair: "Um, yeah, have you met me?"
When watching these videos over the years you can see your impact on the market
I bought a Pure Base 500DX after watching Steve's review earlier this year, and it has remained the highlight of my entire build ever since. I've never seen temps over 64C in gaming using the stock 140mm fan configuration while remaining nearly silent. Thank you to the GN team for always dishing out phenomenal content
I got the 215 after your review of it and couldn't help myself by using a burr bit to grind out a lot of the metal obstructing the fans. I didn't benchmark any temps before doing so so I don't know how much it actually improved the thermals, but I can imagine it'll at least do more than setting my rgb to all blue.
Even if you didn't benchmark any thermals before, think you could post your set up and thermals now with your modded case? I just got the Cooler Master h500, and the fan obstruction bothers me too. Wanna see if it's worth opening up the airflow a little bit or if it doesn't do much
@@noaddrag I would, but I got the case intended for a new build with a 30xx card and, well, you can imagine where that's gone (nowhere). :(
I've seen someone on reddit who similarly used a dremil to cut out all of the obstructing metal in their 215 claim that their temps dropped by 10 degrees in their setup. If you want to ask them about it: r/lianli/comments/jnf9i7/lancool_215_casemod_finished/
@@Herbie_Cucumber oh wonderful, thanks for link! Looks like we're in the same boat, also waiting for a chance at a 3080. Good luck!
I like that these guys are more focused on actual performance of cases.
As a fan of SFF cases, it's making me unreasonably happy to see the NR200 sitting on top of all of the larger mid-tower cases :D
It's too bad Steve's never reviewed any proper SFF cases like Dan A1, Ghost S1, Formd T1, NCase M1 or Sliger SM's.
I look forward to see the review of the NR200, it's good and cheap enough for a SFF case. If the thermals and noise are okay it may be a good fit.
The masterbox H100 also looks convenient but not as compact :(
As a tempered glass side panel of SFF cases, it makes me happy too
Yeah I would LOVE to see more mATX and smaller reviews but I understand the challenge.
There is at least one other channel that specializes in SFF case reviews. An optimum use of technology, so to speak.
"He tricked us into taking his garbage because he hates us" 🤣🤣🤣 I replayed that comment, which had me in tears.
I was literally just watching your Best Cases video from the beginning of the year. Great timing!
Lancool 2 Mesh Performance
Steve looks genuinely happy talking about how many good cases there are.
Lancool 2 Mesh performance owner and I bought it because of your review. Great case, easy to work with, good looks and good thermals. Keep a look at the stock fans, my had significant bearing noise and I had to swap them out for a bunch of arctic cooling fans. Thanks for the review, your time and afford is highly appreciated
I am going to give my Meshify C a pat on the side panel, happy that it helped pioneer a better market that combines both aesthetics and performance!
Personally I think its one of the best cases you can get.
@@Outland9000 Felt like it was meant to be, built my first PC 2 years ago and bought the Meshify C white because I thought it looked cool, had no clue it was a good performer lmao, best of both worlds, only part of that PC I haven't replaced
I'm about to buy one, I love the mesh panel look
Maybe one category that could be added is "Best enthusiast metal box"? Stuff for big watercooling projects and the like.
"Jay's favorite case"
"And the metal could probably be melted and reused" LMAO
And the metal will already be preheated from the system inside running so hot, so it will take less time to melt! lol.
I have some spare scrap metal from my Q500L.
\m/
I built a new PC this year and have been building my own PCs since 2003, but this is the first year I could say I learned a lot on the topic, in part because of thorough and well-presented videos like this one.
Hoping to see a GamersNexus case in the Best PC Cases of 2021.
I wonder how that would work. It would be a pretty obvious conflict of interest if they do a case roundup including thier own case, but it would be strange of they didn't use thier own case as a sort of benchmark. If it happens that's awesome, I'll probably buy it (if it's affordable), but I'm not holding my breath for it.
@@devindykstra We wouldn't include it, if one were to exist. We might mention it briefly as one we made, but leave it there and not assign such a hypothetical case any awards.
@@GamersNexus If such hypothetical case does ever come to exist will you please include one strand of hair with every purchase? That would be pretty dope bro, love the channel!
@@GamersNexus such professionalism. Manly tears are shed
@@PabzRoz he would be bald quite quickly.
"Help people who go on a hiatus and come back every couple years and build a new system and take another break" - Falling into this category, I thank you for all your videos like this.
Thank you for continuing to look out for consumers, GN. Makes you invaluable to the community.
Your previous test of the Lian Li Lancool II Mesh Performance was the reason I bought it for my new build and I was not disappointed! Thank you Steve and all your colleagues working with you at Gamers Nexus :)
"it comes with a tempered glass side panel, which we'll ignore because it shouldn't include one"
There's actually an NR200, no "p", without the glass panel (and without the PCI riser, which is fine if you want the GPU to be horizontally)
Yeah, I was expecting a recommendation for the NR200, but I guess Cooler Master wanted to send the more premium option for review. I'm really tempted to get that case for a SFF build. It's just a shame that it doesn't have a front USB-C port.
Yea and I think ATX isn’t supported by default for now
@@qwertyferix on reddit, there's some talk of replacing the front panel audio jack with usb-c. The mount is there, but it requires hacking the plastic bezel to make the hole large enough.
Likely I'll just get a back panel pci slot bracket for usb c
@@CyberMew atx psu can be used with a printable mount (they have the file for 3D printing on their website) or with zip ties. I ended up getting an SFX power supply for it though since I needed a new one anyway, and I found the Corsair platinum in stock.
@@JustAnotherPoorSlob Modding it to add the USB-C port occurred to me, but I didn't look into it. I'll have to check that out. Availability for components is so bad right now that I'm not ready to settle on a case for a new build just yet. I think CM made a mistake in omitting the type-C port in the first place. That should be a standard on any new mid tier or higher cases coming out now.
"Tricked us into taking his trash, cuz he hates us." LMAO
ROTFLMAO
@@L39T “Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off” That went together better than expected
@@L39T cool DFCAIHYFLDD
15:28
If you look closely you can observe a wild Steve in his natural habitat, stalking for his next prey.
Thanks for putting this up, I’ve been looking at cases to replace my old lian li case for a while. The struggle I have is that I still prefer to have a blu ray drive, at all times and in all pc’s. It kind of sucks that none of the better performing new cases seem to care. I guess I’m in the minority or something now:/ I feel the same way about consoles having disk drives... I must be getting old
I heard RGB can reduce my temperature and double my fps. Can anyone confirm?
Henry Nguyen i do
Depends on the color actually, Red is more power but green is energy efficient.
Only blue
@@GamersNexus so is red for speed?
@@GamersNexus Will gold plated ram sticks with crystalline rgb triple my fps?
Thanks to these reviews got myself a lancool II mesh a few months ago and absolutely love it. Thank you GN for all the hard work you do
Could we get a "best micro-ATX" category next Time?
100
I'm buying case right now and wanted mATX. Hope they will soon release something like this for smaller cases.
Sliger Cerberus, expensive though
Best itx case please
Yes!!!
Please! mATX and ITX categories for next time.
Hi Stephen, thank you soo much for the round. I am legit picking up a new case this Monday (30th Nov) and the fact that you featured the LANcool 215 for best overall help me make my choice of said over the Corsair 4000D, cause I'm more of a form over function guy. Thank you Gamers Nexus team, you guys are a true gem.
Everyones complimenting about the midnight upload
Me here in Asia: AH YES, AFTERNOON
Yep
This is western viewers
feelsgoodman
I'm from india
I'm in the U.S. but I work 12hr night shifts from 6pm to 6am, so this is midday for me too.
So glad to see the Lancool 215 getting the love it deserves! Had my eye on that case like crazy… Now if only I were in the market to be building a PC
Best Cases 2021:
Before that this video is brought to you by us because GN made a great case.
So your forthcoming Nexus case design/build will be bases on best cases you have reviewed so far, I'll buy it, keep up the great work
"Open the wind way" is my new fart announcement 👍👍
Thanks for the great video and all the constant great videos in the past.
Makes me especially happy that the Lian Li Lancool 215 won the best case overall as that's the one I'm planning on buying in my first build that I'm building soon. Now after like 2 weeks of researching the perfect case for me I can confidently say that the Lian Li Lancool 215 will fit me perfectly and perform wonderfully (perform as in good thermals, stock fans, space, cable management ability, etc).
"Open the Wind Way" Ah, I see that the thermals have caused some memory corruption. Should have shipped it with ECC memory to help with that.
"Open the wind way" = let rip a loud fart, an effort roughly equivalent to the amount of thought that went into it
Maybe his bytes are loose like Coconut Monkey over at JayzTwoCents. :D
I love that Steve acknowledged those of us who disappear for years then come back when it's time to build a new system. I just built a new rig after 9 years.
GN was a huge part of that relearning process. Admittedly, I stop in every once in a while when GN does a video that grabs my attention but,
I have hammered GN's content hard to build my new rig. I've also discovered other great creators like Buildzoid and Der8auher(sp?) watching this channel.
Thanks GN.
Let's be honest. We all just want to see which case was the absolute worst.
Hopefully people are also watching for all the positivity!
@@GamersNexus Yeah, we here to see those not bad cases cx
I'm an alien and I'm only here for the beer.
the "12 fans no chill" case will win that 1 hands down
@@GamersNexus ive been looking all day though your vids for cases since I need one and now the day is over and you come out with a new ranked case vid, my prayers have been answered!
I bought the Lian Li Lancool II MESH Performance, and all I have to say is... lowest temps I have ever had (I also added two 140mm fans on the top for exhaust until I go AIO or custom loop and put a radiator there), and the most AMAZING cable management. Literally I didnt even have to think about it, managing the cables came so naturally and it was so easy that only the very ends of the cables that NEED to connect to the mobo are showing. Its so good. Cannot recommend enough. Thanks for helping me make this choice GN! :)
Based on your round up last year I recommended the P400A and more recently the P360A, which I was surprised to not see here, to friends and family.
Don't think they reviewed the P360A yet.
They haven't reviewed the 360A
Haha your timing couldn't possibly have been worse on this, GN team. I needed this 24 hours before you released it, literally bought a case today. Fortunately, I've been watching your videos, so it was the Fara R1 as there was also a price cut on it for BF.
Nobody:
Consumers: hey this meshify c is a little too-
Fractal: W I D E
Kylo?
@@CWargh63 bring back the smaller meshify there are way too many thick cases on the market
One of my criteria is wide enough for any tall cpu air cooler.
Noctua has entered the chat
Hey GN, I've seen a lot of airflow focused cases in 2020. Listening to your videos give good points and education, and I have changed my case from an old DIY PC (with small airflow and little cable management) to one that has a mesh and a way better case. Thanks for the videos.
I'm going for the Fractal Mesify 2. It's difficult to find a good case with no window and RGB crap.
Bequiet Silent Base 802.
I have Fractal Mesify C - amazing case in my opinion. Very good cable routing and all in all amazing.
No window is harder now days since it marketing check box that the company must get to or they are fucked.
But rgb? Just not turn it on? Unplug em?
You do realize you can just not turn the RGB on or not plug in the RGB cables, right? That including RGB is an OPTION and one of those options is OFF.
And not damn ugly
Loving your content, GN. You've been a real boon to us poor plebs who have to work around a minuscule budget, No AC, and very long pauses between builds. Can't wait for the CPU cooler and GPU reviews.
Most of them are lacking in the looks department. Why can't we get a case that looks good and has good thermals (also USB-C please!)
honestly
p500a is a well made case, and it includes a usb type c on the panel :)
The meshify ones look great
I have the be quiet! 500DX in black and honsestly the thermals are so good, and I love the look of it it has LED strip on the top inside the case, and nice looking RGB on the front it was only 100 euro's also
also don't forget to pair with the right mobo for type c too
These mesh based airflow cases taking over is a direct result of the hard work GN put into quantifying why airflow is important. Thanks for all your great, science based reviews. Happy Holidays!!
I regret so much buying a case last year when I knew almost nothing about computers. I'm happy that I got my case for less than $30 but the Aerocool Cylon Atx Mid-tower isn't really on the great side for cooling.
I bet it is just fine for pretty low powered systems. You can always sell it off for 20 and buy a better one.
@@innocentiuslacrim2290 Really I think I'll keep it for as long as I don't need water cooling (no support for rads over 120mm except on the front which has virtually no room for air) but the case is fine for now. I'm running a 65W CPU with a GTX970 and the only moment anything actually gets hot is rendering something with blender because this particular 970 model has very bad airflow design and just floods the case with hot air, rest of the time it's ok. In the worst case, if I really need water cooling, I can just remove two big triangles on the front to replace with mesh like someone did on reddit. Looks pretty good too.
@@rijaja It is great that it is usable and perhaps can be modded also for better airflow. Water cooling is not really a solution to any heating issues with such low TDP CPUs (I run 5950X myself with an air cooler PBO turned on), but that mesh front panel sounds like a fine solution if you need it at some point. Have fun and take care!
Good timing for this video :P Probably the best considering all the new hardware
Would have appreciated a 'best case with a ye-olde 5.25" drive baye'. Some of us cavefolks still use optical drives.
Or tape drives for backups.
the Cooler Master NR600 also has a version with an optical drive bay
Thanks for the hard work Steve! I kindve wish you had a category for BEST CASE (ever) *NO TIME FRAME*
i was wondering about the meshify mini (the mATX version of the case), how does it stack up against its larger cousins.
I have the meshify mini with four corsair 140mm fans. They're rgb but they are the more expensive ones that have higher pressure or whatever it's called. Anyways, the fan filter really stuffs up the case even with an agressive fan curve. As soon as I take this off my gpu never peaks or 71 degrees celsius without touching afterburner. Albiet, its a solid dust filter and needs to be cleaned often but it definitely starves my gpu. If I leave my gpu on auto with the filter on it would easily reach 80+ and downclock. Hope this helps. Still one of my favorite cases and I swap fairly often
Steve, excellent video quality as we've come to expect. A quick grammatical note: I've heard you mispronounce the word "foray" in a few different videos. It's "four-ay", not "fur-ay", but you've been saying the latter. Only meant to be constructive, and keep up the great work.
you made all of this happen. the true tech jesus of our time.
Been waiting nearly a year for the Lian Li O11 Mini and I can’t be happier with how it turned out. Have one pre ordered for an mATX over powered build. Will eventually water cool in it when stock comes back, if it ever does... It’s a niche case and I love it, it’s the best in its class, a “large SFF case”, true SFF is too small for me and ATX is way too big.
Thank you for the round up GN, I hope everyone can find the case they want at a good price.
Winners include:
* something 500 letter
* another thing 500 letter
* letter 500 letter
and let's not forget the letter-letter-500-letter model!
fractal design meshify was easy tho
lancool 2?
I'm using what many would consider an "ancient" case but for some reason, I still love it. It was released back in 2011 and I bought it in 2014. Antec P280. It's a bit bigger than I would like, but I love the fact it has 4 front USB ports (2 3.0 and 2 2.0) and separate mic/headphone outputs. It also has 3 5.25" drive bays which, yes, aren't used by most folks but I still do use it from time to time as my daughters school mails out their pictures on a CD for example, and I have retro PC's that I need to burn DVD's/CD's for. 6 internal 2.5" - 3.5" drive bays are extremely handy since I have 6 drives at the moment. I dunno... newer cases seem so lacking of features and are more about design, windows, etc.
20:43 "open the wind way" always makes me laugh
Lmao 😂
I built my very first gaming rig this year.
I want to thank you and Jay. You and jay have been just invaluable with just knowledge and understanding.
I didnt even think about case thermals until i came to your channel.
I can actually say "i know things" about pc's because of you mostly, and all tge knowledge your videos provide.
So thank you.
I recently watched your video on transparency and how stupid people are. Just know, you are helping alot of people out!
And i never comment on TH-cam. 😅
I started watching this channel not interested in building a PC at all, I just liked Steve.
2 years of watching later and I know all the ins and outs of part selection, thermals, cases, etc.
One day I thought, I want a PC, and I can build one! So I bought parts and they're in the mail!
What a gateway drug lol
@@cat-.- same here. Just built mine last month. Favorite hobby I've ever had.
Love everything you guys do, have been a fan since the beginning. These videos especially as I'm always looking for different cases. Out of both pure bordem and new hardware. Also get sick of looking at the same thing.
I know you all focus on what was covered above, would be awesome if you could do best watercooling cases. I understand the diversity with watercooling alone, but the basics of ACTUAL rad/fan clearance, pump mount locations outside of fans, and just overall ease of use when it comes to doing a custom loop.
Keep doing what you're doing. I've learned so much since I started watching you, and look forward to all future content.
The Goldeneye 64 opening sound made me jump.
Made my Nostalgia jump up and slap me. Good times in that game.
@@tikityler1386 Good times indeed.
I'd love to see the testing of the 011 Mini as I'm really excited for it's release. I know it's not an airflow based case, but your testing is the best on YT, IMO
So...this video could be considered - a best case scenario. YEAHHHHHHHHH!
I'm really pleased with my be quiet! 500dx purchase this year. Your channel brought it to my attention and had a really nice in-depth review for it which definitely helped with choosing my purchase. Noise levels are good and cooling is excellent with added fans, plus the RGB is nice without going over the top and the case looks great from all angles. I bought the white version. Strongly recommend.
Please, please, please do the NR200P review. Thank you in advance
Have this case... Love it to death... 9/10
I wish you did a review on the Phanteks P360X/A. They're quite aesthetically pleasing in my opinion, but I couldn't find much thermal testing on it. Thanks for the great content GN 🙌🏽❤️
Love my Fractal case, classy stuff
Thanks Steve for the work involved in these vids. Nice to get the low down on the current line up of cases. I noticed that the SilverStone RV02 isn't in the comparison data anymore. Probably right to not include it since it hasn't been in the retail market for years now. Mine has been through many iterations... currently with an X570, 3700X and a GTX1080ti. I like the rotated motherboard, vertical GPU (no sag issues) and the 180mm fans at the bottom. Too weird for the world but I think it was awesome.
With the exception of NR200, really sad to see only glass panel RGB cases here. Hope this anti thermal&performance trend go away asap.
Nice that 2020 was a very kind year to cases (both in terms of quality, price and availability). A small shimmer of light in a dark year of massive GPU and CPU shortages with heavily inflated prices.
Well I bought the p400a off Steve recommendation, it works great for me, so big thanks to the gamers nexus team
Thanks for these case reviews. I picked the P500A for my latest build (upgrading from an S340) because of your review and its performance has been great.
Waiting for best & worst 2020 motherboards, psu's, ram, storage, and monitors 😋
I can already see gskill at the top for ram
@@EvilTaco The ones who make the top of the list are the ones who line the pockets of the reviewers.
@@Olds79Starfire gamers nexus is a very reputable tech review channel. You should watch the video they released like a week ago talking about potentially teaming up with a company to design their own case. In that video they've been extremely transparent
One of my favorite GN videos of each year! Now, looking forward to the 2020 Disappointment list! So much to be included in that one! :)
Steve, will you be getting the Razer Tomahawk ATX/ITX cases for testing? I'm interested to see how the thermals come out.
The NR200P deserves it's own review. After having just built a computer using it, I can say confidently that it is truly a masterpiece when it comes to SFF cases.
Next up video: 'Lian Li 215 roaring supply shortage'
I bought the 500dx a month ago based on your previous recommendation. I simply love it!. Its quiet and still manages to cool my components with only the incuded fans. This I will use for a long time.
The metal can always be melted and reused. A big plus when buying a new case.
NR200 (without P) is really the top one this year. I managed to put 5950x and 3090 inside with 280 radiator and 10 fans (two 12x25 top, two14x25 for the radiator, two 12x15 bottom, three come with GPU, and one 92 under the sfx power unit facing the side of GPU for drawing hot air out) for cooling.
I wish you had a "best compact middle tower" category
EXACTLY the video i was waiting for :) thanks you very much. Love this channel
Love to hear the NR200P full review (though, having purchased one and waiting on delivery, I guess it's a bit late for me...)
Using the NR200 while I wait for my second next Ghost S1, and it’s fantastic.
Excellent video GN. It’s become an annual reference point for me, and many others I’m sure... big fans at the front 🤓
Why has the p600s not on your charts, I would really like to see how it compares.
Why would they have any data on the P600s on the chart if they've never reviewed it?
Got a meshify 2 thanks to your review. It's pretty honkin big, but I am super happy with ariflow, space, design, and quality!
Should've had that ending for a Halloween video as well.
Just 3 more days.