With gamers and enthusiasts jamming increasing amounts of computing power into their PCs there’s an even greater need for lots of airflow in a computer case. Your graphics card may exhaust hot air out the back and the same may go for your CPU cooler but there are plenty of other chips that need to be cooled in there.

The Thermaltake Element V Computer Case sure does offer plenty of mounting points for fans as well as a built-in fan controller to keep the noise in check. Hardware Bistro has the review:

One of the significant cooling features of Thermaltake Element V is this dual 200mm air vents. Although only a single 200mm cooling is included at the top panel of Thermaltake Element V but it is good enough to pull out the heated air from the chassis which is mainly generated by the CPU. However if extreme cooling is really needed then an additional 200mm cooling fan can be manually added.

Now to wait for some 200mm radiators to pop up for some extreme water cooling.

While the trend towards even smaller computers continues there are some situations when ample amounts of room will make your build a simple task and, well, being able to mount a ton of fans helps on the cooling front.

The Corsair Obsidian 800D PC Case is by no means small, in fact it borders on the size of older full-tower cases and it will dwarf most of the hardware installed in it. Bjorn3D has the review:

If you are after a small case you might as well stop reading now as the Obsidian 800D is a full tower-case which means that it is huge. With its 609mm x 609mm x 229 mm dimensions, it certainly is a case that is intended to be placed on the floor.

Well we warned you didn’t we?

There have been plenty of PC case designs that have flipped the motherboard every which way in order to ease installation or improve thermal performance but there have been very few attempts to improve access to the IO ports.

SilverStone’s Fortress FT02 attempts the rare IO port to the top configuration which should make plugging in all of your cables a snap and it neatly conceals it all under a sleek panel for those that don’t want to see their rats nest. Phoronix has the review:

The Fortress FT02 is still derived from the Temjin TJ07 aluminum uni-body frame and FT01 in some regards, but it has incorporated some of the design from the Raven RV01 with rotating the motherboard tray 90-degrees, its massive bottom-mounted triple 180mm fans, and other characteristics. The Fortress FT02 certainly looks different from the FT01 and the TJ07 due to the rotated motherboard tray it ends up being longer than it is tall. The dimensions for this case are 212 x 497 x 616 mm (W X H x D). The weight on this case that is made of a 4.5mm aluminum frame and 0.8mm steel body is 15 kilograms.

A very slick looking design which should go a long way to alleviating the stress massive coolers put on graphics cards.

It’s unfair to assign gender labels to PC case designs but, for the most part, you can plainly see that they’re targeted at one of two extremes: the offend no one design and the hardcore gamer blinding LED and multi-fan setup. Neither are targeted at the female PC user.

The In Win Dive PC Case goes all flashy with what they believe women want to see in their next computer case, although some may just be offended by the diva label on it. Hardware Secrets has a review:

Diva measures only 10 7/8” x 5 ¼” x 10 1/8” (27.6 x 13.3 x 25.7 cm) and weighs 7 ½ Lbs (3.4 kg), supporting mini ITX and mini DTX motherboards. On Figures 3 and 4 you can have an overall look from Diva. There is a small mesh on the left panel, but it can’t be used for installing a fan.

It’s an extremely small case that might be perfect for those with little need for massive gaming tasks.

It used to be that you could easily find some garish looking PC cases from even the most popular and well respected manufacturers. Hideous things that featured enough multi-colored LEDS on simultaneously to make for a trippy experience. Thankfully they’ve toned down their designs.

The Themaltake Element T keeps its design nice and classy looking while still offering plenty of airflow and expansion space. Tweaknews has the review:

The angled I/O panel features the customary audio ports, two well-spaced USB 2.0 ports and the reset and power buttons. Not exactly what one would call full-featured, the I/O panel will get the job done for most users, but those wanting FireWire or eSATA on the front panel will have to look elsewhere for a case. The buttons and audio port surrounds are red in color, in keeping with the red LED fan on the top of the chassis, and the HDD activity and power LEDs are also red and backlight the buttons.

A slick and simple design which should handle just about any new PC build.

Computer case manufacturers tend to gum up the front of a design with all manner of USB ports and power buttons and LEDs despite the fact that many computer users keep their PC at floor level making any sort of stretching to plug in that cord a hassle.

Thermaltake’s Element V moves most of the buttons, dials, and ports to the top of the chassis allowing for easy access. PureOC has the review:

The front of the Element V lacks any sort of door that we saw on the Element S tower, though there is a fully-meshed front bezel that runs the entire height of the case and is easily pulled off without any fuss.  This will certainly help with ventilation and airflow into the case.  There are dust filters inside the bezel, easy to remove and clean.  The front bezel incorporates one 120mm intake fan, located in front of the hard drives, aiding to help cool the hard drives. It’s too bad it’s not a 200mm fan like we’ve seen elsewhere.

Plenty of airflow to be had as well, hope you enjoy dusting things.

The PC case has become something more of a fashion statement for your computer with designs ranging from the timid to testosterone oozing shapes spitting out all of the colors of the rainbow. Conveniently NZXT has managed to make a functional and mean looking case.

The NZXT Tempest EVO combines a whole slew of enthusiast friendly features which basically means you’ll have plenty of cooling potential for your next rig. Benchmark Reviews has a look:

One 120mm exhaust fan is located on the back, right where the CPU is located. There are a total of 7 expansion slots and 4 outlets for water-cooling. The PSU is mounted on the bottom, and 8 holes are available for screwing in your PSU. A bottom-mounted PSU may concern some, as there’s a common belief that heat rises and thus your GPU ends up being right above a heat vent, and your PSU ends up sucking in more dust. However, a top-mounted PSU simply means the PSU takes the hit instead by sucking in all the heat from your entire system. Moving the PSU to the bottom of your case also frees up real estate at the top, and the NZXT Tempest Evo takes full advantage of that by installing two 120mm fans in its place. There are benefits and drawbacks to both builds. Given the airflow of the Tempest Evo, it is safe to say a bottom-mounted PSU will have very little impact on your GPU/CPU, at most 1-2C.

Four watercooling outlets might be excessive but, then again, there are those that enjoy the overkill.

Most people that build their own PCs are content enough with some features that ease installation and make the cables look all sorts of tidy. If you’re one of those that require a whole lot more from their cases this one is for you.

The SilverStone Fortress FT02 PC Case is oozing with high-end features that’s destined to make your high-powered workstation or gaming rig well cooled and organized. Hardware Secrets has a look:

Since the motherboard is rotated, its connectors are available on the top panel, and on FT02 the power supply is also installed on the top panel. FT02 comes with a meshed door on its top panel, which is great, because when you have your PC assembled you can simply close the top panel and you won’t be seeing all the cables and connectors. The cables that come out from the top panel (power cord, video monitor, keyboard, etc) can be routed to the rear panel, so you can close the top panel.

Sure it’s a weird orientation but they’ve got all their bases covered, yes even for you water-cooling fiends out there.

There was a time when men were men and cable organization meant shoving any extras into the drive-bay cavity and taping down any other stray cables. The best of times!

The Lian-Li PC-8N PC Case attempts to bring those days back as well as the whole power supply at the top of the case we all know and love from that era. Testseek Labs has the review:

The Lian-Li PC-8N is a medium tower case without too many “extra” features. It is a sober looking case made in aluminum that should attract anyone looking for a high quality case at a reasonable price level.

On the plus side it is relatively cheap compared to the rest of their lineup and the all-aluminum build will make it nice and light-weight.

MiniITX motherboards are becoming a bit popular due to their diminutive size and their increasing performance levels, it’s difficult to pack in any more processing power in a smaller form factor.

Thermaltake’s Element Q allows you to cram in your MiniITX motherboard and a full height expansion card should you require it. Hardware Bistro has the review:

Unlike other mini-ITX chassis, Thermaltake Element Q is already pre-bundled with a 220W PSU and our sample here is an active PFC PSU which comes with higher power efficiency. The PSU is an auto switching PSU which is mainly designed for Atom platform hence a single +12V rail; 15A is more than enough for such low power consumption system. The 80mm cooling fan of this PSU is also acted as the CPU cooling fan by sucking out the hot air from the case.

A slick little case which should be welcome anywhere.