Category Archive: Cases

PC Hardware Reviews: Computer Cases & Enclosures

Thermaltake Divider 300 TG Mid-Tower Case Review

The mid-priced mid-tower case field is a crowded one, as as modern case design– no 5.25″ bays, mounting points for SSDs, and the ability to mount your GPU vertically– have spread across the market, it becomes harder and harder for one vendor to make their case stand out. Thermaltake’s known for their high-quality, reasonably-priced offerings, and the Thermaltake Divider 300 TG Mid-Tower offers an interesting stylistic element to distinguish their product from the herd.

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Phanteks Enthoo Evolv X ATX Case Review

The Phanteks Enthoo Evolv X was one of the most anticipated computer cases in 2018. It builds off of the Evolv ATX with a similar exterior design and an entirely redesigned interior layout. The case comes in three colors, Satin Black, Anthracite Grey, and Galaxy Silver. Airflow has improved thanks to the larger ventilation at the front and top of the case. Aside from the more standard features, like dual tempered glass side panels, vertical GPU mounts, and water-cooling capabilities, the Evolv X has built-in LED strips, a fan hub, massive data storage potential, and the capability for a secondary ITX system with the purchase of a separate bracket. Benchmark Reviews will be taking a look at the Evolv X, so let’s take a quick look at an overview in the next section.

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be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 Rev.2 Review

The be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 Rev.2 is the newest member of the be quiet! mid-tower chassis family. This mid-tower case sports a tempered glass side panel, a fully modular design, and an abundance of water cooling support. The REV.2 part of the name represents some minor upgrades be quiet! has made to the chassis. The Dark Base Pro 900 Rev.2 comes in three trim colors: Orange, Silver, and Black. Benchmark Reviews will be inspecting the black trimmed variant of this case, model BGW15.

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NZXT H500i Mid-Tower Case Review

As a replacement for the successful S340 cases, NZXT has launched two new cases in their H-Series lineup; the H500 and H500i. These cases come in multiple colors and feature a tempered glass side panel, two pre-installed 120 mm Aer F120 fans, and a removable front radiator bracket for easy installation. The H500i does have a few more features, like a vertical GPU mount, the CAM-powered Smart Device, and two built-in RGB lighting strips. Our friends at NZXT were kind enough to send Benchmark Reviews the matte-white H500i for this review.

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Fractal Design Meshify C Mini Dark TG Case Review

The Meshify Mini C is a smaller mATX version of the mid-tower version, shaving 4 cm off the top and losing a little depth while retaining a similar price point. In this article for Benchmark Reviews, we’ll take an in-depth look at this offering from Fractal Design. How is it different from other chassis designs they offer, such as the Define Mini C? What does it offer to Micro-ATX builders? Why buy this over the similarly priced mid-tower equivalent?

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Corsair Carbide 275R Mid-Tower Case Review

As the successor to the Corsair Carbide 270R, the Carbide 275R brings a few new improvements to the table. It comes in four variants: black or white enclosure with an acrylic side panel, and black or white enclosure with a tempered glass panel. The plastic front panel is very simple with its brushed aluminum look, and the side panel provides a great view of the interior components. Unlike its predecessor, the Carbide 275R has its power supply chamber extend all the way towards the front with a cutout to fit up to a 360 mm radiator at the front. Benchmark Reviews has in hand the Carbide 275R in white with the tempered glass side panel.

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NZXT H700i Mid-Tower ATX Case Review

NZXT has brought a few new features to the table with their H-series computer cases. At the time of this review, there are three variants: the H700i (standard mid-tower ATX), H400i (micro-ATX), and H200i (mini-ITX). Aside from having tempered glass panels, a solid steel frame, and a sleek minimalistic look, each case features a CAM Powered Smart Device. The Smart Device optimizes fan noise and temperature through Adaptive Noise Reduction, meaning it will measure the noise level in the case to find the best optimal temperature for the system. These H-series cases also come with a pre-installed RGB strip at the top and a number of case fans with customizable options via the CAM software. In this article, Benchmark Reviews inspects the NZXT H700i in matte black.

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Corsair Carbide 500D ATX Case Review

The ATX form factor is still with us more than 20 years after Intel finalized its specification in 1995. But other evolutionary pressures are affecting the design of the classic mid-tower computer case, such as the elimination of optical media and its 5.25″ drives; the move from 3.5″ hard drives to 2.5″ and m.2 storage, and of course the replacement of clear plastic side panels with the now almost mandatory tempered glass for enthusiast cases. Like most modern cases, the Corsair Carbide 500D Premium Mid-Tower Case eliminates 5.25″ drives, resulting in a blank front panel, but unlike some other cases we’ve reviewed, it uses the space thus freed to good effect, and makes some innovative design decisions along the way. Benchmark Reviews will evaluate and build a system in this case to let you know how well this new thinking works.

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Corsair Carbide Spec-Omega Case Review

The Spec-Omega looks to be an amalgamation of the Spec-Alpha with the tempered glass side panel taken from the Spec-04. The Spec-Omega’s interior is different from either of the previous cases, designed to handle liquid coolers up to 360mm in size, while doing so in a case of roughly the same size as it’s brethren. In this article for Benchmark Reviews, we’ll be putting the Spec-Omega to the test with a complete system build.

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Fractal Design Define R6 Mid-Tower Case Review

The Define series is best known for quality construction that features customization, sound-dampening, and enthusiast level cooling options. Three years ago we awarded the Define R5 a strong 9.5 out of 10. What has Fractal done to improve and remain relevant as we head into 2018? In this article for Benchmark Reviews, I take a closer at the Fractal Design Define R6 Tempered Glass mid-tower computer case, detailing the latest features.

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Zalman Z-Machine X7 Full Tower Case Review

The days of the giant ATX gaming system are behind us, surely. A single-slot mITX system is smaller and less expensive than a full-sized ATX system, and modern video card performance precludes the need for SLI or Crossfire X for the vast majority of users. What, then, are we to make of Zalman’s massive Z-Machine X7 computer case? This is the largest case Benchmark Reviews has seen since the Cooler Master Cosmos: at x by y by z  inches and weighing in at almost 40 pounds empty, this glass and aluminum monster will make its presence known with the help of a plethora of RGB fans and lighting effects.

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be quiet! Dark Base 700 Case Review

In this article for Benchmark Reviews we test the be quiet! Dark Base 700 mid-tower computer case. The Dark Base 700 is the newest member of the be quiet! high end case family. This midi tower case sports a tempered glass side panel, a fully modular design, and water cooling support. Dark Base 700 also features filtered ventilation, RGB LED illumination, PWM fan hub, and 2 SilentWings-3 140mm fans pre-installed (one in the front, one in the rear).

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Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Shift X Case Review

The premium Enthoo-series mini-ITX case developed as “Project 217” has a new name: the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Shift X. Initially announced during CES 2017, the pair of small form factor computer cases have finally made their retail appearance in October 2017. Part of the Enthoo Evolv series, the Shift X showcases many of the same design elements in a fresh new form factor. Benchmark Reviews has been given the opportunity to take a closer look at the larger Shift X (Model PH-ES217XE_AG) – with room for custom cooling loops, 280mm radiators, high-end graphics cards and the looks to match, will the Shift X find a spot in your next build? Let’s take a look.

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Corsair Carbide SPEC-04 TG Case Review

I have had the pleasure to build with many products from Corsair, such as the H100i, Graphite 700T, Carbide 600T, Vengeance memory, HX750 and many more. So I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review the SPEC-04 TG, a new version of the budget SPEC-04 with a tempered glass side panel. In this article for Benchmark Reviews, we’ll look at the features offered by this mid-tower design before doing a quick build and delivering a final conclusion.

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Raijintek Asterion Plus ATX Case Review

The Raijintek Asterion Plus allows for custom water cooling setups and complex server builds. It comes with a roomy interior to house large 240/280/360mm radiators at the front and the top. There is also enough room for tall CPU coolers up to 180mm and large graphics cards up to 340mm in length. To top it off, the acrylic side panels open up like doors using the provided door handles on each side. This case does come in a black variant, but Benchmark Reviews will be taking a look at the Asterion Silver Plus for this review. Let’s take a look at its features, specifications, and a quick overview of what this product has to offer.

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Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Shift Review

The Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Shift series bring performance, functionality, and innovative features to the table. At the time of this review, there are two variants: the Enthoo Evolv Shift X and the Enthoo Evolv Shift. They both come with anodized aluminum panels and two large tempered glass side panels. The case may stand vertically as a normal desktop PC, or horizontally as a living room PC. Phanteks has also designed the interior to house an ITX motherboard, dual 120mm AIO water cooled units, and a large graphics card. Benchmark Reviews will be taking a look at the Enthoo Evolv Shift for this article. Let’s go over an overview of what this case has to offer.

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Fractal Design Focus G Case Review

The Focus G offers a host of cooling options, 120mm and 140mm fans, as well as support for 240mm and 280mm radiators in the front or the top (240mm limitation on top) of the chassis. Fractal Design even has a slew of colors to choose from: white, black, mystic red, petrol blue, and the case I received, in gunmetal gray. Included with the case are two Fractal Design SIlent Series 120mm fans pre-installed in the front of the case, which also have white LED’s.

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Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Case Review

Fractal Design has announced a slew of new products recently. The Focus G series brought a splash of color and style to the typically-reserved Scandinavian case maker, while their popular Define C series added a touch of premium glass with the Define C TG. When Fractal Design offered up yet another, as-of-yet unannounced product to add to their lineup my curiosity was piqued. What else could they possibly have in store? All I had was a product name: the Meshify C. I could hazard a few guesses as to the nature of this new case: ATX, based on the Define C no doubt, with a dressing of mesh – perhaps an Arc Midi successor? Follow along as Benchmark Reviews investigates this new direction from Fractal Design.

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MeanIt 5PM ARC Red Case Review

Mean:It is a rather new company out of Colorado that focuses on building high quality products at an affordable price. At the time of this review, the company offers two tempered glass computer chassis with multiple variants. They were kind enough to send Benchmark Reviews the MeanIt 5PM ARC Red edition, which has 5mm of tempered glass goodness on both sides and on the front of the case. It also comes with four pre-installed ARC Red fans, a built-in fan controller, water pump/reservoir mount, and a cable cover/GPU support bracket for supporting long graphics cards. The 5PM ARC Red looks very promising, so let’s take a look…

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In Win 301 Mini Tower Case Review

Tempered glass is all the rage right now in the custom PC market. As a result, many case makers are releasing new designs with tempered glass in an attempt to cash in. But tempered glass is often more expensive than options such as plastic. Seeing this, In Win has released the 301 mini tower, a smaller mATX version of their successful 303 chassis design. In this article for Benchmark Reviews, we’ll take a closer at the In Win 301 SECC Tempered Glass Micro-ATX Mini Tower Computer Case, detailing the features included in this design, before delivering my final recommendation.

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Bitfenix Portal Mini-ITX Case Review

Available in matte white or matte black (each with or without an acrylic window), the Bitfenix Portal utilizes a dual frame and rail system to house enough components to power most single-GPU gaming rigs. Benchmark Reviews has the opportunity to test the new Bitfenix Portal (model BFC-POT-150-WKWKK-RP) – let’s see what it can do.

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Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV mATX Tempered Glass Review

In this article for Benchmark Reviews, I will be going over the differences between the TG Edition and the mATX version of the case currently on the market. Let’s see how the Enthoo EVOLV mATX TG Edition holds up to scrutiny. The Enthoo EVOLV mATX TG Edition includes RGB compatibility with Asus Aura Sync and MSI Mystic Light Sync motherboards. The TG Edition carries over it’s great water cooling capabilities from the mATX version and comes in 3 colors: Satin Black, Anthracite Grey, and Galaxy Silver.

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Anidees AI Crystal Cube Lite Case Review

With tempered glass becoming a trend on modern computer cases, the Anidees AI Crystal Cube Lite certainly stands out from the crowd with its 5mm thick tempered glass panels. But what exactly is Anidees? This design company was founded in 2011. It is popular in European countries, such as Germany, France, and more. Most people may not have heard of Anidees, but the company strives to provide great quality products by listening to ideas from people like you and me. With that in mind, the Crystal Cube Lite looks very promising with its flexible water and air cooling capabilities, glass panels, and small form-factor design. In this article for Benchmark Reviews, we will be taking a look at the AI Crystal Cube Lite case to see what Anidees has in store for us.

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Corsair Crystal 460X RGB Compact ATX Case Review

If there are two big trends in computer accessories and peripherals these days, it’s “tempered glass” and “RGB illumination”. And if you can combine the two, as Corsair has done with the Crystal 460X RGB Compact ATX mid-tower case, so much the better! But there’s more to this case than just a serious amount of glam, and Benchmark Reviews will build a system in it to see if it would be a good home for your next gaming rig.

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Riotoro CR480 Gaming Case Review

Enter the Riotoro CR480, a budget friendly, mid-tower, gaming computer case that can be had for just under $50. How does it stand up against the competition? That’s what Benchmark Reviews will find out.

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