Best budget PC cases in 2024

What goes inside your PC is important, but so is the chassis that you choose to house it in. I’ve done dozens of PC builds, and picking the best case is never an easy task. Do you need a full-tower build to stuff with storage drives and custom water cooling to keep everything cool, or do you want a small form-factor build that takes up minimal space on your desk? The current gen of graphics cards, with their extended length and width, adds another dimension to your decision-making. The good news, if you’re on a budget, is that features that used to be only on more premium cases are now on budget-friendly options. We’ve collected the best budget PC cases together, so you can find the best one for your hardware.

The very best budget PC cases in 2024

My pick for the best budget PC case is the Lian Li Lancool 216, which takes the majority of its cost-savings by using steel and plastic instead of the aluminum that Lian Li is known for. And you know what, that's perfectly fine, as the result is a minimalist, stylish PC case that comes in black or white, with a large mesh front panel to allow maximum airflow through the chassis. It comes with two 160 mm front fans (in either ARGB or without, depending on which version you buy), and one 140 mm rear fan, which means you can get your build going without having to spend more on fans, as there's plenty of airflow for mid-tier or budget hardware. You also get a SATA-powered fan hub that can support up to four ARGB and PWM fans.

And you don't have to worry about graphics card compatibility, as it supports GPUs up to 392 mm in length and 180 mm in height, more than enough for even the largest Nvidia 4000-series cards. Cable management is decent, so you can stash your cables out of view for the most part, and the front I/O panel can be relocated to the bottom left of the case, if you don't like it being at the top. The top bracket can be removed for easy installation of fans or a radiator, it can fit a 360 mm radiator at the top or the front, and can fit fan coolers that are under 180.5 mm tall. You also get tons of drive mounting points, with four 2.5-inch spots and two dual cages that can support either 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch drives. That all adds up to a great case that looks more premium than its price tag, and is easy to build in as there is plenty of space.

The Phanteks Eclipse P400A was our pick for the best budget case previously, and it's not hard to see why when you look at it. This is the latest iteration in a long line of well-designed, gorgeous chassis from the company, with oodles of space inside to build in and great airflow from the front mesh panel. This mid-tower case can fit E-ATX motherboards inside with space to spare, and has up to 420 mm of clearance for the largest graphics cards on the market. You also get a tempered glass side panel to show off your hardware and any RGB inside. There are two versions, one with two 120 mm fans without RGB, and one with three 120 mm fans with digital RGB and a built-in RGB controller. The price between the versions is marginal, but be aware that the digital RGB controller is specific to Phanteks, so it won't control RGB systems from other manufacturers if you need more than three fans.

As for the rest of the cooling potential, you can fit up to a 360 mm radiator in the front, or a 280 mm radiator up on the roof. And you can use taller air coolers, if you prefer those to AIO water coolers. The PSU mount is shrouded, so you can hide all the unsightly cables easily, and there are mounting points for additional hard drives inside the main chamber (but require an additional purchase of the drive sleds). Overall, this is a great case for a great price, so I won't quibble too much over accessories. These sleds are included with Phantek's more premium cases, but then those cost twice the price.

Some of our favorite cases come from Fractal Design, with quality construction and understated designs that scream class. The Fractal Design Pop XL is a rarity in today's computing landscape, being both a full-tower with an affordable price tag, and with fully sound-dampened panels hiding your hardware from view. Every inch of the larger size has been used for thoughtful additions, like dual 5.25-inch bays at the bottom of the front panel that are stashed behind a magnetic featureless cover. If you're not using these for a CD-R or other disc drive, Fractal has included a storage drawer that fits neatly into the cavity. You also get space for two 2.5-inch drives, and three drive sleds that can be used for either 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch drives.

The front and side panels have sound-dampening foam to keep your hardware from disturbing you, even with the included four 120mm fans running to supply plenty of airflow. It won't be as good at cooling as those cases with mesh panels, but that's the trade-off for a more silent PC. This is a gorgeous case that brings the old monolithic chassis into the future, with preinstalled Velcro tie-backs for cable management and a staggering 430 mm of clearance for the largest graphics cards. You can also put a 360 mm radiator on the front mount, or a 280 mm one on the top if you prefer. It's also worth mentioning that this is the only case on this list without USB-C on the front I/O panel as standard, but Fractal does sell an accessory for $13 to add that if you need it.

The thing about building a small form-factor PC is that often the components are more expensive for their shrinking to fit inside a smaller space. The Cooler Master MasterBox NR400 changes that, with a budget-friendly SFF case that comes without a PCI riser, or for a small additional cost, with one, so you can vertically mount your graphics card to show it off. To help with that, it comes with two side panels, one vented steel, and one tempered glass if you prefer the window. It can fit large GPUs up to 330 mm long and three slot thickness, which is a rarity for SFF cases, which often drop support for larger cards in order to save on space.

You can cool your processor with fan coolers up to 155 mm tall, or 280 mm AIO water coolers, so even the small confines of the case can provide ample cooling for most AMD or Intel CPUs. To make it easier to build in, every external panel can come off without needing tools, so you won't have to suffer from stuffing your fingers in the case when installing components. And even the frame can be disassembled, as it was put together with screws instead of rivets. The only snag to keeping your budget low is that it only supports SFX or SFX-L power supplies, which are often more expensive compared to full-sized ATX units. That's the price you pay for wanting a smaller footprint on your desk, and to some, that's a worthwhile trade-off.

Micro-ATX builds often have to compromise on chassis choice, as there aren't that many good options on the market, so they invariably end up inside mid-towers with space to spare. The Asus Prime AP201 is a shining exception to that, as it's compact and covered in stylish perforated mesh panels. Unlike many other compact cases, it can fit a 360 mm radiator for increased cooling potential. When building a budget PC, you're not likely to be using the top-end CPUs that put out excessive heat, but it is good to know you can get ample cooling on your processor, hopefully extending its useful lifespan. We like the way that RGB glows through the mesh, but you can also get it in a version with tempered glass on the left side panel, to show off your hardware if you prefer.

The AP201 can fit ATX power supplies, which is great as SFX PSUs are often more expensive. You can fit graphics cards of up to 338 mm in length, and if you prefer air cooling the CPU, you can fit tower coolers up to 170 mm tall. That's enough to fit the superlative Noctua NH-D15, one of the largest (and best performing) coolers on the market. There's space for three 2.5-inch/3.5-inch drives on the floor of the case, in case you don't go for M.2 NVMe SSD storage, which has become cheaper in recent months. You also get space for up to six 120 mm cooling fans, and one is included for the exhaust. That does mean you'll need to pick up some more fans to cool your build, but is offset by the low cost of the chassis.

Lian Li makes a whole range of PC cases with the O11 branding, and this one is focused on airflow, while still maintaining a clean cube style. Even though it's a compact chassis, it can fit E-ATX motherboards inside, the largest form factor for consumer use. Lian Li uses super fine mesh on the top, front and side panels for plenty of airflow, and you get two 140 mm PWM front fans and one 120 mm PWM rear fan included, so you can save money by not needing to add more fans. It has a dual-chamber design with the PSU and storage drives all tucked away in the rear chamber. You can fit six 2.5-inch drives or four 3.5-inch and two 2.5-inch drives for a wide range of storage needs.

The front chamber fits the motherboard, and with 362 mm of clearance, you can fit some of the best graphics cards into this compact case. You won't want for CPU cooling capacity either, as it supports 240 mm radiators on the side or front, or a 280 mm radiator on the front mount. That's enough cooling capacity for all but the hottest AMD or Intel processors to keep them well within favorable thermal limits.

This list entry from Cooler Master does one thing that no other case in this collection can claim. The Cooler Master Qube 500 comes flat packed, and you build up the case around your electronics as you put your PC build together. It's also got plenty of space inside, even though it is a fairly compact case when fully assembled. That means you can use E-ATX motherboards, the largest CPU coolers, and the highest-end graphics cards, and even the tallest air CPU coolers. I reviewed this for the site, and really enjoyed the build process (for a change) as it was easy to put my largest graphics card and other components in without risking losing some knuckle skin to sharp corners.

As it comes unassembled, you first put your motherboard onto the tray, then screw on the sides, front, back and other parts as you go along. You can also build it in different orientations, to suit your needs and sense of style. The mesh panels provide tons of fresh air, and also have dust filters to keep your components fairly dust free. That's a good thing, as the relatively compact size and position of the PSU mount means you're limited to a 280 mm radiator if you want to use an AIO water cooler, and I could only fit one fan at the front for air intake. That didn't matter to thermals on the installed AMD Ryzen 9 7900X CPU, which topped out at 87 degrees Celsius during an extended gaming session. It's easy to create a quirky PC with the Qube 500, and those who like the design will love seeing it on their desk.

NZXT is the king of minimalist-looking PC cases, with flat white or black cases that are designed to show off the hardware inside to full effect. The NZXT H5 Flow joins the ranks of community favorites with some new tweaks to the classic NZXT formula that are sure to impress. The most important change is the mesh front panel, which provides an easy path for airflow to the inside of the case, something that NZXT cases have traditionally lacked. My current case is an older NZXT model with a solid front panel, and it's a tricky one to cool, so the stylish mesh front is a welcome sight.

The other change is that instead of an HDD tray for 3.5-inch drives at the front of the PSU shroud, NZXT has put another fan that is angled upwards towards where your graphics card will be installed. This gives even more airflow into the case, and we called it "an excellent use of otherwise wasted space" in our review. This fan does mean you're limited to a 280 mm radiator if you want to water cool your CPU, and the top mount is also limited to 280 mm. Still, that's plenty of radiator space for all but the hottest-running processors. We tested thermals with an Intel Core i9-13900K, and performed as we expected for an airflow-focused case--that is to say, extremely well. For a compact mid-tower case, that's an impressive result, and it's also an easy case to build in, with thoughtful cable routing and toolless access.

What you need to know when choosing a budget PC case

Picking a PC case on a tight budget is far easier than it ever was, with stylish and well-appointed cases from major manufacturers and lesser-known names. You can get fantastic minimalist cases like the Lian Li Lancool 216, which has plenty of space inside for almost any hardware configuration and comes with two huge 160 mm ARGB front fans to push gigantic quantities of air into the case for cooling. That means you can use high-end hardware and not worry if you'll get enough airflow to keep it at optimal temperatures, with a stylish chassis that would look great on anyone's desk.

Or if you want something a little smaller on your desk, Lian Li's O11 Air Mini and Cooler Master's Qube 500 can both fit an ATX-sized motherboard while being more compact. For something even smaller, the Asus AP201 can fit Micro-ATX motherboards, and the Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P uses Micro-ITX motherboards while still having enough space inside for triple-slot graphics cards. The point is you don't have to compromise on quality anymore, even when on a budget.