Best Open Air PC Case – Top 7 Picks
A PC case is just like the toppings of the cake. No matter how tasty the cake is, it isn’t considered good if the toppings aren’t decent. PC case provides aesthetics to your machine, whether it is gaming or a workstation. It also greatly improves the cooling level of the system due to proper air-flow. This helps in keeping the system efficient in terms of performance and temperature management.
Our Top 3 Recommendations
There is no standard to compare a PC case. Every case is perfect and unique in its own way. It all depends on your taste and requirements. All these open-frame pc case have their own set of pros and cons. You won’t be disappointed if you choose any of them.
My Recommendation
I own a Cougar Conquer ATX case myself. I have been using it for almost half a year now. Honestly, I am in love with this case. It has the best air-flow system and the most attractive looks. The exterior is made completely out of aluminum and has room for two extra cooling fans. It also has an in-built cable management system.
The only drawback that I found in it is that it doesn’t have housing for a USB-C port. Luckily, I don’t own a device that uses USB-C, but for those of you who do, you should consider this flaw before purchasing this case.
Did you Know?
The world’s first non-standard, or should I say innovative, PC case was built in 2006. It was made of an aluminum chassis and designed to allow for hardware extensions. The color of that PC case was inspired by a race-car.
Importance of a Good PC Case
If you have been saving up to build your dream PC, then your top preference should be a unique PC case. Trust me when I tell you, people will always judge your system by the looks of it. Even if you own a 2080Ti and a Core i9, a poor PC case will always make it judgmental.
On the other hand, a good looking case shouts out loud that it houses a beast inside it. You don’t have to explain your PC’s hardware to everyone individually in order to impress them. The case does all the talking for you.
The code of conduct while building a PC is always to make a budget first. After that:
- Make a list of your hardware requirements.
- Buy hardware such as processor, ram, SSD, GPU, etc.
- Buy motherboard according to hardware.
- Lastly, buy a PC case according to the hardware and motherboard.
- You can add accessories like RGBs, water cooling, fans later on.
Best Open-air PC Case – Summary
| IMAGE | MODEL | PRICE |
|---|---|---|
 | Thermaltake Core P5 | SEE ON AMAZON |
 | Corsair Graphite Series 760T | SEE ON AMAZON |
 | In Win D-Frame 2.0 Open-Air Chassis | SEE ON AMAZON |
 | Cougar CONQUER | SEE ON AMAZON |
 | Thermaltake Core P1 | SEE ON AMAZON |
 | Antec Striker | SEE ON AMAZON |
 | FSP CMT710 | SEE ON AMAZON |
Quick Shopping Tips!
The PC case is a one-time purchase most of the time. You can upgrade the hardware later, but you will scarcely consider upgrading the case. Because the fact is, upgrading the PC case is like building the PC all over again. Therefore, you should be thoughtful before purchasing your PC case. There are some factors that you need to consider before making your choice:
- Space requirements
- Looks
- Price
- Air-flow
- Housing compatibilities.
- Future upgradation
- Weight and size
All these factors determine whether you chose perfectly or now. Now I will briefly describe all these factors
Space Requirements
The PC case is just like a house, and your hardware the residents of that building. You need to consider the space requirements for each component individually before making your choice.
First of all, the motherboard size and type need to be taken into consideration. The motherboards are available in four main sizes:
- Mini ITX
- Micro ATX
- Extended ATX
- Standard ATX
You need to know the size and dimensions of your motherboard and then check the case’s compatibility with that size. Similarly, components such as GPUs and PSUs require separate space to work properly. If the case is not spacious enough for these components, they may not fit properly to the motherboard. You will then be required to make alterations to the PC case. 70% of the time, alterations result in ruining the looks of the case.
Related: Difference Between Micro ATX vs. Mini ITX vs. ATX
Looks
Looks matter the most when it comes to the PC case. An original PC enthusiast would always prefer the looks of his PC to his own. You need to have the perfect design and color to go with your hardware. In modern PCs, color combinations are selected on the basis of hardware and lighting color. Many gaming rigs are designed according to a theme to make them look unique.
Price
When buying a PC case, obviously, you need to consider whether it can fit in your wallet or not. You don’t want to spend too much on the case that you don’t have money for other accessories. You should always choose your personal requirements over features and luxury. It is a PC case, not a limo.
Air-Flow
The main purpose served by a perfect case is that it keeps the interior well ventilated. A proper airflow increases your hardware performance by a factor of two. It even saves your electricity because the fans have to do less work to keep the system cool.
Cooling fans also play an important role in maintaining a proper airflow inside the computer. Much Open-air case comes with the option to install two or more external fans to push the air inside. These fans are known as exhaust fans because they provide air to internal fans for PC-wide circulation. A properly ventilated system can increase your gaming FPS (frames per second) by at least 10 to 20 points. Being a gamer myself, I know that such numbers prove themselves to be a real game-changer.
Housing
This factor is almost the same as space requirements. But it deals with much smaller components such as USB ports, magnetic dust collectors, liquid cooling systems, etc. You need to determine your hardware accessories requirements before choosing a PC case.
For example, I knew that I am not going to have any need for a USB-C port. Therefore, I find my case to be the most suitable for me. You need to consider these requirements before making the purchase because alterations can really give you a serious headache.
Upgradation
You need to consider whether there will be any hardware upgrades in the near future or not. This is because some hardware is bigger than their previous models because they pack even more power inside them. Suppose you are one of those lads who upgrade their graphics card every year to the newest model. In that case, you need to buy a PC case slightly bigger than your requirements so that it can house any bigger and better components that you put in it.
The same consideration should be provided for liquid cooling. If you are not installing it now, but you see yourself upgrading the cooling system of the gaming rig. Then you should buy a PC case that can house liquid coolers and radiators.
Open Air PC Case At a Glance:
- Thermaltake Core P5
- Corsair Graphite Series 760T
- In Win D-Frame 2.0 Open-Air Chassis
- Cougar CONQUER
- Thermaltake Core P1
- Antec Striker
- FSP CMT710
Best Open-air PC Case Reviews
1. Thermaltake Core P5
- [Panoramic open frame] – take advantage of full panoramic viewing to give an unrivaled chassis presentation
- [Clear view of PC gaming] – 5mm tempered glass Side window design
- [Go Vertical] – 2-way GPU placement allows vertical GPU mounting (TT gaming Riser Cable included)
- [3-Way Placement Layout] – supporting 3-Way placement layouts (wall-mount, vertical and Horizontal) angle your PC in multiple ways
- [2-Way motherboard placement] – take your build to new angles With vertical or Horizontal mounting
The first PC case in the list is best known for its portability. It has a fully modular design, which allows you to place the system according to your needs. It can be placed in three orientations, i.e., Wall mount, Horizontal and Vertical. It allows you to save space for your other accessories and enhance your gaming setup’s beauty.
This case has amazing hardware capacities, including housing space for liquid cooling radiators. It is one of the few cases to support Multi-GPUs without the need for any alterations fully. It comes company altered according to space and cooling requirements of a multi-GPU machine.
The case inside can be accessed by removing the large acrylic window present on its side. Acrylic is a material similar to plastic but has all the qualities of tempered glass. It is also known as shatter-proof glass. Such a side*glass greatly enhances the beauty of your system. All the material used in this case is highly durable. The mainframe is made of aluminum, and the housing is made of high-quality plastic.
2. Corsair Graphite Series 760T
- This refurbished product is tested and certified to look and work like new. The refurbishing process includes functionality testing, basic cleaning, inspection, and repackaging. The product ships with all relevant accessories, and may arrive in a generic box
This case comes from a manufacturer that requires no introduction. They produce the best gaming equipment in the whole industry. If you don’t know corsair, I don’t think you are an enthusiast enough for a gaming PC. The graphite series is specially designed for high-end systems. It has the most beautiful design that you can get in an open-air case. The design overall looks simple, but once the PC is fired up, the show gets started.
This case has internal RGB lighting that can be controlled using the RGB utility software. It has two in-built cooling fans that act as exhausts for the whole system. The fan speed can also be controlled using the included software. You don’t need to buy any extra accessories once you buy this PC case. It even has four modular bays for SSDs. You can even remove the extra bays that you won’t use; this makes the case even more spacious.
This case can house all your hardware such as USB 3.0, 2.0, USB C, Ample liquid cooling system. That’s right! This case has built-in support for an Ample liquid cooling system. The case is designed for housing some of the most powerful machines that require even more powerful cooling systems. However, the only drawback of this case is that it doesn’t support Multi-GPU without doing alterations.
3. In Win D-Frame 2.0 Open-Air Chassis
- Reinforced Steel Tube / Aluminium / Tempered Glass ATX Full Tower
- 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C / 3 x USB 3.0
- Includes custom 92% efficiency 1065W full modular Power Supply (Power Supply Compatibility: ATX12V and EPS12V)
- 4 x 2.5″/3.5″ Multifunctional Brackets Internal 3.5″ Drive Bays
- Motorcycle/motor cross theme demonstrating a combination of craftsmanship and technology
These are some of the high-value PC case preferred by professionals. This case is highly customizable as well as durable. The whole case is inspired by bike designs. This case has a unique Two-way open design that sets it apart from other models in the market.
The frame of this case is made completely from tungsten, one of the hardest metals on earth. You should know that I am talking about some serious durability when I say highly-durable. The whole case is handcrafted and perfected by the experts. It is one of the most beautiful and luxurious cases on the whole list.
This open-air case is best for you to build a high-end modern PC with some beast specs. Because it is specially designed for enthusiasts like you, this case supports all the modern hardware components such as GPUs (multiple), ATTX motherboards, cooling radiators, heatsinks, SSDs, USB 3.1 as well as USB-C, and much more. You can even customize the location of external fans. According to your room settings, these fans can b mounted to either the front or at the bottom of the case.
4. Cougar CONQUER
- Case Form Factor: Mid-Tower
- Motherboard Support: Mini ITX/MicroATX/ATX
- I/O Panel: USB3.0 x 2, Mic x 1 , Audio x 1
- Fan Pre-installed: COUGAR CFD 120mm LED fan x 3
- 3 x 3.5″ Drive Bay, 4 x 2.5″ Drive Bay
I have already told you all the information about this case at the start of the article. It has the best air-flow system and the most attractive looks. The exterior is made completely out of aluminum and has room for two extra cooling fans. It also has an in-built cable management system.
The design of this PC case finds its DNA of inspiration in military-grade products. This case provides the best look and feel of a proper FPS gaming PC. It can easily fill the opponent’s heart with terror and respect for you without having to say a single word.
It is a modular case, which means that it can be easily customized according to your taste and requirements. These customizations can sometimes even be done without using a screwdriver. It is the best PC case I have ever used.
5. Thermaltake Core P1
- 5 millimeter thick tinted tempered glass
- Aio/LCS cooling support 120/240 millimeter
- Ultimate GPU presentation: showcase your graphics card for all to see with vertical mounting (Mini Riser cable included)
- 3 Way Placement Layout options: Designed for wall mount, horizontal or Vertical layouts
- English (Publication Language)
This case is best suitable for Mini ATX type motherboards. It is perfect if you plan to build a compact or mini gaming PC because it has the perfect balance between compact size and cooling. You can install two external cooling fans to the front of the case for added cooling.
You can place this case on your desk or even mount it on a wall. It is the cutest case in the whole list. But don’t be fooled by its small size because it has all the specs of a full-sized open-air case. You can install RGBs and high RPM cooling fans without any hassle. It can even house 500W PSUs in its built-in housing.
This case has the combability to house most of the modern hardware without requiring any alterations. The only drawback is that you can’t install multiple-GPUs in this case by any means. There is no space available at all for that purpose. If you plan to install a liquid cooling system, you may have to place the radiator outside the case due to lack of space.
6. Antec Striker
**The Strike**r is the most arousing PC case on the list. It has a simple design but has some magic in it. The simplicity attracts you towards hardcore gaming and testing your hardware limits on this case. It even has a built-in cable management system to make your PC look even more neat and elegant.
The frame structure of Striker is composed of highly durable aluminum and steel. The case’s interior is completely insulated with a current insulation factor of 99% to prevent any accidents. It is a fully open-air case, so you should expect some very serious cooling performance from it.
Over-clockers mostly prefer this case because it keeps the temperature stable at all times. You can even install custom Liquid cooling systems to make this case even more attractive and performance efficient. It supports multiple GPUs, all motherboard sizes, all sizes of PSUs, and reversible USB-C 3.1.
7. FSP CMT710
- Dual chambers for dual water-cooling systems Supports dual 360mm radiator
- Custom center compartment for better cable management
- Supports USB Type-C connectors
- 2 Tempered Glass with Aluminum Frame
- ARGB lighting effect control with popular motherboards
This last case is the most expensive pc case in the world. It has all the features that you can dream of. It supports to house all the hardware components available on earth. If you are Bill Gates, then this is the perfect case for you and your high-end hardware. Or, if you are Elon Musk, you should take this PC case with you to Mars because it has a state of the art design and builds quality.
This is the only PC case in the world that is inspired by a bat. The top of the case shows bat wings that can be adjusted to any color accent according to your preference.
It can house all motherboards, PSUs, GPUs, Cooling fans, and all the other components TWICE! Because It has dual system support. That means that you can install two PCs in a single case and simultaneously change between them using a common HDMI port. It has all the necessary components of a modern PC such as USB C, cooling radiators, etc.
Conclusion
A perfect open-air PC case is best for perfectly cooling the system even at high loads. It also increases the beauty of the system and makes it more aesthetic.
In this article, I have collected all the necessary information that you require before purchasing a PC case. Hope you liked it.
Last update on 2023-05-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising APIGaming techies is supported by it's awesome community, using the amazon affiliate links on our website helps keeps the lights on! at no additional cost to you.
