Enclosure Need help finding premium, compact ATX cases

janas19

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Original poster
Feb 9, 2016
109
39
I'm looking for a premium ATX case under $200 that eliminates the 5.25 bays in front. Problem is every premium ATX case I like has a full cage in the front. I don't use these bays, they increase the footprint of the case, and a bayless case has better airflow. So I'd like a compact, high-end case with premium materials and all the the tooless/modular features of a full ATX tower. Something like the Enthoo Mini XL but it without the front bay cages and 360mm AIO front mount instead would be perfect.

Some potential contenders:

- NZXT 510 Elite: right size, but it lacks the tooless/modular features found in full tower metal cases. Also doesn't have the premium construction since it sells for $80.

- Cooler Master Masterbox Q500L: attempts to save even more space but it cuts out a lot of fan support. Not a fan of the aesthetics either.

- Corsair Crystal 280x: I guess I'll have to settle on this but it's made of plastic and glass and I wish it were made of metal.
 

Solo

King of Cable Management
Nov 18, 2017
855
1,422
Doesn't exist with your requirements. Premium under 200 bones is not a thing.
 

BenX

Chassis Packer
May 22, 2018
16
5
Compact ATX?

Cerberus X ( Expensive and very expensive if shipped to EU .. but 23L )
Thermaltake Core G3 ( cheap, very cheap but designed for only 1 PCIe device ... 23.5L )
RAIJINTEK THETIS ( 100 Euro but hard to find in EU ... out of production? ... 27.7L )
Cooler Master Q500L ( Looks good, cheap at 45 Euro but cooling issues because of hole sizes ... 33L )
Fractal Meshify C ( Excellent quality, but already 130 Euro. 36L )
...

Frankly, if it looks good, go for that. Premium looks is useless because case designs change / improve over time. Now glass and RGB lights all, with less focus on functionality / storage is all the rage. In a few years your case can look dated ( look back case design 5 year = ugly plastic gaming crap. 10 Years = my god ).
 
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