The best cheap houses | May 2022

During the construction of a new economic build, the budget will certainly be the most stringent constraint that will significantly influence the choices of components. It will therefore be necessary to carefully choose which hardware components you will want to save as possible. Spending little on fundamental components such as, for example, the CPU or PSU, could prove to be a very risky choice, which could irreparably damage your PC or compromise the overall performance of the device. It will therefore be necessary to save on those components that have indirect effects on actual performance and usually the choice falls on the case, since its main function is to contain all the electronic chips inside it, while other secondary aspects such as air flow and cable management certainly take a back seat when it comes to saving, but in this regard we have already created a special guide in which we explain everything you need to know about the choice of the case.

In this guide when buying we will go to see what are the best cheap houses available on the market today. The aspect that may leave you surprised is that despite the fact that they are cheap products, you will not have to give up in any way an often captivating product design: the best economic houses have nothing to envy to the most famous products of large companies. specialized as NZXT, Corsair or Thermaltake, which obviously remain choices of reference both for build quality and materials.

Many of the cases proposed in this guide can mount up to a maximum of 7 120mm fans (even 140mm variants), as well as AIO (All In One) liquid coolers. So that of heat dissipation will not turn out to be a real problem if the hardware configuration is not particularly high.

The available space will also be ample, given that by now most of the economic houses are equipped with slots capable of accommodating at least two 2.5 / 3.5-inch storage drives, up to a maximum of seven for some products, as well as E-ATX, ATX, micro-ATX, and mini-ITX motherboards. If you want to save money by investing in more performing internal components, these cases are certainly the best choice for you.

The best budget cases

GeeekPi 1 Mars Gaming MCMW Sharkoon TG4 Itek The Rock Evo Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L

GeeekPi 1

It will not go down in history as the most beautiful case ever made, but if you are looking for a “case” for your Raspberry Pi 4 (model B), you have found it. The shell is made of aluminum, weighs only 225 grams and measures 17 x 9 x 4 cm. Also included in the package is a small (and silent) fan, power supply (or charger, in this case) and a small screwdriver.

Mars Gaming MC100W

Mars Gaming MC100W is a Mini Tower case that we recommend for low-end configurations, and which develop little heat (builds without a dedicated GPU, for example). The product is therefore recommended for the typical living room PC. The airflow is not that great: you can only install an 80mm fan on the rear panel (already included in the package).

The product can accommodate micro ATX and mini ITX motherboards. Inside the case are space for up to two 3.5 or 2.5-inch storage drives, video cards up to 269 mm long, CPU coolers up to 143 mm high and power supplies up to 260 mm long. Mars Gaming MC100W features an acrylic side panel and a beautiful brushed aluminum front panel. The power supply is installed at the top and there is a compartment for cable management.

An I / O hub is located on the front panel which offers:

1x USB 3.0 1x USB 2.0 1x Microphone 1x Headphone 1x Power button

Noua Orizon M1

Generic photos The Noua Orizon M1 is a Middle Tower case with a modern design (side panel in tempered glass and meshato front); available in white or black, the case can accommodate ATX, micro ATX and mini-ITX motherboards; inside, there is space for up to 5 storage units, two of which are 3.5 '' and three are 2.5 ''.

The case can hold GPUs up to 240mm long, CPU coolers up to to 160 mm and feeders up to 180 mm long. There is a pre-installed 120mm RGB LED fan on the rear panel in the box. On the case it is also possible to install radiators for AIO heatsinks, up to 360 mm on the front and 240 mm on the top.

An I / O hub is located on the front panel which offers:

2x USB 2.0 1x USB 3.0 1x Microphone 1x Headphone 1x Power button 1x Reset

Itek The Rock Evo

Generic photos Itek is not a well-known brand large audience, but The Rock Evo is a product that deserves consideration. It is an excellent value for money Middle Tower case, and is an interesting option for those who intend to assemble a gaming PC while saving a little on the case.

Itek The Rock Evo can accommodate motherboards ATX, micro ATX and mini ITX. Inside are space for up to 5 storage units, including two 3.5-inch and three 2.5-inch.

The case accommodates video cards up to 360 mm long and CPU coolers up to a height of to 160 mm. The power supply compartment is located at the bottom.

Up to 6 120mm fans can be mounted, three of which on the front panel (or two 140mm), two on the top (or two 140mm) mm) and one on the back (already included in the package). As for the liquid heatsinks, it is possible to insert one 280 mm on the front panel, one 140 mm on the top and one 120 mm on the back.

The case has a thick steel shell 0 , 6 mm, while the side panel is in tempered glass. The I / O hub features:

1x USB 3.0 2x USB 2.0 1x Microphone 1x Headphone 1x Power button 1x Reset 2x LED lights

Cooler Master MASTERBOX Q300L

Nice right? Cooler Master MASTERBOX Q300L is a case with a modern and refined design; is a 387 x 381 x 230 mm Mini Tower model that can accommodate micro ATX and mini-ITX cards. Inside, there is space for up to 3 memory units, one 3.5-inch and two 2.5-inch. The case accommodates GPUs up to 360mm long, CPU coolers up to 159mm high, and power supplies up to 160mm long.

In total, a maximum of 5 fans can be installed: two on the front panel ( 120/140 mm), one on the rear (120 mm) and two on the upper one (120 mm). The case comes with the classic pre-installed rear fan. It is possible to mount a 120 / 240mm liquid heatsink behind the front panel and a 120 mm one on the rear panel.

The I / O hub is not located on the top side, but on the side (close to the acrylic side panel) and features:

2x USB 3.0 1x Microphone 1x Headphone 1x Power button

Cheap case: what to look for a good buy

The price. Buying an inexpensive house is linked to a simple reason: you try to save as much as possible to reinvest the money in the internal components. Our advice is to spend as little as possible trying to bring home a product with the best value for money. In this regard, the proposals you will find will have a maximum price of 60 euros.

Form Factor

The cases are available in four sizes: Full Tower, Mid Tower, Mini Tower and Mini ITX . Full Tower cases are the most spacious models (they can accommodate E-ATX motherboards) but are reserved for a very high market segment.

Mid Tower cases are the most common and are often called ATX cases, by virtue of the fact that they can accommodate motherboards of the aforementioned format; they have a maximum height of about 45 cm.

The Mini Tower cases are also very popular and the abbreviation micro ATX or mATX is often found next to their name. They can mount motherboards in mATX or ITX format inside them. Typically, these models are up to 40cm tall, and are the most popular cases for pre-assembled office PCs.

Finally, there are the Mini ITX cases, also known as Small Form Factor (SFF ) houses; they are the smallest and can reach a maximum height of 35 cm. These also include models intended for Raspberry, Intel NUC and, more generally, all those that are mini PCs.

Internal space

Generally, the internal space offered by a case largely depends on its form factor. Obviously, the larger the size of the hosted motherboard, the more space the user will have to install radiators, fans, CPU heatsink, power supply and video card.

Secondary parameters

They are secondary parameters, but not negligible, the construction quality, the materials used, the position of the power supply and design. These factors should not greatly influence the choice of an inexpensive case, which obviously must have some compromises since the watchword is saving, so you also need to be able to turn a blind eye without neglecting quality. For example, if the side panel will not be in tempered glass but in acrylic (or perhaps it will not be there at all), it will not be a problem, just as a compartment for cable management may be missing, for example. These factors are secondary, in a choice in which the search for the best available air flow will be privileged, since the main objective remains that of optimizing the operating temperatures to increase the yield of the system.