If you need a large form-factor case to build a high-end computer in, in this guide, we’ve rated and reviewed seven of the best full tower cases currently available.
Bigger doesn’t always mean better, but in the terms of computer cases, it certainly gives you more options. While smaller form-factor cases (like mini-ITX cases) are becoming more and more popular, larger cases have always held a special place in the hearts of enthusiast PC builders. Bigger cases give system builders more room for more components, offer better airflow, and provide more customization options.
So, in this guide, we’re going to take a look at seven of the best full tower cases currently on the market at different price points and feature sets. These aren’t the only large form-factor case options out there, but if you are looking for a bigger case to build a new high-end gaming computer in, these are definitely some of the better options to do so in.
A Quick Look at the Best Full Tower Cases
If you’re looking for a quick version of this guide and you just want to get a look at a handful of the best PC cases, the table below represents our picks for the best full tower case, the best option for people with an extreme budget, the best value pick (although, technically, the Thermaltake Core X71 would win that, too, if it wasn’t our top pick overall), and the best budget full tower case. Just note, though, that a lot of choosing a PC case comes down to individual preference. We’ve also made three Honorable Mention picks at the bottom of this guide, so if you want to see a few more options, keep scrolling down.
| | NAME | SPECS | RATING | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOP PICK |  | Thermaltake Core X71 |
| /10 | |
| HIGH-END |  | be Quiet! Pro 900 |
| /10 | |
| VALUE |  | Cougar Panzer Max |
| /10 | |
| BUDGET |  | Phanteks Enthoo Pro |
| /10 |
*If you want to read our overview on each of the full tower cases listed above, just click the “Read Review »” button and you’ll jump straight to that case’s overview. And, if you want to see our Honorable Mention picks, keep scrolling down this guide.
Best Full Tower Case:
Thermaltake Core X71
- Max GPU Length: 16.5″
- Max Cooler Height: 7.1″
- Tempered Glass Window
- Black Only
This may not be the most popular decision in the world, but in terms of what the Thermaltake Core X71 offers for the price it comes in at, we felt that the insane price-to-performance ratio it provides was enough to make it our top choice for the overall best full tower case.
For starters, the airflow on the X71 is incredible. It has a grilled front and top panel, as well as grilled panels on both sides of the bottom power supply chamber. This gives it enormous potential to maximize the amount of intake air coming in and exhaust air going out.
The case can hold up to 15 different fans and can hold radiators in six different positions, with support for up to a 480mm radiator (on the front of the case). So, needless to say, there is nearly unlimited potential for liquid cooling (and cooling in general) in the Core X71.
The X71 can also hold graphics cards up to 16.5″ long and CPU coolers up to 7.1″ tall, both of which are enough to accommodate any graphics card and CPU cooler currently on the market.
Thermaltake’s X71 also comes with a 4mm thick tempered glass side panel, has plenty of cable management holes (with rubber grommets), and sports a modular design that makes removing drive bays, SSD brackets, vertical GPU mounts, and fan trays incredible easy.
From an aesthetic standpoint, it might look a little plain, but we like the simple design, especially since the simple design will offer more focus on the components in the build rather than the case itself.
Ultimately, for just under $130, the possibilities with the Thermaltake Core X71 are endless. Some of the other options on this list come in at $300+ and won’t be a viable option for many builders. The X71 offers just as many features and will be a case that a lot more builders can afford.
Best High-End Full Tower Case:
be Quiet! Dark Base Pro 900
- Max GPU Length: 18.6″
- Max Cooler Height: 7.3″
- Tempered Glass Window
- Black, Orange, & Silver
If you’re looking for a versatile high-end full tower case for your upcoming build (or upgrade), the be Quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 (rev. 2) is one of the best large form-factor cases currently on the market.
At just a little under ~$275, the Dark Base Pro 900 does come with a much higher price tag than the Thermaltake Core X71. However, it is less expensive than the Cooler Master’s Cosmos C700P and EVGA’s DG-87 and it is significantly less expensive than Corsair’s Obsidian 1000D.
So, in terms of high-end options out there, we felt that, for the price it comes in at and the features it offers, the Dark Base Pro 900 stood out among the more expensive full tower cases.
For specs, the be Quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 can hold graphics cards as long as 18.6″ and CPU coolers as tall as 7.3″. The case can support liquid cooling radiators as long as 420mm and can hold a radiator in four different locations. The case also has plenty of modification options, with many of the drive bays and brackets easily removable. The motherboard tray, itself, can be relocated so that the case takes on an inverse layout, too.
Perhaps the biggest selling point of the Dark Base Pro 900 (and, really, the main benefit of most of be Quiet!’s products) is how quiet it is. It has a specific design that is catered to eliminating noise from escaping from the case. So, if you will be using the computer in a quiet environment and you need it to stay that way, then you might want to consider the Dark Base Pro 900.
In the end, if you have a larger budget and you’re looking for a high-end large form-factor case for your build, you could definitely do worse than to pick the be Quiet! Dark Base Pro 900.
Underrated Full Tower Case:
Cougar Panzer Max Ultimate
One option that flies a little under the radar due to the fact that Cougar isn’t one of the most popular names in PC cases, is Cougar’s Panzer Max Ultimate full ower case.
The Panzer Max Ultimate has everything a PC builder could want and it comes in at a relatively affordable price, too (just under ~$140). It can hold any graphics card and CPU cooler currently on the market, it has a cool-looking design with a decent amount of ventilation, it comes with a windowed side panel (that has a nice opening-method), and it has plenty of support for high-end liquid cooling.
While the case is large, it does also come with carrying handles on the top, too, so if you frequent LAN parties and don’t mind lugging around a little extra weight, the handles make this case easier to carry than other full tower cases.
If it were up to us, we’d choose the Thermaltake Core X71 over the Cougar Panzer Max Ultimate for our own build. However, given the Panzer’s unique design and its ability to house a high-end gaming computer, we know there are users out there that would prefer this case.
So, if you’re looking for a well-priced full tower case that looks cool, can house a high-end system, and has pretty good cooling capabilities, then the Cougar Panzer Max Ultimate would be worth considering.
Best Budget Full Tower Case:
Phanteks Enthoo Pro
- Max GPU Length: 18.5″
- Max Cooler Height: 7.5″
- Windows Side Panel
- 4 Different Styles
The Phanteks Enthoo Pro is actually a pretty old case. It came out way back in 2014 and it was one of the first options on the market to sport a PSU shroud (something we’re a big fan of from an aesthetic standpoint.)
The best part about the Phanteks Enthoo Pro is the fact that it comes in at just under $100. And, you can get the non-windowed version of the case for a little over ~$90.
The Enthoo Pro has enough room inside of it to hold any graphics card and CPU cooler currently available. It can also hold radiators in four different locations across the case, including support for radiators up to 420mm long on the top of the case.
With the Enthoo Pro, you also get removable SSD brackets, plenty of nice cable management features (like rubber-grommet-covered-holes and velcro straps), and support for extended-ATX motherboards.
Overall, while the Phanteks Enthoo Pro is a bit on the older side, it is still a high-end case that comes in at a very affordable price. So, if you are looking for a roomier case and you don’t have an enormous budget, the Enthoo Pro might be the perfect option for you.
Honorable Mention #1:
Cooler Master Cosmos C700P
- Max GPU Length: 19.3″
- Max Cooler Height: 7.8″
- Tempered Glass Window
- Black/Silver Only
Any of our Honorable Mentions could have been considered for either our top pick overall or our best high-end full tower case pick. These are all phenomenal cases. However, they are priced a bit more than be Quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 (and significantly more than the Thermaltake X71) without offering significantly more or better features.
Still, though, as case preferences (especially on the aesthetic side of things) can vary from individual-to-individual, some builders will be more inclined to pay a little more to get a case that has the aesthetics they want. So, if one of these Honorable Mentions is the case for you, there’s nothing wrong with choosing it over one of the options above.
Our first Honorable Mention is the Cooler Master Cosmos C700P. The C700P has a big bold futuristic look to it and plenty of features as well. With a graphics card clearance of 19.3″ and a CPU cooler height clearance of 7.8″, any graphics card or CPU cooler on the market can fit inside of this system.
Although, if you have the budget for this case, you probably also have the budget to support a high-end custom liquid water cooling setup, or a high-end AIO cooler and so cooler height clearance likely won’t come into play, anyway. Fortunately, the C700P also has plenty of support for liquid cooling as well. It can hold radiators up to 420mm in length
The C700P also has support for different motherboard layouts (including inverted), plenty of options for custom modding, dual tempered side glass panels, and support for extended-ATX motherboards.
Overall, the Cosmos C700P is a really nice-looking high-end full tower case that will win over many enthusiast custom PC builders. Its ~$300 price tag will put it out of the reach of most builders, but for those who have a larger budget, it is a really nice option that is worth considering.
Honorable Mention #2:
Corsair Obsidian 1000D
For the longest time, the Corsair Obsidian 900D was the most desired case among PC-building enthusiasts and case modders. It was one of the first cases to offer a dual chamber design and its enormous size and interior space made it a great option for custom liquid cooling setups. However, as new cases emerged with similar or better features at lower costs, the 900D became less popular of an option.
Now Corsair has introduced its successor, the 1000D. However, rather than try to improve on the offering that the 900D presented, Corsair went a different direction with the 1000D (from a design & layout perspective). They ditched the dual chamber design (at least, the same dual chamber design that the 900D had) and instead opted for providing as much room inside of the case as possible.
The case is so big that it can house two separate systems inside of it simultaneously (it can hold an extended-ATX and mini-ITX motherboard as well as dual power supplies at the same time.) It can also hold up to 18 different fans and it has room to hold four 480mm radiators at the same time, too.
One of the coolest features on the Corsair 1000D is its slide-out radiator/fan trays. If you’ve installed a liquid cooling radiator in your system, then you know it can be a little bit of a nuisance to get the first few screws in while you hold it in place. The 1000D’s slide-out trays make this process much easier as they can retract outside of the case to make the process incredibly easy.
The biggest drawback to the 1000D is, of course, its price. At just under $500, the 1000D will only be an option for extreme system builders. For the average builder who just wants to put together a single GPU system, or even for someone who has a moderate budget and is looking to build a more high-end system, the high price tag of the 1000D will be tough to justify.
So, unless you have an unlimited budget and are looking to build an extraordinary setup, the 1000D probably isn’t for you. If you can afford it, though, Corsair’s new monster case will give you more potential than pretty much any other case on the market.
Honorable Mention #3:
EVGA DG-86
While EVGA isn’t well-known for their case options, their DG lineup of cases have garnered some interest among system builders. And, their full tower DG-series case, the DG-86, has one of the coolest and most interesting designs we’ve ever seen on a PC case.
And, it’s not that the design is so radically different than other cases (for the most part its tall upright design is similar to most cases on the market), but rather that it takes the traditional PC case format and it expands it to its limits (in what we think is a good way.)
In a lot of ways, it looks more like a high-end 3D printer than it does a computer case. But, a computer case it is—and a pretty awesome one at that.
The EVGA DG-86 definitely doesn’t lack for size or space. The case can hold pretty much any graphics card or CPU cooler on the market, it has ample support for high-end liquid cooling setups, and it can house an extended-ATX motherboard. It comes with support for up to 420mm long radiators and it has three reservoir clamps as well.
In terms of price, the DG-86 only comes in at ~$10 more than the be Quiet! Dark Base Pro 900, so if you’re looking for a full tower case under $300 and you’re on the fence between the DG-86 and the Dark Base Pro 900, the price difference shouldn’t really be a factor.
Ultimately, the DG-86’s design is going to be one of those things where half the consumers absolutely love it and the other half absolutely hate it. We think it’s pretty awesome and if you do too (and if you have the budget for it), it is definitely a case that would help your next build make a statement.
Is a Full Tower PC Case the Right Option for You?
If you’re like me and you want a big bold case to help set the tone for an awesome-looking build, a full tower case is probably an option you’ll want to consider for your next system. Above, we’ve selected seven of the best full tower cases currently available and written overviews on what makes them stand out. So, if you’re looking to build a new computer and you want to choose a large case that looks cool and will give you plenty of room for your system (and future upgrades), one of the options in this guide should do the trick for you.
This trend of having blocked front air flow is ruining pc cases. I have a customized Corsair 760t and although it’s a great case, I yearn for modern features like no holes other than for cable routing in the motherboard tray, USBc, a psu shroud that doesn’t have to be removed to access the psu (custom shroud in my case), no 5 1/4″ bays, hidden or removable hard drive bays, no RGB (I’ll add my own), no fan controllers or splitters (in fact, I would prefer no fans as I will add my own), no unusual sized fans (120 or 140mm please), a hole in the shroud for psu cables, but no hole in the back for vertical gpu mounting. If there is no vertical gpu, I don’t want to see a hole. Tempered glass side panel only, no other glass. I have looked at, and rejected all of the cases above for poor airflow or for looking so 15 years ago, or just for being butt ugly (I hate handles on the top of a case. Just how often do they think you are carrying around a full tower, and who would carry it by those stupid handles anyway?). I have been building PCs since the days of the IBM XT and I have never seen such a poor showing of full tower cases. I have actually started considering mid tower cases. The best possibilty I see now is the Meshify C XL. Too bad about the funny pattern in the front mesh though. They are more interested in how pretty their cases are over functionality.