When it comes to PC gaming cases, there are huge quality gaps between what is out there. The amount of money you spend does not necessarily translate into better quality, either. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find some gems among so-called gaming boxes made too-often on the cheap. This case roundup includes some very well known brands, such as Aerocool ExtremEngine 3T (Huge 250mm Fans), Aerocool AeroEngine II - SSA (Massive Swing-out Doors), Aspire X-Cruiser-BK/42 (Bull's Eye Gauges On Display), Dynapower Blackwidow CS-BW41602.1266 (Spiderman Design) and MGE XG Dragon (Overpriced But Pretty):

Those who believe it is impossible to make any missteps when buying a gaming case are sadly mistaken. In most cases, , you get too much plastic for your hard-earned money. Case components, covers and door panels break off far too easily, and are hard to use besides. That's why we advise savvy buyers to spend a few more dollars on their cases, and make sure they're getting quality components - especially where plastic covers or door panels are present.

Alternatively, aluminum door panels are much more robust. In this comparison test, Aerocool lost points on that score. The door panels and the back case chassis were made of aluminum or narrow-gauge steel, but with a cheap plastic shell in between. This is, of course, intended to keep production costs to a minimum. Vendors buy their front panels and case chassis' from multiple manufacturers as cheaply as possible, and only put those components together themselves. In order to bind both of these component sets together, a third set of components is used, which are made entirely of plastic as a rule. Too many types of plastic should be labeled "Danger! Breakable!" Once broken, parts or covers are usually irreparable, and cease to perform their intended functions in 99% of all cases. In the worst case, this means another trip to a computer or specialty store and purchase of another, hopefully more robust case for your PC.

In this comparison test, Tom's Hardware Guide finds itself unable to recommend any of the products it tested. That is because they're either too fragile or we simply couldn't overcome our reservations about certain features or components.