The case decides how easily you can build, how well the machine cools, and whether you still like looking at it in a year. It is also one of the cheaper parts of a 2026 PC, and several well-regarded models are well under £110 in the UK this week.
Forge PC has not tested these cases. The rankings below follow Tom's Hardware's "Best PC Cases 2026" guide, last updated on 6 November 2026. UK prices are SpecPrice's cheapest stock-checked shop listings on 13 November 2026, mostly at Scan or Box, checked around 07:57 GMT.
Quick picks (UK prices, 13 November 2026)
Tom's Hardware category | Case | Approx. UK price | Notes |
|---|
Best budget ATX | Montech TG3 | £54.98 at Scan | Four included fans (a 360mm-class side unit plus a 120mm rear, in Tom's review). |
Best case with a screen | Lian Li Lancool 207 Digital | £93.98 at Scan | Adds a 6-inch front display to the 207. The standard Lancool 207 is £74.99 at Scan. |
Best performance-focused ATX | Lian Li Lancool 217 | £102.98 at Scan | Five fans included, wood trim, back-connector boards supported, in Tom's write-up. |
Best colourful case | Hyte X50 | £104.99 at Scan | Ships with no fans. The mesh X50 Air is £79.99 at Scan. |
Best large "fish tank" | NZXT H9 Flow (2025) | £79.99 at Scan | Dual-chamber; the Scan listing is the black model with 3× 140mm F140Q fans, 16% below its 30-day average this morning. |
Best workstation / high-end | Fractal Design Meshify 2 (black, solid panel) | £134.99 at Scan | Light-tint glass version £144.98 at Scan. |
Best design-focused Mini-ITX | Fractal Design Terra | £174.98 at Scan | Compact; Tom's notes cramped cooler and PSU limits, and that you will want a modular SFX PSU. |
Best premium tower | Cooler Master Cosmos Alpha | £339.98 at Scan | Full tower, very large. |
Tom's Hardware's best-looking pick remains the Fractal Design North, praised for its wood-slat front and airflow (and flagged as noisy under load). We did not have a stock-checked UK price for the standard North this morning; Scan's stock-checked listing was the North Momentum Edition at £179.99. Cheaper North listings on smaller shops were marked stock not checked, so we have not used those figures.
Tom's also names the Phanteks XT Pro Ultra as its best budget back-connect ATX case. Box had a white Ultra at £74.98 on 13 November 2026; the cheaper XT Pro (not Ultra) was £52.98 at Box. The Corsair 2500D Airflow is Tom's pick specifically for rear-connector Micro-ATX boards — it is not a full-size ATX case. We did not have a stock-checked Scan or Box price for it this morning, so check current listings if that is the feature you need.
The Montech XR is not on Tom's best list, but it is a compact mid-tower at £49.98 at Scan, if you want a cheap ATX box and are willing to judge airflow for yourself.
What to check before you buy
Motherboard size and GPU length. Mid-towers in this list mostly take ATX boards; the Terra is Mini-ITX only, and the 2500D is Micro-ATX / Mini-ITX. Tom's lists GPU clearance on each review — a 360W-class card can be long, so match the case to the card, not the other way around.
Included fans. The Hyte X50 arrives empty; budget for fans (Tom's mentions Hyte's own colour-matched packs as extras). The TG3, Lancool 207/217, H9 Flow, Meshify 2 and Cosmos Alpha include fans, which is part of their value. Our CPU cooler guide is worth reading alongside a case choice if you are planning a large air tower or a 360mm radiator — not every compact case will take one.
Glass versus mesh. Panoramic glass looks good and often costs you some front intake. Tom's notes that the North's glass side may be a little quieter than mesh, with some thermal cost. If the PC will sit in a warm cupboard, favour mesh and a clear exhaust path.
Build features. Back-connector ("reverse connection") motherboards need the right cut-outs and room behind the tray — Tom's highlights this on the XT Pro Ultra, Lancool 217 and 2500D. Cable-routing space, a USB-C front port, and dust filters matter more than RGB once the panels are on.
If you are still choosing the rest of the PC, start with how to build a gaming PC and the under-£1,200 parts guide, then size the case to those components.
Our verdict
For most UK builders on 13 November 2026, the value is in the middle of this list: the Montech TG3 at £54.98 if you want a cheap, well-equipped ATX case; the Lancool 217 at £102.98 if cooling and a straightforward build matter more than a screen; and the NZXT H9 Flow at £79.99 if you want a dual-chamber showpiece while it is below its recent average. The Hyte X50 at £104.99 is the colourful option, but you must add fans. We have not tested these chassis — Tom's Hardware has — so treat the categories as theirs, and the pound figures as today's UK shop prices.
