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These days, most PC cases can house at least a single 240mm AIO, making most cases suitable for water cooling your CPU. But if you want to run a custom loop for both the CPU and GPU, the situation changes. Many cases don’t have support for custom loops, don’t have space for pumps and hardline tubing, or cannot house multiple radiators at once.
If you want to find the best water cooling cases capable of hosting custom loops without issues, well, just scroll below and check out our list. It features picks for every form factor along with a couple of extra choices. We have water-cooling cases for people who want a simple and quality enclosure for their future build and for those who want to show off their custom loop build in all its glory. All of the cases listed below are well suited for custom water cooling loops as well as AIO cooling systems.
Before we start, we recommend checking out our list of the best 140mm case fans so you can further improve the thermals inside your case. Next, our best fan control software article includes a number of apps that can be used to lower your system noise while keeping the same thermal performance. Finally, read our best PC stress test tools article to find out the best apps for stress-testing your newly built liquid-cooled PC.
1. Fractal Design Meshify 2: Best value water cooling case
The Meshify 2 from Fractal Design is the best water cooling case for most people. It’s relatively compact, although not the smallest mid-tower case, while offering room for up to a 420mm radiator on the top along with up to 360mm radiator on the front and another 280mm radiator on the bottom of the case.
The Meshify 2 is also quite spacey, with plenty of room for tubing, water blocks, and the pump. Do note that if you decide to build a custom loop, you’ll have to say goodbye to the optional HDD bracket. The good news is that, even without one, the Meshify 2 can take up to eight 2.5” SSDs or two SSDs and six 3.5” HDDs.
Airflow is pretty good, and the chassis features perfect cable management. The case also looks quite nice, is available in three colors, and comes with a glass side panel. Finally, the Meshify 2 isn’t the cheapest housing around but its price is more than alright for the package you’re getting.
2. Phanteks Enthoo Evolv X Glass: Best water cooling case for custom loops
If you want the best liquid cooling case for custom water cooling loops, check out the Phanteks Evolv X Glass. First of all, it looks superb. The metal front panel with RGB on both sides, coupled with a glass side panel with more RGB effects and plenty of space inside for a powerful custom loop.
It also has pretty solid thermal performance despite the lack of a mesh front panel. The front panel can take up to a 420mm radiator on the front, along with a 360mm radiator on the top. Cable management is excellent, and the case comes with six 2.5” and four 3.5” drive bays.
The Evolv X Glass is quite large,while still fitting inside the mid-tower spec, which means working inside the case is a breeze. If you’re going for AIO cooling, do note that this case doesn’t have the best thermal performance; GPU temperature will be higher than what you’d get from a mesh case.
On the flip side, the Evolv X does support dual system installation, with the second ITX system requiring an optional ITX mounting plate. You also get the option for vertical GPU mount, like on the Meshify 2. Overall, this is a great water-cooling case, with its biggest downside being the high price.
If you’re interested in dual system PC housings, check our list of the best dual-system cases. If you’re intrigued by the possibility of mounting your GPU vertically but don’t like the Evolv X Glass, we have a full list of the best vertical GPU cases you can visit.
3. be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 Rev. 2: Best full-tower water cooling case
Now, if you need lots of space for a custom loop and don’t care about the size of your next case, you should take a look at the be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 Rev. 2. The updated model includes some optimizations and improvements, but the quality stayed the same.
This is a perfect case for a water-cooling build. The Dark Base Pro 900 has more space than a two-bedroom apartment. The chassis can house a 420mm radiator on the front and topside; it’s pretty quiet while having solid airflow, and it looks pretty good.
You also get two RGB strips for a bit of a light show, and the case features a modular design that should make installing multiple large radiators easier. The Dark Base Pro 900 Rev. 2 comes with enough space for up to seven 3.5” and fourteen 2.5” drive bays. Best of all, you also get two 5.25 drive bays in case you’re rocking a Blu-Ray drive.
4. Thermaltake Tower 900: Best show-off case for custom water-cooling builds
The Tower 900 from Thermaltake is all about parading your custom loop build. First of all, the case’s huge but at the same time. building a custom loop inside it is child’s play. There’s plenty of room for even the most ambitious designs based on dual 560mm radiators.
The case can be stripped from most elements, leaving a cube-shaped skeleton. Perfect when trying to construct a complex, dual-loop liquid cooling system. The case features a modular design with optional mounting arrays and drive brackets, and it features glass panels on three sides for an unmatched view of your build.
The Tower 900 comes with six 3.5” drives, eight 2.5” drives, and even one 5.25” bracket. Given the fact this is a show-off case, storage support is pretty good. The case is humongous and quite expensive, but it’s the best choice for flashy liquid cooling builds.
5. Thermaltake Core P5 Titanium Edition: Best open air watercooling case
When it comes to open-air cases fit for custom liquid cooling builds, the Core series from Thermaltake is the logical choice. Every Core case looks stunning, with lots of glass and with an uninterrupted look on the finished build. And among the Core lineup, the Core P5 is the best choice for most people.
First of all, the case isn’t too large. You can mount wall-mount it with relative ease. Next, the Core P5 supports up to a single 480mm radiator, which should be enough for most builds.
The case is easy to work in; it comes with a vertical GPU mount, has room for up to four 2.5” or 3.5” drives, and includes a modular design allowing you to mount the motherboard under a 90-degree angle.
This way, you’ll be able to install even the longest GPUs on the market without clearance issues. Finally, the P5 comes with an optional upgrade kit, which includes three tempered glass panels, in case you don’t like the default open-air design.
6. Cooler Master MasterBox NR200: Best mini-ITX water cooling case
ITX cases aren’t known for their awesome support for custom loops, but the MasterBox NR200 from Cooler Master is different. Overall, this is the best ITX liquid-cooling case. The NR200 can house a 280mm radiator on the side along with a 240mm radiator on the bottom, which should be enough even for the most powerful CPUs like the 5900X combined with something like the RTX 3080.
Sadly, you won’t be able to see the loop since the side panel houses one of the potential radiators, but the performance will be unmatched by almost any other ITX case on the market. Except for the NCase M1 or the O-11 Mini.
If you want to admire your loop while using the PC, there’s the NR200P. This version comes with a glass side panel, but it can only house a single 240mm radiator.
The NR200 is also great for AIO builds. It can house a 280mm radiator on the side while still having room for three-slot graphics cards. When it comes to mounting brackets, you can install up to three 2.5” drives or up to two 3.5” HDDs.
Overall, pretty solid for an ITX case. The best thing is that both the NR200 and the NR200P are quite affordable (for ITX cases), so you don’t have to pay a fortune to get the base for your next custom ITX to build.
7. Corsair Crystal 280X RGB: Best mATX liquid-cooling case
When it comes to mATX cases, the Crystal 280X RGB from Corsair is an excellent choice for a custom liquid-cooled build. It doesn’t have the best airflow, but it does support dual 240mm radiator loops, which should be enough for virtually any CPU and GPU combination.
On top of that, the case is highly attractive and one of the best-looking PC chassis on the market. See-through glass panels look perfect in combination with RGB case fans and some RGB strips, and the dual chamber design makes cable management frustrations a thing of the past.
Now, you’re limited to GPUs up to 300mm in size. However, if you’re going with a full-on water cooling build, you should be fine since most GPU PCBs are shorter than 300mm. When it comes to the storage drive support, there are two 3.5” bays and three 2.5” bays. Not great, not terrible. The price is a bit higher, but it’s worth it just for the design.
8. Lian Li O-11 Dynamic: Water-cooling case with best design
Last but not least, we have the O-11 Dynamic from Lian Li. This is the best-looking water cooling case. Made in cooperation with Der8auer, the famous overclocker, this case is made for open-loop builds.
The O-11 Dynamic looks amazing. The housing has surprisingly solid airflow and thermal performance thanks to the side-mounted intakes, which work great with radiators and case fans.
Also, the chassis features a dual-chamber design, which means cable management is spotless. The O-11 Dynamic is a mid-tower chassis featuring a see-through front and side panel, pretty solid thermal performance, and a roomy design perfect for installing a custom liquid cooling build.
It can house two 360mm radiators at the same time (just be careful with heatsinks on your motherboard), providing more than enough cooling potential for any build. The case supports up to three 2.5” or 3.5” drives, and it features a vertical GPU mount. The O11 Dynamic Razer Edition of the case also comes with lots of RGB.
