Your PC case is arguably the most underrated part of your build. It’s the component that will house all of your expensive parts as well as set the tone for the outward design for your whole build. When shopping for a case you want to balance price, available space, cable management and of course the design of the case. In this guide we specifically discuss the best micro ATX cases. Read on to find out how to top off your gaming PC.

Best Micro ATX Case To Buy

1. Best Micro ATX Case for Value: Corsair Carbide 275R

The mid-tower ATX chassis Corsair Carbide 275R is going to fetch you the best value. This chassis is one of the newest cases in the Carbide series and might just perfect case that fits your budget. Unlike other chassis on the market, the Carbide 275R case supports a 360mm radiator in front, 240mm on the top and a 120mm fan to the rear part of this case. It comes at a modest price of about $79 – $90, so it is pretty much affordable. From one edge to another, the stunning tempered glass side panel shows off every inch of your build.

The cooling system on the Carbide 275R is fairly robust considering its ability to prevent most dirt and dust particles from entering your system. It is durable, and its rugged-construction steel drive trays provide ample room for two 3.5 – inch HDDs and four 2.5 – inch SSDs. A dedicated cable routing compartment enables effortlessly clean builds. So if you need a chassis, not for the beauty alone but value, you should check out this Carbide 275R chassis.

Compatible Build:

ComponentPartCPUAMD Ryzen 5 2600X 3.6 GHz 6-CoreGraphicsEVGA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB FTW2 GAMING iCXMemoryCorsair Vengeance RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200StorageSamsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 SSDPSUEVGA SuperNOVA G3 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATXMotherboardGigabyte X470 AORUS ULTRA GAMING ATX AM4CoolerCorsair H100i v2 70.69 CFM Liquid

2. Best Tower Type Micro ATX Case: Corsair Carbide Series 88R

The best tower micro ATX case is a Corsair Carbide Series 88R. Featuring USB 3.0 for your full-sized graphics card and constant energy supply. One of the best SSD compartment and a room for five 120mm fans with an excellent cooling potential. It comes in an excellent modern design and aesthetics. Also, it supports good component and cable management with a flush-mounted side panel large opening. Although, it is not covered with a tempered glass but good enough that it shows off your work and its beautiful interior design.

In this carbide series, there’s a 240mm radiator at the front that is if you’re doing liquid cooling. It doesn’t just stop there; it comes with one 5.25 inch ODD compartment to install a DVD drive at the top of the HDD and SSD cage. For the cable management, it comes with several circuit breakers around the motherboard tray and a much large breaker for installing the aftermarket CPU Coolers which comes in handy. Corsair has made this case with high quality material.

ComponentPartCPUIntel Core i5-7600 3.5 GHz Quad-CoreGraphicsMSI GeForce GTX 1070 8 GBMemoryCrucial Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400StorageSeagate Barracuda 2 TB 3.5″ 7200RPMPSUCooler Master MasterWatt Lite 230V 700 W 80+ Certified ATXMotherboardASRock Z270M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151CoolerCooler Master MasterLiquid Lite 240 66.7 CFM Liquid

3. Best Cube Type Micro ATX Case: Thermaltake Core V21

This particular micro ATX case is quite versatile than the usual chassis on the market. The chassis comes with cages to install up to six data drives effortlessly. It allows you to also expand the slot for output installation like monitors, CPU coolers and lots more. Also, you get a removable PSU dust filter right at the bottom of the panel so you can clean it when it gets too dusty. This chassis supports AIO coolers and air coolers. The best part of this chassis is that the shockproof rubber gasket right on the PSU brackets and this gasket helps minimize the noise coming for the usage of your PC build. Here we have the best cube type micro ATX case which is an excellent bang for your money.

ComponentPartCPUAMD Ryzen 5 1600 3.2 GHz 6-CoreGraphicsASRock Radeon RX 570 4 GB Phantom Gaming XMemoryTeam Dark 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000StorageWestern Digital AV-GP 500 GB 3.5″ 5400RPMPSUCorsair CXM 750 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATXMotherboardGigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4

4. Best Low Budget Micro ATX Case: Thermaltake Versa H17

At just about $40, the Thermaltake Versa H17 is a great option for those setting out to build their first gaming PC. The design is very simplistic, yet sleek. This case which can house a micro atx and mini itx, has great cable management which is a huge plus if this is your first PC build. We also like this case because while it’s great for beginners, it can be customized into a high end PC. You can store an SSD and HDD and even AIO liquid cooling should you buy a high end CPU or video card which needs cooling. If you are not planning on buying high end equipment, the Versa H17 comes with a 120mm case fan built in.

Compatible Build: 

ComponentPartCPUAMD Ryzen 7 2700 3.2 GHz 8-CoreGraphicsEVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6 GB GAMINGMemoryG.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200StorageSamsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 SSDPSUEVGA SuperNOVA G2 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATXMotherboardAsus PRIME B450M-A Micro ATX AM4

5. Best Case for Serious Builds: Corsair Obsidian 1000D

The Corsair Obsidian series 1000D is a behemoth of a PC case. Considered a super tower at 27.3 inches you’re going to get a lot of room to add many components to your gaming PC. How much room exactly? You can install up to 18 fans, 4 massive radiator cooling systems, 5 2.5″ hard drives, 6 3.5″ hard drives, and 6 USB ports. The 1000D is so big you can comfortably house two complete PC builds within it for a seamless streaming and gaming experience. If having two computers doesn’t catch your fancy, you will still have the freedom to add as many graphics cards as you could possibly need along with as much memory you could need. 

With tempered glass all around the case, you can have a real field day when it comes to creating customized lighting. In fact, the case comes with a built in lighting control. Of course, with such a behemoth, price is going to be higher. The Obsidian 1000D goes for about $500 making it by far the most expensive micro ATX case. We only recommend it for people who are serious about creating a very high end PC or have a desire to create two builds within the same casing.

How to Buy the Best Micro ATX Case

When it comes to buying any PC case, there are several factors you need to be aware of before making your purchase. Being impulsive can lead to you having parts unable to fit neatly inside your case, delaying you from finally powering on your system. Buying the other components of your PC should be done in tandem with your case so that you make sure everything will eventually fit. Here are the most important factors:

Size and Space

When it comes to buying a Micro ATX Case the most important factor is size. You are buying a micro atx case specifically because you need a case to hold your micro atx mother board. You need to make sure however that your other components are going to also fit within the case. Before buying make sure you know the size of your video cards, cooling system and power supply.

Cooling System

The cooling system is another aspect that can’t be ignored when you are on a quest for a top micro ATX case. If you have built a PC before, then you probably have a good idea of how much cooling you need for the type of gaming you do. If you’re new to building a computer, then you need to take a moment to assess what it is you want out of your system. If you are planning on overclocking and running everything hot, then you’re going to need cooling. All of the cases we rank above are capable of housing liquid cooling systems but not all of them will be able to provide enough cooling for serious overclocking.

Cable Management

One more thing you should consider is the cable management system. A good cable management system helps you keep all your component cable in the right place which leads to a clean build. The cases we curated above all have good cable management for the most part. Not every case you may come across however will have the internal design conducive to good cable management. If you select one of those cases, you will need to be more diligent in your planning while building the PC.

Extension Bays

The number of extension bays are important when it comes to memory and accessorizing your build. While a more minor issue and one that mainly concerning hard core gamers, you should always be cognizant of the number of extension bays. Most cases will come with 2, 2.5″ or 3.5″ bays which can store two hard drives (usually an HDD and SDD). Some more intense cases however will have multiple bays to hold multiple drives as well as temperature readouts and fan controllers.

Noise

Good cases will provide good noise insulation. The cases we recommend above are all decent to great for noise however that will not be the case for every fan. Aluminum and metal will generally insulate best. The number of fans you run as well will be ultimately be determinate in how quiet your system is.