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Our 3 Best Open Air PC Cases in 2022

Last Updated on August 19, 2022
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If you’re a PC enthusiast, either an avid gamer who likes to fight in online arenas at high FPS, crushing his or her enemies or your rig is running demanding software, like high-resolution video editing, 3D design, and such, you understand the importance of having an adequately-cooled system. The first step to ensuring good cooling in your system is picking your PC case.

In terms of air cooling, open-air cases seldom provide better temperatures. Enclosed cases will sometimes have problems drawing in enough air to cool your components, especially if you’re using very dense fabric dust filters, but you can work around that with proper planning. That being said, open-air cases are great for building liquid-cooled systems and have a great-looking, industrial design that fits in with custom loops or pre-build AIO coolers.

Speaking of easy access, you’re going to need it, since running a system in an open-air case will definitely draw a lot of dust in your components. You’ll need to clean them more often, the open design allowing you to blow dust away with relative ease. Now that we’ve covered the basic advantages and disadvantages of running an open-air PC, let’s get to our top three choices.

Products at a Glance

Our Recommended

Our 3 Best Open Air PC Cases in 2022

1
PROS
  • Clean, industrial look, great for building eye-catching systems
  • Full support for liquid cooling
  • Sturdy
  • Can double as a test bench
CONS
  • PSU cage not that great
  • No support for directional airflow
2
PROS
  • DIY design for hardcore enthusiasts
  • Supports water cooling, either partial or full custom loop
  • Versatile
  • Beautiful, unique design
CONS
  • Can’t double as a test bench since the components aren’t easily-accessible once the build is finished
3
PROS
  • DIY design for hardcore gamers
  • Supports both air and water cooling
  • Plenty directional air cooling options
CONS
  • Very specific aesthetic
  • Cable management not great
4
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Our 3 Best Open Air PC Cases in 2022

PROS
CONS
5
Our-3-Best-Open-Air-PC-Cases

Our 3 Best Open Air PC Cases in 2022

PROS
CONS

Our Verdict

The artist in me would have you buy the In Win D Frame, but the utilitarian in me will definitely recommend the Thermaltake Core P3. All three of these chassis function in the same way, but the simplicity and cleanliness of the P3 are really what makes it (ironically) stand out. With partial modularity, full support for water cooling, and a nice industrial look, this case is perfect for building an eye-catching rig without any compromise. The only downside this case has is the lack of directional airflow, but we recommend you at least invest in an AIO, if not a custom water cooling loop.