Sometimes, you just have to go big. Whether it's a custom cooling loop or an extended-ATX motherboard, there are plenty of reasons to consider going with a full-tower in a build.
Full-sized towers can get really big really fast. The only real limit to how big a tower can be is the length of the PSU and SATA cables you've got. With their size comes immobility: Full-sized towers are a major pain in the ass to move. When you've got $2,000 (or more) of parts in a steel two-feet-tall behemoth, you tend to try to move the rig with care.
One thing to consider about a big case is its looks. It's hard to hide a big tower in a room, so you might as well make sure it looks handsome. Cases with excessive lighting or garish color themes might not be the best way to spend your hard-earned cash when it comes to a machine that you'll likely be looking at every day.
Best ATX Full-Tower Case
There's a reason Corsair's monstrous 780T stayed on the build list for the Maximum PC print edition of Blueprints for so many months. The case is big, spacious, and above all, accessible.
Once you put your rig together and close up everything, it sometimes happens that things don't work as planned the first time around. Maybe a PSU cable is loose. Maybe a SATA cable was disconnected. Maybe a RAM module isn't fully seated. Hell, even we've started up a system once only to realize that the PCIe power cables weren't connected to our GPU. When that happens, you want the fix to be quick and easy. The 780T makes it simple.
The main reason the 780T makes this so simple is in its door design. If you've ever built a PC, there's a fair to good chance that you've had to slide on a side panel, carefully lining up the notches to make sure everything is flush. There's none of that B.S. with the 780T. Each door panel has a handle near the top that you pull like a car door. The panel comes off of the case easily, allowing quick access. No screws to be found here. When you're done, the door secures as easily as it came off.
To say the 780T is roomy is an understatement, but that's expected in this class of case. What isn't typical of this class of case is the easily detached top and front grill panels, which makes installing your cooling much faster.
For its size, the 780T is quite lightweight as well. The big side panels are made of plastic, though the panels don't feel cheap or weak at all. The internal cages and other elements are made of steel, giving this case a solid skeleton that the lightweight exterior is draped over.
Best High-End ATX Full-Tower Case
There's big cases, then there's big cases. This case is in the latter group.
The CaseLabs Magnum SMA8 is bigger that what many would define as a full-tower. In fact, it's a good deal bigger than, say, the Corsair Graphite 780T. This case is big enough to pack in three reservoirs, two 360mm radiators, and two PSUs. How do we know this? We packed all of that stuff into an SMA8 when we built our 2015 NASA-Inspired Dream Machine.
The SMA8 is big, and not very mobile. This is the kind of case you put somewhere and hope you won't be moving anytime soon. But with its bulk comes options, of which there are plenty. Nearly every panel on the SMA8 pops off with a little bit of pressure. The door too, lifts off its hinges easily. What this means is that the SMA8 lends itself to customization, whether it's a custom paint job, or even drilling holes in the back panel of the motherboard compartment.
Speaking of the motherboard, the SMA8 features a removable motherboard tray. That's pretty slick, since it allowed us to get the motherboard mounted and key parts installed before bolting the tray to the motherboard compartment's vertical panel.
Once in place, even extended-ATX boards look tiny in this case. All of that spare room can quickly be filled with cooling parts like reservoirs and pumps. Even then, all of the spare space allows for exceedingly clean-looking builds, since there is plenty of room in the PSU compartment underneath to stash cabling, smaller pumps, and even a radiator.
If you're looking for a big case, going any bigger than this would be silly by most counts, unless you're building a dual-CPU system.
Best Midrange ATX Full-Tower Case
One case we keep coming back to is the CM Storm Trooper from Cooler Master. This chassis has everything you'd want in a full-ATX case: good airflow, good cable management, and plenty of room to work. All in all, you can't go wrong with the Trooper. It's a solidly built steel case that won't let you down.
The Trooper is pretty straightforward. It's got a militaristic design that might not be for everybody, but it makes up for looks with utility in other areas. Cooler Master made sure to give plenty of room for most things a builder could want or need in a case.
One thing to notice about the Trooper is that it's got a good deal of filtration to keep components free of dust. Each of the front panel sections can be removed for a quick blast of canned air. The tops and bottoms of the case have removable screens, and the two flanking side panels have filters similar to those found on the front.
The case is fairly modular, since you can switch the orientation of the drive cages as you see fit. Each of the two drive cages comes with a fan attached to the front of the cage, allowing for direct cooling of hard drives. Since we liked to position the cage that actually had drives in it perpendicular to the side panels of the case, we were able to get good air flow over the hard drives, without pushing that warm air over to other components (like our video card). However, the steel partition that holds the cages isn't removable. That may cause issue for some, but it wasn't a problem for us.
The thing about the CM Storm Trooper is that it sits in the same price family as the Corsair Graphite 780T. Both cases are great, and the Trooper offers an alternative to Corsair's option.
Oh, and in case you're one of those people who really needs it, the Trooper's handle can carry up to 70 pounds. That makes the Trooper a lot easier to lug around to LAN events or on moving day.
Best Budget ATX Full-Tower Case
Let's face it, if you're building an extended-ATX build, there's a good chance you've got a fairly large budget to work with. However, not everyone likes the idea of dropping nearly $200 on a case.
Options tend to slim out when you edge close to the $100 mark. But that doesn't mean there aren't some great cases to choose from. NZXT's entry with the Source 530 offers all of the basics for a relatively low price.
The Source 530 offers a lot of the features of the other cases here, but skimps on a few feature that we find in more expensive cases.
First off, the S530 offers filtering for air intake on all sides except the top fan and radiator mount. For those obsessed with dust, this can seem like a big no-no, but regular cleaning can keep dust to a minimum. The big dusty areas at the bottom and front are adequately filtered, so just don't brush your hair over this case and you should be fine.
The top fan mounts are exposed to the outside of the case, which can make the case look unfinished on the top as well. Again, for the budget-minded this aesthetic might not matter.
Internally, the case has removable hard drive cages, which gives it a step above the Trooper. On the downside, the case has flat side panels, which makes cable management less forgiving. Trying to close the panel behind the motherboard tray can be a struggle of wills at times with these types of cases. Luckily, the S530 tries to compensate with plenty of loops for zip-ties and hook-and-loop straps to assist in keeping cables under control.
The Source 530 is a fine case with a few quirks, but we've been pretty darn happy when we've used it in our builds. For under $100, it's a really good option.
Form and function
When it comes right down to it, choosing a case is a highly personal decision. Regardless of the components you choose, your case will have the biggest impact on the look of your build. Choosing a case to meet your needs and style can take lots of time, and we encourage you to spend the time on choosing the right one.
There are lots of big full-towers to choose from, and few of them are going to come cheap. While mid-towers or mini-ITX cases can cost as little as $50, a full-tower will run you about $90 at minimum. The better looking towers will go for $150 to $200, while the most advanced and fancy-schmancy cases can cost well over $350. We feel that going toward the middle of that range offers the best balance of cost and features, and as we see with the CM Storm Trooper and Graphite 780T, it's a good bet to budget around $200 for a good full-tower case.
