• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Best cases without tempered glass

Joined
Jun 30, 2008
Messages
363 (0.06/day)
Location
Martinez, CA
Processor AMD Ryzen 5800X
Motherboard MSI X570 Gaming Plus
Cooling Corsair H100
Memory 32 GB Team Xtreme DDR4 3200
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon 7900 XT
Storage 2 TB Corsair MP600/2 TB Intel 660p
Display(s) 31.5" Acer ED323QUR
Case Corsair Carbide 500R
Audio Device(s) Sound Blaster Z
Power Supply EVGA SuperNova 1000 GT
Mouse Havit HV-MS735
Keyboard Corsair K68 RGB
Benchmark Scores 3DMark Time Spy Graphics 26359 CPU 11728 Total 22203
My Corsair Carbide 500R is feeling really dated after 9 years. I would love to get a new case but it seems like tempered glass is in the majority. I personally don't understand why fragile cases are so popular but that's another subject.

I am feeling lost looking for cases without tempered glass Even when I filter results at Newegg, they're still in there. I would love some recommendations. I am hoping for something that supports large video cards while also offering 360 mm radiator support without having to compromise too much. Air flow is important to me too.I'm not worried about budget since I tend to keep my cases a long time.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
 
Joined
Sep 26, 2022
Messages
2,024 (2.60/day)
Location
Brazil
System Name G-Station 1.17 FINAL
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D
Motherboard Gigabyte X470 Aorus Gaming 7 WiFi
Cooling DeepCool AK620 Digital
Memory Asgard Bragi DDR4-3600CL14 2x16GB
Video Card(s) Sapphire PULSE RX 7900 XTX
Storage 240GB Samsung 840 Evo, 1TB Asgard AN2, 2TB Hiksemi FUTURE-LITE, 320GB+1TB 7200RPM HDD
Display(s) Samsung 34" Odyssey OLED G8
Case Thermaltake Level 20 MT
Audio Device(s) Astro A40 TR + MixAmp
Power Supply Cougar GEX X2 1000W
Mouse Razer Viper Ultimate
Keyboard Razer Huntsman Elite (Red)
Software Windows 11 Pro
Does the Fractal Design Meshify 2 qualify? Its Black Solid version has no glass, and it supports up to a 420mm rad at its top or 360mm rad at its front:
1728439769599.jpeg
 

freeagent

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
8,450 (3.76/day)
Location
Winnipeg, Canada
Processor AMD R7 5800X3D
Motherboard Asus Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
Cooling Thermalright Frozen Edge 360, 3x TL-B12 V2, 2x TL-B12 V1
Memory 2x8 G.Skill Trident Z Royal 3200C14, 2x8GB G.Skill Trident Z Black and White 3200 C14
Video Card(s) Zotac 4070 Ti Trinity OC
Storage WD SN850 1TB, SN850X 2TB, SN770 1TB
Display(s) LG 50UP7100
Case Fractal Torrent Compact
Audio Device(s) JBL Bar 700
Power Supply Seasonic Vertex GX-1000, Monster HDP1800
Mouse Logitech G502 Hero
Keyboard Logitech G213
VR HMD Oculus 3
Software Yes
Benchmark Scores Yes
I like my Meshify C and Torrent C.. pretty sure they made solid panels..

FWIW my Torrent C has 2 glass side panels, I lay it down on wood when I work on it.

Sometimes I will take off the back panel if I have to get in there, but I just leave it on.. not too fragile.

I wouldn't hit it with a hammer though..
 
Joined
Jun 30, 2008
Messages
363 (0.06/day)
Location
Martinez, CA
Processor AMD Ryzen 5800X
Motherboard MSI X570 Gaming Plus
Cooling Corsair H100
Memory 32 GB Team Xtreme DDR4 3200
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon 7900 XT
Storage 2 TB Corsair MP600/2 TB Intel 660p
Display(s) 31.5" Acer ED323QUR
Case Corsair Carbide 500R
Audio Device(s) Sound Blaster Z
Power Supply EVGA SuperNova 1000 GT
Mouse Havit HV-MS735
Keyboard Corsair K68 RGB
Benchmark Scores 3DMark Time Spy Graphics 26359 CPU 11728 Total 22203
That Meshify 2 is a nice and clean looking case. I am definitely considering it after reading about it!

My first time working in a Corsair 5000D, the glass door shattered. I realized from that experience that I don't want tempered glass. I tinker with my stuff too much to play the odds with a breakable case.
 

freeagent

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
8,450 (3.76/day)
Location
Winnipeg, Canada
Processor AMD R7 5800X3D
Motherboard Asus Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
Cooling Thermalright Frozen Edge 360, 3x TL-B12 V2, 2x TL-B12 V1
Memory 2x8 G.Skill Trident Z Royal 3200C14, 2x8GB G.Skill Trident Z Black and White 3200 C14
Video Card(s) Zotac 4070 Ti Trinity OC
Storage WD SN850 1TB, SN850X 2TB, SN770 1TB
Display(s) LG 50UP7100
Case Fractal Torrent Compact
Audio Device(s) JBL Bar 700
Power Supply Seasonic Vertex GX-1000, Monster HDP1800
Mouse Logitech G502 Hero
Keyboard Logitech G213
VR HMD Oculus 3
Software Yes
Benchmark Scores Yes
That Meshify 2 is a nice and clean looking case. I am definitely considering it after reading about it!

My first time working in a Corsair 5000D, the glass door shattered. I realized from that experience that I don't want tempered glass. I tinker with my stuff too much to play the odds with a breakable case.
That's just Corsair junk :D

I am not trying to persuade you into buying glass, but I have dropped my panels a few times, my Meshify C was the scariest because it has no frame at all lol..
 
Joined
Jun 30, 2008
Messages
363 (0.06/day)
Location
Martinez, CA
Processor AMD Ryzen 5800X
Motherboard MSI X570 Gaming Plus
Cooling Corsair H100
Memory 32 GB Team Xtreme DDR4 3200
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon 7900 XT
Storage 2 TB Corsair MP600/2 TB Intel 660p
Display(s) 31.5" Acer ED323QUR
Case Corsair Carbide 500R
Audio Device(s) Sound Blaster Z
Power Supply EVGA SuperNova 1000 GT
Mouse Havit HV-MS735
Keyboard Corsair K68 RGB
Benchmark Scores 3DMark Time Spy Graphics 26359 CPU 11728 Total 22203
Lol I am so out of the loop. When I bought my last Corsair they were still top notch. I'm guessing they have dropped their quality a bit?
 
Joined
Jan 25, 2020
Messages
2,201 (1.26/day)
System Name DadsBadAss
Processor I7 13700k w/ HEATKILLER IV PRO Copper Nickel
Motherboard MSI Z790 Tomahawk Wifi DDR4
Cooling BarrowCH Boxfish 200mm-HWLabs SR2 420/GTX&GTS 360-BP Dual D5 MOD TOP- 2x Koolance PMP 450S
Memory 4x8gb HyperX Predator RGB DDR4 4000
Video Card(s) Asrock 6800xt PG D w/ Byski A-AR6900XT-X
Storage WD SN850x 1TB NVME M.2/Adata XPG SX8200 PRO 1TB NVMe M.2
Display(s) Acer XG270HU
Case ThermalTake X71 w/5 Noctua NF-A14 2000 IP67 PWM/3 Noctua NF-F12 2000 IP67 PWM/3 CorsairML120 Pro RGB
Audio Device(s) Klipsch Promedia 2.1
Power Supply Seasonic Focus PX-850 w/CableMod PRO ModMesh RT-Series Black/Blue
Mouse Logitech G502
Keyboard Black Aluminun Mechanical Clicky Thing With Blue LEDs, hows that for a name?!
Software Win11pro
Phanteks makes a bunch of solid cases that offer both glass/metal sides and most can accommodate a 360. I'd suggest mine but it's huge, Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2 Server Edition. It's little brothers (Enthoo series)are very solid cases, worth checking out.
GL!
 
Joined
Jun 25, 2020
Messages
146 (0.09/day)
System Name The New, Improved, Vicious, Stable, Silent Gaming Space Heater
Processor Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard MSI B450 Tomahawk Max
Cooling be quiet! DRP4 (w/ added SilentWings3), 4x Noctua A14x25G2 (3 @ front, 1 @ back)
Memory Teamgroup DDR4 3600 16GBx2 @18-22-22-22-42 -> 18-20-20-20-40
Video Card(s) PowerColor RX7900XTX HellHound
Storage ADATA SX8200Pro 1TB, Crucial P3+ 4TB (w/riser, @Gen2x4), Seagate 3+1TB HDD, Micron 5300 7.68TB SATA
Display(s) Gigabyte M27U @4K150Hz, AOC 24G2 @1080p100Hz(Max144Hz) vertical, ASUS VP228H@1080p60Hz vertical
Case Phanteks P600S
Audio Device(s) Creative Katana V2X gaming soundbar
Power Supply Seasonic Vertex GX-1200 (ATX3.0 compliant)
Mouse Razer Deathadder V3 wired
Keyboard Keychron Q6Max
I almost wanted to recommend the one I'm using (Phanteks P600S), but that one is also a bit dated (bought new in 2021, launched in 2019). Kinda surprised the number of newer models that don't have solid panel options.
Also consider cases from be quiet . Especially Pure Base 500 and Silent Base 802 . I expected almost all be quiet! cases to have a noise dampening side panel option, but apparently that's not the case anymore. Disappointing...*sigh*
All the examples I listed have noise dampening panels as a feature. Fractal Torrent (linked is black solid panel variant) is probably still the airflow king, and the "I want the most performance (preferably without swapping fans)" choice.

Giant (or any) fan on side panel is much much much much harder to find though.
 
Joined
Mar 18, 2010
Messages
84 (0.02/day)
System Name Current
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard Gigabyte Aorus X570 Elite
Cooling Full Waterloop
Memory 32Gb DDR4 3600 (4x8Gb)
Video Card(s) MSI RX6800XT Gaming X Trio 16Gb
Storage 2x SN850 1Tb & 1x Netac NV7000 2TB
Display(s) ASUS ROG Strix XG32V
Case NZXT H9 Flow
Audio Device(s) Dali Zensor 1 Speakers and Tangent Ampster BT II
Power Supply NZXT C850
Mouse G502 SE
Keyboard Currently: Monsgeek M1
Software Windows 11 64 Pro
Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2 will easily fit 360mm AIO's, has a solid side and is pretty reasonably priced.
 
Joined
Jun 30, 2008
Messages
363 (0.06/day)
Location
Martinez, CA
Processor AMD Ryzen 5800X
Motherboard MSI X570 Gaming Plus
Cooling Corsair H100
Memory 32 GB Team Xtreme DDR4 3200
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon 7900 XT
Storage 2 TB Corsair MP600/2 TB Intel 660p
Display(s) 31.5" Acer ED323QUR
Case Corsair Carbide 500R
Audio Device(s) Sound Blaster Z
Power Supply EVGA SuperNova 1000 GT
Mouse Havit HV-MS735
Keyboard Corsair K68 RGB
Benchmark Scores 3DMark Time Spy Graphics 26359 CPU 11728 Total 22203
Thanks for all of the suggestions. I ended up going with the Meshify 2.
 
Joined
Jun 2, 2017
Messages
9,027 (3.32/day)
System Name Best AMD Computer
Processor AMD 7900X3D
Motherboard Asus X670E E Strix
Cooling In Win SR36
Memory GSKILL DDR5 32GB 5200 30
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse 7900XT (Watercooled)
Storage Corsair MP 700, Seagate 530 2Tb, Adata SX8200 2TBx2, Kingston 2 TBx2, Micron 8 TB, WD AN 1500
Display(s) GIGABYTE FV43U
Case Corsair 7000D Airflow
Audio Device(s) Corsair Void Pro, Logitch Z523 5.1
Power Supply Deepcool 1000M
Mouse Logitech g7 gaming mouse
Keyboard Logitech G510
Software Windows 11 Pro 64 Steam. GOG, Uplay, Origin
Benchmark Scores Firestrike: 46183 Time Spy: 25121
I have a P360 that is nice and I think they have a model without Tempered Glass. Even the front panel is like a USB header instead of the Spaghetti strings we usually get. There is 1 USB 3.0 and USB C cord that gives you a USB C and USB A. The power button is at the front of the case and has RGB. It is light, easy to work in and looks good when finished. It also has front and top 360 rad support. Phanteks P360 the price is good too. I am sure I paid less than $90 Canadian for mine and it came with 4 ARGB fans too. Phanteks make some of the quietest fans you can buy too.

Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2 will easily fit 360mm AIO's, has a solid side and is pretty reasonably priced.
That is a huge case. It used to be my main until I got the 7000D Airflow.
 
Joined
Jul 31, 2024
Messages
150 (1.44/day)
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wifi II
Cooling Noctua NH-U12S Redux
Memory 4x8G Teamgroup Vulcan Z DDR4; 3600MHz @ CL18
Video Card(s) MSI Ventus 2X GeForce RTX 3060 12GB
Storage WD_Black SN770, Leven JPS600, Toshiba DT01ACA
Display(s) Samsung ViewFinity S6
Case Fractal Design Pop Air TG
Power Supply Corsair CX750M
Mouse Corsair Harpoon RGB
Keyboard Keychron C2 Pro
VR HMD Valve Index
Lol I am so out of the loop. When I bought my last Corsair they were still top notch. I'm guessing they have dropped their quality a bit?
It's a recent development, but yes. While their quality has slipped, their prices have not, so it's become quite a pain point to recommend anything Corsair barring their power supplies (which are a step removed from being white-labeled SeaSonic/Super Flower boxes anyways). Corsair Vengeance has been superseded by Teamgroup Vulcan Z and G.Skill Ripjaws, their signature cases are getting outdone by the likes of Lian Li and Fractal Design, their computer accessories—well, they've always been undercut by Redragon and beaten by Logitech if you were to ask me, honestly.

In any case, I would also recommend a Fractal case for a chassis with a solid/mesh side panel and a great build experience. North, Meshify, Torrent, Pop, there's something for everybody. I use a Pop myself, actually! Accidentally sat on the glass panel once while doing some maintenance, took it like a champ lol.
 

AsRock

TPU addict
Joined
Jun 23, 2007
Messages
19,068 (3.00/day)
Location
UK\USA
I like my Meshify C and Torrent C.. pretty sure they made solid panels..

FWIW my Torrent C has 2 glass side panels, I lay it down on wood when I work on it.

Sometimes I will take off the back panel if I have to get in there, but I just leave it on.. not too fragile.

I wouldn't hit it with a hammer though..

Could go for the torrent too, although a little pricey but..

FD-C-TOR1A-05
 
Joined
Mar 18, 2010
Messages
84 (0.02/day)
System Name Current
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard Gigabyte Aorus X570 Elite
Cooling Full Waterloop
Memory 32Gb DDR4 3600 (4x8Gb)
Video Card(s) MSI RX6800XT Gaming X Trio 16Gb
Storage 2x SN850 1Tb & 1x Netac NV7000 2TB
Display(s) ASUS ROG Strix XG32V
Case NZXT H9 Flow
Audio Device(s) Dali Zensor 1 Speakers and Tangent Ampster BT II
Power Supply NZXT C850
Mouse G502 SE
Keyboard Currently: Monsgeek M1
Software Windows 11 64 Pro
Joined
Jul 11, 2015
Messages
744 (0.22/day)
System Name Harm's Rig's
Processor 5950X /2700x / AMD 8370e 4500
Motherboard ASUS DARK HERO / ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming 4
Cooling Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420 Push/Pull -6 Noctua NF-A14 i and 6 Noctua NF-A14 i Meshify 2 XL
Memory Patriot Viper Steel DDR4 16GB (4x 8GB) 4000M TRIDENT Z F-43600V15D-16GTZ /G.SKILL DDR4
Video Card(s) ZOTAC AMP EXTREME AIRO 4090 / 1080 Ti /290X CFX
Storage SAMSUNG 980 PRO SSD 1TB/ WD DARK 770 2TB , Sabrent NVMe 512GB / 1 SSD 250GB / 1 HHD 3 TB
Display(s) Thermal Grizzly WireView / TCL 646 55 TV / 50 Xfinity Hisense A6 XUMO TV
Case Meshify 2 XL- TT 37 VIEW 200MM'S-ARTIC P14MAX
Audio Device(s) Sharp Aquos
Power Supply FSP Hydro PTM PRO 1200W ATX 3.0 PCI-E GEN-5 80 Plus Platinum - EVGA 1300G2/Corsair w750
Mouse G502
Keyboard G413
I have the big brother with tinted glass, LX easy to work with , fits a 4090 with ease ,plus Arctic lll 420 push/pull .
 

eidairaman1

The Exiled Airman
Joined
Jul 2, 2007
Messages
41,959 (6.62/day)
Location
Republic of Texas (True Patriot)
System Name PCGOD
Processor AMD FX 8350@ 5.0GHz
Motherboard Asus TUF 990FX Sabertooth R2 2901 Bios
Cooling Scythe Ashura, 2×BitFenix 230mm Spectre Pro LED (Blue,Green), 2x BitFenix 140mm Spectre Pro LED
Memory 16 GB Gskill Ripjaws X 2133 (2400 OC, 10-10-12-20-20, 1T, 1.65V)
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon 290 Sapphire Vapor-X
Storage Samsung 840 Pro 256GB, WD Velociraptor 1TB
Display(s) NEC Multisync LCD 1700V (Display Port Adapter)
Case AeroCool Xpredator Evil Blue Edition
Audio Device(s) Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply Seasonic 1250 XM2 Series (XP3)
Mouse Roccat Kone XTD
Keyboard Roccat Ryos MK Pro
Software Windows 7 Pro 64
My Corsair Carbide 500R is feeling really dated after 9 years. I would love to get a new case but it seems like tempered glass is in the majority. I personally don't understand why fragile cases are so popular but that's another subject.

I am feeling lost looking for cases without tempered glass Even when I filter results at Newegg, they're still in there. I would love some recommendations. I am hoping for something that supports large video cards while also offering 360 mm radiator support without having to compromise too much. Air flow is important to me too.I'm not worried about budget since I tend to keep my cases a long time.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
Keep your case, replace the fans
 
Joined
Feb 24, 2023
Messages
2,954 (4.71/day)
Location
Russian Wild West
System Name DLSS / YOLO-PC
Processor i5-12400F / 10600KF
Motherboard Gigabyte B760M DS3H / Z490 Vision D
Cooling Laminar RM1 / Gammaxx 400
Memory 32 GB DDR4-3200 / 16 GB DDR4-3333
Video Card(s) RX 6700 XT / R9 380 2 GB
Storage A couple SSDs, m.2 NVMe included / 240 GB CX1 + 1 TB WD HDD
Display(s) Compit HA2704 / MSi G2712
Case Matrexx 55 / Junkyard special
Audio Device(s) Want loud, use headphones. Want quiet, use satellites.
Power Supply Thermaltake 1000 W / Corsair CX650M / DQ550ST [backup]
Mouse Don't disturb, cheese eating in progress...
Keyboard Makes some noise. Probably onto something.
VR HMD I live in real reality and don't need a virtual one.
Software Windows 10 and 11
Glass is by far the easiest thing to replace. You can buy whatever case you find satisfying and just order what you want from a glazier. You can also use other materials like polycarbonate, plexiglass etc. You can also choose a different colour if you feel adventurous enough. Of course it's more expensive than just buying a case without fragile glass but it might end up being a better overall product. Unique one, too. Up to you.
 
Joined
Oct 7, 2024
Messages
11 (0.31/day)
System Name My NV9 build
Processor 14900KS
Motherboard Z790 Aorus Master X
Cooling Full custom loop with 2 420MM EKWB RADS and a 360MM EKWB RAD.
Memory 32 gb's TeamGroup SK Hynix A-die running at cl 38 8000 mt.
Video Card(s) MSI Suprim X RTX 4090
Storage 10 TB's of a GEN 5 Aorus nvme and GEN 4 Hynix P41 and Samsung 980 Pro's.
Display(s) OLED
Case Phanteks NV9
Power Supply Super Flower Leadex VII XG 1300W
Mouse Wireless Logitech G502
Keyboard Roccat Vulcan Pro
VR HMD Headset is SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
Software Win 11 24H2
The Phanteks P600S is a great case and can fit a 420mm AIO in the front with push/pull. I'm running it with a 3090 in it and temps on both cpu/gpu are really good.

Both top and front support 360mm AIO's as well.
 
Last edited:
Top