The Sharkoon Pure Steel chassis in both the RGB and basic option offers some serious chassis for your money. Clocking in at around $80–$85 including four fans and an RGB controller or a mere $60–$65 without those, it does not cut any functional corners. It really holds true to its name by essentially eliminating most of the plastic we find in cases of this price range.

Sharkoon has done an excellent job with the build, and has also done well by saving on cost and eliminating the aging USB 2.0 ports. Their unique air vent for an optional radiator mount, or side fans, really adds some flair and function to the design, as does the top placement of the shroud for the layout, which will make you question the higher price tags of many other enclosures. If only Sharkoon had managed to mount the window without using the plastic brackets I would absolutely agree with the name and choice of materials. Looking closer, there is also just the ever so slight hint of steel shining through around the elaborately designed vent in the side panel, so it could benefit from a double-dip into their white paint bath.

On the insides, the radiator mounting option on the side is nice, but that also means you may not have the same expansive mounting possibilities that come with traditional cases because the front is a solid, vent-less steel piece. But let's be real for a second: Most users will not buy a chassis of this price range to fill it with two or even three loops. Instead, I can see users enjoying the benefits of an AIO 240 mm unit for their CPU alongside the bottom air-cooling for the GPU.

Building inside the Sharkoon Pure Steel turned out to be easy and functional—you should run into no issues with long GPUs, potent tower coolers, or a long PSU. It even does so by offering a unique layout, which further sets it apart from the majority in this hard fought for market segment, which basically leaves you with a cool chassis you could stuff some serious hardware into without it ever looking out of place. In other words, the Sharkoon Pure Steel can hold its own against more established and more expensive mid-tower options out there.