Editing has become a really big part of the world. From the advertisements we see on the television to the wedding pictures of your loved ones, editing is a part of everything. Therefore, we can see how editing has taken over the world. Be it picture editing or video editing, one thing for certain is that both need a good colour-producing screen so that the editing is on point and compliments the skills of the editor. Hence, a good monitor or display is very important for editing. This article will discuss the best monitors for editing, both videos, and pictures.

If one uses a monitor which is not up to the mark, the final product will not be edited properly and the colour correction will make the final work appear sub-par. Newer displays boast about high resolutions, high-quality panels, pixel density, and many other things. So, in order to know and decide which monitor would be the best for us, we should first know what all to look for in a monitor we want to purchase for editing.

Panel type:

The panel type of your display affects the quality of the image produced. The different types of panels change the way the monitor works. The panel isn’t one single layer but an amalgamation of the polarizing film, colour filter, liquid crystal, etc. Thus, it is formed through multiple parts together. The three most popular types of panels are TN, VA, and IPS panels. They are discussed briefly below.

Twisted Nematic Panels- The TN panels are a very common type of panels. They are especially popular on laptops. They offer lower latency than other displays. However, this does come at a cost. Due to their design, their viewing angles are sub-par. They offer a very low-quality viewing experience if they are viewed from anywhere other than at a fixed point from the centre. Therefore, TN panels are not recommended for editing purposes generally.

In Plane Switching Panels- The IPS panels are the most popular panels in this list. The IPS panels offer a high colour contrast ratio, which makes them very suitable for editing purposes. However, their biggest strength is that they offer the same quality from all angles. Thus, viewing angles don’t affect the quality of the colours or of the image in these panels.

These panels offer different colour depths, but are overall all are good for editing. They do suffer from colour production issues in a few lighting conditions too. However, the more expensive the display you purchase, the lesser is the chance of facing these defects.

Vertical Alignment Panels- VA Panels are a rarer and rather newer form of panel in the market. They offer the highest contrast ratio, but in all other things, they are worse than IPS panels, but better than TN panels. In the future, they may become a great choice if they keep improving. However, currently, they are not worth the price.

Organic Light Emitting Diode Panels- The OLED panels are mostly used in TVs. They provide a higher colour contrast, better depth, better viewing angles. In short, they do everything better than LCD panels, however, they are very expensive as well.

Screen Size:

The screen size isn’t something that is of paramount importance when it comes to selecting the correct display monitor for editing. However, the display size should be something you are comfortable with. For example, a display that is too small for you might put more strain on your eyes and lead to worse editing. This is usually a subjective choice. Hence, there is no right or wrong choice. However, people usually prefer bigger displays as they offer a more comfortable display.

But if you are keen on traveling a lot while editing, a laptop with a display smaller than 20 inches is a good choice. Hence, this depends on your needs and requirements.

Screen Resolution:

The screen resolution supported by your display is a major factor too. This is essentially important because the highest resolution supported by your display will limit the resolution of your work. For example, if you regularly work to edit 4K footage, but you have a 1080p monitor, your work will not be great. You will be severely hindered by the limited resolution of your display. Similarly, buying a 4K display is a waste of money, if you work with 1080p resolution material only.

Therefore, depending on your needs, you should decide which resolution is good enough for you. If you plan on using the device for a long period of time in the future, we would suggest purchasing a 4K monitor to be secure for the future. Otherwise, a 1080p display is also sufficient.

Pixels per inch (PPI):

Combining the screen resolution and the screen size, we get something which is called the PPI. The PPI simply means how many pixels the monitor displays in an inch. It was a myth that photo editing didn’t require a higher PPI than 72. This has been busted. A higher PPI is preferred. The higher the PPI, the sharper is the image displayed on your monitor. Hence, higher PPI monitors are preferred for editing.

Colour Depth:

The higher the colour depth of the monitor, the better the colours and details appear. This helps to edit and add even the slightest details to your work. Thus, through deeper colour depth, you get a wider range to edit your project. However, high colour depth monitors also need the hardware to support them.

For most people, however, an 8-bit colour depth monitor is good enough. The higher-end ones should only be bought if the user wants to define and edit all the small details.

Colour Gamut:

The Gamut is the range of the colour. It means how much percent the monitor covers. The wider the gamut range, the better are the details and the colours. There are generally two types of gamut monitors- standard gamut and wide gamut.

The standard gamut is the cheaper option but offers a limited colour display. Wide gamut monitors are more expensive but offer much higher quality. The natural colours appear much better in wide gamut monitors, thus making them a better choice for landscape photographers. If you have the budget, definitely go for a wide colour gamut supporting monitor.

Calibration:

The most overlooked part of the monitors is the calibration. No matter how your display is, you should always calibrate it manually to get the best viewing quality. Some higher-end monitors offer hardware-supported LUT calibration. Even if your display doesn’t support that, you can always use softwares to calibrate the display to your liking.

Connectivity:

The connectivity of the display matters too. If you plan to use the display with various devices, the connectivity support is of the utmost importance. However, one thing which should be kept in mind is that your device’s hardware supports that connectivity feature.

These are the main things that should be kept in mind while selecting a display for your editing requirements. A more in-depth explanation is given in another article on this website.

Now we come to the list of the best monitors for editing under 15,000. This list will only have monitors which are good for entry-level or novice-level editing. If you are a professional and want a better quality of work, you need to increase your budget.

BEST MONITORS FOR EDITING UNDER 15000:

LENOVO ULTRA SLIM NEAR EDGELESS Q24I-10 MONITOR:

This Lenovo monitor is one of the best monitors if you want to purchase a monitor for the purpose of editing. The design of this monitor is very premium. It is very thin with a width of 6.9mm. However, due to this slim and sleek design, it is prone to damage easily, if not handled with care. The monitor is very sleek and stylish.

The display is 23.8 inches wide and it is an FHD, i.e., full high-resolution display. It has a refresh rate of 75 Hz and even comes with AMD FreeSync technology, making it an ideal choice for casual gamers as well. The response time on this monitor is 4 milliseconds, which doesn’t really matter since the main purpose of purchasing this monitor is video editing.

The monitor comes with an HDMI, a VGA, and an audio port. It also has built-in speakers for multimedia purposes. It also has a cable holder for cable management.

The monitor has a very good FHD display, with a colour gamut of 72% NTSC. The PPI of this monitor is also very good, placed at 92 DPI. The viewing angles are good as well, with 172 degrees, both ways, making it a very good display for editing and office work purposes.

It is currently priced at rupees 11,999 on Amazon.

PROS:

• 3-year warranty period.
• Sharp display with a good PPI
• Very good colour range
• Anti-glare supported IPS panel

CONS:

• Very fragile and prone to damage
• High response time

ACER NITRO VG240YB 23.8-INCH FULL HD IPS MONITOR:

The Acer Nitro VG240YB 23.8-inch monitor is a very good option for editing as well. It has a well-made design, and although most of it is plastic, it doesn’t feel cheap at all. The monitor is a bit on the heavier side though. Another great part of the design of this monitor is that it is also wall mountable. It is a bezel-less IPS display and has speakers too.

The 23.8-inch monitor comes with an FHD display with a refresh rate of 75 Hz. It also supports FreeSync and has a very low response time of just 1ms, which is ideal for people who want to play games online on it as well.

The monitor comes with 2 HDMI ports and 1 VGA port. Also, the monitor comes with an HDMI cable and a VGA cable as well, which is an extra plus point.

The viewing angles on the monitor are very good. It has 178-degree angles, both vertically and horizontally. The colour gamut is not mentioned by the company. However, the monitor has a PPI of 117.6 DPI, which makes it a very good display panel.

The price of this item currently on Amazon is rupees 12,494.

PROS:

• Very high PPI value
• Bezel-less display with good viewing angles
• Low response time
• Wall mountable

CONS:

• The company doesn’t mention the colour gamut
• Plastic might feel cheap to some people

SAMSUNG 24-INCH LF24T350FHWXXL LED MONITOR:

This Samsung monitor is a good choice for people who prefer to keep things simple and don’t require too much from their monitor. The monitor has a very basic design and it is simple. The almost bezel-less monitor has a classic and premium design and looks due to the matte style finish. However, this monitor doesn’t have an IPS panel, but Samsung doesn’t mention which panel it uses in this monitor.

The 24-inch monitor has an FHD display with a refresh rate of 75 Hz supporting FreeSync technology. The monitor has a response time of 5ms, which makes it not suitable for people looking to game as well on this monitor.

The monitor has normal connectivity. It has an HDMI and a VGA port. The monitor does not have built-in speakers.

The viewing angles on the display are not good. Samsung provides no information about the display. Amazon labels it as an IPS panel, which seems to be incorrect as the quality is not like that of an IPS panel. The colour production is good, owing to it being an LED monitor. The blacks are very sharp. It has a 70% colour production of an HDR display. It is very good for people who are beginners and want to learn to edit.

It is priced at rupees 9,900 on Amazon.

PROS:

• Cheap price
• Great colour production
• Great matte design

CONS:

• Falsely labelled as an IPS panel
• Viewing angles are not very good
• Lack of built-in speakers

LG 25-INCH ULTRA-WIDE MULTITASKING 25UM58 MONITOR:

This LG monitor is probably the best monitor for editing in this price range. This FHD monitor is designed using plastic. The overall design feels a little cheap. The monitor is wall mountable as well, making it a good choice for people wanting to use it as a TV display too.

The monitor is an ultra-wide FHD display. The resolution is 2560x1080p with an aspect ratio of 21:9. The display panel is an IPS panel. The display has a 60 Hz refresh rate with a 5ms response time. This makes this monitor not suitable if you want a gaming monitor as well. The viewing angles are 178 degrees both ways.

The monitor only has two HDMI ports for connectivity and audio ports. Therefore, if you want to connect it via a VGA cable, this monitor won’t be supported and you should look for a better monitor elsewhere.

The display has 99% sRGB palette and reproduces colours very well. Although it is a 6bit+FRC monitor (and not a true 8bit panel), there is no issue with differentiating the colours with minor variations. The only downside of this IPS panel monitor is that owing to it being ultra-wide, the PPI decreases. However, this decrease is not as big to warrant not purchasing this monitor at all. This is a very good display monitor for editing, be it video editing or photo editing.

The price of this monitor on Amazon currently is rupees 13499.

PROS:

• Very good colour contrast and sharp colour production
• Ultra-wide display for a wider viewing experience.
• Great calibration options to calibrate the display
• Wall mountable

CONS:

• Lack of VGA port
• High response time
• Lower PPI than other monitors on this list

BENQ 27-INCH IPS PANEL MONITOR GW2780:

If you want the clear best monitor for editing with wide display quality, this 27-inch BenQ monitor takes the cake. This monitor has a simple design with carbon fibre which gives it a premium matte-like finish. It is a very sturdy designed display panel. The design is simple, yet elegant and it is very sturdy as well. Also, this monitor is wall mountable as well, making it a very good option for multimedia usage as it has built-in speakers too.

The monitor has an FHD display and an IPS panel. The refresh rate is 60 Hz on 1080p but can go to 75 Hz on lower resolutions, but this isn’t our concern since we want a monitor for editing purposes. The monitor also has a 5ms latency response time, making it unsuitable for gamers. If you want to play even entry-level games, do not purchase this monitor.

The monitor comes with D-port, VGA port and HDMI port along with an audio port and 3.5mm headphone port as well. The connectivity range, therefore, is far wider than other monitors in this list.

The colour production on this monitor is very good. The colour gamut of this monitor is 72% NTSC. Owing to the wide display, the PPI is just at 82. However, if you want a higher PPI, you can go for the GW2480 version, which is a 24-inch display, with the same specifications as this monitor. The colour production is very good and it is especially recommended for editors.

The price of this on Amazon currently is rupees 13,480. If you want to go for the smaller GW2480, that too is available on Amazon at a price of rupees 9,980.

PROS:

• Wide range of connectivity options
• Great colour gamut range and sharp contrast
• Great calibration features
• A wide display of 27 inch

CONS:

• A lower PPI due to the wide size
• Not suitable for gamers

CONCLUSION:

All these monitors listed above are very good monitors for editing purposes. If you are a beginner or an intermediate editor, who wants to learn more about editing, while not wasting a lot of money on a new monitor. All these monitors have their own pros and cons. Choosing the correct monitor for yourself is not an easy task. It depends on multiple factors. Is editing your sole priority? Do you want to use the monitor for gaming as well? These are just a few examples of what you should ask yourself before deciding on a monitor.

If you want a monitor which can do a bit of all, you have two options- either the Acer Nitro 23.8-inch monitor or the LG 25-inch FHD monitor. If you require a wider screen, go for the LG monitor, and if a smaller screen is fine with you, the Acer Nitro is the better choice with its high PPI.

If you want a monitor for multimedia use and editing, the Samsung monitor is a good choice as it has very good colours. For office usage and a stylish sleek look, the Lenovo monitor is the best choice as it offers a good balance between editing and office work/ regular usage.

However, if editing is your sole priority, then the two BenQ monitors are the best choice for you. The wider 27-inch monitor is good for multimedia and editing together. If editing is your sole priority, then the 24-inch version is the choice for you.

Overall, if want the best price to performance ratio solely for editing, go for the BenQ GW2480. Otherwise, I would recommend the LG 25UM58 or the Acer Nitro VG240YB, as they offer the best overall performance.

This list didn’t include the monitors with 144 Hz refresh rate as those monitors are oriented towards gaming and to achieve a higher refresh rate, they often cut corners in display quality. These monitors are recommended for beginner and intermediate editors. If you want to work at an advanced professional level, you need to go for a much higher budget to get better display monitors alongside better hardware.

Also, the prices of these monitors keep on fluctuating. Keep a watch out for the best deals and try to purchase the items during sales. The link to these products will be attached to the article itself.

When considering building your own PC or upgrading your current one, one of the most important components that should come to mind is the PC case. It is very important indeed, for it will be the chassis that will hold your entire system together for many years to come. Choosing a good PC case will ensure future-proofing for any further upgrades you might want to make to your system, as well as add some nice aesthetics (or not if you really prefer it that way) to your build. They come in varying shapes, sizes and designs and are priced accordingly. 

There are other questions to consider as well: like how many components are in your system? How much space do they take? Do you have limited space or some extra leg room? Are you going to plop your PC on your desk or under your desk or will you mount it somewhere? How much cooling do you want? Will any components you buy in the future fit perfectly in the case? Is your case future proof?

These are some very important considerations you should be thinking about before buying a new PC case. Let’s see those considerations in further detail and then we’ll move on to our best picks.

PC Case Market Analysis

Traditional PC shipments inclusive of desktops, notebooks and workstations in India in Q4 2020 (October-December) amounted to 2.9 million, showing a bolstering growth of 27 per cent year-over-year (YoY), according to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. For the PC  market however, there was an overall decline of 6.4 per cent last year. This was due to the extreme demand and low stocks of PC components including PC cases which still continues even today as manufacturers face chip, panel and plastic shortages due to the pandemic.

What does this mean for the average Indian? It means that the prices for PC cases are  increasing ever so slightly, due to extra imposed tariffs on Chinese products both by India and the United States and the ever growing demand by consumers and shortages in supplies due to the pandemic. However, as the world slowly recovers, expect prices to mitigate and reach a plateau and even possibly decrease to a certain extent. Manufacturers are also ramping up their production as well. A trend search reveals that the interest in purchasing PC cases in India shows a sideways trend, that means, consumer and market perceptions in India are very mixed. Still, there is never a good time to snag a PC case for the right price. It’s always better to be late than sorry.

Addressing the elephant in the room

Before thinking about anything else, think about the size of the case that you want. It should fit your setup perfectly and have ample room for components and cooling. PC cases are available in many fits and sizes. The sizes are defined by the ATX motherboard. They come in three flavours that will most likely suit your needs: Full tower ATX (large), Mid tower ATX (standard) and Mini/Micro-ATX (small).

Small cases: Micro-ATX and Mini-ATX cases

These smol, nimble bois can handle (almost) anything that you throw at them. Micro-ATX and Mini-ATX cases are tiny and compact when compared to most PC cases available in the market and that most consumers use. They are all about saving as much space as possible. Mini-ATX cases are the smaller of the two, being about half the size of a standard tower (Mid- sized ATX cases) while Micro-ATX cases are about 25 percent smaller than the standard ATX.

Both cases require specifically built components to function properly, which are readily available and of high quality, made by the best manufacturers. However, don’t expect to use liquid cooling or any big coolers. Some don’t support full length graphics cards. There isn’t much room in the chassis for more hardware as well so expect to use just the basics. Always check the full dimensions of your Mini-ATX and Micro-ATX cases before buying.

Standard cases: ATX-Mid towers

Sometimes the classics are all you’ll ever need. These cases are the most common that people use for their builds. You’ve come across them yourselves in most workstations and computer shops. Your current PC case might even be an ATX-Mid tower. Most Intel and AMD motherboards fit into them. Most standard configurations of graphics cards, power supplies, fans and other miscellaneous components will comfortably fit into these cases. You’ll only ever need to upgrade if you have some chonky components or would want to use some big custom liquid loops and cooling.

Corsair’s iCue 465X RGB Mid-Tower ATX Smart Case

Large cases: ATX Super Towers and ATX Full

These big, thicc, chonky bois will house every component you could think of fitting in. Standard ATX motherboards won’t grow in size anymore, but you can have dual or even multiple GPUs, multiple drives for your storage, a large power supply, multiple fans or expensive custom-made liquid loops and cooling with large reservoirs and add-ons such as Wi-Fi modules.

ATX Full cases are much larger than any Mid-sized ATX towers but they only fit one whole computer system at any given time. Meanwhile, the ATX Super Towers can fit one or two or even three computer systems at once. These are really big. Most super towers measure around 27 inches (68 cm) by girth alone.

Phanteks Enthoo Pro TG PH-ES614PTG_BK ATX Full Tower with integrated RGB lighting

There are some cases that fill some specific niches as well. They are open air cases, wall mountable cases and dual system cases.

Open air cases have no walls, only being supported by a singular panel to which the motherboard is attached and glass panels for protection only in front of the components but not on the bottom or the sides. Some even lack the front panel. These cases are great if you want to make your PC a statement, a work of art and they cost as much too. They will contain custom liquid cooling, top end components and clean RGB. Dust and pet hair can easily get in and ruin the build.

Wall mountable cases are open as open air cases but the supports are usually hoisted against the wall so that the PC can be suspended in air. It has all the risks of the open air cases but also the risk of being dropped. However, if there is a lot of chaos on the floor then it might be considerable.

Dual system cases, as the name implies, are rather self explanatory. They contain two whole dual computers inside them. One computer could be used to stream, host a server or for work while the other can be used for gaming and computational tasks.

Features

The next most important thing after size is how many features a case provides and what it supports. Newer cases come with more features and the more you splurge the more features you’ll receive. Here’s a quick list:

Cable management: Cases with cut-outs in the motherboard tray allow for routing of the cables you use through the rear of the case. Budget PC cases tend to have simple holes punched out into the motherboard tray, whereas mid-range options often include rubber grommets in the holes to give a neat look. Some even include wire covers and tie-off points to aid in giving the build a clean look.

SSD mounting points and drive-bays: Some cases include mounting points on the rear of the motherboard tray for SSDs. Make sure to look for drive bays of about 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) to 3.5 inches (8.89 cm) to house your storage drives.

Tool less design: It is almost ubiquitous today and present in most mid-range and high-end cases and includes thumb screws for internal fastening and twist-on, snap on and other tool free mechanisms for the drive bay.

Front-panel connectivity: Having extra ports on your front panel helps in case you’ve got lots of external devices. All cases, even the cheap ones have a couple of USB A-Type ports in the front. Many modern cases come with USB A-Type 3.0, USB-C and even fan and RGB controllers. There’s also front panel audio jacks.

Fans and airflow: With much fans, does better air cooling come. At the least you’ll need at least one fan in the front and one in the back. Many budget PCs suffer with high temperatures and low performance due to the presence of only one fan. Many cases come with fan mounts through which you can upgrade your cooling as well. Improperly designed tempered glass and metal front panels can obstruct airflow so you should consider thinking about that. 140mm fans are ideal for the best performance in games, but for a budget friendly build you can always go for the 120mm standard.

CPU cut-aways: These allow you to replace your CPU without removing your entire motherboard.

Sound-dampening: Soundproof cases minimize the effective sounds generated by your PC when it runs often by using sound-dampeners in the panels of your PC. However, these obstruct airflow so they tend to tread around the higher temperature range as compared to standard cases. Some nicer cases actually stay silent while also accounting for airflow by including large 140 mm fans that spin at high speeds.

And many other features such as dust filters to keep your PC free from dust, tempered glass panels, and integrated RGB lighting.

Aesthetics

It is purely up to personal preferences. When purchasing a PC case make sure you like the look of it for it will be used for many more years to come. All online retailers show their cases from multiple angles to aid you in this quest. They come in varying colours, materials and decals so you can customize your look to your heart’s content. It’s an unexplored canvas that you can fill out. 

Tempered glass cases have become all the rage in the past decade because they let you admire the internals that you have installed in your PC while also preserving the original design of your case. Some even prefer sleeper PCs, which are often old 90s or 2000s cases or some new sleek ones which are made by almost all PC case manufacturers and they hide the contents of the PC from view. 

Price ranges in India

Computer cases start around ₹1000- ₹7000 (around $15-$100) and these cases are barebones and provide little in the way of features.

You get some extra breathing space once you bump up to around  ₹7,000- ₹14,000 (around $100-$190) and this should be the sweet spot for most. Expect to get all the newest features you want for a Mid-sized ATX tower and many Full ATX Towers present in this range.

Sweeten the pot up to around  ₹20,000 and you’ll find fully decked out Full ATX Towers with all the latest features. As a rule of thumb for a minimum price you’ll at least want one that has two fans, one in front and one in the back for good airflow which helps with cooling. 

Our picks for the best cases in India

Still having trouble deciding? Here’s what we recommend.

Best budget PC cases in India

1. Montech Flyer Micro ATX, retails around 5000 rupees

This gives you great value for what you pay. The Montech looks and feels great. It is a Micro-ATX case with an “elegant hairline surface” and it occupies little space. The top panel features a magnetic dust filter which is easy to take off or on. The case comes prebuilt with two fans and has good airflow. It has a rather simple RGB mode which offers 7 colours and 3 lighting profiles. 

The Flyer supports two 3.5 inch HDDs in the rear HDD cage and has two SSD plates which can support two 2.5 inch SSDs. It features two USB A- Type 2.0 ports, one type 3.0 port, one microphone jack and also has a button to control the lights on the front port. and can fit a total of 8 fans mostly around the 120mm and 140mm standards.

What’s the catch? The side panel is made of acrylic instead of tempered glass, which seems to be a major gripe with people. There are no instruction manuals that are provided with the case, so it’s hard to build and cable manage without help. It is difficult and nearly impossible to take out the front panel which seems welded shut onto the chassis. However, the installation is smooth and you can be done within minutes. At this price point, this case is a big steal and is a major plus point.

2. MSI Mag Forge 100R Mid-ATX Tower, retails around 5000 rupees

This case is absolutely magnificent. It is a mid-sized gaming tower that supports ATX, Micro-ATX and Mini-ATX formats and comes loaded with three fans, with the two front fans being ARGB which are controlled by a 6 pin controller. The case has premium tempered glass with a thickness of about 4mm and has excellent viewability and also weighs around 5.6 kilograms. 

Features include two driver bays which are compatible with 2.5 inch and 3.5 inch HDDs or SSDs, two USB 3.2 Gen1-Type A ports with HD audio and microphone support. It supports upto 5 fans of the 120mm and 240mm varieties. Overall, it has excellent build quality and is quite sturdy. It looks sexy and will last you for a long time. The best thing? It goes on sale, a LOT, so you can absolutely steal this puppy at around  ₹4500.

3. Ant Esports ICE-200TG Mid-ATX Tower, retails around 3500 rupees

This PC screams gamer right from it’s very name. It supports the entire gamut of ATX, Micro-ATX and Mini-ATX formats. The side panel is tempered glass, yet oddly enough, the front panel is made out of acrylic and accentuated by a rather bold statement which is made with a black glassy finish and RGB. 

It comes with only one 120mm fan installed in the rear but this issue can be quickly fixed by installing more 120mm fans or a 240mm fan in the front or the top, with the maximum capacity being 5. Surprisingly it even supports liquid cooling. It can hold up to two 2.5 inch or 3.5 inch HDDs and two SSDs and it even has a flash card reader! The cable management is definitely as it says, manageable. For I/O it offers two USB A- Type 2.0s, one USB A-Type 3.0, and one audio and one microphone jack. 

Yet the build quality feels middling and the acrylic panel just feels weird when you have the luxury of the tempered glass one. Expect to face some issues with the installation of your components as well. However, this is quite a surprise at this price range and it can even go as low as ₹2000. Another absolute banger. 

Best mid-range PC cases in India

1. Lian Li Lancool II Mesh RGB, retails around 10,000 rupees

You’ve sweetened the pot, now it’s time to taste the honey. We begin by viewing this absolute gorgeous beauty from Lian Li. It also comes in black but the white model is much, much superior.

 The case features a front mesh panel and a mesh shroud panel in the bottom left panel with a honeycomb mesh design. It has integrated three ARGB fans which can be either of120mm or two fans of 140mm. The top and rear panels with the space above the PSU chamber can be outfitted with varying combinations of 120mm and 140mm fans for a total of 5 extra fans. Even with everything fitted inside it still feels spacious and has a lightweight chassis.

It’s 3.5 inch drive bays can support up to three 3.5 inch or even 2.5 inch HDDs and SSDs, with it’s 2.5 inch drive bays being present behind the MB tray, the right flip panel and above the PSU chamber. You can fit two 2.5 inch SSDs into each of these. It features seven expansion slots. The front panel ports include two USB A- Type 3.0s and one USB Type 3.1 (which is optional) and the usual audio jacks. The magnetic dust filter is splendid and there is good cable management. It provides a lot of features for its price and is certainly a consideration in this price range.

2. Corsair 4000D Airflow CC-9011201-WW White Steal, retails around 8000 rupees

Unlike the obscene naming scheme for this case, one thing that is not obscene is how great it is in both the function as well as the looks department. Yet again the white colour is superior to the black one in this case. It has a high airflow front panel and features Corsair’s proprietary CORSAIR RapidRoute Cable Management System.

The 4000D Airflow system is clean and good. It comes equipped with two CORSAIR 120mm Airguide fans and you can equip it with an additional 6-7 fans varying between 120mm to 140mm if you are clever enough. The radiators vary from 120mm, to 280mm and finally 360mm. It has seven expansion slots with an additional two that are vertical. The front I/O is a bit barebones with one USB A- Type 3.0, one USB Type-C and the usual audio jack.

When you look beyond all the proprietary marketing and naming, this case is elegant and minimalistic with its tempered glass panel which is tool free and slides right off. Another excellent case for a great price.

3. Phanteks Eclipse P500A, retails around 12,000 rupees

A mind-boggling case for its asking price, this unique case will give you all the features you could ever need. It comes in both black and white variants and features a mesh design that will certainly aid in airflow. Surprisingly you can even mount your GPU vertically to give more space to any other components. Not to imply that this ATX Mid Tower lacks any space, yet it is also compatible with Mini-ATX and Micro-ATX standards and comes with three 140mm fans included, along with space for 4 other fans ranging from 120mm and 140mm standards. The radiators feature the full gamut as they range from 120mm to 360mm and it even supports water cooling. 

There are a total of ten expansion slots available, with three that are vertical and they support both 2.5 inch and 3.5 inch HDDs or SSDs, for a total of 10 HDDs and 3 SSDs The front I/O includes two USB A- Type 3.0s, a USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C, the normal audio jacks and LED control buttons. 

The case is made of steel and features smooth and decadent tempered glass which enables your components to stand out for your viewing pleasure. The feel is premium and grandiose and honestly it feels like it could be a high end PC. This is one of the best cases in this price range and you’ll find it hard to find anything better than this. A solid choice overall.

Best high-end PC cases in India

1. Corsair iCue 5000X Smart Case, retails around 18,000 rupees

You mean business when it comes to building your PC and you want the best of the best. This case features not one, not two, not three but four tempered glass panels for your viewing pleasure. It boasts a clean look as well.

 It features Corsair’s RapidRoute Cable Management System, but this time it’s much better and gives plenty of space to route your cables however you like. Three 120mm RGB fans come free with this puppy and the motherboard tray can be customized with fan mounts. You can fit up to a total of seven fans varying between 120mm and 140mm standards. There are a total of 9 expansion slots, with 2 of them being vertical and they can use 2.5 inches as well as 3.5 inches. There are 4 dust filters for the front, the top, the motherboard tray and the PSU cage. You can fit this with any and all ATX motherboards. The front ports include two USB A- Type 3.0s, one USB 3.1 Type-C and the normal audio jacks with buttons for its patented Smart RGB control, and the RGB is indeed impressive with a wide range of colours. 

This is the Porsche 911 of PC cases and you will never go wrong with this one for sure.

2. Corsair Crystal Series 680X RGB, retails around 25,000 rupees

If the Corsair ICue 5000X is the Porsche 911, then let me introduce you to the Lamborghini Aventador. This baby features all sizes of ATX motherboards and three crystal clear tempered glass panels. 

The cooling is rather excessive; the fans run faster than a cat when it is scared yet maintain their sound level, although it is quite noticeable under full load. Included are three 120mm fans, or two 140mm fans, along with five other fans ranging between 120mm and 140mm for a total of 8 possible fan configurations. The radiators offer upto all standards respectively. It features a total of 10 expansion slots, with 2 being vertical and all supporting 2.5 inch and 3.5 inch HDDs and SSDs. The front I/O features the standard at this range, one USB 3.1 Type-C and two USB A Type-3.0s along with the normal audio jacks and an RGB controller.

The case is heavy and chunky and is  feature rich compared to most of the cases showcased as of yet. You will never need any other features ever again if you intend to buy this build, or at least for a very long time. That is, unless you are looking at the next case.

3. Fractal Design Define 7 XL retails around 17,000 rupees

For the minimalist and sleeper PC case fans out there, this one is certainly for you. Skip the gaudy RGB designs and the gamery, techy look and add some brushed steel and aluminium and you get this case. There are no tempered glass panels; why would you want to expose the components to the outside world? It is an ATX Full Tower and can support multiple GPUs at once so you can finally fulfill your fantasy of having a beast and hiding it from the world. The top does have a hexagonal mesh like design, but that is all the decadence and flair this case is going to get. 

It may not look like it, but inside this case is very spacious and throws neatness out the window, with space for 18 HDDs and 5 SSDs if you ever need that much storage. The case begs to be water cooled with its radiator available by default at 480mm and features sound dampening so really it’s meant to be fitted with a custom liquid loop.

The panels latch without effort and without tools and are easy to remove so that there is no trouble while building your PC. There are a total of 12 expansion slots, with 3 vertical and all featuring various combinations of 2.5 inch and 3.5 inch HDDs and SSDs. If you really want to cool it with fans, four 120mm fans or three 140mm fans come included, with the option to fit 6 more fans with the varieties of the 120mm and 140mm standards. The front I/O features one USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C, two USB A- Type 3.0s, two USB A- Type 2.0s and the usual audio jacks. 

This case on its own nearly weighs around 16 kilograms. This case is not a sports car, it is instead a marauder tank parading and masking itself as a normal car and it is by far my most favourite case in this list. This is a solid choice and if I had to, I would buy this case multiple times, till the end of time (or if a better version pops up).

Conclusion and Summary

Shopping for your next or first PC case should be of paramount importance as it will serve as the house to the furniture that is your components inside. The market right now is short on supply and high on demand, however there is hope and the supply will increase and the prices will decline further. However, there is never a bad time to purchase a PC case for your build.

PC cases come in various sizes to suit all your needs. From the humble 1990’s IBM beige PC cases to the latest and most feature rich cases from Corsair, Phanteks, MSI, Lian Li and various other companies, the market is always competitive and there is a lot to choose from.

You should look at features such as support for cable management, airflow and fans for cooling and water cooling, CPU cut-aways, sound dampening, tool less design, integrated RGB or not or whatever is your fancy, front panel connectivity and I/O, SSD mounting points and drive bays, dust filters to protect your PC from dust and tempered glass panels or no glass panels and full metal panels depending upon your preferences, along with a multitude of many more features and exclusive support so that you are fully satisfied with your case. 

Make sure you like the look of your PC case; it is going to last you for years and you should be wholly satisfied with it. There are websites online that allow one to customize their PC case to their heart’s content. Price ranges in India range from  ₹1,000- ₹25,000 so you can get whatever case you want. The world of PC cases is as exciting as it is exhilarating to navigate and there is something for everyone’s tastes.