EXPERT INSIGHT & TRUSTED REVIEWS

EXPERT INSIGHT & TRUSTED REVIEWS

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Review

The 10 Best SilverStone Cases in 2023

Best SilverStone Case

The 10 Best SilverStone Cases of 2023

I updated this feature in June to cover SilverStone’s releases over 2023. A few of our picks have been changed, and I’ve added alternatives for some of the cases that occasionally run into stock issues.

SilverStone Technology is a name you’ll know if you’ve been buying PC cases for the last couple of decades.

In a world of flashy towers with lots of bells and whistles, the SilverStone brand stands out by offering their more “mature”, minimalist designs (while still included lots of great case specs).

This feature will take you through the best SilverStone PC cases for gaming, home theatre, production, and more; whatever your size/budget requirements.

Top Picks

Best of the Rest: Quick-Fire Picks

Overall Best SilverStone Case: SilverStone RL06

This is a popular case for a reason.

The RL06 is Silverstone’s best balance between cost, build quality, and feature-set.

What you’re getting for its price-point is really a fantastic value chassis that we think will meet your needs nicely if you’re building a mid-range gaming or production PC.

Starting with the build, a good portion of the exterior is made of well-finished steel that looks as good as it feels.

All the RL06 series models are good but the ones we love the most are the GP variations.

These come with thick tempered glass windows running down the full length of the case.

This will make your build really stand out once complete and powered on.

Space-wise, this is an ATX case, with room for:

  • 7 x expansion slots
  • Graphics cards up to 348mm (will cover nearly all mainstream cards)
  • 3 x 2.5″ / 3.5″ & 2 x 2.5″ drive bays

The size and specs are great, with plenty of storage room should you be building something media/editing focussed.

But also just as much room for GPUs for a gaming focussed build.

The RL06 has great cooling in mind also, with capacity for:

  • 6 x 120mm fans with 3 x high-quality LED fans included (in GP/PRO versions)
  • Or 2 x 240mm & 1 x 120mm radiators

Combined with a great internal design for ventilation and good cable management facilities, this is a great PC case for overclocking and cooling.

With its aesthetic, fan inclusion, features and build quality all under a fantastic price-point, I’m sure you can tell why we consider the RL06 the best SilverStone PC case available today.

2023 update: The RL06 still takes my top spot on this feature, but I’ve seen it occasionally run into stock issues over the last few months. Note that all 4 versions of the Amazon listing are mostly just aesthetic changes so even if the one we reviewed is out of stock, they’re all viable options.

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Runner-Up Best SilverStone Case: SilverStone GD09

Featured previously as the best horizontal PC case available today, the GD09 is a fantastic chassis.

We give this the runner-up accolade as the RL06 caters more for typical gaming/production builds in its form factor.

But if you like the aesthetic of the GD09 and don’t need some insane capability for multi-GPUs or overclocking, or you’re looking for the best HTPC case around, then you’re in luck.

The exterior is made from beautiful thick steel with a faux aluminum finish (as you can probably tell even from the stock photos, it looks great).

Size-wise, you’re getting:

  • 7 expansion slots
  • GPUs up to 309mm (width restriction of 133mm)
  • 1 x 5.25″, 2 x 3.5″ & 1 x 2.5″ drive bays
  • Up to 3 x 120mm fans (1 included) + 2 x 80mm fans

With its optical drive, fan availability, and overall style, SilverStone primarily has HTPC case builders in mind with this offering.

That doesn’t mean you couldn’t use it for a modest gaming PC if preferred; there is still plenty of cooling available here for a single GPU.

We really love the unique take GD09 has here on the console-shaped PC case.

Perfect for a media center, living room PC, or just someone who likes a more mature style, the GD09 is a fantastic ATX case.

2023 update: If the link below to the GD09 is out of stock, please also check here. For whatever reason, its stock is spread over 2 different listings on Amazon.

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Overall Best Budget SilverStone Case: SilverStone FARA R1

As far as cheap SilverStone cases go, the FARA R1 is very impressive quality-wise considering its low price-point.

You’re of course not getting the same build quality as the top picks, with a thinner steel material used for most of the exterior.

That said, the fact that it’s based on steel at all is decent (with many all-plastic cases existing in its price range), and the finish still looks slick.

This budget ATX case has good room for gaming or cheap enthusiast builds too, with:

  • 7 x expansion slots
  • GPUs up to 322mm length (potentially more with the front fan removed, but likely unnecessary).
  • 1 x 3.5″ & 4 x 2.5″ drive bays
  • Air cooling: up to 6 x 120mm with 1 pre-installed 120mm fan (great for the price)
  • Water cooling: up to 1 x 280mm, 1 x 240mm & 1 x 120mm radiators

If you’re going for a budget build, you’ll be able to add 1 or 2 more fans to the pre-installed one and have enough for decent cooling.

And that’s the beauty of the R1; it may not be the highest-quality case in the world.

But for its price, it has so much to get you going (with options to upgrade later more storage/fans, etc).

Simply put, if your wallet can’t stretch to one of the top picks, this is still a fantastic offering and easily the best budget SilverStone PC case today.

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Overall Best SilverStone Micro ATX Case: SilverStone PS15

For those builders looking for a smaller form factor, the PS15 is a great middle-ground answer at a very decent price.

With a full-steel exterior (bar the mesh front panel) and a tempered glass window, the case looks great when put next to other mATX towers in its budget.

The white version in particular is gorgeous; with the full interior painted white (not something you always see in white PC cases).

We also love how the glass window runs down the full length of the main side.

Many cases usually hide the bottom section for the PSU, but SilverStone subtly hides it in the back and give your flashier components more room to shine.

On the smaller side of an mATX case, the PS15 still packs a bunch for:

  • 4 expansion slots
  • VGA card up to 314mm in length (good enough for most mainstream offerings)
  • 1 x 2.5″ & 3 x 2.5″ drive bays
  • Up to 5 x 120mm fans (with 1 included, fantastic for the price)
  • Or up to 1 x 240mm & 1 x 120mm radiators

For the form factor, these are decent specs. You have enough storage and GPU room here for a build focussed on either gaming or production/media (or both!).

The cooling capability is also decent, and with the mesh design and some additional quality-of-life airflow features around the case, you’ll be in a good place to cool in a form factor that often struggles.

Offering incredible value for its price, the PS15 is the best Silverstone mATX case on offer today.

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Overall Best SilverStone Mini ITX Case: SilverStone SG13P

The SG13P is another example of how SilverStone weaves incredible chassis design into really affordable price tags.

In the smallest main form factor, the SG13P is tiny, and is a unique cube-shaped style.

While the case exterior is largely plastic, it still feels and looks great with a faux aluminum finish topping it off.

The multiple mesh panels around the case manage to look stylish, while of course offering much-needed ventilation often lacking in the form factor.

Size-wise, you’ll have:

  • 2 x expansion slots
  • GPUs up to 270mm long (129mm wide)
  • 1 x 2.5″ /3.5″ & 1 x 2.5″ drive bays
  • 1 x 140mm fan or radiator

The specs are nice for the dimensions, we particularly like how you can fit a 3.5″ drive in here (not always the case with mITX).

You will of course need to be careful of what components you buy, not just GPUS but your motherboard & PSU too to ensure they will fit.

The fan/water cooling capability is minimal, but that is to be expected with mITX.

The point of the SG13P is to make up for it with oversized vents (cheaper than buying fans!).

If you like the unique design and appreciate the incredible value offering the SG13P represents, then go for it. It’s comfortably our pick for the best SilverStone mITX case.

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Alternative Picks – Best of the Rest

While the above 5 options are our top choices, SilverStone has a lot of quality cases on offer, and we chose a couple of quick-fire picks we would still recommend if you have some specific requirements/taste.

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Stylish ATX Case Alternative: SilverStone SETA A1

The A1 wasn’t very far off being one of our top ATX picks; it’s more a testament to how good the top 2 ATX cases are that it wasn’t included.

Arguably the best-looking case SilverStone has created, if you’re looking for something stylish that would still be a great basis for a powerful PC, the A1 is a great choice.

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Best Premium ATX Alternative: SilverStone PM02

Another ATX case nearly taking one of the top spots, the PM02 is slightly more expensive than our top picks but comes with higher quality exterior material and 4 great 140mm fans included.

If the style appeals to you and its within your budget, know its a fantastic option for a gaming/production build.

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Best Alternative Micro ATX Case: SilverStone PS14

Of all of our top picks, the battle between the PS14 and PS15 was the closest.

Very similar in spec and price, it really comes down to the aesthetic.

We prefer the PS15 for offering a more shrouded PSU, but if you prefer the PS14 design, then go for it – it’s just as good feature-wise.

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Best Server PC Case: SilverStone CS30

If you’re looking at building a server or high-storage media centre/editing PC, the CS30 is the best on the list for your needs.

As well as an all-around high quality build, the CS30 has an incredible amount of storage availability, with included cooling too.

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Mini-ITX Case Alternative: SilverStone ML08

If you’re an experienced builder and want something with an extra-unique form factor, the ML08 is a great option.

With a console-shape style, it’s very attractive; just make sure to check the dimensions of your parts first!

What's Next?

About the author

Picture of Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross, BSc is the Lead Writer at What in Tech and a leading authority in PC hardware and software. With a career as a senior IT professional, Kaelum has led multi-million dollar projects covering everything from bespoke software development to complex Windows hardware upgrades. Today, Kaelum uses his expertise to serve What in Tech's readers and has been featured in numerous global publications including New York Magazine and Lifewire.

The 5 Best Be Quiet! Cases in 2023

Best Be Quiet Case

The 5 Best Be Quiet! Cases in 2023

We've reviewed all of the cases from this great brand, here are the best

Best Be Quiet Case

We updated this feature in June to cover the new Be Quiet! releases of 2023. Our top pick has been changed with a fantastic new upgrade.

Be Quiet! has been a sleeper-hit in the PC case manufacturing game for years now.

While they’re not as big a brand as say, Corsair or Thermaltake, they’ve made a name for themselves by being one of the best choices for a silent PC case 

That’s why we’ve built today’s feature to guide you through the best Be Quiet! PC cases for your next gaming, streaming, or production build (with different budgets in mind).

1

Silent Base 802

Overall Best Be Quiet! Case

Silent Base 802

Our Rating: 9.5/10

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2

Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX

Runner-Up Pick

Pure Base 500DX

Our Rating: 9/10

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3

Be Quiet! Pure Base 600

Best Budget Be Quiet! Case

Pure Base 600

Our Rating: 9/10

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4

Be Quiet! Dark Base PRO 900

Best Premium Be Quiet! Case

Dark Base PRO 900

Our Rating: 9/10

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5

Dark Base Pro 700

Honorable Mention

Dark Base Pro 700

Our Rating: 8.5/10

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Silent Base 802

Overall Best Be Quiet! Case: Be Quiet! Silent Base 802 / BG039

Comfortably taking our top spot is the fantastic Silent Base 802.

Ranked as one of our favorite picks in our silence-focussed feature, this chassis excels at balancing excellent sound dampening with great performance.

Boasting an exterior made largely of insulated steel, the cases finished looks and feels high quality and is of course, specialized to reduce noise as much as possible.

It does a fantastic job of just that. I was really impressed by how quiet the 801 stayed even in intensive gaming sessions.

The only similar cases rivaling it in this department/price range are our top Fractal Design picks.

The SB 802 excels in space too; this Be Quiet! mid-tower has room for:

  • 7 x expansion slots
  • GPU lengths up to 432mm
  • 3 x 3.5″ & 7 x 2.5″ drive bays (more available via bay upgrade)
  • Air cooling: Up to 8 x 140mm with 3 high-quality 140mm fans included.
  • Water cooling: Up to 1 x 420, 1 x 360 & 1 x 140mm radiators

It’s not a small case by any means, but the specs for its dimensions are still impressive.

You have all of the GPU and storage room you could need, whether you’re looking for a gaming PC case or something more production focussed.

There’s plenty of cooling capability in the 802 too.

A case optimized for silence will never provide the same airflow as a louder tower (it’s the trade-off for sound-dampening insulation).

However, this chassis still does a great job of maintaining decent thermals, and provides great value out of the box with its 3 included fans.

Another feature I like is the front I/O panel fan controller designed to allow you to control the fan speed.

This isn’t a unique feature by any means, but nice to have it integrated into a build focused on noise reduction.

We have reviewed the BG039 version today, but the other variants of this case are great depending on your preferences. The main differences are a white color and/or a glass panel on the side (this will reduce sound insulation slightly but allow you to show off your awesome build!).

What the Silent Base 802 does so well is balance all the features we expect anybody building a quiet mid-range build would need.

Build quality, size, internal features, low noise all in a decent price tag; this is why we consider the 802 the best Be Quiet! computer case today.

2023 update: The 802 replaces our previous top pick, the 801. There are only direct improvements in this new version, with the most notable being improvements to the case airflow and slight allotment increases in fans and drive bays.

Our Rating: 9.5/10

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Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX

Runner-Up Pick: Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX

Our second-place pick comes for those wanting slightly more focus on airflow for an ATX build (in the mid-range pricing).

The 500DX trades in sound dampening panels for tempered glass internal views and more intake on the side.

Make no mistake, the build quality of the case is still great, with a design a little less minimalist compared to the 801 (with some beautiful RGB lighting included).

The 500DX still performs notably quieter than your average mid-range case with its 3 included silent fans and dampening panels on the non-window side of the case.

There’s decent space inside too, with:

  • 7 x expansion slots
  • GPUs up to 369mm in length (enough for nearly all mainstream cards)
  • 2 x 3.5″ & 5 x 2.5″ drive bays
  • Up to 5 x 140mm fans (with 3 high-quality silence-optimized fans included)

There is less fan availability than the 801. However, this is partially made up for by the increased airflow capability of the 500DX.

The issue with this increased airflow comes when your build is under high load (say, playing intensive games, video editing, etc.); you will hear noise levels akin to a more typical chassis.

This is where  the 500DX has chosen to focus on cooling over noise dampening like our top pick.

That doesn’t make this case worse than the 801, it just depends on what your priorities are.

We chose the 801 as our top because it has a great balance between cooling and sound. I also still find it more than capable of hosting a powerful gaming build at reasonable temps.

But make no mistake, if you prefer the aesthetic and airflow focus of the 500DX, it’s a great pickup and a tad cheaper than the 801.

Our Rating: 9/10

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Be Quiet! Pure Base 600

Best Budget Be Quiet! Case: Be Quiet! Pure Base 600

Arguably one of the best budget quiet PC cases from any brand, the Pure Base 600 has a lot going for it in its price tag.

You’re still getting an exterior with steel elements (albeit more plastic) that looks and feels higher quality than the price may suggest.

The dampening is, of course, not going to be the same quality/thickness as you’ll see in the 801 and other premium picks.

But it still manages an impressive low-noise level that we think would meet most expectations for a budget gaming PC case (or even one for streaming and video/music production).

Spec-wise, this is another mid-tower, with:

  • 7 x expansion slots
  • GPUs up to 280mm (or 425mm without HDD cage)
  • 2 x 5.25″, 3 x 3.5″ & 8 x 2.5″ drive bays
  • Up to 4 x 140mm + 1 x 120mm fans (with 1 140mm & 1 120mm Pure Wings 2 fans included)

The fact that you are getting 2 high-quality Be Quiet! fans in a case already cheap on its own is a really impressive value-add.

With plenty of storage capability here too, you’re covered for most builds – and the case has good modularity with options to remove some of the HDD cages to make room for larger GPUs should your build be gaming focussed.

If your wallet is tight or you just want to dip your toes into the world of silent PC building, the Pure Base 600 is a great starting point, and easily the best budget Be Quiet! PC case on the market.

Our Rating: 9/10

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Be Quiet! Dark Base PRO 900

Best Premium Be Quiet! Case: Be Quiet! Dark Base PRO 900

The Pro 900 is Be Quiet!’s answer to any builder who is after the most powerful silent PC build they can possibly create, regardless of price.

We have to point out that there are certainly diminishing returns when comparing the PRO 900 to our top 801 pick or the more expensive Fractal Design choices.

But if you have a larger wallet, this is a very powerful chassis for a high-end build.

One of our favorite features of the 900 (aside from the obvious high-quality design, aluminum/thick steel build, and noise dampening) is the level of modularity this case offers.

So many panels and cages can be removed or repositioned to help you minimize unnecessary parts.

This isn’t just great for airflow, but also reduces any subtler vibrations to optimize low decibel output.

And then there is the incredible space; this Be Quiet! full tower case comes with:

  • E-ATX motherboard support
  • 8 x expansion slots
  • GPU lengths up to 325mm (or 470mm without HDD bracket)
  • Up to 2 x 5.25″, 7 x 3.5″ & 14 x 2.5″ drive bays
  • Up to 9 x 140mm fans with 3 x Silent Wings 3 140mm fans included (one of the best quiet fans on the market)
  • Or up to 2 x 420mm & 1 x 140mm radiators (could be combined with 2 140mm fans)

The capability in the PRO 900 is some of the highest I’ve seen in any chassis. There’s so much room to work with here even for high-level enthusiasts.

With unbelievable storage specs, you have a fantastic PC case for video editing, storage builds, or a high-end HTPC.

Alternatively, if you’re looking to build the most powerful silent gaming PC possible, there is plenty of room in here for a beastly overclocked GPU setup (especially with the excellent cooling capability).

With the amount of space in here though, you don’t have to choose one or the other; this case could easily host a multi-faceted enthusiast build.

To be clear; as enticing as this is, I don’t think you necessarily need to go this pricey to build something powerful for gaming or production. Our top picks would do just fine and there is some notable diminishing returns with the price increase of the Pro 900.

That said, if you are without any limits in your budget and are looking for something extra special, the PRO 900 is a great choice.

Our Rating: 9/10

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Dark Base Pro 700

Honorable Mention: Dark Base Pro 700

Coming in at the end of our list is a mid to high-range pick in the Pro 700.

This chassis is still fantastic in its own right, with an exterior largely made of steel, aluminum, and tempered glass; it looks simply beautiful.

Made to be the premium pick in between the price range of the silent base models and the top-end PRO 900, this chassis strikes a good level of quality and has excellent specs/noise dampening for a powerful (yet quiet) build.

The reason we don’t rate it as highly is it comes in at a similar price point to our favorite Fractal Design cases.

And in this specific price range, we think Fractal has the edge.

However, if you happen to prefer the build/design of this case or it meets your spec requirement in a way one of the high-end Fractal cases doesn’t, know we’ve included it for a reason.

It’s still a great chassis and easily one of the best Be Quiet! towers on the market.

Our Rating: 8.5/10

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Be Quiet! E-ATX / Micro ATX / Mini ITX PC Cases?

Today, there aren’t any Be Quiet! cases of other form factors we’d recommend (the company specializes in mid towers).

That said, if you’re after a silent case of a different size, there are plenty good options in our quiet PC case feature or our breakdown of the best Fractal Design cases (What in Tech’s favourite case brand for silent cases).

What's Next?

About the author

Picture of Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross, BSc is the Lead Writer at What in Tech and a leading authority in PC hardware and software. With a career as a senior IT professional, Kaelum has led multi-million dollar projects covering everything from bespoke software development to complex Windows hardware upgrades. Today, Kaelum uses his expertise to serve What in Tech's readers and has been featured in numerous global publications including New York Magazine and Lifewire.

The 10 Best Pink PC Cases of 2023

Pink PC Case 1

The 10 Best Pink PC Cases of 2023

Pink PC Case 1

We updated this article in June. After reviewing the latest cases in 2023, most of our top picks remain the same, but we have highlighted some excellent new alternatives in certain sections where relevant.

So, you want to build something trend-setting? Then pink is the way to go!

Back when we originally wrote this feature, the options were rather slim.

But thankfully over the last few years, case manufacturers have seen some sense and finally started offering some great options!

We’ve reviewed each of them and featured the best picks for all shapes, sizes, and budgets just below.

Important Note on Pink PC Case Availability

The demand for a pink tower is quite high compared to the number of available options so they often sell out reasonably fast.

The good news is that this whole list is full of great options. Don’t be dissuaded if the top few choices happen to be out of stock. Apevia has especially stood out as a brand offering lots of options for you in this color.

1

Apevia Crusader-F-PK

Overall Best Pink PC Case

Apevia Crusader-F-PK

Our Rating: 9.5/10

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2

Golden Field MAGE-P

Runner-Up Best Pink PC Case

Golden Field MAGE-P

Our Rating: 9/10

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3

Apevia ENZO-PK

Best Cheap Pink PC Case

Apevia ENZO-PK

Our Rating: 8.5/10

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4

InWin A1 Plus

Best High-End Pink Case

InWin A1 Plus

Our Rating: 9/10

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5

Apevia PRODIGY-PK

Best Pink Micro ATX Case

Apevia PRODIGY-PK

Our Rating: 9/10

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6

SilverStone SG13P

Best Pink Mini-ITX Case

SilverStone SG13P

Our Rating: 8.5/10

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7

darkFlash DLM22

Best Budget Pink PC Case Alternative

darkFlash DLM22

Our Rating: 9/10

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Apevia Crusader-F-PK

Apevia Crusader-F-PK

Overall Best Pink PC Case

SPECIFICATIONS

Form Factor: Mid Tower | Motherboard Support: ATX, Micro-ATX, mini-ITX | CPU Clearance: 165mm | GPU Length Clearance: 360mm | Dimensions: 394 x 203 x 457mm | Weight: 5.9kg | Radiator Support: N/A | Fan Mounts: 8

REASONS TO BUY

+ Incredible value

+ Great layout and airflow for a mid-range build

+ Decent build quality for price

REASONS TO AVOID
– Inner chassis not pink
 
– Not built for water cooling (fan options are great, however)
 

Our Rating: 9.5/10

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Apevia has created a lot of cute computer cases worth talking about. Our favorite out of those is the Crusader-F-PK.

Coming in a tad cheaper than our runner-up pick with 4 RGB fans, this is a perfect basis for a vibrant aesthetic. There’s also a light-toggle button on the front I/O panel, which cycles through 16 different effects for the pre-installed fans (anything from single colors, to “pulsing”, to off if you’d prefer a more minimalist look).

We’re pleased with the internal layout of this pink mid-tower too. It includes room for GPUs up to 350mm wide and 8 fan mounts; plenty of cooling potential for enthusiast builds.

Apevia Crusader-F-PK 2

Source: MasterChiefn

The case also has good cable management options and a decent design to facilitate airflow.  It will certainly meet most gaming needs at the price point with the included fans alone.

The design is striking; with a cool, “rugged” pink finish on the outer casing working alongside the RGB fans and tempered glass window to create a very unique-looking case. We love that Apevia has gone for a tint in their window here. Our experience is that tinted side panels look way better at tastefully displaying internal flashy parts.

We’re also floored with the build quality for the price. The F-PK feels as good as it looks and it’s quite mind-boggling that the case comes with such a wonderful design, build, and 4 RGB fans at a cost where many competitors offer far less.

Even if it was more expensive, we’d still rate the F-PK very highly, the fact that it’s also so cheap is just a wonderful bonus add! If you’re looking for the best pink computer case, we think this is the ideal all-around pick.

Golden Field MAGE-P

Golden Field MAGE-P

Runner-Up Best Pink PC Case

SPECIFICATIONS

Form Factor: Mid Tower | Motherboard Support: ATX, Micro-ATX, mini-ITX | CPU Clearance: 165mm | GPU Length Clearance: 320mm | Dimensions: 440 x 215 x 480mm | Weight: 9.5kg | Radiator Support: 360mm | Fan Mounts: 8

REASONS TO BUY

+ Beautiful full-pink design

+ Good build quality

+ Decent space, value & cooling for most builds

REASONS TO AVOID
– Included LED fans are static (not customizable)
 
– Commonly low on stock/avaialbility
 

Our Rating: 9/10

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As good as the Apevia Crusader-F-PK, this next pink ATX case strikes a close competition.

The MAGE-P is a beautiful tower and strikes a wonderful balance between aesthetic, build quality, functionality, and price.

The chassis looks slick. With a tasteful SPCC steel build that feels as good as it looks. The casing feels built to last. We also love the tempered glass window that runs down the full length of the side (many cases in this price range cut the window down to where the PSU shroud starts, so they’re not truly “full-length”).

Easily our favorite aspect of the aesthetic is its largely pink design including the inside. This may sound obvious in a list full of pink CPU cases, but you’ll notice as we go through the best picks that many offerings in this color are still largely black/dark on the inside.

It is, of course, up to you to decide which you prefer. We think most creating a pink gaming PC setup will prefer the look with a case fully coated inside and out.

Also included are a nice PSU shroud and hidden compartments for your HDDs and SSDs, all of which have enough spare room for decent cable management. We really appreciate a case designed to cover these “uglier” components with ample room, as it means you can achieve a very neat, clean aesthetic to show off your flashy parts and achieve better airflow.

Golden Field MAGE-P

Source: Emmatron

Speaking of airflow; the MAGE-P’s front has a tasteful pink mesh design that increases ventilation and also gives visibility to the 3 pre-installed LED fans. We love this inclusion for the price. It really adds a great amount of value to the case.

As good as the onboard ventilation/cooling is, you could take it further by installing up to 8 x 120mm fans (with ample room for water cooling around the case too). These are really decent allowances for this form factor, giving you a lot of capability for overclocking too.

With a 320mm GPU length clearance, this is a great choice for a pink gaming pc case. Or if you’re more interested in storage, the MAGE-P has an impressive allowance for 4 x 2.5″ & 2 x 3.5″/2.5″ drive bays (all hidden in the back of the case).

Apevia Crusader vs Golden Field MAGE-P

So with all that gushing aside, why do we rank the Apevia Crusader above this?

Well, as good as the MAGE-P is, it’s notably more expensive than our top pick. The F-PK doesn’t only come with an additional fan, but the fans are also RGB (i.e. changeable color) instead of static LED fans. So we think the F-PK is a slightly better value offering.

Additionally, while the Golden Field case is of high quality, the brand is a little less of a staple in the PC case space than Apevia (which has a long history of great options). We don’t think this is a major factor, but a slight win in the Crusader’s favor.

But don’t let that put you off if you prefer this pick, we’ve ranked it so high for a reason. The MAGE-P earns big points for its all-pink interior.

With its beautiful aesthetic, build quality, cooling setup, and included fans all packaged under a fair price, the MAGE-P is easily one of the best pink computer cases available today.

2023 update: If you like the look of the MAGE-P, Lian Li has also released a fantastic case with a similar aesthetic; a pink edition of their LANCOOL 205 series (it’s no secret that I love this case and basically everything Lian Li makes!).

I considered outright replacing the MAGE-P with this pick, however, it’s common for special pink color editions of existing cases to not last very long, so pick it up if you can!

Apevia ENZO-PK

Apevia ENZO-PK

Best Cheap Pink PC Case

SPECIFICATIONS

Form Factor: Mid Tower | Motherboard Support: ATX, Micro-ATX, mini-ITX | CPU Clearance: 160mm | GPU Length Clearance: 360mm | Dimensions: 405 x 201 x 455mm | Weight: 6.2kg | Radiator Support: N/A | Fan Mounts: 6

REASONS TO BUY

+ Incredible value option

+ Layout/cooling good enough for budget builds

REASONS TO AVOID
– Nice aesthetic, but slightly cheap materials
 
– Other picks recommended for enthusiast builds due to better thermals/space
 

Our Rating: 8.5/10

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At an impressively low price point and the cheapest pink case on the list, the ENZO-PK still boasts a good quality metal build, a tempered glass window, and gorgeous coloring on the outside chassis (some of the internals are also pink, which we really appreciate).

With an aesthetically pleasing shroud to hide your cables, PSU and up to 3 x 3.5″ & 2 x 2.5″ drives, the layout is good at maintaining a clean-looking setup.

From an airflow perspective, the front of the case is completely covered. While not quite as cool compared to our top 2 picks, the PK still does a decent job with lots of ventilation on the top, rear, and bottom.We expect they went with the covered front for design reasons. So if you prefer that kind of look, know we still deem it suitable for running a pink gaming/budget enthusiast build.

Apevia ENZO-PK

Source: joes2fst4u

The room inside is decent for ATX with video cards up to 350mm, CPU coolers up to 160mm & room for up to 6 x 120mm fans. 1 fan is included, which we appreciate at the price-point.

One important note: This pick does offer good value, but sometimes it’s not always about having the cheapest price tag. The MAGE-P includes an extra 3 fans for only around 10-15% extra cost (all of which are LED too). If you’re trying to create a budget pink PC build, then the ENZO-PK is great. But from a value perspective? We would push you towards the F-PK or the MAGE-P, as these models offer so much more cooling for very little extra cost.

With all that said, if you like the aesthetic of the ENZO-PK, aren’t looking for flashy LED fans, then this is a great budget pick.

InWin A1 Plus

InWin A1 Plus

Best High-End Pink Case

SPECIFICATIONS

Form Factor: SFF | Motherboard Support: mini-ITX | CPU Clearance: 160mm | GPU Length Clearance: 320mm | Dimensions: 273 x 224 x 357mm | Weight: 7.1kg | Radiator Support: 120mm | Fan Mounts: 4

REASONS TO BUY

+ Gorgeous design and build quality

+ Great layout for enthusiast ITX builds

+ Impressive cooling for a case of its size

REASONS TO AVOID
– Included PSU could be better
 
– Expensive for ITX
 

Our Rating: 9/10

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For those of you who have more of a budget and are looking to build a tiny tower, the A1 is a fantastic option and is a staple choice for many gamer girl PC cases.

This is an mITX form factor, so you’ll need to come into the build with the right parts. That being said, it offers an impressive amount of room for its size. With 2 x 2.5″ drives, 2 expansion slots and still somehow managing to have space for a GPU up to 320mm.

This case gets top marks for design and build; with high-quality SECC steel, tempered glass window, and a gorgeous pink finish. The A1 already looks great before you power it on.

But once you complete your build, you’re treated to the included 2 addressable RGB fans and light glowing in the transparent stand the case sites on. It’s simply stunning and we rate this the best build quality of all of the pink PC cases we’ve reviewed.

InWin A1 Plus

Source: GirlyGamer11

The cooling is also great for the size. On top of the included fans (both 120mm), the case boasts decent ventilation & airflow. When building an mITX PC, you can never expect the same cooling as a mid-tower, but the case represents an excellent balance and will still do very well for a small gaming PC. 

The front I/O panel has the standard ports: 2x USB3.0 and 2 x audio (you would be hard-pressed to find better for ITX). A nice unique feature is the top wireless QI charger for your phone. With its small form factor and this utility on your desk, we love how it can almost appear like a cute charging hub, despite also being the host of a powerful build!

Although this is the most expensive case on the list, it actually matches up in value pretty decently to the cheaper top picks. Coming pre-installed with a 650w gold-rated power supply (handy to have included for such a small form factor, where compatible PSUs can be more pricey).

It’s worth noting this PSU isn’t top quality. If you’re building an average ITX gaming PC you’re going to be fine, but if you want to cram as much power into this thing as possible, you may want to consider the Corsair SF series and use the pre-installed PSU as a backup.

Between the high-quality design/color, lights, and component space, the InWin A1 is ideal for someone dedicated to a small, stylish build while maintaining a good feature set for quality gaming, streaming, and other demanding setups.

Apevia PRODIGY-PK

Apevia PRODIGY-PK

Best Pink Micro ATX Case

SPECIFICATIONS

Form Factor: SFF | Motherboard Support: ATX, Micro-ATX, mini-ITX | CPU Clearance: 158mm | GPU Length Clearance: 350mm | Dimensions: 410 x 202 x 395mm | Weight: 5.9kg | Radiator Support: 240mm | Fan Mounts: 5

REASONS TO BUY

+ Great value for what’s included

+ Good airflow

+ Layout that will serve most mATX builds nicely

REASONS TO AVOID
– Included fans are quite basic
 
– Some cheap elements (expected at this price) 
 

Our Rating: 9/10

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Our next pick is for those after a pink mini-tower, the mATX form factor is usually best for balancing compact dimensions while still retaining the freedom to install wide arrays of parts.

Offering a level of value only rivaled by our top picks the PK boasts a beautiful design. With a full pink steel exterior and fantastic mesh coverage on both the front and top of the case. We appreciate that Apevia acknowledges that in smaller case form factors, ventilation is often an issue (with the reduced room for airflow), so this case offering the most points for air to enter/leave is a good decision.

You’re also getting 3 x RGB fans pre-installed (with a handy controller button on the front I/O panel). Combined with the ventilation, the PK is the best pink mATX choice we’ve come across for cooling, suitable for gaming and other popular demanding build types.

Apevia PRODIGY-PK

Source: APEVIA

The internal specs are great for the size. The case manages to boast a 350mm GPU clearance & room for 6 x 120mm fans (not to mention radiator options for water cooling). These specs may not sound crazy, but they’re great for this form factor.

On top of that, we appreciate the chassis still having a decent shroud for your PSU, cables, and up to 2 x 3.5″ & 2 x 2.5″ drive bays (you won’t have quite the same room for cable management as the ATX choices, but there’s still ample space to get things right if you are a little more through).

We’ll restate that we’re really pleasantly surprised with all the value on offer here. This would make a great girl gamer PC case with its nice compact style and capability for gaming.

Apevia has done it again with the Prodigy-PK. If you’re in the market for this form factor, we think you’ll really enjoy building in this chassis.

SilverStone SG13P

SilverStone SG13P

Best Budget Pink Mini-ITX Case

SPECIFICATIONS

Form Factor: SFF | Motherboard Support: mini-ITX | CPU Clearance: 61mm | GPU Length Clearance: 270mm | Dimensions: 222 x 181 x 285mm | Weight: 2.5kg | Radiator Support: 140mm | Fan Mounts: 1

REASONS TO BUY

+ Fantastic value

+ Full-pink coloring

+ Perfect for portability

REASONS TO AVOID
– Slightly limited cooling(fine for budget builds)
 
– Some planning is required with its unique layout
 

Our Rating: 8.5/10

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Our next pick is for those looking for an extra small tower that isn’t quite in the InWin A1 price range.

Silverstone is a great manufacturer, and it shows in this offering. While largely plastic, the case has a faux aluminum design and feels metallic (not “cheap-feeling” in the slightest, impressive for the price).

SilverStone SG13P

Source: frognep

InWin Plus A1 vs SilverStone SG13P

Price is the obvious difference here, with the SG13P coming in much cheaper. A lot of the A1’s additional price tag is about the included PSU. If however you weren’t settled on the PSU in the A1 and wanted something more powerful, buying the SG13P standalone could be a good option.

The design is super simplistic when compared to the A1. Depending on your personal preference, this might be what you’re looking for.

Even smaller than the A1, it lacks the space/airflow of the high-end mITX choice (with 1 x 140mm / radiator option available) and can only support cards of up to 270mm long. This GPU length is a little disappointing as you’ll have to be very careful with the hardware you’re choosing to include.

But if you are not trying to build a super-powerful expensive PC and desire that level of compactness, you can still accomplish your goals with this case.

The front I/O panel is the standard 2 x USB 3.0 / audio ports, nicely presented underneath the front mesh design.

As far as cheap pink pc cases go for a mini ITX build, this is your only option! Thankfully, it’s a great, well-balanced piece of kit, and providing you’re checking your dimensions and not trying to build some ultra-powerful PC, we think you’ll have a great time with the SG13P.

darkFlash DLM22

darkFlash DLM22

Best Budget Pink PC Case Alternative

SPECIFICATIONS

Form Factor: SFF | Motherboard Support: Micro-ATX, mini-ITX | CPU Clearance: 160mm | GPU Length Clearance: 350mm | Dimensions: 360 x 203 x 411mm | Weight: 4.9kg | Radiator Support: 240mm | Fan Mounts: 5

REASONS TO BUY

+ Great value

+ Good layout and airflow for budget builds

+ Full pink, the metal look is sleek for price

REASONS TO AVOID
– Often runs low on stock
 
– Some users report damage on arrival
 

Our Rating: 9/10

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The DLM22 is a fantastic option for a pink setup (and not the first time it has appeared on What in Tech for its quality). The amount of value you’re getting in a case this cheap is very impressive.

Let’s start with the design. Gorgeously simplistic with a good build quality, we really liked how this case looks in person.

With a shroud covering the PSU/HDDs and space in the back for decent cable management, you’ll have the option to keep your inner components simple to match the exterior. If preferred, you can be flashy and show off bright components through the high-quality tempered glass window (which also has a great, screwless/door-open design, very handy for easy PC access).

darkFlash DLM22

Source: Rosalie

One important note: The DLM22 is an mATX chassis. This means it’s a tad smaller than many of the featured ATX choices. You have more than enough great options for parts to fit in an mATX case (still fitting most GPUs), but just make sure to check the dimensions of your parts.

Speaking of size; the DLM22 also boasts great options for cooling. With space for 2 x 120mm front, 2 x 140mm top, and 1 x 120mm rear fans, you’re going to have more than enough cooling for a compact build.

Water cooling is also an option, with radiator space at the top (240mm) and rear (120mm). This isn’t a super high availability for liquid cooling, but could easily combine with 2 front fans for a great solution.

The front I/O panel is pretty standard, with 1 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, and HD audio ports (looking very well-integrated with the overall case design).

Something to point out is a minority of customers, unfortunately, seem to receive defective cases. This is all too common with high-value towers under $100 (even from much larger manufacturers). It’s worth bearing in mind that a majority of people didn’t run into such problems. In the worst-case scenario, your warranty will cover the replacement.

Boasting great value, style, and space; if this fits your aesthetic and size requirements, we think you’ll love the DLM22.

2023 update: We’ve been seeing the DLM22 pink edition go in and out of stock regularly over 2023. It typically takes a few weeks to reappear in the pink edition, so we’d suggest going with one of the other excellent alternatives on the list if it’s not available.

Alternative Picks – Best of the Rest

While the above picks are what we consider the top pink computer cases for gaming, streaming or even business/personal use, there are a few more decent options that are worth considering if your requirements are more specific:

Apevia Aura-F-PK

Tempered Glass Pink PC Case Alternative: Apevia Aura-F-PK

With 2 tempered glass sides, the Aura F-PK is gorgeous. The airflow in this machine is slightly inferior to our top picks, but it’s still serviceable with its 4 included RGB fans.

Our Rating: 8.5/10

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Apevia Genesis PRO

Pink PC Case with Most Fans Included: Apevia Genesis PRO

The Genesis PRO boasts a fantastic 6 RGB fans pre-installed. This case offers great value and an awesome aesthetic (its airflow will be a tad less efficient with its tempered glass front, but we doubt you’ll be lacking for cooling, even in a gaming build). 

If you like this design but don’t need to go as far as 6 fans, the non-pro version of the case, the Apevia Genesis-PK, is also worth considering.

Our Rating: 8.5/10

View on Amazon

Apevia Matrix-PK

Pink RGB PC Case Alternative: Apevia Matrix-PK

Last but not least is an option if someone want RGB lighting built into the design of the case (not just RGB fans).

The Matrix-PK pulls this off beautifully and offers lots of the great features/airflow we’ve seen from the other Apevia PC cases.

Our Rating: 8.5/10

View on Amazon

Other Options?

While we think the top 10 picks above are excellent options for your build, we wanted to share a couple of other ideas if you wanted to get creative:

DIY – Spray painting a PC

Many custom builders have had success with customizing a PC this way.

There are a lot of great existing resources out there on this topic. But here are the high-level steps on how to spray paint a PC:

  1. Purchase a white case as a base.
  2. (Optional) – Sand down the layers to give a better chance at a “sticking” finish.
  3. Apply tape/some other make-shift cover method to areas of the case you do not want to be painted (if any).
  4. Begin spraying the case with very thin layers of paint (outside on surfaces you are OK with getting paint on like cardboard).
  5. Leave each coat to dry for 15-120 mins (depending on the product, most will give direction).
  6. Repeat the process until there is a consistent color across the full case – and voila!

Pink fans against a light PC case

A great substitute for a pink case would be combining RGB fans (our favorite type here) with a white or transparent PC case that would work well to reflect the pink light and create a very unique aesthetic. In case you didn’t know, you can use software to edit the color settings of these fans and achieve consistent pinks instead of the crazy rainbow colors you see in the example pictures!

Best Purple PC Case?

A quick word for those after a purple computer case as we see this question asked with no real answer. Unfortunately, there isn’t really a great choice for you on the market today. Your best bet is to go for either one of the deep pink PC cases on this list, or look at our DIY option directly above (e.g. combined a clear PC case with purple fans).

What's Next?

About the author

Picture of Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross, BSc is the Lead Writer at What in Tech and a leading authority in PC hardware and software. With a career as a senior IT professional, Kaelum has led multi-million dollar projects covering everything from bespoke software development to complex Windows hardware upgrades. Today, Kaelum uses his expertise to serve What in Tech's readers and has been featured in numerous global publications including New York Magazine and Lifewire.

* Specifications throughout our articles are double-checked and intended to inform our users, but should not be treated as factual information. When making final decisions on your products, please check the manufacturer pages to confirm the fine details.

The 5 Best Red PC Cases of 2023

Red PC Case Cover

The 5 Best Red PC Cases of 2023

I have updated this feature in June after reviewing the latest cases on the market in 2023. My top picks remain the same this time. The only new red PC case on the market I’d recommend is the HYTE Y60, which is a great premium option but a little too expensive compared to my preferred picks below.

Want to stand out from all the other fully white/black PC cases on the market?

Well, if pink is a bit too far for your tastes, then there are some great looking red computer cases available.

There are certainly fewer options than the more common colors.

But that’s why we’ve put this feature together to guide you through the best.

Whether you’re building a gaming PC or something for streaming/production, these are the best red computer cases on the market today.

 Table of Contents – Top Picks
 

Overall Best PC Case: Corsair Carbide SPEC-OMEGA

This is one beautiful tower.

There are plenty of striking Corsair towers on the market but this is one of their best (and that’s saying something, coming from one of the best chassis brands around).

Included in one of our larger PC Case features, we love the SPEC-OMEGA’s asymmetrical red and black case design, the whole exterior build is created with nice, thick high-quality steel.

What’s more, the red coloring has a beautiful matte finish (giving it a much classier look than a common glossy design).

See the front side of the case where the red and black of the case meet?

Down the full length of that front is a red LED light strip that looks beautiful when illuminating the rest of your build.

You won’t see this in the product photo, but take a look at a user’s build setup in the dark and you’ll see what we mean.

It’s a great tempered glass PC case too, with two high quality, thick windows (one on the side and one on half of the front).

Between the unique look and great glass displays, this would be a great case to show off your internal parts (such as someone looking at an RGB build).

But it’s not just pretty!

The reason it’s taken our top spot is that it combines this great aesthetic with awesome space/features.

It’s an ATX mid-tower, including:

  •  7 Expansion slots
  • VGA lengths up to 370mm (more than most will need)
  • 3 x 3.5″ & 2 x 2.5″ drive bays

Tying this availability with a good motherboard, you’re going to have plenty of space for a powerful gaming computer build (including multi-GPU).

Now, what about cooling all of this?

Well, you’ll have space for:

  • Up to 6 120mm fans – with 2 good performance CORSAIR SP120L fans pre-installed
  • Up to 1 x 360mm, 1 x 240mm & 1 x 120mm radiators

Pair that with a good internal design for airflow and case management, and you have a fantastic PC case for water cooling, air cooling, or both.

(Like the look of this case but want something a tad cheaper/different? The Corsair Carbide SPEC-04 is a good second option in the series).

The SPEC-OMEGA is a fantastic balance between offering a good looking tower with the features you need for a good build.

Simply put, when bearing in mind the fantastic value-point it offers, this is the best red PC case on the market today.

Check Price

Runner-Up Best PC Case: NZXT H710

Coming in not too far behind is a fantastic offering from one of the biggest case brands in the game.

The NZXT H series is hugely popular due to its slick, “monolithic” style.

The H710 is one of the mid-range versions in the series with a fantastic red and black case design.

With a beautiful SGCC steel exterior and tempered glass window, the build quality also looks (and feels) excellent.

But where the case really excels is in the internal features.

Boasting excellent space for:

  • 7 expansion slots
  • 5 x 2.5″, 2 x 3.5″ & 2 x 2.5/3.5″ drive bays
  • GPU size up to 412mm

The storage space is particularly great.

While this is more than most gaming builds will need, this is an excellent option for a video editing case, or someone building a production PC with high storage needs.

While also officially an ATX case, it boasts support for EATX motherboards (though we expect these to be a tight fit and you’d be better looking for a full tower case if you want such a build).

It goes without saying that even with an ATX mobo, you’ll have the space you need for a powerful multi-GPU rig.

And excellent cooling too, with:

  • Up to 7 x 120mm fans – with 3 x 3 Aer F120 & 1 x 3 Aer F140 fans pre-installed
  • Up to 4 x 140mm & 1 x 120mm radiators

This case also has a great internal airflow design and good cable management capabilities to accentuate your air/water solution.

A small but nice touch to note is the front I/O panel also includes a USB 3.2 Type C port.

As you’ll see, in a lot of ways this case seems a tad more impressive when comparing the H710 vs SPEC-OMEGA.

While this chassis may have slightly better specs, we gave the Corsair offering the top spot as the design is particularly excellent for a red tower.

Additionally, while the H710 does have 2 more fans, the Corsair is still cheaper and its features are more than enough for a great multi-GPU gaming build.

That being said, this was a close race.

If you like the design of the H710, or want the extra room it has, then don’t hesitate in picking it up, it’s excellent.

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Best Budget Red PC Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400S

If you’re looking for a cheap red PC case, you’ve got an amazing option here.

The P400 is one we’ve raved about previously on What in Tech. Even including it in our best overall PC case feature.

If you’re on a limited budget, it packs an impressive punch for the price point.

With a largely steel exterior, this specific option is a special edition red and black computer case.

It’s more subtle than most of the other choices, with a great looking red LED light shining at the bottom of the front and some sharp red internal casing behind the tempered glass window.

This specific version, the P400S,  is designed to be a quiet PC case.

Including some high-quality noise dampening panels (great for the price, but if you were looking for a completely silent PC case, there are better options).

On top of this impressive build quality, you’re still getting the great space that you’d expect from an ATX computer case:

  • 7 Expansion slots
  • GPUs up to 395mm
  • Up to 6 x 2.5/3.5″ (2 included) & 2 x 2.5″ (2 included) drive bays

Like the H710, although this is a mid-tower case, it boasts EATX motherboard support (but again, we’d recommend an EATX case if you want this type of build).

You’ll have great cooling options for a gaming PC too, with:

  • Up to 6 x 120mm fans – with 2 x 120mm fans pre-installed
  • Up to 1 x 360mm front & 120mm rear radiators (a tad underwhelming for water cooling, but could be combined with 2 x 120mm top fans)

The cable management space isn’t quite the same as our top picks but still good enough to achieve a clean build with decent airflow.

(If your budget is even tighter, the cheapest red PC case we’d recommend is the Cooler Master MasterBox MB600L, but we’d strongly suggest stretching a bit further to the P400S if you can).

While this is our budget choice, it’s impressive how well it competes with our two top picks.

Rest assured if you’re looking for a cheap gaming PC case (in any color), this is one of the best around.

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Best Red Mini ITX Case: NZXT H210i

The smaller brother of our runner-up pick.

If you’re looking for a red ITX case, whether for portability or style, there aren’t many good options.

But this one is awesome.

Boasting a similar black and red design and build quality to the H710, you’re still getting the excellent SGCC steel/tempered glass exterior.

Also boasting some of the best features we’ve seen in an mITX case, it has:

  • 2 expansion slots (standard for an ITX tower)
  • 3 x 2.5″ (+1 optional) & 1 x 3.5″ drive bays
  • VGA cards up to 325mm

While the storage/VGA length may not sound like much, they’re both fantastic for the form factor, making this an excellent Mini ITX gaming case (or even one for streaming/mid-range production).

Cooling wise you’ll be getting:

  • Up to 4 x 120mm fans with 2 x 1 AER F120 fans included
  • Up to 3 x 120mm radiators

This may not seem like much, but again, the capability is great for the size.

Bear in mind as well with an mITX build, you’ll only need to cool 1 graphics card.

The H210i has more than enough for that, one of the best Mini ITX cases for overclocking.

On top of all that, we’re impressed it still retains the USB 3.2 Type C port on its front I/O panel that the ATX model has.

We don’t know how NZXT managed to fit so much capability into such a small unit but rest assured, this is one of the best mini ITX cases available (and easily the best red one).

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Best High-End Red PC Case: Antec Torque

Just take a look at the picture, need we say more?

While it might not be to everyone’s tastes/budget, the Torque is one of the best looking PC cases on the market.

Boasting a wonderful red and black aluminum exterior and tempered glass windows on both sides, this chassis feels as high-quality as it looks.

Each aluminum panel is uniquely curved/styled in this clear PC case design that allows you not only gives an amazing looking exterior but lots of room to show off your hardware.

Speaking of hardware, you’ll have:

As you can see there is excellent room here for some intensive multi-GPU space making it a great case for SLI/Crossfire.

The storage capability is on the lower side as Antec has focussed on maintaining space for GPUs (and also minimizing “less attractive” parts).

But even for a powerful gaming build, a large capacity SSD, HDD and NVMe M.2 storage on the motherboard are all you’ll need.

One of our favorite things, however, is the cooling capability of the Torque:

  • Up to 6 x 120mm fans
  • Up to 2 x 360mm radiators

While this may seem pretty standard for an ATX mid-tower, bear in mind this is a completely open-air PC case.

Most open-air PC cases have way less cooling than this.

If you combine the fantastic airflow with those fan/radiator options? You’re going to have an amazing PC case for water cooling and/or fan cooling.

We love that while the Torque’s focus is clearly on aesthetics, it isn’t compromising on cooling and GPU space.

If you have the budget and want to stand out from the crowd, this is one of the best PC cases available for gaming at a high-spec/overclocking.

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PC Case Size Comparison

More Red PC Case Options?

While there are other red towers, they aren’t ones we’d recommend.

We’ve focussed specifically here on PC cases that have red components to their design (many cases claim to be “red” when all they’re just black cases that have red LED fans).

We think all the options above would be excellent for a gaming PC case, and some of them also very suitable for purposes like streaming, production, and video editing rigs.

But if you wanted an alternate idea, you could create a cool “red” computer by:

  1. Purchasing a clear PC case as a base
  2. Install fans in the case that illuminate your transparent PC case in red
  3. If you want to take it a step further, you can also go for further red light hardware – most notably an RGB motherboard which gives more ports for RGB lights.

Best Red Micro ATX Case?

You may have noticed the absence of a red mini-tower pick.

This is simply because while they do exist, there isn’t a single one we’d recommend for a decent gaming/streaming/production computer.

If you want a red mATX PC, we’d recommend either:

  1. Picking up our top choice, the CORSAIR Carbide SPEC-Omega, which happens to also be the smallest red ATX case on the list, and installing an mATX motherboard in it.
  2. Check out the option just above and get a Micro ATX clear PC case with red LED fans to give it the color you want.

What's Next?

About the author

Picture of Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross, BSc is the Lead Writer at What in Tech and a leading authority in PC hardware and software. With a career as a senior IT professional, Kaelum has led multi-million dollar projects covering everything from bespoke software development to complex Windows hardware upgrades. Today, Kaelum uses his expertise to serve What in Tech's readers and has been featured in numerous global publications including New York Magazine and Lifewire.

The 5 Best PC Cases for First-Time Builders in 2023

Best PC Case for First-Time Builders

The 5 Best PC Cases for First-Time Builders in 2023

The ideal picks for easy setups without compromising on quality

Best PC Case for First-Time Builders

We updated this article in June to cover new 2023 releases. Our runner-up pick has been updated to a fantastic new offering. Other picks (including our top choice) remain the same.

We know that for those new to PC building, picking every part can be overwhelming, especially the basis of what you intend to build everything in!

Don’t worry, I’ve had many experiences in helping new builders get started (and have reviewed 100s of options). Today’s feature is here to guide you through the best PC cases for beginners that I’ve found.

1

Fractal Design Define R5

Best PC Case for First-Time Builders

Fractal Design Define R5

Our Rating: 9.75/10

Check Price

Read Review

2

Phanteks Eclipse P400A

Runner-Up Pick

Phanteks Eclipse P400A

Our Rating: 9.5/10

Check Price

Read Review

3

Lian Li LANCOOL 205

Best Budget Case for First-Time Builders

Lian Li LANCOOL 205

Our Rating: 9.25/10

Check Price

Read Review

4

Cooler Master N200

Cheapest PC Case for First-Time Builders

Cooler Master N200

Our Rating: 9.5/10

Check Price

Read Review

5

Fractal Fractal Design Meshify C

Cheaper Define R5 Alternative

Fractal Design Meshify C

Our Rating: 9/10

Check Price

Read Review

Fractal Design Define R5

Best PC Case for First-Time Builders: Fractal Design Define R5

This isn’t just the best PC case for beginners, but one of the top choices available today in any category.

If you’re not familiar with Fractal Design, they are one of the best PC case manufacturers in the business and a perfect starting point on your journey.

With the R5, you’re getting thick, solid steel on most of the exterior (and a metal-finished plastic front, designed to be lighter for airflow but still looks as excellent as the rest of the outside). The whole case has a beautiful, minimalist design and feels as good as it looks. When considering the best computer case for first-time builders, I like that the R5 has a windowless design for 2 reasons:

  1. The sound-dampening material used on all sides (including the windowless panel) makes this one of the quietest options on the market (something that Fractal is known for). This is great for new builders who don’t have to worry about the fine intricacies of getting a quiet build (reducing vibrations from certain parts, etc.)
  2. It’s always good to be a little clean with your internal setup for airflow. But with a windowless design, a new builder doesn’t have to be obsessed with extremely neat cable management (but if that’s something you do want, don’t worry, the R5 has plenty of capability).

This is a mid-tower/ATX case, which is the best form factor for a beginner to build in. They have plenty of space, ATX motherboards are easy to find and you’re very unlikely to run into any size compatibility. With room inside for:

  • 7 x expansion slots
  • Graphics cards up to 310mm (this will be enough room for a majority of cards, but you can remove one of the HDD cages to increase this to 440mm, which is very easy to do).
  • 8 x 3.5″ / 2.5″, 2 x 2.5″ & 2 x 5.25″ drive bays
  • Up to 9 140mm fans with 2 high-quality Fractal Design Dynamic GP-14 fans pre-installed

All these specs check out for a beginner. You have the perfect gaming PC case for a first-time builder with great graphics card room and fantastic airflow/included fans. The fact that you can upgrade your cooling to include an additional 7 140mm fans is fantastic if you ever want to pursue overclocking, but for a beginner, there is more than enough to get your base build cooled.

The storage capability of this case is also fantastic. We expect most first-time builders will be looking at 1 SSD & potentially 1 HDD, but there’s an option to add so much more at a later date if you want your build to also operate as a server PC case or something else with high storage requirements (video editing, production work, etc.)

With great internal cable management, a really intuitive layout, and easily removable doors on both sides, there’s so much to appreciate here for every type of builder.

We love that you don’t have to compromise and get a PC case “for dummies”. The R5 has everything a great gaming/work build needs, but just also happens to be the best PC case for beginners too!

2022 mid-year update: The Define R5 remains our top pick for 2.5 years running. Nothing else has entered the market that competes with the all-around balance between price, features, quality, and ease-of-use that the R5 offers.

Our Rating: 10/10

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Phanteks Eclipse P400A

Runner-Up Best ATX Case for First-Time Builders: Phanteks Eclipse P400A

Another case that we have featured countless times and consider to be the best chassis that Phanteks has ever produced.

The P400A is a really fantastic balance between build quality, design, cooling performance, space, and price.

Although our favorite pick is the R5, if you are more drawn toward a chassis with a window, then this will be the better choice for you.

The P400A has a thick steel exterior and full-length tempered glass that are deceptively high quality and aesthetically pleasing for the case’s price-range (topped off by that slim, understated LED lighting you see at the bottom of the front). It really is a great looking chassis built to last.

Another ATX case, there’s space for

  • 7 x expansion slots
  • Graphics card lengths up to 420mm (will be enough for close to every GPU on the market)
  • Space for 2 x 2.5″ & 2 x 3.5″ drives (more than enough for beginner builds)
  • Air cooling: 6 x 120mm fans with 2 high-quality 120mm fans included

As you can see, like the R5, this case has all the room and cooling to get you off to a great start. There’s a little less in the way of fan slots on the P400A. But really, this won’t matter for a majority of builds (certainly not for beginners), you can get very far with the cooling in the case, and it has a superb internal ventilation design (you really will be fine with the included fans alone if you’re not overclocking and keep the internals fairly neat).

Similarly to the R5, there is a great inner layout that aids cable management and ease of installation. You of course have to be a little more careful removing a tempered glass window, but this is something even a first-timer builder will be fine with.

If your idea of the best beginner computer case includes a window to show off your cool hardware, then the P400A, with its fantastic value and quality, is for you.

2023 update: The P400A updates our previous runner-up pick, the P400. The new case is all upgrade and no downgrade. Most notably, the mesh front panel gives the case a superb airflow imporvement while still keeping a sleek aesthetic.

Our Rating: 9.5/10

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Lian Li LANCOOL 205

Best Budget PC Case for First-Time Builders: Lian Li LANCOOL 205

As great as the Fractal and Phanteks offerings are, we appreciate some of you will be looking for an extra cheap PC case suitable for beginners.

The best chassis that hits the mark is the LANCOOL 205 from Lian Li, another one of the top PC case brands in the business. I’ve kept this list focused on high-quality producers, as think the last thing a new builder wants is to be worrying about subpar manufacturing quality.

This is another case with a deceptively high-quality build for its price. Boasting a fully SPCC steel /tempered glass exterior (a little thinner than our top picks, but still great for the budget). Like the other choices, the LANCOOL 205 also has a decent internal layout that provides even a budget gaming PC build with good airflow and ventilation.

This chassis is an ATX case, with room inside for:

  • 7 x expansion slots
  • 350mm GPU clearance length (enough for nearly all mainstream cards)
  • 4 x 2.5″ & 2 x 2.5″ / 3.5″ drive bays
  • Up to 5 x 120mm fans with 2 included

We love that the LANCOOL 205 still comes with 2 fans pre-installed at its low price, which will be enough to get a beginner gaming PC case up and running. The rest of the specs also match nicely with what a budget build will be looking for, with plenty of hardware space. You won’t have quite the same noise cancellation and airflow as the top choices, but this case still does a fantastic job for the price.

Simply put, if your wallet can only stretch as far as the LANCOOL 205, know you’re still getting an excellent product, and what we consider the best cheap PC case for first-time builders.

Our Rating: 9/10

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Quick-Fire Picks (Best of the Rest)

While the top 3 picks are our top choices for the best PC case for beginner builders, we’ve added a couple of extra choices for those with more specific requirements may want to consider.

Cooler Master N200

Cheapest PC Case for First-Time Builders: Cooler Master N200

While the LANCOOL 205 is the better PC case for beginners, we know some of you will be on very tight budgets. The N200 is an absolutely ridiculous value offering for first-time builders. with its Micro ATX form factor, it will be a little tighter to build in but still more than doable, read more about it here.

Our Rating: 9/10

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Fractal Fractal Design Meshify C

Cheaper Define R5 Alternative for First-Time Builders: Fractal Design Meshify C

If you like the style, quality, and quiet-focus of our Define R5 pick but want something a bit cheaper/with a window, the Meshify C is perfect.

It won’t give you the same level of silence as the R5, but it makes up for that with improved airflow; easily one of the best budget towers for beginners to consider. Read about it here.

Our Rating: 9/10

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What's Next?

About the author

Picture of Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross, BSc is the Lead Writer at What in Tech and a leading authority in PC hardware and software. With a career as a senior IT professional, Kaelum has led multi-million dollar projects covering everything from bespoke software development to complex Windows hardware upgrades. Today, Kaelum uses his expertise to serve What in Tech's readers and has been featured in numerous global publications including New York Magazine and Lifewire.

The 6 Best Gaming PCs on Amazon in 2023

Best gaming PC on Amazon

The 6 Best Gaming PCs on Amazon in 2023

Best gaming PC on Amazon

This article has been updated in June. We’ve reviewed the new options in 2023 and changed some of our top picks and included some new additional options where relevant.

Many of my readers have told me about just how overwhelming it can be to shop through 1000s of gaming PCs; how are you supposed to know what to buy without expert advice?

Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. I’ve reviewed the top offerings and built this guide to take you through the best pre-built gaming PCs on Amazon available today for different budgets and requirements.

1

Skytech Shiva RTX 3060 Ti

Overall Best Gaming PC on Amazon

Skytech Shiva RTX 3060 Ti

Our Rating: 9.75/10

Check Price

Read Review

2

Skytech Shadow RTX 3050

Best Pick Under $1,000

Skytech Shadow RTX 3050

Our Rating: 9.25/10

Check Price

Read Review

3

Velztorm Praetix CTO

Most Powerful Gaming PC

Velztorm Praetix CTO

Our Rating: 9.5/10

Check Price

Read Review

4

Skytech Archangel GTX 1050 Ti

Budget Pick

Skytech Archangel GTX 1050 Ti

Our Rating: 8.5/10

Check Price

Read Review

5

Alarco GTX 650

Cheapest Pick

Alarco GTX 650

Our Rating: 8/10

Check Price

Read Review

6

Skytech Shadow GTX 1660

Best Under $800

Skytech Shadow GTX 1660

Our Rating: 8.75/10

Check Price

Read Review

Skytech Shiva RTX 3060 Ti

Overall Best Gaming PC on Amazon: Skytech Shiva RTX 3060 Ti

When I get questions from our readers on this topic, they’re usually looking for the best choice under $1,500 as a mid-ranage pick.

This is slightly more than that, but I really think it’s worth pushing your budget a little further.

At a fantastic price point, you’re getting a well-rounded machine that is led by an RTX 3060 Ti, a fantastic GPU at this price point.

You can expect smooth 60+ FPS gameplay at 1440P in nearly every modern game; with fantastic future-proofing, VR ready, and some impressive capability for 4k gaming too.

Working alongside the card to achieve that gaming power is a fantastic Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz processor, 16GB 3200Mhz DDR4 Ram, and a 1TB SSD.

All of these specs make this a wonderful machine for not just gaming but some serious professional work if required (be it high-res video editing, rendering, production programming, and other intensive tasks).

All of this is housed in the fantastic InWin 103 case; a great chassis that offers good airflow and upgrade capabilities in the future if desired.

Tied in with the custom RGB lighting and fans, the unit will run well, look beautiful and most importantly, act perfectly as a gaming setup.

If you’re looking for a mid-range gaming PC that meets a sweet spot between price, performance, and build quality, this is the most ideal pick I’ve reviewed for the job.

2023 update: The 3060 Ti Shiva remains our top overall pick; although I reviewed several of the new 40XX PCs, these desktops are all coming in at $1,500+ and I see comments reflecting slightly lower budgets.

If you have a budget higher than this pick but lower than our most powerful choice below, a good in-between option is this MPG Velox version which manages to boast an RTX 4070 Ti for under $2,000 (this GPU usually performs better than an RTX 3090, so it’s a complete powerhouse).

If you can’t afford that, rest assured, I’ve kept the Shiva at the top for a reason; it offers great value for a mid-range build.

Our Rating: 9.75/10

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Skytech Shadow RTX 3050

Best Gaming PC on Amazon Under $1,000 (Top Pick): Skytech Shadow RTX 3050

As much as I’d love to tell everyone to stretch to the top offering, Skytech have an offering at a very decent budget price point.

This RTX 3050 Gaming PC packs a great punch with 8GB of dedicated GDDR6 VGA memory. This card is well known for its value, and many other picks around the $1,000 mark don’t compete with it.

You’ll get great performance in today’s popular titles (from Apex Legends to the latest Call of Duty), especially at 1080p and you can expect that to last for many future titles too.

Taking Cyberpunk 2077 as an example, in high settings the Shadow will manage a high frame rate on 1080p. You will even undoubtedly be able to get some decent rates on 1440p and even 4k if you play with some graphics settings.

The Core i5 10400F is a good CPU for gaming and general usage needs. It’s not one of the latest processors and I would have liked to see something a little better, but it’s clear the pre-built was intended to focus more of the budget on the RTX 3050. This is certainly a better tactic for a gaming PC than going overkill on the processor and offering a disappointing GPU (as is unfortunately common in a lot of pre-builds).

The 8GB RAM is enough to get the build up and running, but we would definitely recommend adding a second stick of 8GB RAM when your budget allows. It’s a quick, easy, and cheap upgrade that will not only give you a decent gaming boost but also make your workstation/browsing needs quick and more future-proofed.

Working alongside the CPU and RAM for a fast browsing experience is a 1TB SSD (with Windows 10 included). I was really pleased with this spec as it would’ve been super easy for Skytech to include a 512GB drive and still be considered decent amongst its similarly-priced competitors.

If for whatever reason you want more space in the future too, you’ll have room to add in another HDD or SSD.

The whole setup is stylishly housed in a decent chassis. You’ll have a good amount of USB ports within the case and alongside the 3 RGB fans and decent space for airflow, the setup looks great and has decent cooling.

The unit adds more value by including a free gaming keyboard and mouse. They’re perfectly serviceable for gaming use (but as you can expect with freebies, you may want to upgrade if you are into competitive gaming/esports).

Overall, I really like the package Skytech has put together here.

Yes, you can do better with a higher budget. But for $1,000? I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with just how great the Shadow is at this price point.

Our Rating: 9.25/10

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Velztorm Praetix CTO

Most Powerful Gaming PC on Amazon: Velztorm Praetix CTO

Now, for those looking for the most powerful setup you can possibly achieve, this is the best choice I’ve found.

There are some even more expensive options on Amazon, sure.

But I looked through these, and their spec choices add unnecessary extra bells and whistles for $100s (even $1000s) extra.

If your budget is large, then the Velztorm Praetix CTO is easily my choice for the best gaming PC on Amazon available today.

Leading its power is the monstrous RTX 4090 graphics card, the best on the market right now, which will simply crush anything you throw at it (and likely will for a very long time).

And what’s more, the benchmarking that has been achieved on 4K gaming with the RTX 4090 is very impressive. You can expect to still achieve great framerates in 2160p (even 8K gaming should you be so inclined!).

Alongside this top-range GPU is the fantastic Intel i9-13900KF 32G DDR5 RAM & a Gen4 1TB NVMe SSD.

These specs will handle anything you can expect to throw at them and will be excellent for high-scale production work on top of your gaming (I appreciate the 1000W power supply that is comfortably over the 850W minimum recommended by Nvidia for the 4090).

You’ll notice that the Amazon page includes a bunch of different options for RAM and Drive sizes. I’ve chosen the one that I’d consider the best choice for those after something extra powerful, without simply wasting money. More RAM than 32GB is overkill for gaming, and while you could get a large SSD/HDD combo, there is more than enough here for a decent gaming library (you can easily upgrade in the future if you need to).

You may notice that there are some cheaper 4090 setups floating around. Beware that many pre-built PCs use significantly outdated hardware elsewhere in the machine to justify the low cost of the GPU. Usually, this is the CPU, which is often several generations behind and will bottleneck your gaming performance. I like the CTO because the GPU still has had the most attention, but the 13900KF is a powerful CPU that accompanies it nicely.

Powering the CPU is a 360mm liquid cooler, which not only looks fantastic alongside included RGB fans but will give you great overclocking potential should you desire it in the future. I’ve not really come across many PCs (pre-built or custom) that boast this much thermal management.

The case itself is a gorgeous offering too, with a single long tempered glass window running down the full length of the front and left side. Photos don’t do it justice, this machine looks incredible.

You’re then of course getting the other extras you would expect plenty of USB ports, decent Wi-Fi capability and Windows 11.

What else is there to say about the CTO, other than to reiterate how powerful the RTX 4090 graphics card is that leads its system.

This is the best pre-built 4K gaming PC on Amazon today.

If you have the budget for this, you’re going to love it.

2023 update: This pick updates our previous 3090 desktop choice. It’s a great time to buy this setup as the 4090 is fresh on the market and unmatched in performance.

Our Rating: 9.5/10

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Skytech Archangel GTX 1050 Ti

Best Budget Gaming PC on Amazon: Skytech Archangel GTX 1050 Ti

As much as we’d recommend our above picks for a future-proofed setup, I wanted to include some more options that further consider tight-budget users.

The Archangel is a capable gaming desktop with its GTX 1050 Ti at the helm.

This 4GB VRAM graphics card is a little older than our top pick’s; but for the price range, still packs an impressive punch.

That includes running popular titles like Fortnite Chapter 2, Overwatch, and GTA V at excellent framerates on high settings @ 1080p.

With it, you’ll be able to play today’s major eSports & MMORPGs comfortably.

For newer titles, you’ll still have some capacity here in the lower settings/720p (occasionally 1080p), but of course, at this price-point, you won’t be as future-proofed as our top pick.

Working alongside its GPU is a Ryzen 3 1200, 1TB HDD, and 8GB DDR4 2400 Mhz RAM.

These specs are good to run alongside a decent gaming PC, and you’ll still be able to have a smooth workstation experience (web browsing, watching a high-quality video, etc).

In terms of advanced computing work (things like video editing, intensive programming, etc.) you may want to consider one of the more expensive picks if possible.

The unit looks striking with its sleek, blue LED fans and white case, with appropriate cooling for the setup.

We like that despite the lower price-point, Skytech still includes a gaming keyboard/mouse that will be serviceable for budget gamers.

But all in all, at its price point, the Archangel can still get an impressive amount done.

If this is as far as your wallet can take you, know that it’s the best cheap gaming PC on Amazon today.

2023 update: The Archangel is still a decent budget choice, but if you have just a little more to spend, I’d recommend picking up the Chronos 1650 edition. Many of the specs are similarly understated, but the GPU is an RTX 1650 which performs around 50% better, so is a huge upgrade if your budget can stretch.

Our Rating: 8.5/10

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Alarco GTX 650

Cheapest Gaming PC on Amazon: Alarco GTX 650

Now while I’ll be clear that the options above will serve you much better for gaming, I appreciate that some of you may be looking for the best beginner gaming PC, or simply the cheapest unit that still has some gaming capability.

And if that’s the case, the Alarco GTX 650 is the optimal choice.

You’ll have a setup designed for “light” gaming.

Don’t expect to run all of the newer titles, but with PC gaming where it is now, so many popular titles are older and well optimized.

With its Intel i5 3.10GHz CPU, 8GB RAM & GTX 650 GPU, you’ll have a good time running games like Fortnite, Minecraft, CS: GO, and other popular less-demanding titles (with some framerate/setting compromises).

Ideally, how we’d look at this choice is that it makes a great base setup; i.e. it will do for getting your feet on the ground for gaming (say, if it’s for a beginner/younger person), but ideally, you would be looking to upgrade the GPU at a later time when budget allows if you’re serious about performance.

For work/web-browsing/video watching, this unit will still perform well (just don’t expect to do any intensive tasks like video editing/rendering).

We appreciate also that the unit comes with a 1TB HDD; at this price, we’d almost expect Alarco to have included a 256GB or 512GB HDD.

That being said, if you upgrade anything other than the GPU, we’d make it a small SSD to run the operating system and your popular apps (in 2022, this makes a big difference for general use/loading)

We also like that despite it being the cheapest viable gaming PC, it still comes with a decent allotment of RGB fans and an aesthetically pleasing case that may not win any awards for cooing, but is more than capable for a budget build.

Perhaps our favorite thing about this gaming bundle is, despite how cheap it is, it isn’t skimping on any of the smaller inclusions.

You’re still getting Windows 10, a Wi-Fi-ready motherboard, and decent USB port availability (no keyboard & mouse included, but cheap bundles are available if needed).

Overall, while this isn’t the most future-proofed machine around, it’s the best gaming computer on Amazon available if you’re on a very tight budget (we wouldn’t recommend anything cheaper than this).

Our Rating: 8/10

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Skytech Shadow GTX 1660

Best Amazon Gaming PC Under $800: Skytech Shadow GTX 1660

We’re back to Skytech one last time, who seem to dominate many of the price brackets on Amazon with excellent specs compared to their other pre-built competitors.

The Shadow would be the ideal choice for someone who can’t quite afford our top pick but is still looking for something more powerful than our budget choices.

You can certainly get a lot done with the Shadow’s setup too.

With a decent GTX 1660 graphics card, you’ll run most of today’s titles at very high settings, full HD with 60+ frame rates (even for 1440p on certain titles).

Alongside this beefy GPU is a decent Ryzen 3 3100 & 16GB of DDR 4 3000Mhz RAM.

These will serve you nicely in general computer tasks and although it’s not a professional work PC for editing/rendering and other production, you’ll certainly be able to get some mileage from it if required.

The setup is included in a beautiful full-length tempered glass case with a decent allotment of RGB fans, you’ll have all the cooling and airflow needed for the spec.

You’re once again getting Windows, a great number of USB ports, a free gaming keyboard/mouse, and a wi-fi capable motherboard.

Overall, if you’re in the $800 dollar price range, this is a fantastic choice and meets a respectable balance between budget and performance.

Our Rating: 8.75/10

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What's Next?

About the author

Picture of Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross, BSc is the Lead Writer at What in Tech and a leading authority in PC hardware and software. With a career as a senior IT professional, Kaelum has led multi-million dollar projects covering everything from bespoke software development to complex Windows hardware upgrades. Today, Kaelum uses his expertise to serve What in Tech's readers and has been featured in numerous global publications including New York Magazine and Lifewire.

Bose Radio CD Player 2022 Buyers Guide – Best Picks, How to Choose & More

Bose Radio CD Players: 2022 Buyers Guide

Our best picks, budget options, alternatives and where to buy

If you’re serious about getting the best sound for your audio, there are few options that match a premium Bose speaker unit.

If your idea of the ideal speaker system includes something that can play your library of CDs and offer great radio functionality, then Bose has some excellent products in this market. Today’s feature is going to break down which Bose Radio CD player you should pick depending on your budget and needs.

Top Picks

Bose Wave Music System IV

Overall Best Bose Radio CD Player

SPECIFICATIONS*

Dimensions: 6.97 x 12.75 x 19.02″| Controls: Remote, on/off touch | Audio Compatibility: CD player, DAB/AM/FM radio tuner, Aux | Extras: Dual Alarm

REASONS TO BUY

+ Unbeatable stereo-unit sound

+ Simply all-in-one setup

+ Great aesthetic and build quality

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Expensive
 
 − No built-in Bluetooth
 
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What a wonderful audio offering this is.

Bose’s Wave Music System series is their mainline answer to creating an all-in-one solution that combines great compatibility, aesthetic, and durability with the renowned Bose sound quality.

The Music System IV is the latest iteration and the best one yet.

One of the most impressive aspects of the MSIV is the power it packs despite its deceptively small size. The lows, mids, and highs all come through consistently and clearly. Heavy bass can be reached without notable rattling or distortion.

Overall, we’re very impressed with the sound on offer here (even by Bose’s high standards). The setup is perfect for movies, CDs, and radio alike.

There’s not much to detail on the compatibility front; the Music System IV easily plays CDs and offers decent remote-controlled radio functionality and AUX input for TVs, headphones, and other home setups.

There’s a nice dual alarm system designed for 2 different sleep schedules (we’re pleased to see it, but we’re not awarding it extra points for such a basic add-on).

We’re a little disappointed to see that Bluetooth isn’t built-in to the device. If this is an important feature, you need to purchase an external add-on (see our next pick).

The price is premium, but you’re paying for the sound quality, longevity, and great connectivity on offer here.

We’ve reviewed more options below for completeness, but to put it simply; if you’re interested in the best Bose radio CD player (or by any brand, for that matter), then this is the choice.

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Bose Wave SoundTouch Music System IV

Best Premium Bose Radio CD Player

SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions: 8.7 x 14.49 x 4.3″| Controls: Remote, on/off touch & Alexa (purchased separately) | Audio Compatibility: CD player, DAB/AM/FM radio tuner, Aux, Wi-fi/Bluetooth | Extras: Dual Alarm

REASONS TO BUY

+ Amazing sound quality

+ Perfect connectivity across multiple generations of audio

+ Great potential as a central smart-home speaker

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Very expensive
 
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If you love the idea of the Music System IV, but your idea of a CD radio player combo also includes smart-home/audio streaming functionality, this is the pick for you.

Bose Wave Music System IV vs SoundTouch Music System IV

The central unit on both devices is practically identical; you can expect the SoundTouch version to have the same excellent sound quality, build, and compact aesthetic.
 
The SoundTouch version is made unique by the addition of the bottom unit which enables Wi-Fi & Bluetooth functionality. This added feature allows you to play your PC/phone audio collection (including streaming services like Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pandora).
 
The SoundTouch can also be used with Alexa for better control. In essence, SoundTouch is the better choice if you value music streaming over CD/radio and you want an audio speaker for a smart-home setup.
 
If these aren’t important to you, go with the vanilla Music System IV, as the large price difference means the SoundTouch really is made for those audiophiles that really want to take full advantage of its features.
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Bose Wave Music System III

Best Budget Bose Radio CD Player

SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions: 18.75 x 12.5 x 6.5″ | Controls: Remote | Audio Compatibility: CD player, DAB/AM/FM radio tuner | Extras: Dual Alarm

REASONS TO BUY

+ Great sound quality

+ Similar to MSIV

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Discontinued and not readily available/may be more expensive
 
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As the saying goes: you get what you pay for. Bose Radio CD Players come with a hefty price tag because of the level of quality on offer.

For those with a significantly lesser budget, we have a non-Bose alternative for you at the bottom of the list. But if you still want to enjoy one of the Music systems, we wanted to highlight the previous iteration, the MSIII, as you may get lucky and find it at a reduced price.

Note: Because the model is discontinued, chances are, you will not find the III readily available (and even if it is, it may come at a higher cost) – we simply recommend having a quick check of the product links for it above just in case you get lucky. Otherwise, stick to the IV.

Bose Wave Music System III vs Music System IV

Surprisingly, there aren’t too many differences between the III and IV base models, with the III having a comparable sound quality, remote, CD/AUX/FM compatibility, dual alarms, and touch on/off control.

The main difference between the base models is the design, with the III looking a little like a dated “naughties” audio controller and the IV boasting a more modern aesthetic (we don’t consider the difference a big deal though, this is up for you to decide).

Aside from that, the main iteration leap is in the SoundTouch add-on of our premium pick. This is where the Music System IV becomes a lot more with Bluetooth, Wi-fi, and smart-home/Alexa compatibility.

If you see the III at a lower price than the base model IV (and you don’t want the additional features of SoundTouch) then there’s no real reason not to go for the III.

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Bose Wave Music System III Multi-CD Edition

Best Multi-CD Bose Radio Player

SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions: 16.12 x 12.3 x 12.3″ | Controls: Remote | Audio Compatibility: CD player, DAB/AM/FM radio tuner | Extras: Dual Alarm

REASONS TO BUY

+ Perfect for serious CD collections

+ Wonderful sound quality

+ Sturdy unit

REASONS TO AVOID
 − No longer readily available
 
 − At the price-point, most users will prefer SoundTouch
 
 
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With the limited availability and niche use, we only briefly want to touch on this product.

But we figure there are a few of you out there who may be more serious about their CD collections, with little interest in smart homes, streaming, and other modern audio methods.

If that sounds like you, you may appreciate the added utility of a multi-CD player. This edition is, to put it simply, the same as the Bose Music System III but with a multi-CD unit (allowing you to switch between 4 CDs easily).

Usually, this model can only be found at higher prices (if at all) so we really recommend the SoundTouch for future audiophiles’ Bose setups UNLESS you are very dedicated to your CD collection!

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LG CM4590 XBOOM XBOOM

Best Bose Radio CD Player Alternative

SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions: 29 x 11.8 x 1.4″ | Controls: Onboard buttons & remote | Audio Compatibility: CD player, FM radio tuner, USB, Bluetooth

REASONS TO BUY

+ Fantastic value

+ Bluetooth Compatability

+ Decent sound quality

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Large compared to all-in-one Bose systems
 
 − Sound quality expectedly not as good as more expensive options
 
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If you liked the idea of a radio CD player but aren’t ready to fork out the price tags for the Bose quality, our final pick is for you.

LG is another great player in the audio setup space, and the CM4590 represents a great compromise between price, audio quality, and connectivity.

To start off with a great point, despite being by far the cheapest option, it’s one of only 2 on this list (alongside SoundTouch) to support Bluetooth! Be it for streaming from your phone or connecting to your TV, this is a fantastic value add alongside the CD player/radio/Aux functionalities.

The units certainly pack a punch too. We’ve not recommended an all-in-one unit as a Bose alternative because we think that, for most users with limited budgets, you should focus more on quality over compactness to maximize your value/cost-saving (that said, bear in mind that these certainly are bulkier/a tad more clunky than the joy of having an all-in-one unit like the Music Systems).

Sound quality-wise, we’re pleased with the LG speakers. They offer good performance across all main levels. That said, this is where the biggest gap is between the CM4590s and the Bose Music Systems. Our top Bose choices are excellent from bass to highs; the LGs are great value, but you will certainly notice the difference.

That said, at their price we think they’re the best option by quite a margin and are certainly good enough to give you the feel of a semi-serious audiophile setup.

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Final Thoughts

And there you have it! We reviewed all the available Bose radio CD players to ensure completeness in picking the best option, but for users with the budget, we recommend that nearly everybody go for either the Music system IV, or its SoundTouch successor if you want a smart-home/streaming device. These 2 variations are easily the best Bose radio CD players available for everybody (and if your budget can’t reach those highs, we recommend our last pick as a great alternative).

 

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About the author

Picture of Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross, BSc is the Lead Writer at What in Tech and a leading authority in PC hardware and software. With a career as a senior IT professional, Kaelum has led multi-million dollar projects covering everything from bespoke software development to complex Windows hardware upgrades. Today, Kaelum uses his expertise to serve What in Tech's readers and has been featured in numerous global publications including New York Magazine and Lifewire.

* Specifications throughout our articles are double-checked and intended to inform our users, but should not be treated as factual information. When making final decisions on your products, please check the manufacturer pages to confirm the fine details.

Should You Buy a 280Hz Monitor in 2022? Guide, Best Picks & Alternatives

280Hz Monitor

280Hz Monitor Buying Guide in 2022 - Should You Buy & Best Picks

How to find the perfect high refresh rate display for gaming (and more)

280Hz Monitor

Short answer: There are very few 280Hz monitors on the market but there are a few excellent choices (we’ll cover them below).

If you’re looking for the highest refresh rate monitor possible, we cover displays up to 360Hz in another detailed feature.

280Hz displays, what a time to be alive!

Not too long ago, 144Hz was hailed as the highest refresh rate available. Today, the top manufacturers have well surpassed this limit to provide some stunning ELMB monitors (extreme low monitor blur).

Today we’ll go through the best 280Hz monitors available, and a couple of premium/budget alternatives.

Table of Contents

Should You Buy a 280Hz Monitor?

280Hz screens are designed primarily with gaming in mind.

Such a high refresh rate (combined with anti-screen tear technologies like AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync) enables your content to boast extremely low motion blur alongside the snappiness/responsiveness of high-FPS.

If you’re a serious e-sports or online multiplayer gamer, this refresh rate is a fantastic choice, you’ll notice a huge difference between 280Hz vs 144Hz (280Hz vs 60Hz isn’t even comparable!).

There are higher refresh rates available on the market (the best alternative we cover below), but 280Hz is a decent sweet spot for most (because the highest refresh rate options cost significantly more for what we would consider diminishing returns for most gamers).

If you’re focused primarily on single-player games, 280FPS monitors are still a good choice, but we expect you’ll prefer something that prioritizes a higher resolution (280Hz monitors are currently all 1080p).

Other options to consider:

If 280Hz monitors are your best option, then read on for the best picks…

Best 280Hz Monitor: ASUS TUF VG279QM

We considered all of the 280Hz monitors during this review feature, but there is a clear stand-out in this ASUS offering.

The VG279QM’s main feature is, of course, its high refresh rate. The fluid screen is simply stunning for esports and single-player titles alike.

That said, it’s such a great offering because of everything else packed into the display at a very modest price.

With a 1ms response time, decent contrast (alongside DisplayHDR400 options), and a good color panel, the screen quality is great for a mid-range gaming monitor (you’ll certainly enjoy this quality across other types of content, e.g. TV & internet browsing).

This ASUS 280Hz monitor is also set apart by its excellent variety of gaming modes that ensure low screen-tearing and lag, namely ASUS Extreme Low Motion Blur Sync (ELMB-sync) which can work alongside FreeSync to provide a stable picture.

Don’t underestimate how even some premium high refresh rate monitors can have notable problems with screen tearing and other visual artifacts (a quick look at customer reviews will show this issue for a huge array of expensive offerings). This TUF 280Hz monitor’s ability to keep the picture smooth and clear is a huge buying factor.

1080p 27″ is a good size/PPI for responsive gaming (we would like to see 1440p, but this resolution at 280Hz doesn’t yet exist, the closest is 240Hz + 1440p).

We’re also happy to see great adjustability and build quality, with everything from titling to rotating (i.e. vertical monitor orientation) available, alongside the monitor’s good connectivity (DisplayPort + HDMI options, with good compatibility for lower refresh rate modes when using with an Xbox Series X and PS5).

VG279QM vs VG258QM

You may have noticed that despite our specific highlight on the 27″ version, there is a slightly cheaper and smaller version, the VG258QM.

The 24.5″ version is just as capable in screen quality, refresh rate, and anti-screen tear technology as its larger counterpart.

The reason we focus on the 27″ version is that, for most gamers, we find 27″ to be the sweet spot for setups (small enough to offer a good PPI with 1080p, large enough to spot details in games at the average eye-to-screen distance).

That said, if the idea of a slightly smaller version that comes in a little cheaper is important to you, then know that the VG258QM is just as capable as its larger brother.

What else is there to say? With good screen quality, buttery-smooth refresh rates, snappy response time, and a solid build all offered at a price tag lower than its competitors, ASUS has created a fantastic offering here.

Not only is this the best ELMB monitor on the market, but it’s one of the top offerings across any category. If you’re looking for the best 280Hz monitor for gaming, you’ve found it.

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Other 280Hz Monitors

VG279QM vs VG258QMvs XB253Q vs XF273 Zbmiiprx

As part of this feature’s research, we reviewed each of the top 280Hz screens with price in mind. So why did the VG279QM come out on top?

The other two options worthwhile are:

Both of these Acer 280Hz monitors are great; with good specifications across color, blacks/whites, low response times, and anti-screen tearing technology.

With that said, at the time of writing, they both come in between 15-25% more expensive than their same-sized ASUS monitor counterparts.

The Zbmiiprx, with 99% sRGB and HDR10, has an impressive picture quality, but it’s not so notable of a change to be worth the extra price (at this cost, you can look at our 360Hz monitor pick below).

In some ways, we’d say the ASUS choices are even better with price out of the equation due to the included ELMB technology and improved adjustability (the Zbmiiprx doesn’t boast vertical orientation).

With their insane value in mind, the ASUS 280Hz monitors are our top picks for 24.5″ and 27″ buyers, but if you happen to see either Acer choice on a sale that leaves them at a similar price, we can then recommend picking them up (particularly the Zbmiiprx if you value a slightly better screen quality over extra adjustability and ELMB-sync).

Best 280Hz Monitor Premium Alternative: Alienware AW2521H

With the top 280Hz choice and its competitors covered, we wanted to also quickly highlight an option for those of you who saw the mid-range price tag of these 280Hz options and wanted to take their budget further.

As buttery-smooth as 280Hz is, the highest refresh rate available in today’s monitor market is 360hz! This is an incredible offering for competitive gamers or those after a generally top-end experience.

One of the best offerings in this spec is Alienware’s AW2521H, which matches the quality of its refresh rate with superb picture/build quality, G-sync compatibility, 1ms GTG response time, and great connectivity options, the Alienware is a good premium offering all-around. 

As much as we love our top option, if you could stretch your budget a little further, this would be a worthy upgrade for those after a competitive gaming monitor.

If you want more options (including the highest refresh rates at different resolutions) we have a detailed feature breaking this area down more.

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Best Budget 280Hz Monitor Alternative: ASUS TUF VG24VQE

If you were interested in a 280Hz display but the prices are alarming you, fear not! The VG24VQE is a great monitor for those who want the joy of a high refresh rate screen at a cost not that much higher than a traditional 60Hz monitor.

Boasting 165Hz (which is a visible improvement compared to the most popular 144Hz gaming monitors), this may not reach the same prowess as 280Hz but is still perfectly suitable for competitive and single-player gamers alike.

We also appreciate that despite its lower price point, it still includes great anti-tearing tech between ELMB-sync and FreeSync Premium (the best compatibility we’ve come across at its price range) on top of its good connectivity. The IPS panel also still manages to offer a decent picture between blacks and colors (it’s not quite as sharp as our more premium picks, but we’re impressed by what we’ve seen for the price).

This model is small, but if you can stretch your budget a little further, there is an equally compelling 27″ version. It completely depends on your setup (if your eyes are fairly close to the monitor, a 23.6″ offering will be manageable).

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Final Thoughts

And there you have it! That’s everything we recommend you needing to know in the world of 280Hz monitors.

To summarise, if you are a serious multi-player/esports gamer, or simply love the idea of an extremely snappy screen with low motion blur (and you have a mid-range budget), our top 280Hz monitor pick (or the alternatives mentioned when on offer) are perfect for you.

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The 10 Best Cheap Second Monitors in 2022

Cheap Second Monitor

The 10 Best Cheap Second Monitors in 2022

For gaming, work, and everything in between

Cheap Second Monitor

If you spend a decent amount of time (like most of us do) at your PC, a second monitor is a must.

But that shouldn’t mean you have to fork out the same price tag as your primary screen, it’s secondary for a reason!

That’s why today, we’ll be looking through the best budget second monitors for your setup.

We’re not just including the cheapest we can find, but the ones we confidently recommend despite their lower price tags.

Top Picks

Acer SB220Q

Overall Best Cheap Second Monitor

SPECIFICATIONS*

Screen Size: 21.5″ | Panel Type: IPS | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Refresh Rate: 75Hz | Response Time: 4ms | Brightness: 250 nits | Contrast Ratio: 1000:1

Our Rating: 95%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Incredible price

+ Good screen quality

+ Deceptively thin and well-built

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Better specs are available at higher prices
 
 − Limited adjustability
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Topping the list is one of the most impressive value offerings in today’s market.

The Acer SB220Q somehow manages to pack in some decent specifications at a price point where many rival manufacturers don’t even offer a full HD monitor.

On top of the 1080p resolution (which, at 21.5″, looks very crisp), the cheap screen boasts an IPS panel with decent colors and contrast.

The 4ms response time means it’s perfectly serviceable for budget gaming (we do have a more recommended screen for gaming below if you can stretch your budget though).

We’re pleased to see that the listing includes 24″/27″ model options. These are not just similar in spec, but also in value (of course, always expect to pay a little more for larger sizes). Where possible, we recommend picking up a budget second display that’s the same size as your primary screen for aesthetics and ease of use across different content (that said, a smaller display is also OK for your second screen, which is why we specifically recommend the 21.5″ option as the best cheap choice).

At this price point, you can’t expect everything to be the best. As highly as we rate the SB220Q, its brightness is a tad low (250 nits is quite common in monitors, but if your screen faces a lot of sunlight, you may want to consider a slightly more expensive option). The picture quality is good, but you will certainly find better colors, blacks, and whites at higher prices.

We’re pleased to see the monitor is sturdy and well-built, with the only area lacking being limited adjustability (if you want your second monitor to align vertically, see our top streaming pick).

When we think of usages of a second screen, it’s often work-related, IMs, background video content, and internet browsing.

What we love about the SB220Q is, compared to other monitors at the same price, it is perfectly suitable for all these activities (and yes, we are keeping cost in mind, but one of the best things we can say is that it doesn’t feel like a cheap option).

The SB220Q is our comfortable top pick for the best cheap second monitor available today.

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AOC G2490VX

Best Cheap Second Gaming Monitor

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 24″ | Panel Type: VA | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Refresh Rate: 144Hz | Response Time: 1ms (MPRT) | Brightness: 350 nits | Color: 125.95% sRGB & 92.85% DCI-P3 | Contrast Ratio: 4000:1

Our Rating: 95%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Unmatched value for a 144hz FHD screen

+ Great colors & contrast

+ Beauitful, sturdy design

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Some rare user defects reported
 
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As much as we’ve raved about the top Acer choice for the average user, we’re pleased to report that those after a cheap secondary monitor for gaming have an option just as compelling

The G2490VX packs an incredible amount of value in its price tag.

The big changes that make this an ideal choice for gamers compared to our pick above are the fantastic 1ms response time & 144hz refresh rate. For anything from competitive to single-player titles, we can’t attest just how lovely it is to play on a high refresh rate display with very low input lag.

Now, as much as we like 144hz @ 1ms, what really gives this monitor such a high score from us is how AOC produced a screen quality that excels across the board: offering good color accuracy across DCI-P3 and sRGB, fantastic contrast, and decent brightness.

Even if the monitor had similar specs to our top pick outside of refresh rate/response time, we still would’ve been impressed, so adding better contrast, color and brightness is such a huge value add at the price.

The monitor runs off a VA panel, which compared to IPS, tends to offer better blacks at the cost of slightly inferior viewing angles and color. That said, we don’t think the monitor lacks in any of these departments, VA makes sense as its typically cheaper to produce a low response time screen at this price range (to put it another way, we don’t think you’ll find an IPS screen of the same quality at this price).

Most user reception of the G2490VX has been very positive, but it’s worth pointing out a small number of buyers who have had issues with defective panels/dead pixels.

We don’t consider this a reason not to invest as the AOC warranty here (including for dead pixels) is quite generous compared to some competitor options.

Between its picture, build, and price, we’re delighted that the G2490VX (and its 27″ counterpart) are available for those after a cheap second screen for gaming, it’s a fantastic choice that exceeds many options available at higher prices.

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HP VH240a

Best Cheap Second Monitor for Streaming

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 24″ | Panel Type: IPS | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Refresh Rate: 60Hz | Response Time: 5ms | Brightness: 250 nits | Color: 72% sRGB | Contrast Ratio: 1000:1

Our Rating: 85%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Fantastic adjustable build

+ Good picture

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Too expensive if you don’t plan on using vertically
 
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When it comes to purchasing a good second streaming monitor, one of the very common utilities we like to see is being able to align your monitor vertically (this often suits looking at chat, Twitch/Youtube analytics, and other second screen content best for streamers).

With that in mind, the VH240a is HP’s answer to what our top Acer pick accomplishes so well: a cheap yet high-quality jack of all trades monitor.

Its specs are similar (other than the larger 24″ screen) with a good (albeit somewhat average) color/contrast, and the same 250 nits of brightness.

Where the HP VH240a vs Acer SB220Q battle differs is in adjustability, the HP offering is one of the cheapest vertical monitors available, with a fantastic stand and durable build that would be suitable for work environments and regular movement.

That said, it comes at a premium: the VH240a runs at around 30% more expensive (at the time of review) compared to the 24″ version of our top pick.

If you’re a streamer or worker that could value a vertical alignment (e.g. programmer), we think the adjustability can be worth it.

But if you expect to just use your monitor in the traditional landscape orientation, the HP screen is great, but not worth the premium over cheaper second monitors like our top pick. 

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Sceptre E205W-16003R

Cheapest Second Monitor Worth Buying

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 20″ | Panel Type: TN | Resolution: 1600×900 | Refresh Rate: 75Hz | Response Time: 4ms | Brightness: 250 nits | Color: 99% sRGB | Contrast Ratio: 3000:1

Our Rating: 80%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Very cheap

+ Surprisingly thin and well-built

+ Picture is a good quality

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Not full HD
 
 − TN panel
 
 − Better options available at only slightly higher prices
 
 
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Although our top choices are already at very competitive price points, we appreciate some readers will just be looking for the cheapest option possible (perhaps those who only have very basic uses in mind for their second screen).

If this sounds like you, this Spectre offering is the cheapest second monitor on the market that we would recommend (yes, you can go cheaper, but you’ll be met with no-name manufacturers and screens of awful quality).

The e205W boasts some decent colors (we’re pleased to see 99% sRGB) and a good contrast despite its low price. The quality is decent, with the major caveat being its 1600×900 resolution means it’s not suitable for full HD content.

It’s a tiny monitor, at only 20″; for some second screen users, this may be a nice pick if you don’t want a large, imposing screen. It also means that the 900p resolution isn’t too problematic because the screen is small enough that the pixels per inch (PPI) will still look crisp.

We’re pleased to see that the monitor doesn’t look cheap, with a decent, sturdy build quality that includes some basic ergonomic tilt options.

One larger point to consider on picture quality is the TN panel this screen is built on.

TN (typically speaking) is good at offering decent specs at very low prices, which is why its compelling for budget options. A major problem with the panel type, however, is its poor viewing angles.

When you are not looking at the monitor dead-center, the screen can become more washed-out and unclear.

For a usual budget offering, we’d say this is manageable and made up for with the decent contrast and color, but as we’re considering a second monitor, we expect most users won’t be looking dead center at this screen (it will instead be off to their left or right). It’s still certainly usable, but it’s another reason to fork out a little more for an IPS/VA offering.

All things considered, we think the 10-15% it usually costs to upgrade to our top choice is worth it over this Spectre pick.

That said, if every cent counts, or you want the best small second monitor, this is still a great choice.

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ASUS ZenScreen

Best Cheap Second Screen for Laptop

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 15.6″ | Panel Type: IPS | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Refresh Rate: 60Hz | Response Time: 5ms (GtG) | Brightness: 250 nits | Contrast Ratio: 800:1

Our Rating: 90%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Beautiful crisp screen for the price

+ High-quality build

+ Single cable for power & connectivity

REASONS TO AVOID
 − More expensive than no-name manufacturer options
 
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What if your setup isn’t static? If your idea of a cheap second screen involves portability/laptop use, the ZenScreen is our favorite option.

The screen boasts a decent IPS screen with an excellent PPI (1080p at 15.6″ is going to provide some very crisp content).

The brightness and contrast are mediocre but serviceable, we would’ve liked to see a slightly higher nits rating considering the portable intention of the device (something to consider if your laptop environment is often very sunny), but overall, it’s a high-quality offering compared to other devices at its price range here.

The exception to this rule is if you are willing to purchase from smaller manufacturers. The portable monitor market has way more no-name suppliers who don’t have the brand power (and by extension, support/warranty) as big names like ASUS, but certainly offer some pretty compelling products at cheaper prices if this doesn’t worry you too much (this screen is a great example, offering similar specs at about 30% cheaper).

Another plus we will give the ZenScreen specifically is its build quality. It’s important to consider design and durability when you’re picking up a portable offering; the screen is deceptively thin, lightweight, and includes a high-quality sleeve that allows you to align the device horizontally and vertically.

If you like the look of the ZenScreen but want a cheaper option, ASUS also produces a 768p version at a significantly lower price (we don’t rate this version as highly and think most users will appreciate the full HD screen, but it’s still a good product if you can’t afford the 1080p version).

Overall, between its high-quality internal and external setup, we still consider the ZenScreen the best budget second laptop monitor and think it’s worth the slight premium over other options.

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Spectre U275W-UPT

Best Cheap 4K Second Monitor

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 27″ | Panel Type: IPS | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Refresh Rate: 70Hz | Response Time: 5ms | Brightness: 350 nits | Color: 99% sRGB | Contrast Ratio: 1000:1

Our Rating: 85%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Incredible price for 4K

+ Great connectivity options

+ Pleasing design

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Better specs & larger size might be appreciated for 4K users
 
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The U275W is an impressively priced 4K choice for a cheap dual monitor setup. At a price-point not that much higher than our 1080p/1440p picks, it doesn’t just boast an incredible PPI (UHD @ 27″ is very crisp), but also some good secondary specs.

The contrast, color accuracy, and brightness are all at a good middle range, and we’re pleased to see the monitor not skimping on design or connectivity either.

The main gripe we have with this cheap UHD monitor is that, while its picture is of decent quality, when you’re considering a 4K monitor, we imagine many of you are professional users (video/photo editors) or content enthusiasts demanding the highest quality picture.

Even though this Spectre offering has a good screen, 4K is a premium market, and you will see the benefit in higher color accuracy/better contrast & brightness if you invest more in an alternate option.

If you’re a gamer, a 4K 144hz screen will serve you better (these aren’t cheap, but if you’re running a 4K gaming PC, we think you should be expecting to spend to match the quality of your PC).

We would, for example, say it’d be better to combine a higher quality primary 4K monitor, with a cheaper 1080p/1440p option.

Also, given the pixel density of a 4k screen at 27″, unless you are very close to your monitor or simply like the higher PPI possible, we think many 4K-enthusiasts will prefer 32″+, where the benefits of 4K can be observed by lesser-trained eyes.

That said, this is still a gorgeous, crisp screen and we’re recommending it for a reason. We know some users will want a mid-range 4K offering at a decent price, this Spectre pick excels at providing just that far better than any other option we’ve come across.

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Spectre E275W-QPT

Best Cheap Second 1440p Monitor

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 27″ | Panel Type: IPS | Resolution: 2560 x 1440p | Refresh Rate: 75Hz | Response Time: 5ms (GTG) | Brightness: 300 nits | Color: 99% sRGB | Contrast Ratio: 3000:1

Our Rating: 90%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Decent specs for the price

+ Good screen size for crisp 2K image

+ Good build quality

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Poor speakers
 
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1440p is a wonderful compromise between 4K and 1080p, especially for a secondary screen.

At 27″, 2K is a sweet spot, offering a crisp image without being, for many eyes, overkill.

The E275W stands at the top of the pile. Boasting a very impressive price point that rivals some of our earlier 1080p picks, the screen is gorgeous.

Like the 4K Spectre pick above, it boasts a good picture quality with mid-range specs for brightness, color, and contrast.

It’s also a similarly well-built device with good connectivity across HDMI and DisplayPort (there is limited adjustability in its stand however if that is important to you).

There is little we don’t like about this Spectre offering unless you happen to want decent onboard speakers, the ones on offer here are pretty poor quality so we’d recommend combing them with decent headphones or standalone speakers.

Overall, the E275W hits a really nice sweet spot for those after a budget second 1440p monitor, at a very fair price, you’re not just getting great resolution but a screen that feels mostly mid-range in quality.

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Spectre E275B-QPT168

Best Cheap 1440p Second Screen for Gaming

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 27″ | Panel Type: IPS | Resolution: 2560 x 1440 | Refresh Rate: Up to 165Hz | Response Time: 1ms | Brightness: 300 nits | Color: 99% sRGB | Contrast Ratio: 3000:1

Our Rating: 95%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Great balance between spec and price  for gaming

+ Sturdy build

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Notably more expensive than our top 1080p gaming option
 
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If you like the sound of the above 2K display but have gaming in mind, this pick is for you.

On top of the crisp 1440p resolution at 27″, decent brightness/contrast, and good color, the E275B earns our gaming recommendation above its other 2K brother by boasting a 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time.

We can’t speak highly enough of what a great combination of specs are on offer here for the price. Providing you have the gaming PC to run it, single-player and competitive titles alike are going to not just look fantastic, but feel snappy and responsive.

The monitor boasts great connectivity too, with 2 x HDMI and 2 x DP 1.4 (worth noting that HDMI is limited to up to 144Hz, but this is still a fantastic refresh rate if you don’t want to use DisplayPort).

AOC G2490VX vs Spectre E275B-QPT168

The only reason we wouldn’t recommend the Spectre pick for gamers is its price.

Overall, it’s an excellent figure for what’s on offer, but we do appreciate our top AOC 1080p gaming pick is notably cheaper (as we’re reviewing second screens here, unless your primary monitor isn’t gaming-focused, this may be overkill for some users).

But if your idea of a cheap second screen for gaming includes excellent resolution on top of great secondary specs, this Spectre screen is our favorite pick for you.

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Spectre C305B-FUN200W

Best Cheap Second Ultrawide Monitor

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 30″ | Panel Type: VA | Resolution: 2560 x 1080 | Refresh Rate: Up to 200Hz | Response Time: 1ms | Brightness: 250 nits | Color: 99% sRGB | Contrast Ratio: 3000:1

Our Rating: 80%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Good balance of specs

+ Great for productivity & gaming

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Low brightness
 
 − Too expensive for many dual-screen setups
 
 
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If your idea of a second screen includes a wider form factor for more immersive content with fewer bezels interfering with your viewing, or if you’re someone in-between picking up 1 or 2 extra monitors, this pick is for you.

The C305B is an ultrawide monitor, which, as the name implies, means it is significantly wider (21:9 aspect ratio, compared to the standard 16:9 screen, so just over 30% wider).

This can be a wonderful choice for many types of content; working on an ultrawide can be a dream, but this specific choice also excels at gaming with an impressive 200Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time.

The brightness is a little low at its price-point for 250nits, but we appreciate the 3000:1 contrast ratio produced by its VA panel, which means you can expect decent blacks/whites in spite of the low brightness (providing you don’t have too much sun glare).

Important note: This pick, with its low response time and high refresh rate, has been recommended with gamers also in mind, if your pure focus is on productivity, see our other 1080p ultrawide options for cheaper choices.

We do like this ultrawide display, but it gets the lowest score on our list purely because of today’s focus on the best second monitor for PC setups with cost in mind.

We expect it’s not what many people have in mind for their price range, and a majority of you will prefer our traditional 16:9 picks.

Still, if you do have a slightly larger budget and want to fork out extra for the wonderful immersion for gaming and content on offer in an ultrawide, this is a great offering for you.

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Philips 325E8

Best Cheap Second Large Monitor

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 32″ | Panel Type: IPS | Resolution: 2560×1440 | Refresh Rate: 75Hz | Response Time: 5ms (GTG) | Brightness: 250 nits | Contrast Ratio: 1200:1

Our Rating: 95%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Good size and resolution for an amazing price

+ Elegant design and good build quality

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Picture specs are good, but not great
 
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Many of the options on this list hover in the 20-27″ range.

So to wrap up the list, we wanted to highlight an excellent offering from Philips for those after a larger second monitor.

And what a great choice it is; boasting a 1440p resolution, we appreciate Philips not opting for 1080p here (at 32″, you’ll begin to notice the pixel count more, 2K is a great balance between crisp image and price).

The other specs are all respectable, with a decent response time, color rating, and contrast ratio running on an IPS panel. We would’ve liked to see 300-350 nits brightness and slightly better color accuracy included, but like many options on this list, we’ve focussed on price first.

And it’s really worth highlighting the price of the Philips offering as a huge deal; most larger monitors come with a hefty premium, so to not only get 32″, but also 1440p, at a price range not too much more expensive than some of our other picks is an incredible deal compared to the other competitors’ options we reviewed.

Even if the picture quality is “good, not great”, we still think the 325E8 is a very good product and easily our pick for the best budget large second monitor available today.

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Final Thoughts

And there you have it! We’ve been through a lot of cheap second screens today, if that leaves you a little confused on which to choose, our top overall pick is an excellent choice for the average user, we would pick the size that best matches your primary monitor and go with that if you’re in doubt.
 

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About the author

Picture of Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross, BSc is the Lead Writer at What in Tech and a leading authority in PC hardware and software. With a career as a senior IT professional, Kaelum has led multi-million dollar projects covering everything from bespoke software development to complex Windows hardware upgrades. Today, Kaelum uses his expertise to serve What in Tech's readers and has been featured in numerous global publications including New York Magazine and Lifewire.

* Specifications throughout our articles are double-checked and intended to inform our users, but should not be treated as factual information. When making final decisions on your products, please check the manufacturer pages to confirm the fine details.

The 10 Best TVs for Cars in 2022 (Headrest, Portable & Overhead)

TV for Car

The 10 Best TVs for Cars in 2022

Portable options for Netflix, Wi-fi, Bluetooth and more

TV for Car

Buying a TV for your car used to be a luxury few could afford.

But today, there are a ton of affordable, high-quality, and flexible devices that can work for streaming, games, and more.

Whether you’re looking for a car TV for kids, adults, or both, we’ve broken down the main types of TVs to installing in your car.

If you’re new to the world of car TVs, don’t fret, we’ve included plenty of detail on what to look for depending on your needs just below.

Best Car Headrest TVs

Best Car Overhead TVs

Best Portable DVD Players/Monitors

Best Tablet + Car Mount Combos

Best Headphones for Car Trips

A quick word on low-quality car TVs

Before we start, we wanted to make our readers aware of the emergence of low-quality, cheap-manufacturer offerings in the car TV market.

There are plenty of great portable screens on offer, but we also came across many overpriced (borderline scams) in our searches.

Where possible, stick to the recommendations we’ve provided below. But if you want to stray to other picks, make sure there is already a large positive reception online (it’s easy for scammers to fake a few good reviews).

Now, let’s get to it!

Types of Car TVs

Today’s feature is broken down into 4 different types of Car TV screens – follow the links to the ones you are most interested in:

  1. Headrest Car TVs: This is the type of display we would recommend to most users. Often sold in pairs, these are made to wrap around the back of your front seats to provide backseat passenger entertainment. They’re also one of the cheaper options (with premium types available).
    Jump to headrest car TVs
  2. Car Overhead TV: As the name implies, these monitors are typically installed on the inner roof of your vehicle (usually between the 2 front seats). This is a good option if you want your kids/backseat passengers to watch the same content (often the best choice for those after a gaming TV for the car). It’s also the best alternative if the back of your front seats aren’t suitable for mounting screens (most sturdy seats are, unless you are the type of front passenger who is constantly adjusting their position).
    We would recommend headrest car TVs first as the installation is much simpler and they tend to be more affordable compared to car roof TVs.
    Jump to car overhead TVs
  3. Portable DVD Players/Monitor: If you want something that can be moved easily and/or used for other purposes (e.g. a monitor in your hotel room during a car trip) then a portable screen may be your best bet (as long as you’re happy for it to not be mounted).
    Jump to portable DVD monitors/players
  4. Tablet + Car Mount Combo: If you’re focussed on getting a car TV for kids/babies, you may want to consider picking up a tablet (or use ones you already own) in combination with separate car mounts. These may cost a little more upfront, but having the tablets for your kids to use at other points provides a lot more value overall.
    Jump to car tablets

The best car headrest TVs

This first offering we’ll be reviewing is a smaller type of TV (usually 7-13″) that are designed to be strapped or mounted to the back of your front seats to provide each backseat passenger with a screen for Netflix, Disney+, DVDs, etc (streaming is limited to the premium options).

These are the most popular type of car TV screens and the ones we recommend for a majority of our readers, due to their:

  • Low cost compared to other options.
  • A competitive market means the top products are of a decent picture and build quality
  • Included mounts are usually flexible for a wide range of seats
  • Designed for individual usage (often sold in discounted pairs) they’re better if you’re looking for a car TV for multiple passengers (e.g. 2 kids sitting in the back who want to watch different shows)
  • They often come with all the necessary extras (wiring setups, headphones, etc.)

NAVISKAUTO 10.1" Dual Car Monitors

Overall Best Car TV

SPECIFICATIONS*

Screen Size: 10.1″ | Extras Included: Remote + headphones (x2) | DVD player: Yes | Memory Options: USD/SD up to 128GB | Battery: Car charger-powered | Controls: Buttons & remote

Our score: 95%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Fantastic value

+ Good warranty and support

+ Serviceable quality for kids

+ DVD & memory card options for storage

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Better quality available at higher pricing
 
 − No screen mirroring for non-DVD content
 
Check Price

Kicking off our top picks is a choice that we think is what many of our readers will have in mind on their search for the best TV for car trips.

This Naviskauto offering is a pair of 10.1″ monitors with all of the necessities bundled. That includes 2 pairs of headphones (their quality isn’t mind-blowing, but are a serviceable value-add for car entertainment).

The screen is at a decent resolution for the device’s size and boasts some decent UI to play movies/TV shows.

The included DVD player isn’t just decent and lightweight, but also designed to mirror across both devices (in other words, you can set one DVD up to play on both screens for multiple passengers).

We’re also pleased to see the device includes up to 32GB storage for SD/USB content – On top of this, it supports MP4s up to 1080p. This is one of the value-adds of this offering over some of our cheaper picks directly below (which may support SD card movies, but not necessarily full HD or the most common file types, meaning you may have to convert some content before watching).

One disappointment here (even though it’s fairly universal across similar devices) is that the screen mirroring only works for DVD content. If you’re playing movies from the SD card, you’ll have to set up SD cards in both of the devices instead of being able to mirror from one.

The displays also have decent ports available, most notably HDMI-in, meaning you could as easily play content from a phone/laptop/tablet (providing you have the right cables to connect each).

There are quite a few similar dual-monitor offerings out there, so what makes us rate this one the highest?

Overall, we think the NAVISKAUTO hits the sweet spot between price, included extras, screen quality, and memory upgrade options.

Finally, their warranty and customer service have been well-received by a huge array of previous customers. Don’t underestimate the importance of this: although the included car mounts are well received, there is no such thing as a 100% universal car mount, so having a supplier that seems to be (from previous customer experiences) willing to provide alternate mounts is a great bonus add (warranty also helps when you’re buying something intended for kids/babies!).

Simply put, the NAVISKAUTO is the best all-around choice; there are certainly other great options throughout this feature, but if you’re looking for simplicity and value (without going too cheap), these are the best headrest TV screens we’d recommend to you.

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A AINAVI 13.3" Android Screen

Best Premium TV for Cars

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 13.3″ | Extras Included: USB Flash drive | DVD player: No | Memory Options: 16-64GB internal options + TF card/USB port up to 128GB | Battery Life: Car battery-powered | Controls: Android tablet/touschreen

Our score: 90%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Best car TV picture quality

+ Smooth, fast and well-built

+ Wi-fi & Bluetooth support

+ Good screen mirroring

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Expensive
 
 − No DVD player
 
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If you have a larger budget, or perhaps have older children/adult passengers who will appreciate a premium experience, this next pick is for you.

The A AINAVI screens are a delight; they are very sturdy and well-built while retaining a deceptively thin, lightweight form factor. 

But the magic is really in the internals; with a nice, large 13.3″ screen that is not just full HD in resolution, but supports up to 4K video (downscaled) due to its excellent speedy hardware. These good specs don’t just help with video playback, but also ensure the experience on the device is smooth (with fast load times and responsive UI, something that can be a little painful on cheaper TVs for vehicles).

The device doesn’t just have a decent resolution; it’s bright, has decent contrast, and boasts great colors compared to the usual $150-200 screen pairs, it’s one of the best picture qualities we’ve come across that older passenger, in particular, are sure to appreciate.

Another super important inclusion over the cheaper options is that this is a tv for cars with wi-fi & Bluetooth. Not only does this give you so many connectivity options with your car and other devices (e.g. Bluetooth headphones), but the wi-fi support enables you to access live streaming (if you have good mobile data during your car journey).

In other words, this is one of the best car TVs for Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, and more (it’s worth adding though, that many of these services have options to download local videos that you may be able to use with some of the cheaper options).

One minor omission on these devices is that they do not include a DVD player. We think the manufacturer figured that for those looking for a premium device in 2022, you’d likely be focused on digital content (but if DVD is important to you, look at our other headrest screen options).

Now, other than a lack of a DVD player, there is very little not to like about these dual vehicle screens, other than the price tag included that matches the excellent features.

We’d say that many of you may be happy with the cheaper TVs on offer.

But if you have the budget, or specifically are looking for large, high-quality screens with better connectivity features, then these AINAVI offerings are the best car TV screens on the market we’ve come across.

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WONNIE 10.5'' Dual Screen

Best Budget TV for Cars

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 10.5″ | Extras Included: 1 remote | DVD player: Yes | Memory Options: SD card/USB up to 32GB | Battery Life: Up to 5 hours | Controls: Buttons/remote

Our score: 85%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Amazing value

+ Fair picture quality for budget device

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Less memory/video support than the top picks
 
 − Shorter warranty/slightly more problems observed
 
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WONNIE has created a cheaper offering to our top pick while retaining many of the critical areas that make it an excellent headrest TV set.

Boasting a similar screen size, DVD player, and build quality, the WONNIE dual screen set is a fantastic value offering.

Its picture quality isn’t anything too impressive, but it’s certainly serviceable for most types of content.

One feature we appreciate here is the included battery which means you don’t need to always have the device powered by the car mains if that is inconvenient for your car setup.

(We appreciate that as a budget choice, this may still be expensive for some, see our next pick for the cheapest set we’d recommend).

So, with similar specs to our top pick at a slightly lower price, why do we not put this as the best overall TV for vehicles?

Well, although it’s a close race, the NAVISKAUTO has a couple of extra features we think will be worth the money:

  1. An extra 6 months of warranty with excellent customer feedback; for a portable device that is often used by kids/babies, we think this is an excellent value-add
  2. WONNIE has slightly less support when it comes to digital filetypes, most notably MP4s (the most common for downloaded movies) – this means that  if you plan on using an SD card/USB stick for movies, you may have to convert them on your PC first which is a bit of a slog for a device that is about adding convenience to your journies.

With that said, if these extras do not seem all that important to you, the WONNIE screen pair is an excellent choice and the best cheap TV for cars we’ve come across.

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FANGOR 7.5’’ Dual Car DVD Player

Cheapest Screens - Best Car TV for Babies & Young Kids

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 7.5″ | Extras Included: Remote | DVD player: Yes | Memory Options: USB or SD up to 32GB | Battery Life: Up to 3 hours | Controls: Buttons & remote

Our score: 85%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Incredibly cheap for 2 units

+ Decent size for younger children

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Servicable but basic picture quality
 
Check Price

Although we’d recommend the 10″ screens above for older kids where possible, we’re quite impressed by the amount of value included in this package.

At an incredibly low price, you’re still getting 2 screens with a DVD player, memory card options, a basic battery included, and decent car mounts.

The memory card options, like our above pick, also only support basic video formats (no MP4) so will likely require conversion for most types of content.

The screen quality is decent for a 7.5″ screen, but don’t expect anything too impressive (the size is quite small so bear this in mind, this is largely why we consider it a car TV for babies and young kids primarily).

One important omission to bear in mind is the lack of an HDMI-in port, you won’t be able to stream content from a phone/tablet/PC with this device. 

We’ve been through a few negatives, but that’s only to make it clear that it’s a more basic, budget device.

For the price, you are still getting 2 good quality screens that serve as great entertainment devices, if your budget can’t stretch much further, these are still excellent vehicle TVs to pick up.

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The best overhead monitors and car roof TVs

Next up is the other common mounted option in cars.

Overhead car screens are usually installed on the roof between the front 2 seats to allow backseat passengers to all enjoy the same entertainment.

With this in mind, this option is great for those who:

  • Want their passengers to watch the same content together
  • Are more interested in a gaming car TV screen (passengers can play multiplayer games together on these displays)
  • You have a larger vehicle and want multiple rows of passengers to have access to entertainment

Installation can be a little tricky, so bear this in mind before making your final purchase (you can usually find someone to complete the installation fairly cheaply).

Pyle Overhead Display

Best Overhead Car TV

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 17.3″ | Extras Included: Remote | DVD player: No | Memory Options: USB/SD Card up to 32GB | Battery Life: Car battery connection | Controls: Remote

Our score: 90%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Great picture quality

+ Good price for what’s included

+ Well-built and sturdy once installed

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Quite challenging to setup
 
Check Price

The most impressive solution we reviewed is the Pyle overhead display. There’s a lot on offer in this car roof TV at an impressive mid-range price point.

Firstly, the picture quality is one of the better options on the list, with a bright, 800P screen that supports 1080p content and a large 17″ dimension, it’s the ideal size for a screen made for multiple passengers’ eyes.

The device has lots of good compatibilities, with HDMI-in, and 32GB memory support (including a wide range of video files like MP4, making your media setup less time-consuming when you’re getting the memory card ready for the road).

We appreciate the audio options available here too: the stereo speakers are of decent quality, but you also have cabling available to set up your car stereo to output sound for your content.

We sound pretty positive, so why do we tend to recommend headrest TVs before this type of offering?

Well, the major con is that overhead displays can be a nuisance to set up, they require more power draw, and it’s often advisable to get a professional to install them on your roof.

Headrest TVs, on the other hand, are very simple to mount without being an enthusiast (and even when there are problems in fittings, our top choices have some pretty decent customer support in finding alternative mounts).

If you’re not intimidated by the setup challenges, this Pyle offering is an excellent choice and our pick for the best car overhead display on the market.

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XTRONS TFT Screen

Best Car TV for Gaming & Premium Users

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 17.3″ | Extras Included: Remote | DVD player: No | Memory Options: USB/SD Card up to 32GB | Battery Life: Car battery powered | Controls: Remote

Our score: 90%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Great full HD picture quality

+ Sturdy & well-built

+ Good HDMI mirroring for Playstation/Xbox

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Difficult installation
 
 − Premium price for resolution increase
Check Price

If you have a slightly higher budget or are looking for an overhead car TV for gaming, this next pick is for you.

In many ways similar to our top Pyle pick, the XTRONS TFT screen boasts a nicely sizes 17.” inch screen with great picture quality, speakers, and media compatability.

Where this screen differs is in its resolution: the display is a gorgeous 1080p/full HD which is a notable increase for gaming on Playstation 4/5, Xbox One X & Nintendo Switch.

Even if you’re not a gamer, the full HD resolution can be a gorgeous inclusion for movies too.

It really comes down to your budget, the XTRONS typically runs about 20% more expensive than our top pick.

If you have that extra budget, we think it’s worth the premium if you’re serious about screen quality (but if not, the Pyle display is still a great choice and our top pick for a reason).

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The best portable DVD players and portable monitors

Next up is the classical type of portable screen: a monitor that is essentially designed to be used anywhere (from your lap to a campsite).

We expect most of you, who came to this article for a car-mounted display, will prefer our other options above because they are designed with a static position in mind, with portable monitors, you’ll need to rest them on the laps/hold them while using.

If however, that doesn’t sound like a problem to you, and you also want the convenience of being able to easily use the device elsewhere e.g. take it into your hotel room once your car trip is over) then these are well worth considering.

KYY Portable Display

Best Portable Monitor

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 15.6″ | Extras Included: Smart Cover| DVD player: No | Memory Options: None | Battery Life: Standard power adapter connection | Controls: Touchscreen

Our score: 80%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Beautiful 1080p picture quality

+ Thin, light, and well-built

+ Good device compatibility

REASONS TO AVOID
 − As a car TV: has no internal storage (requires an external device to play content)
 
 − Requires mains power adapter to work
 
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The KYY portable display is stunning to look at, inside and out.

Externally, the device lives up well to its portable intentions by boasting a thin, light, yet strong build that certainly feels made to withstand being moved around a fair amount.

Internally, the screen is full HD with one of the best picture qualities available on the list (including a 1000:1 contrast ratio and good brightness to provide great whites and blacks). The 15.6″ screen size compliments the 1080p resolution will, providing a nice, large, crisp image that is great not just for watching movies, but also being a practical second monitor for a laptop if required during your trip.

With great picture quality, a nice slim build, and the ability to use it in many different ways, you may be asking why we don’t rate this a higher in the list as far as car TV screens go; as good as this KYY device is, there are a couple of drawbacks compared to the above options.

Firstly, you need mains power to use this (no battery or car charger options), many cars have these options now but it’s worth making sure your setup can accommodate it (there are also many car chargers – > mains convertors, but make sure your car’s voltage can support such a connection).

Secondly, unlike overhead and headrest TVs, a portable monitor has no built-in memory card reader/video support. In other words, it’s just a screen, not a media player, you will need to have another device (phone, laptop, etc.) to connect to play content.

If these things don’t detract you, then you’re getting a truly beautiful display that can be used in many versatile ways across a road trip, it comfortably sits as our top choice for the best portable car monitor.

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WONNIE DVD Player

Best Portable DVD Player

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 14.1″ | Extras Included: Remote | DVD player: Yes| Memory Options: USB/SD Card up to 32GB | Battery Life: Car battery, mains adapter, and internal battery up to 6 hours | Controls: Remote

Our score: 90%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Basic device, but incredible quality for the price

+ Plenty of battery options

+ Supports SD/USB content despite DVD focus

REASONS TO AVOID
 − USB/SD card content limited in compatibility
 
 − Slightly underwhelming sound quality
Check Price

Our next pick is not really comparable to the KYY portable monitor as it’s designed with a different type of car user in mind.

The WONNIE DVD player is one of the cheapest offerings on this list and offers some pretty compelling value for the price point it’s at.

Boasting a nicely sized 14.1″ screen, DVD player, basic memory card support, and rechargeable battery, there is a good amount of features included that make it a great budget choice for basic movie watching.

We also really appreciate that a basic car mount strap is included (this may not be as universally fitting as some of our other picks’ mounts, but it’s a nice value add nonetheless).

We also like how on top of the internal battery are car charger and AC adapter options, making the power options here more versatile than many of our other picks.

Now with all that said, there are some drawbacks.

Firstly, the picture quality is decent and the sound serviceable, but overall, they are not particularly impressive compared to many of the options on the list.

The memory card format also shares the limited filetype support that some of our budget headrest TVs have. In other words, as a DVD player, it’s perfect, but if you’re trying to play files from the memory card, you have to convert to different file types (and perhaps even resolutions) before playing.

(Note: If you’re looking at at least a pair of screens for your backseat passengers, then the budget headrest TVs we recommend above will likely better value because they are offered in pairs).

All in all, the WONNIE player is an excellent cheap alternative for car entertainment, especially if you want something that can be easily placed in other positions, or you’re looking for 1 device instead of 2. It’s the best DVD player for car trips we’ve come across.

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Best car tablet screens + car mounts

Last but not least, is an option that tends to cost a little more, but we think many of you might like.

If you already own a tablet or two for your kids (or are interested in buying them), by simply buying tablet car mounts, you can repurpose these devices to effectively act as overhead car screens for your backseat passengers.

We think this can be a great fit because:

  • Tablets can be a little pricier, but offer more value overall (your kids can use them elsewhere/access more apps)
  • Because its a device they use more often, their entertainment will be readily available (you won’t have to “set up” the device every time you go on a long car trip, your kids will likely already be familiar with them)
  • Most tablets today come with decent screens

Although we like the benefit of having a static headrest TV that you don’t have to move in and out, the tablet option is certainly compelling.

The only other thing to consider is tablets, not being designed for car usage, won’t come with headphones (but we recommend some very cheap suitable options further below). 

Fire 7 Tablet

Best Cheap Tablet for Car Trips

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 7″ | Extras Included: Front and rear-facing cameras| DVD player: No | Memory Options: 16/32GB internal – up to 512GB external with SD | Battery Life: Up to 7 hours internal battery | Controls: Touchscreen

Our score: 95%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Unparalleled value for quality of device

+ Great app/streaming compatibility

+ Good battery and storage size potential

REASONS TO AVOID
 − No remote control/DVD player
 
 − Can be a tad slow if using it for lots of intense apps
 
Check Price

The Fire 7 is one of our top-scoring devices on the list for a reason.

There is so much on offer here at what feels like an almost too-good-to-be-true price.

Starting with its features, the Fire 7 boasts great internal memory options (16GB/32GB) with up to 512GB external storage (way more than our other options on the list) with a great internal battery for up to 7 hours and decent quality front/rear-facing cameras.

One important thing to bear in mind is that 7″ is on the small side for a car TV screen. If you have older kids or adult passengers, it’s very likely you’ll enjoy the HD pick directly below.

That said, the tablet packs a punch in the screen it does have: with a bright, 600p IPS panel, it’s a gorgeous display with a crisp resolution for its size.

Working alongside the screen is a set of specs designed to not just be a portable media player, but a fully-fledged tablet for a variety of app usage (if you’re using intensive apps regularly, it can be a little slow compared to the below pick, but as far as a TV screen/media viewing device goes, it’s perfect).

If you’re looking for a TV for your car with wi-fi and Bluetooth support, this is an excellent alternative over the expensive premium headrest TV we recommend earlier in the article, it’s the cheapest wi-fi supported device on the list so good for those focussed on live streaming content.

All-in-all, the Fire 7 is a fantastic offering. With so much versatility in memory, device compatibility, and connectivity all packaged in a good durable build and a decent screen. There’s a lot to love, especially at the price point, which is why we rate it the best tablet for car trips today.

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Fire HD 10 Kids Pro

Overall Best Tablet for Car Journies

SPECIFICATIONS

Screen Size: 10.1″ | Extras Included: Rear/front cameras, 2 year warranty | DVD player: No | Memory Options: 32GB internal + microSD up to 1TB | Battery Life: Internal up to 12 hours | Controls: Touchscreen

Our score: 90%

REASONS TO BUY

+ Good screen quality and fast specifications for a great price

+ Durable and with 2 year’s extensive warranty

+ Great battery and memory options

REASONS TO AVOID
 − Might be more than needed for younger kids
 
Check Price

Now as much as we love the Fire 7, if you have a higher budget or older passengers, the Fire HD 10 is one of the best tablets for a premium car entertainment experience.

Boasting a larger 10″ screen with a full HD screen and great secondary picture specs, the screen is simply stunning and will provide an excellent viewing experience for any type of content (including the variety of apps/games you can access on Fire tablets).

The faster specs of the HD 10 also make the overall experience of using it faster than any other device on the list, with excellent loading times and a tried-and-tested UI that any type of user will find pleasant to navigate.

We’ve specifically recommended the kids version as it usually offers better value for older kids/teenagers, but if you want to use this as an adult-orientated device when it’s not a car screen, the “adult” Fire HD 10 version is a great choice.

The Fire 10 has some other features over the Fire 7: namely a battery life of up to 12 hours, SD cards up to 1TB, and a 2-year warranty with decent coverage (a great value-add for a device designed for younger audiences).

With all of this said, why do we give this a slightly lower score compared to the Fire 7? It’s really down to price-point and usage.

If your primary focus is on a device that is primarily going to be used as a car TV screen, then the Fire 7 will likely do the job fine.

If however, you can see yourself using the tablet/s for more extensive things (like the other apps available), if you have a higher budget or if you have kids/passengers that you think will enjoy the higher quality screen more, then the Fire 10 is simply a stunning choice.

Not only is this one of the best tablets for car journies, but it’s one of the best basic tablets available in any category.

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Best Car TV mount: WANPOOL Headrest Holder

This universal headrest is a great choice not just for its cheap price and suitability across 7-10″ tablets, but also in the fact that it can mount vertically or horizontally (in other words, it can be used on seats that have an integrated headrest).

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Best headphones for car entertainment

Although many of our picks above come with included headphones, it’s worth checking before you purchase as some options don’t.

If not, don’t fret, we’ve included the best options to pick up here.

We’ve focussed on over-ear headphones as you tend to want some noise-cancellation for long car journies (your kids will still hear you if you call for them!).

The 2 picks are also rather cheap as we expect most backseat passengers aren’t going to need the highest home-quality headphones around (if you are an audiophile, however, you can look at another feature we have).

Best Cheap Headphones for Car Trips: Sony MDR-ZX110

The MDR-ZX110 may seem almost too cheap, but for car journies, we think the sound and build quality of these are a treat and exactly what most passengers will need (especially younger kids).

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Best Premium Headphones for Car Trips: Anker Soundcore Life

If you have older kids or adult passengers, the Sony MDRs would still suffice, but if you have the budget, the Anker Lifes will give you a sound much more akin to a premium cinematic experience (while still not costing 100s of dollars like some audiophile solutions demand).

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What to look for when buying a TV for your car

Hopefully, after reading this guide you’ve come to some conclusion about which type of device you’re looking for.
 
If however, you’re still deliberating, we’ve put together a brief buying guide on the main factors to consider when choosing:

Value

An obvious point, but the different types of car display offerings tend to run for notably different prices (with headrest TV screens usually offering the best value, especially when sold in pairs).

If you have a higher budget, then your focus will be on devices that have higher screen quality, battery life, and wi-fi functionality (for Netflix/Disney+ streaming instead of local device storage).

Screen quality & size

Most passengers (especially car TVs for babies and kids) will be fine with the standard 7″-13″ screens on offer for most offerings (these are similar in experience to the screens you find on long-haul flights).

Quality for portable TVs is usually dictated by the price and resolution, with the more premium options having crisp, 1080p/full HD screens (this isn’t a requirement by any means, but we’d try and go for at least 600P options if your budget can allow for it).

Wi-fi/Bluetooth availability

TVs for cars in the cheaper range tend not to include these features.

If you want to stream content from Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, and more live, you will need a car TV with wi-fi included (alongside a mobile data connection), some of our premium options in this post include this.

We would say that this isn’t a necessity however, many portable/headrest car TVs run on local storage. A lot of Netflix/streaming service plans include the option to download some content locally, we think this is the more economically viable solution for most of our readers.

Installation/mounting

With the 1000s of different cars our readers will be driving, it’s impossible to offer any universal recommendation on what the best car TVs are for your specific vehicle mounting.

With that said, headrest TVs and the mounts included tend to be designed with the variability of cars in mind (often simple straps to attach to your front seat headrests).

If you have any doubt about your car’s suitability for TV mounting, we’d suggest trying to read the myriad of customer reviews available on some of our top recommendations. You may not find your exact car being used, but you’ll likely come across similar vehicles being used for the TV mounting.

UI

This isn’t a huge factor, more of an afterthought, but for kids especially, you may want to consider how easy the content is to access (e.g. is it a touchscreen, does it have a remote, is there voice control?).

Most TVs for cars are designed with easy usability in mind, but more expensive screens will tend to come with better controls.

Final Thoughts

And there you have it! We’ve been through a lot of car TV options in today’s feature, we appreciate it can be a little overwhelming to pick between so many different types of screen.

If you’re still unsure about your decision, we’ll leave you with a brief final summary of our thoughts:

  • Car overhead TV: Best choice for most, easy setup, affordable and designed for each screen to be used by 1 passenger
  • Car roof TV: Good choice for passengers who want to game on the same screen & car enthusiasts who are comfortable with a more complex install
  • Portable monitor/DVD player: Good choice for those who aren’t too interested in mounting to the backseats and instead want something that can be easily taken out of the car/used for entertainment by the front seat passengers
  • Tablet with car mount: Good choice for those who can find other uses for tablets (e.g. kids).

All of these options are great for car entertainment, if you stick to our top picks, we think you’ll be pleased regardless of what you go for.

Safe travels!

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About the author

Picture of Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross
Kaelum Ross, BSc is the Lead Writer at What in Tech and a leading authority in PC hardware and software. With a career as a senior IT professional, Kaelum has led multi-million dollar projects covering everything from bespoke software development to complex Windows hardware upgrades. Today, Kaelum uses his expertise to serve What in Tech's readers and has been featured in numerous global publications including New York Magazine and Lifewire.

* Specifications throughout our articles are double-checked and intended to inform our users, but should not be treated as factual information. When making final decisions on your products, please check the manufacturer pages to confirm the fine details.