Is Tempered Glass Case Worth It? (See 7 Facts & 3 Products)
After spending serious money on getting a PC, no one would blame you for wanting to parade its fabulous interiors. Metal PC cases are fast becoming outdated. Not only are they heavy and unfashionable, but they also don’t offer you as much opportunity to strut your RGB components as tempered glass cases. Indeed, tempered glass cases are stylish…but are they worth it?
Tempered glass cases are a fantastic investment for any PC owner. Aside from their esteemed stylishness, these cases are portable, affordable, also allowing you the maximum opportunity for visual display of your PC interiors. Being tempered, these glass cases have superior impact (and scratch) resilience compared to conventional or annealed glass. Furthermore, tempered glass cases are way less noisy.
Let us learn more about tempered glass cases. What stands them out, some of their drawbacks, and how to get the best-value tempered glass cases.
Why is getting tempered glass an excellent investment?
The major selling point of tempered glass cases is the enhanced visibility it gives tour chassis interiors. Have you got some lovable case lighting and RGB fans?
Then tempered glass is best suited to showing them off, especially considering the spectacular effects tempered glass produces when combined with internal lighting.
Compared to your regular plastic or acrylic cases, tempered glasses are far more translucent. This gives your PC an overall classic feel while making it more portable, with improved sound and temperature regulation.
Are tempered glass cases convenient?
Advancements in tempered glass PC case technology have been heartwarming across the last few years. Aside from giving us something more aesthetically appealing than the “1920” (old school) metal cases, tempered glass cases are now very convenient to use.
The generality of contemporary tempered glass cases is fitted with expansion packs, input, and output controls. This way, you are best positioned to utilize your PC tower space.
Do tempered glass cases scratch easily?
Tempered glass cases offer more than luster and grace. They are also more resistant to scratches than acrylic glass cases.
Feel free to wipe them off with any material. The chances are high you wouldn’t notice any scratch.
Are tempered glass cases prone to discoloration?
No, tempered glasses boast impressive color sustainability. While the likes of acrylic cases quickly take on a yellowish tint (with time) or become foggy, tempered glass cases retain their color all through their useful life.
Are tempered glass cases easy to maintain?
Tempered glass cases are easy to clean. A window cleaner, lint-free towel, or microfiber cloth (provided it is dry) would do excellently in cleaning your tempered glass case.
These materials should be used with distilled water. Such water choice is preferable given its significantly reduced mineral content. Such minerals – if not eliminated – could cause scratches on your tempered glass surface.
To further sustain its translucence, you can periodically treat your tempered glass case with dust–repellent substances.
Are there any challenges with tempered glass cases?
Tempered glass PC cases are a marvelous addition for any PC enthusiast keen on strutting his chassis interior. Nonetheless, these cases are not without some drawbacks.
First, they are relatively bulky. Compared to lighter plastic cases, tempered glass cases are heavier. This is because of their enhanced density. Thus, you have to factor in mobility constraints when purchasing tempered glass cases.
Also, despite how colorful tempered glass cases could be, we can’t entirely discount their risk of breakage. Well, anything glass breaks, don’t they?
It is comforting that tempered glass is more resilient than conventional glass. This means it can cope with a few knocks here and there. But if you mistakenly drop a tempered glass case, it could break, given the inherent brittleness of glass.
Well, if you can be pretty cautious with your tempered glass PC case, avoiding situations of high impact on your side panel, you can substantially degrade this vulnerability.
These handicaps, as you see, are not sufficient to make tempered glass case an unwise investment. But if you must buy tempered glass cases, what should you watch out for to make the purchase worth your hard-earned dollars?
How to buy tempered glass cases that are worth it
This section will examine the critical parameters and features to watch out for when buying tempered glass cases. This way, you are poised to derive the utmost value from your purchase.
First, consider the size
This is the paramount consideration to make when buying tempered glass cases. Admittedly, there is a wide array of sizes to choose from when purchasing glass cases. However, the three most prevalent sizes are Mini TX, Mid Tower, and Full tower.
The size you go for is predominantly determined by motherboard support. The likes of full tower cases are best suited to PC owners keen on more extensive space accommodation for components like storage, water cooling loops, and graphic cards.
ATX motherboards would do well with mid and full towers. The said case sizes would also accommodate micro-ATX motherboards. On the other hand, you should be gunning for Mini-ITX cases if you have really small mini-ITX motherboards.
Take note that if you procure mini-ITX cases, you will likely not enjoy facilities like a big honking CPU cooler. Also, the bulk of mini-ITX cases are not compatible with full-length graphics cards.
What drive bays do you want?
Drive bays are generally used for storage. Aside from keeping disk drives, these bays can also be adapted into card readers, I/O bays, front-end USB ports, and RAID controllers.
The drive bay provision is a critical consideration when choosing tempered glass PC cases. It is recommended that your case has sufficient 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch drive bays to accommodate your devices better.
While 5.25-inch bays are well suited to storing fan controllers and optical drives, more recent case designs are phasing them out to enhance the air delivery from the front-side fans.
Does your case have cable cut-outs?
Cable management is worth pondering about when choosing tempered glass cases. You are best served if your tempered glass case’s motherboard tray has these cut-out provisions for ready cable routing (ideally via rubber grommets). The motherboard tray should also be fitted with adequate points for the cable ties attachment.
This makes things neat and preserves the aesthetic allure the tempered glass case is essentially meant to furnish your PC.
Best tempered glass cases you can get
Allow us to wrap up this piece with some of the best tempered glass cases you can. Ready?
The NZXT H700i is a beauty to behold
If you need a premium tempered glass case and have got the dollars to spare, the NZXT H700i should top your consideration list.
There is a lot to admire about this glass case, an alluring combo of artistic grace and functionality. This is a mid-tower case that is typically compatible with the conventional ATX motherboards.
The RGB lighting is one feature we could not ignore. Airflow is another major strength for the H700i, as it is fitted with up to four fans.
This chassis is furnished with RGB LED strips giving the interior a graceful illumination. This is even further enhanced with a lightning controller. What is more, the NZXT H700i is supplied with enough space for a custom-loop liquid cooling system.
Pros
Impressive airflow
Fitted with CAM software
Supplied with RGB controls
Cons
Not the cheapest you can get
Your PC would love to rock the Fractal Design Meshify C TG
If you are not obsessed with RGB controls, you could go for this Meshify C adaptation. We can confidently say it is the best tempered glass case we have come across for cases without RGB.
This Meshify C has an outstanding builder design and is best suited to large-case enthusiasts. It is decked with double 120mm, which comes pre-installed.
As everyone in the industry readily agrees, Fractal Design comes top when it comes to solid-steel construction. Yes, it doesn’t boast the heartwarming RGB illumination of the H700i, but that handicap is easily compensated with the superb airflow of this Meshify C.
How were we not going to be enthused with a case that boasts as many seven fans? We also admire Meshify’s cable management.
It is supplied with 15-35 mm space cable routing, cable routing grommets, and fixed velcro straps. Add this to Meshify’s innovative internal layouts, and you see why we were head over heels in love with this tempered glass case.
Pros
Best airflow we have seen
Impressive builder-friendly design
Cons
Lacks RGB lighting facility
Low on budget? The InWin 301 is another darling to consider
No contest, the InWin 301 is the best-tempered glass case we have seen in the mini-tower category. This tempered glass case comes with a 330mm GPU clearance and a Micro ATX as its max motherboard size. But there is much more to love about this tempered glass case.
The InWin 301 stands out for its spectacularly portable form factor. But don’t be too quick to underrate its small size. It comes with three 120mm fans.
But this can be ramped up to five fans if you don’t mind doing away with a PCIE slot. This means terrific cooling for a case so small.
For what it lacks in size and spaciousness, the InWin 301 strives to make up for with the beauty of its RGB lighting and unbelievable affordability.
Well, if it is your first time building a chassis, chances are you would struggle to build the InWin301. Its cable management wasn’t the best we have seen either.
Pros
Has a modest and compact build
Amazing cooling options
Relatively affordable
Cons
Cable management can be impeding
It requires more experience to build
RESOURCES
https://cabletechtalk.com/benefits-of-tempered-glass-computer-case/
https://candid.technology/acrylic-vs-tempered-glass/
https://fixthephoto.com/best-tempered-glass-pc-case.html/
https://pcper.com/2018/04/fractal-design-meshify-c-tempered-glass-case-review/