Tempered glass side panels are a flex that is practically a must these days. Higher-end systems almost always have side panels so that the RGB inside your build is on display. Tempered glass panels add an incredible aesthetic to your existing setup, which justifies the extra money you’ll need to get it done.
And, why shouldn’t you? You paid for a system that lights up, so now you should be giving it a good home to look the best it possibly can.
In this article, we’ve covered seven of the best tempered glass PC cases in the market. We will also discuss some benefits of a tempered glass side panel and some general FAQs that most of you would want to ask. Let’s get right into our review.
Contents
- Comparison Chart for Tempered Glass PC Cases
- Our Favorite Tempered Glass PC Cases
Comparison Chart for Tempered Glass PC Cases
| Name & Brand | Types | Motherboard | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooler Master C700M | Full Tower | Extended ATX | Check Price |
| Corsair iCUE 5000X RGB | Mid Tower | ATX | Check Price |
| Thermaltake Tower 900 | Full Tower | Extended ATX | Check Price |
| be quiet! Dark Base 700 | Full Tower | ATX | Check Price |
| Thermaltake Core P90 | Mid Tower | ATX | Check Price |
| NZXT H510 | Mid Tower | ATX | Check Price |
| Cooler Master NR200P | Vertical | Mini-ITX/DTX | Check Price |
Our Favorite Tempered Glass PC Cases
Cooler Master Cosmos C700M
Cooler Master has always had a futuristic eye for PC cases. As a result, their products have a unique look that makes the company brand distinguishable from a mile away. So, let’s talk about why this UFO-lookalike PC case is at the top of our list.
Product Features
The Cosmos C700M is one of the most overkill PC cases you’re ever going to find on the market. It’s also the most expensive on this list, but the sheer look and functionality of the case justify (at least most of) the price. It sits at the height of 25.6 inches and weighs 50 pounds without a single gram of hardware installed in it.
The main selling point is the peek you can take inside the case and the airflow. One look at the case, and you already know that you’re buying an elite product. Going back to the airflow, Cooler Master went full in on making sure the interior stays cost.
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They’ve included several different pathways for air and lined them all with dust filters to keep the insides clean.
Furthermore, CM also added metal bars to the top and bottom of the case. The top ones make it look like the Apple Mac Pro Tower, and you’re probably better off without them. The bottom ones provide functionality since they make your case rise an inch or two above the surface and intake some air from there.
If you look at it from afar, the Cosmos looks all metal, which is a good sign. But, on closer inspection, you’ll see that it’s mostly made of plastic. This doesn’t mean it’s flimsy, though. The build quality is still outstanding, but it takes a bit away from the weight. The weight is already at 50 pounds; adding metal to it would make the case unusable.
The fun part of this case is that it gives you mounting options for your GPU. You can either go the standard route and mount it vertically or spice things up by putting it horizontally. Cooler Master does include the PCIe riser you’ll need for a horizontal mount.
The case is roomy, especially when it comes to storage solutions. The Cosmos lets you load in three 2.5-inch drives and five 3.5-inch drives. Cable management is a breeze with this case. Cooler Master already laid out most of the cables in their designated locations with Velcro cable ties. But, building the rest of the PC isn’t as easy though.
Pros
- Amazingly aesthetic
- Curved tempered glass
- Has more than enough room
- Supports vertical and horizontal hardware mounts
Cons
- Extremely expensive and not meant for everyone
Corsair iCUE 5000X Case
The Corsair iCUE 5000X is the successor to the older 4000X case. Corsair picked up everything good about the 4000X and made it better in the 5000X.
Product Features
Before we talk about anything else, this case is probably one of the most modern PC cases money can buy. The unique feature is the four tempered glass panels all across the case for a 360-degree viewing option. iCUE improves the overall aesthetic of this case by adding three RGB fans on the front panel. They’re Corsair’s relatively expensive SP RGB Elite fans, giving the case some added benefits.
You can control all the RGB in the 5000X case with the iCUE Lighting Node CORE and the Corsair iCUE software. In addition, Corsair gives you the option to install three individual 360mm radiators for maximum airflow.
Get Corsair iCUE 5000X RGB at Amazon
There is also a PWM fan controller that’s in charge of all the fans present in the case. This controller allows you to change the speed and noise of your cooling system manually. If you’re still not happy with the airflow, you can go for the liquid cooling route as an alternative.
The company has made it relatively easy for you to manage cables in your setup. A case with tempered glass on all sides needs to have top-notch cable management, or it’s just not going to look good. Corsair calls this their RapidRoute cable management, making it extremely easy to tuck away all the cases. There’s a 25mm space behind the motherboard, which is more than enough for your cables.
The I/O capabilities of this case are also awe-inspiring. It gives you 2 x USB 3.0 ports paired with a USB 3.1 Type-C Port.
Pros
- RGB from all sides
- Beautiful front RGB fans
- It comes with three Corsair SP RGB Elite fans
- RapidRoute cable management for sleeker builds
- Decent I/O options
- Great airflow
Cons
- Mounting PSU is a bit difficult
Thermaltake Tower 900 Black Edition
The Thermaltake Tower 900 is probably the most unique-looking case on this list. It’s not like your average mid-tower case. In fact, it looks more like a gamer mini-fridge than a PC case. However, we can say one thing for sure; the case looks fantastic with the proper hardware.
Product Features
The Thermaltake Tower 900 is meant for people who don’t know the meaning of the word ‘overkill.’ It’s designed to be an absolute monster of a PC case with tempered glass panels on three sides of the case. The case is almost 30 inches tall with 54 pounds, which puts even Cosmos C700M to shame.
Thermaltake got in touch with Watermod France for the cooling solution, a company relatively well-known for its PC mods. The front of the case can house two 140mm fans, while the back can take up a whopping number of 11 fans. Thus, you can install two radiators on either side of the case.
Get Thermaltake Tower 900 at Amazon
However, you will need to remove the hard drive cage to do that. The supported radiator sizes are 560mm with four 140mm fans or 480mm with four 120mm fans. You do get two 140mm fans, courtesy of Thermaltake, but they lack RGB, which might be something you desire with this setup.
The case doesn’t look like it’s customizable, but Thermaltake made it fully modular. You can take apart the entire case and install everything systematically. Cable management is quite a painful process, though. You have to run every cable from the back of the case, which isn’t as easy as it sounds. Also, the wiring gets messy, so you’ll have to spend some time cleaning everything up.
The Tower 900 is a fantastic feat of engineering that many people would enjoy on their desks. However, it’s not the most versatile of cases in the world. If you’re not ready to deal with the massive footprint, it’s best to steer clear of this case and go for something more mainstream instead.
Pros
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Amazing at showcasing parts
- Three 5mm thick tempered glass panels
- Premium cooling
Cons
- Extremely bulky
- Challenging to manage cables properly
be quiet! Dark Base 700 BGW23
The Dark Base 700 case is a simple yet functional product. Although it doesn’t have much that sets it apart from similar products, it does a great job at cooling nonetheless.
Product Features
Be Quiet! is infamous for creating PC components that don’t produce too much noise. Due to this unique aspect of their products, the company is adored in the gaming community.
The case sits at a respectable size of 20 inches. You can either call it a large mid-tower case or a small full-tower case. Be Quiet! built this case out of plastic and aluminum, which brought up the weight to a hefty 30 lbs. without any hardware.
As far as the design of the case is concerned, there isn’t anything special. It’s a simple, to-the-point black design that doesn’t have any flashy features we’re used to seeing in most cases. There is RGB included inside the case, but there’s nothing eye-catching on the exterior.
Get be quiet! Dark Base 700 at Amazon
The way the case is designed helps with the airflow a lot. Be Quiet! lifted the case a few inches, making the bottom surface another way for the system to intake air. This ventilation keeps the PSU cool. However, the air intake isn’t the most exciting part of the fans. Every fan in the Dark Base 700 is covered with a nylon fan filter to keep out dust.
On top of that, they’ve made cleaning quite convenient as well. You won’t even need to unplug the PC. Instead, just open up the front panel, and the dust filters slide right out.
The fans that come with the case are the company’s own Silent Wings 3 140mm cases. The company has specifically designed these to ‘be quiet.’ Regardless, if you’re not in the mood to limit yourself to excellent air cooling, you can simply load up the spacious case with water cooling apparatus.
Pros
- Beautiful tempered glass panel
- Optimal cooling
- It stays true to its name and remains quiet
- Filters keep the dust-out
Cons
- Fairly pricey
- The restricted airflow can be problematic in heavy use
Thermaltake Core P90
One of the more vividly aesthetic and rigid approaches to cases, Thermaltake decided to create an inspirational yet compact open tower case with an incredible amount of curb appeal.
Product Features
With enough space to fit all your hardware, this case is compact enough to fit next to your setup smoothly. Being on average when it comes to price range, it isn’t as flashy and eye-catching compared to other cases in the list. However, it takes the cake in how easy it is to access due to its open design.
A unique feature of this case is its two-sided glass view, making it one of the rare models where it is allowed to install hardware on one side and extend it to the other end.
Many manufacturers have not yet experimented with this type of design, making it one of the first of its kind. This also aligns with their save space policy, where you install the motherboard on one side and the power supply and storage drive on the other.
Get Thermaltake Core P90 at Amazon
Even though there is no view for the third edge, adding hardware to that compartment is possible. Thermaltake wants to maximize space efficiency as much as possible so that your case structure can be split into three compartments for graphic card, PSU, and additional cooling units.
The flexibility of this case does not end here. It also retains a three-way placement layout that allows the case to be held horizontally, vertically, or mounted. With this, the user can be creative with arranging the case to go with the setup.
There is also an add-on of seven drive bays with modular drive trays design and even a liquid cooling system expansion. Moreover, it allows you to permit users with upgraded aesthetics and has limitless potential in terms of configuration and exterior appeal.
The Core P90 offers a ton of customizability to the builder. You’re free to design their system from the ground up with modular panels, racks, brackets, and pre-designed mounting arrays. In addition, the open build design of the case makes sure that you don’t have to struggle with unreachable screw corners and gaps.
The Thermaltake Core P90 is one of the cheaper cases that supports AIO/DIY liquid cooling components. In addition, it supports a radiator fitment of up to 480mm DIY liquid cooling. On top of that, it also extends GPU performance, making it virtually limitless.
Keeping to its straightforward look, the case doesn’t come with many striking features. For example, the front panel only contains the usual ports and buttons, no RGB lighting, no fan controllers, or USB 3.1 Type-C. However, its main appeal is that it can be built from scratch, making it DIY-friendly.
Pros
- Unique aesthetic
- Isolation of components for uniform heat dissipation
- Two-way GPU placement with vertical GPU mounting
- 3-way placement layout angles to suit your needs
Cons
- It takes a long time to construct this case, especially if you don’t have prior experience
- The riser cable is faulty in most cases
NZXT H510
The NZXT H510 is the successor of the H500 and is one of the sleekest and cleanest cases on this list. It has a minimalist design with all the things a top-quality case needs to have.
Product Features
NZXT kept things relatively simple with the three solid-color designs of the build. There are two variants of the black case, with one of them having some red detailing. The third color is a pure white design that looks amazing when paired up with white hardware.
NZXT initially released the case in three variants; the H510, H510 Elite, and the H510i. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with RGB, though if you’re interested in having this same case with RGB strips and a control panel, you could go for the H510i, an i-Series equivalent of the same processor.
The ports used in this case are also pretty decent. NZXT went ahead and installed dual USB 3.0 and paired it up with another USB 3.1 Type-C. So, it doesn’t matter how many files you need to copy with the H510; it’ll get through them at a fast speed.
One of the key benefits of working with an NZXT case is its excellent cable management. NZXT makes it easy for a PC building novice to create aesthetic setups. The company even included their patented cable routing kit with the case that you can use to pass the wires through the premade channels.
The airflow is good, though it could’ve been much better. In pure NZXT fashion, they’ve put fans on the front panel for intake and on the top to act as an exhaust.
However, one minor flaw in the design is that they didn’t put two fans up there. As a result, there’s only one exhaust on the top and one on the back, which isn’t the ideal configuration since there isn’t sufficient pull for the exhaust.
Pros
- Sleek design
- Decent I/O ports
- Clear tempered glass panel
- Easy to manage cables
- Water cooling compatible
- Support most mainstream motherboard sizes
Cons
- The fan configuration isn’t ideal
- Requires several tools to set up
Cooler Master NR200P SFF
This product from Cooler Master is one of the best compact cases for ITX. It’s a unique small factor case that has a tempered glass side panel for optimal view.
Product Features
Small factor cases are usually quite difficult to build since you have less real estate space to work with. However, NR200P offers extreme accessibility, as you can dismantle the case from all sides. This makes the build super easy due to full access to the internal space.
The side panels are toolless, which makes the installations and upgrade process a breeze. Magnetic dust filters are generic and don’t offer top-notch performance as mesh dust filters. The dust filters cover the top, bottom, and sides of the case.
Get Cooler Master NR200P at Amazon
This Cooler Master case also offers a vertical GPU mount, and it takes full advantage of it by showing it off through the tempered glass. Unlike other cases, it comes with the PCI Express Riser cable to mount the GPU vertically, so you don’t have to go out of your way to buy one for yourself.
Compact PC cases are infamous for having lousy airflow, mainly due to the small size and tight airflow as the PC components tend to cover most of the space and not let the air pass through. But, this is a fault that the NR200P has made up for. It offers decent airflow, as this slim case has enough space to house seven fans.
In addition, the case provides enough space between the GPU and tempered glass for airflow.
Speaking of GPU, this case is unlike any other since it can support a full-size GPU without any difficulty. Moreover, it offers toolless mounting for the top fans. The cable management options are decent as well. The best part of this case is probably its versatility. The case is fully compatible with liquid cooling using the designated pump and radiator locations included in the case.
The material used to make the case is high-quality coated SGCC steel. It adds a fantastic amount of durability to the case and makes sure it lasts forever.
Pros
- Offers great airflow
- Liquid cooling compatibility
- It supports a full-size GPU
- Durable build quality
- Easy accessibility
Cons
- It can be a little compact for complex builds
- Dust filters offered are generic
Benefits of Using Tempered Glass Cases
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Durable
Tempered glass is manufactured such that it is stronger than ordinary glass. As a result, it can withstand strong winds, direct impact from blows and bumps, and even minor explosions.
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Safe to Use
The most significant advantage of tempered glass over ordinary glass is that it is designed with safety as a pretext. Unlike regular glass, which breaks into more giant shards, this disintegrates into granular chunks that are practically harmless.
-
Heat Resistant
It can resist temperatures of up to 470 degrees. This makes it ideal for heat-oriented appliances and computer hardware, given that it has to deal with peak temperatures regularly.
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Crystal Clear
Although it is tough, it doesn’t affect the clarity of the glass. Instead, it is crystal clear and transparent, making it useful in windows, display cases, and glass doors.
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Versatile
It can be practically used anywhere where glass is needed. Moreover, it does the job of regular glass ten-fold. Therefore, it is useful in windows, display cases, and glass doors.
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Hard to Scratch
The manufacturing process makes tempered glass thermally tough and also makes it scratch-resistant. This makes it the ideal material for glass doors, kitchen appliances, mobile protectors, and vehicle windows.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can tempered glass break?
Yes, it can. It is durable but is still just a fancy glass at the end of the day. However, as we said earlier, the way tempered glass breaks is different from regular glass. Tempered glass disintegrates into granular chunks, which are harmless for you and your PC.
Can the glass get scratched?
Tempered glass is specifically treated to ensure that it doesn’t scratch easily. The surface is smoothed out, making the glass resistant to scratches. It can scratch, but the glass will last a long time before that happens.
Will it get charred with heat like acrylic?
The answer is no. Tempered glass is a lot more durable and heat-resistant as compared to acrylic. Acrylic is cheaper, but due to the heat dissipated by your system, the panel will start to blacken. This won’t happen with tempered glass, as it’s capable of sustaining much higher temperatures than your computer can put out.
How thick should my side panels be?
Generally speaking, you shouldn’t really have to worry about thickness. Like the ones we talked about here, Premium PC cases use a 5mm tempered glass panel. Sometimes the thickness is even more than 5mm. This is the recommended thickness, but anything about 3mm should work just fine.
Closing Thoughts
Tempered glass panels are a great addition to modern PCs. It’s the reason why RGB builds have gotten so popular over the past decade. Of course, you could get the same level of quality with regular glass or acrylic, but they’re nowhere near as durable as a tempered glass panel. So, if you’re looking to buy a durable glass, go ahead and pick any one of the cases mentioned on this list.
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