Labs

This is by far the most expensive tower case in the group, but it's easy to see why. It's incredibly sturdy, beautifully finished and made entirely of aluminium to radiate excess heat.

It has three quiet fans, all with red LEDs. The 120mm rear exhaust fan is fairly standard, but the front pair of 92mm fans give the case its distinctive look and suck plenty of air in over the hard disks. The fans have motherboard headers, or you can use a Molex connector that lets you select from low or high speeds.

The front hard disk bay has an ingenious tool-free and vibration dampening system. You simply push the hard disks in and a bar drops down to hold them in place. Two further hard disks can be clamped to the floor of the case.

The side of the case has a pair of doors that are held shut by magnets. The rear door has a large plastic window. The GT1000 is expensive, but it's easy to build, quiet and looks great.