Best Cases For Water Cooling
Building a new loop? Let’s find the best case for water cooling and get you started!
These days, more and more premium PC cases offer a high amount of features, many of which include logical layouts, loads of radiator space, mounting brackets, and sometimes drain/fill ports. Whether you go for a full tower or fancy building a loop in a mini ITX, we are going to be finding the best cases for water cooling.
Manufacturers have been producing some excellent cases over the last few years, revamping the mid-tower market, giving builders more features and options than ever before.
Let’s take a look.
Our Top Picks
The Best Cases For Water Cooling
In-depth Review
Lian Li O11 Dynamic XL
Lian Li O11 Dynamic XL
The o11 Dynamic from Lian Li is one of the most popular PC cases to ever grace the shelves and it is easy to see why. We have the XL version here to give you as much room as possible for your next water cooled PC build. This case is packed with features and is ideal for elaborate custom loops.
This spacious enclosure can support motherboards from Mini-ITX all the way up to E-ATX. There is an optional accessory you can purchase if you wanted to fit an EBB too.
With the increased size over its predecessor, it is now even easier to install the most ambitious of systems inside. The case also comes with hot-swap drives, which is a great feature when compared to your standard cages/ bracket mounts. Inside you get four hot-swap 2.5″/3.5″ and six internal for 2.5″ SSD.
The case features are tailored primarily for custom water-cool builds, with some added cutouts for different system configurations. Furthermore, everything almost tool-free and easy to access, which is surprisingly rare with PC cases. There is a lot of support for radiators and fans. The front I/O ports are fairly standard but it is good to see USB Type-C involved.
Lian Li has created something truly magnificent here and there is no better way to showcase your new water cooled build than with the O11D XL.
Phanteks Enthoo 719
Phanteks Enthoo 719
Phanteks excelled themselves with the Enthoo 719, this case is constructed with care and comes bursting at the seams with features. This case is not only one of the best cases for water cooling in, it’s one of the best full-towers, period.
This PC case supports motherboards from EEB all the way down to Mini-ITX and can even support a dual system setup. So if you are a streamer/ content creator you can get everything you need and fit it inside this one case.
Some may consider this to be a “budget” full-tower but don’t let that fool you, this is one classy chassis. Any type of build looks amazing behind the huge uninterrupted tempered glass panel. Water-cooling isn’t a must but the main features go a long way to support a custom loop setup. Furthermore, there is a vast amount of drive options at hand here, with 11 places to mount a 2.5″ SSD and 12 spots for a 3.5″ drive.
The 719 comes with a fill and drain port position conveniently for even the inexperienced to make use of and there are enough radiator mounting options for the most elaborate loops out there. All-in-all a solid case that is very aesthetically pleasing on the eye.
Fractal Design Meshify 2 XL
Fractal Design Meshify 2 XL
The Fractal Design Meshify 2 follows on from the success of the Define series and can be compared to the Define 7 XL in many ways. Where the Define 7 focused on acoustic performance, the Meshify 2 XL appears to be focused more on airflow and elaborate water cooled loops.
This PC case supports motherboards all the way up top EATX/ SSIB thanks to its large spacious interior and is perfectly suited for those out there that need a lot of drive mounting options. Out of the box, you get 10 drives (6x 3.5-inch + 2x 2.5-inch + 2x 3.5/2.5-inch), however, the Meshify 2 XL supports a maximum of 23 drives with the add-on accessories when having this in “storage-mode”.
Another impressive feature for water cooling is this case’s radiator support, you can fit a 480mm rad on either the top or front of this case, giving you some superb cooling options. It is worth noting that you won’t be able to mount two 480mm rads at the same time but you can fit up to 280mm at the bottom if needed.
This is a high-quality case and could help you complete an impressive workstation build but regardless of what you are planning on water cooling, the Meshify 2 XL is solid.
Lian Li Case O11D Mini
Lian Li Case O11D Mini
Lian Li has gone one step further with their mini version of the O11D. Along with creating a truly unique ITX form factor case, Lian Li has also improved in a couple of things. The mini can fit a fully air-cooled PC inside with little to no clearance issues, making it a bit more versatile.
The O11D Mini is ideal for water cooling and comes with the features to back up that statement. Many ITX fans may consider this too large to be a true ITX case but its extra space allows you to create some very special rigid tubing runs and benefit from the two large tempered glass panels in the process. The interior layout is very similar to the original only smaller and the featured modular rear panel is a nice touch.
The O11D comes with a dual-chamber design which will aid with cable management when the times come and there is support for up to four drives. The case is completely dust-protected with all three vents equipped with a magnetic dust filter. More importantly, the O11D Mini comes with plenty of radiator support, allowing you up to 360mm at the top and bottom, and the side being up to 280mm.
There are few cases in the world that are going to give you water cooled PC as beautiful as this case will, it is fantastic.
Corsair iCUE 5000X RGB
Corsair iCUE 5000X RGB
Overall, the Corsair iCUE 5000X RGB is a top-level case, giving beginners and experienced builders something easy to work with while also providing amazing aesthetic results.
Aside from this case’s visual prowess, the spacious interior and radiator support make this an attractive option for a variety of water cooling enthusiasts. You can mount a rad at the front, the top, or conveniently on the side, giving you a lot of different options depending on your loop.
With the 5000X, we have removable front and side fan brackets to support a wider variety of options for would-be builders. The HDD cage, shroud sections, and a panel revealing the back of your motherboard all open with Corsairs tool-free design. Other modular areas like the cable bar, cable management system, and PWM/fan hubs can be removed with a screwdriver, freeing up space where needed.
A serious case here that feels premium yet comes in at a very affordable price.
Check out our full review of the Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X here.
Final Word
Here we have five of the best cases for water cooling, an area of your build that should never be overlooked. Different cases come with different features but every selection in this guide has been hand-selected for its versatility, water cooling support, and value.
Which PC case you choose will largely come down to what custom loop you plan on creating but you can rest assured that every model above offers high levels of quality, features, and performance.