The Future of Cases: What We Want to See

When it comes to computer cases, there are many things that can make or break an otherwise great build. In this article, we'll discuss some of the features and designs that we'd love to see more of in the case industry.

One feature that we think would be amazing is customizable power supply top covers. Imagine being able to show off your power supply's model number and design it to match your case's aesthetic. Not only would this add a touch of personalization, but it could also make for some really cool and unique designs. We've seen cases with illuminated acrylic or glass tops before, but having the option to customize the top cover itself would take things to a whole new level.

Another feature that we'd love to see more of is removable motherboard trays. While this might seem like a hassle, we think it could make building and upgrading computers a lot easier. With a removable tray, you wouldn't have to worry about having a big case on the table while you build or upgrade your computer. Instead, you could just focus on installing your components without the distraction of the entire case getting in the way.

When it comes to GPU mounts, we think vertical GPU mounts are really cool and would love to see more of them implemented into cases. Not only do they make for a great visual display, but they also allow you to showcase your graphics card's RGB lighting and other features. Of course, this might require wider case designs, but we think it would be worth it.

We've also seen some cases with built-in fans that can be swapped out for better options or more visually appealing ones. Why not make these fans optional, then? It would give builders the freedom to choose their own fan configurations and designs, which could lead to even more creative and unique case builds.

And what about MOX connections? We think it's time to retire this outdated technology and substitute it with something better. A SATA power connector would be a great alternative, allowing for cleaner and more efficient cabling.

Finally, we'd love to see more accessories included with cases in the future. Take the NZXT Puck, for example – its magnetic little device can hold headphones in place and has all sorts of other useful features built into it. Or consider the Cooler Master 5T's magnetic toolbox – it's a great way to keep small tools organized and within reach.

We'd also love to see more unique lighting options, like diffused RGB lighting. We've seen some cases with harsh or bright lights that can be overwhelming, but a diffused LED strip would add a nice touch of elegance to any build.

Last but not least, we think headphone stands should become a standard feature in cases. It's a small but practical detail that could make building and upgrading computers even easier and more enjoyable.

As the case industry continues to evolve, it will be exciting to see how these features and designs are implemented. Who knows? Maybe one day, cases won't be necessary at all. But for now, let's enjoy the creativity and innovation that's out there, and maybe we can influence some of the changes we'd like to see in the future.

What do you think – what annoyances have you encountered while building or upgrading your computer, and how would you like to see the case industry change moving forward? Let us know in the comments below!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: engot to mute them old devices hello everyone I'm Dimitri with Hoku welcome to another video today we'll be talking about something that uh goes quite close to me as um the topic of today's video is the first topic that I discussed on camera for the haruk KN YouTube channel uh back in 2013 and that video was the top 10 needed PC case improvements that we would like to see and I'd like to revisit the same uh theme for this video to talk talk about how this case industry has evolved and what we'd like to see for 2017 and these top trends that I would love to see uh in this year moving forward so let's talk about those things that I said back then right after message from our sponsor introducing the new ocz vx500 solid state drives from Toshiba it offers great well-balanced speeds built with mlc n flash for Superior endurance and is also backed by 5-year Advanced warranty program learn more about the vx500 at oc.com so for that video from 3 years ago I mentioned 10 things and uh by the way my balcony then and the greenery looked amazing let's just say that but first of all I mentioned modular 5 and 1/4 in Drive Bays it's actually hilarious because you know rest in peace 5 and a/4 in Drive Bay you it's quite difficult to find a case now that has a 5 and a/4 in Drive Bay uh most of these most of these don't but if they do they are most likely modular so that users can remove them and install um radiator fans or fans and General in that front area then exclusive rear drive access for Drive caddies and I said this because you don't need to remove both Drive uh both uh side panels to access your drives that pretty much has gone uh the way it is so awesome stuff better clearance for intake fans in the past we've seen so many blocked off front panels whereas now uh it's pretty much open with just a little mounting points and this whole area there is now clear for air flow intake so you get less vibrations you get less noise and more air flow so awesome stuff then they said more open and clear front drive cage so that was uh in conjunction with more clear front airf flow and it's funny because the drive cage uh you know the standard Drive cage that used to be occupied right in front of those fans is gone you know rest in peace Drive cage everything is moved to the back now because uh the drive capacity has increased so you don't need as many drives in your case to occupy your storage needs so that's awesome then we I wanted clear side panels with no fan grills so that was one of the trends to have you know an acrylic side panel with fan mounting grills so you can install side fans and to cool your graphics card area but that looked absolutely ugly so we completely got rid of that and the trend now is temper glass so we don't see many uh acrylic side panels anymore or we still see them but the temper glass is the way forward then I wanted full dust proof enclosures and that pretty much has gotten to us to the point of still some cases still not having proper top dust filters but in in terms of front dust filtration power supply dust filtration um and like all the intakes areas is nicely covered there my next point was on space efficient designs for the interior and I think we've gotten to a point where I'm really excited to see where we could go next for example cases like the defined sea and defined mini CA you know we have very nice short enclosures but still accommodating everything that we need in such a tight and compact package with cases like you know the s340 the P400 everything is uh designed in a way that it suits you know uh any standard builds and you know that next level of builds for enthusiast systems for radiators and dual gpus and Etc uh so everything is accommodating without it being overly bulky then I wanted more toolless assemblies and really focus on that with more SSD CES and I think now the SSD cry direction is completely filled up we have excellent s is the mounts now with um pretty much the entire enclosure being Tess aside from like mounting your your motherboard and stuff I remember when lean Lee or maybe Cooler Master wanted to introduce thumb screws for your motherboard so you actually don't need to use a screwdriver when mounting your motherboard and that was pretty cool uh and then next is uh modular Drive cages uh and caddies so it kind of ties in with the whole modular theme and uh that that's been here like module Drive cages uh now usually they're installed in individually so if you don't need one you can remove them uh whereas in the past 3 years ago everything used to be in a combo of three so if you don't need all three you're kind of you know you're using that space and it's not utilized so that's awesome and my last point is I mentioned we want to see more Innovation and aggressive price competition I think right now is still the main point this is probably the only point on that entire list where uh I would still like to continue to move forward because I would still love to see more price competitive options uh I think we're getting there but uh you know you can never ask for more price competing and Innovation and so now with that out of the way let's talk about the case trand for 2017 some of the things that I would love to see moving forward first of all tempered glass is a huge trend for 2017 but specifically I would love to see the Tempered Glass Mount to be improved in particular I would like to see the four thumb screws Mount to be somewhat simplified because right now many of those mounts utilize uh some Peg that has a rubber insert and then you mount the glass in there and you you screw the thumb screw in there but that rubber insert sometimes can fall out and cause some inconvenience in mounting the glass panel and I would like to see that completely improved the cool master 5T case has the best toolless mounting approach that I've seen so far with uh you know the simple key and it has reinforcements on top and bottom so that you can simply hang in on and uh put push the glass in I I love this approach um I also would like to see more glasses uh more glass panels utilize the darker perimeter around the glass so that it hides the frame underneath and also when you're handling the glass you don't necessarily have to clean the edges around the inside uh before mounting because that panel is completely covered with some dark material and it won't be visible next is connectivity where is our USB 3.1 Gen 2 type-c front I/O support still not many cases have the type-c integration at all and uh you know with the kbl L processors z270 platform the new 20 pin uh USB 3.1 Gen 2 connectors on motherboards on MSI gigabyte and Asus and many others already integrated where are they on cases I would love to see that support come through very quickly because it allows the 10 gbits per second transfer through poot plus we have Quick Charge support through you know with compatible motherboards so having that uh type-c port that is Gen 2 uh on a case on a front IO would be awesome next is I would love to see more cases come with low profile handles and this isn't necessarily to let's say take your case to someplace uh for land parties and stuff but this is generally during assembly I'm tired of picking up cases from the bottom that is so uncomfortable and sometimes when you pick up the case the front panel may come off and it's uh maybe a little you know risky with a full system assembled so uh Cooler Master 5T has an excellent excellent uh integrated top handle that fits in with the design the cougar Max which is right here also is you know it's taller because of that handle but makes uh carrying the case while you're assembling it and just Etc so much easier I would love to see more case manufacturers Implement case Handles in a low profile manner for easier Transportation next is the silent case and I would love these silent enclosures with their noise dampening material and Industrial grade uh foam uh to be supported by the fact simply because uh silent cases are more expensive you know it's understandably so there there's more material inside the case you know on the side panels and the front panel the top panels but what exactly are these thin um noise dampening materials contribute in terms of uh you know acoustic isolation or insulation uh so I would love to see case manufacturer give us the numbers on exactly what frequencies these this noise absorptive material isolates and you know what is the benefit of me going with a silent case versus non-silent and potentially save somebody there next is I would love to see more interior unique color options NZXT is doing it with their fantastic color selection fantex is doing it with a little bit less but still more than the rest black on black is boring black on white is boring black on red is boring we need options you know debrand your case colorware is doing stuff with NZXT cases which is awesome so you can customize exactly how your you want your case to look in terms of color that needs to happen more color options please which ties in the fact with we need more different materials and textures in cases in general I love the fact that fractal design is still sticking with that brushed plastic front panel that's uh much easier to clean than aluminum yet it still still looks just as gorgeous I love that the cougar Max behind me uh looks like it's metal but it's not it's just plastic that been sand blasted with this particular set of paint that looks metal uh and also the carbon fiber actually looks really good too and more Textures in general that uh really highlight the uniqueness of the case I'm tired of simple steel boxes uh I would love to see more texture and just surface variations uh on the case and now let's move on to the inside and talk about the power supply shroud I would love to see more modular power supply shrouds and I think for now they've gotten to be as good as they have ever been with that little you know removable piece at the front so you can install radiator and fans in the front there without sacrificing the full functionality of uh what the power supply does by hiding all that bottom chamber um but what about little removable pieces near the power supply so you can reveal your power supply model and showcase that way how about different materials for the power supply top cover so you can perhaps put a piece of glass or illuminated acrylic there so that you can have this you know different ambiance of Illumination from the bottom and just have this separation of materials inside your case something that we haven't seen before and Cooler Master is actually introducing these illuminated panels that go uh that you can substitute for the maker series and that looks absolutely amazing I would love to see more case manufacturers Implement such module designs how about we bring back removable motherboard trays I know it's not something everybody wants to see because uh maybe you're used to Building inside the case with the case on the table cable but um ever since building with the dark Bas Pro 900 that has a removable tray uh it's just it was a little bit challenging to install back inside the case but it was so easy to little area to work with when it comes to motherboard installation instead of having this giant case on the on a table and me having to work with the motherboard in general so for bigger cases and perhaps for smaller cases a removable motherboard tray would be nice I would love to see more vertical GPU mounts to be properly implemented that is with you installing your GPU a simple double wi GPU without affecting the rest of your PCI slots and that is if it comes with the compromise of widen the case I will take it because um you know if you're installing a GPU that blocks all your PCI slots where am I supposed to install my nvme SSD plus vertical GPU mounts are so cool to look at you know you'll finally be able to Showcase your GPU and all its glory and RGB and fness and stuff vertical GPU mounts for 2017 they're coming this one's been building up for a while and you know many of you might not agree but case fans should be optional many of you might still use the included case fans that comes with your case but many will also substitute them for a more you know uh visual cohesion uh replace them with RGB fans replace them with better fans for quieter airflow or you know better airflow and quieter operation so why not have that option when you're buying a case to have case only or case with included standard fans case fans should be optional like if you agree the next one is also kind of crazy MOX why is that still a thing please get rid of MOX connections for the front IO usually MOX powers like your fan controller or case lighting but why not substitute the MOX connector with a SATA power connector and that way you don't have to plug in an extra cable for your MOX connector to power whatever that is needed on the case for MOX rest in peace MOX I hope never to see you again and the last one is I would love to see more unique accessories included with cases moving forward a few cool accessories you've seen this year is the NZXT Puck it's the magnetic little uh rubber piece that uh you can mount your headphones on you can do stuff with cable management it has a lot of functionality built into it it's a really cool accessory another one is magnetic toolbox uh we've seen one from Cooler Master 5T it's such a cool piece of uh kit that you can just like Mount behind your computer or or somewhere where there is metal exposed so that you can have this toolbox always ready and always with you another thing is RGB lighting uh and not just RGB Lighting in general but diffused RGB lighting we've see so many cases that come with sort of very bright and harsh light and uh again coming back to the 5T it has this beautiful diffused uh LED strip uh it's not RGB but uh you know that's I guess easily to implement but it has this beautiful song diffused light to you know put inside your case that's not harsh from the light if it's visible directly and uh that needs to be uh implemented and rolled out with more uh incase lighting and one more thing uh headphone stands to be implemented directly into the case something that we saw with cougar Max I do actually like this implementation it perhaps a little bit too aggressive but it fits with the design and when it's cohesive with the overall design then it's okay so I guess all we have to do now is wait and see how the industry changes uh if any of the things that I mentioned today are implemented down the line maybe I'll revisit the same topic 2 years from now and maybe we won't be using cases at all and maybe cases will be this big and who knows but let me know what some of the things that really you know annoy you perhaps on what some of the builds that you did recently and how you'd like to see case industry change moving forward let's have the conversation let me know in the comments down below thanks very much for watching we'll see you in the next videogot to mute them old devices hello everyone I'm Dimitri with Hoku welcome to another video today we'll be talking about something that uh goes quite close to me as um the topic of today's video is the first topic that I discussed on camera for the haruk KN YouTube channel uh back in 2013 and that video was the top 10 needed PC case improvements that we would like to see and I'd like to revisit the same uh theme for this video to talk talk about how this case industry has evolved and what we'd like to see for 2017 and these top trends that I would love to see uh in this year moving forward so let's talk about those things that I said back then right after message from our sponsor introducing the new ocz vx500 solid state drives from Toshiba it offers great well-balanced speeds built with mlc n flash for Superior endurance and is also backed by 5-year Advanced warranty program learn more about the vx500 at oc.com so for that video from 3 years ago I mentioned 10 things and uh by the way my balcony then and the greenery looked amazing let's just say that but first of all I mentioned modular 5 and 1/4 in Drive Bays it's actually hilarious because you know rest in peace 5 and a/4 in Drive Bay you it's quite difficult to find a case now that has a 5 and a/4 in Drive Bay uh most of these most of these don't but if they do they are most likely modular so that users can remove them and install um radiator fans or fans and General in that front area then exclusive rear drive access for Drive caddies and I said this because you don't need to remove both Drive uh both uh side panels to access your drives that pretty much has gone uh the way it is so awesome stuff better clearance for intake fans in the past we've seen so many blocked off front panels whereas now uh it's pretty much open with just a little mounting points and this whole area there is now clear for air flow intake so you get less vibrations you get less noise and more air flow so awesome stuff then they said more open and clear front drive cage so that was uh in conjunction with more clear front airf flow and it's funny because the drive cage uh you know the standard Drive cage that used to be occupied right in front of those fans is gone you know rest in peace Drive cage everything is moved to the back now because uh the drive capacity has increased so you don't need as many drives in your case to occupy your storage needs so that's awesome then we I wanted clear side panels with no fan grills so that was one of the trends to have you know an acrylic side panel with fan mounting grills so you can install side fans and to cool your graphics card area but that looked absolutely ugly so we completely got rid of that and the trend now is temper glass so we don't see many uh acrylic side panels anymore or we still see them but the temper glass is the way forward then I wanted full dust proof enclosures and that pretty much has gotten to us to the point of still some cases still not having proper top dust filters but in in terms of front dust filtration power supply dust filtration um and like all the intakes areas is nicely covered there my next point was on space efficient designs for the interior and I think we've gotten to a point where I'm really excited to see where we could go next for example cases like the defined sea and defined mini CA you know we have very nice short enclosures but still accommodating everything that we need in such a tight and compact package with cases like you know the s340 the P400 everything is uh designed in a way that it suits you know uh any standard builds and you know that next level of builds for enthusiast systems for radiators and dual gpus and Etc uh so everything is accommodating without it being overly bulky then I wanted more toolless assemblies and really focus on that with more SSD CES and I think now the SSD cry direction is completely filled up we have excellent s is the mounts now with um pretty much the entire enclosure being Tess aside from like mounting your your motherboard and stuff I remember when lean Lee or maybe Cooler Master wanted to introduce thumb screws for your motherboard so you actually don't need to use a screwdriver when mounting your motherboard and that was pretty cool uh and then next is uh modular Drive cages uh and caddies so it kind of ties in with the whole modular theme and uh that that's been here like module Drive cages uh now usually they're installed in individually so if you don't need one you can remove them uh whereas in the past 3 years ago everything used to be in a combo of three so if you don't need all three you're kind of you know you're using that space and it's not utilized so that's awesome and my last point is I mentioned we want to see more Innovation and aggressive price competition I think right now is still the main point this is probably the only point on that entire list where uh I would still like to continue to move forward because I would still love to see more price competitive options uh I think we're getting there but uh you know you can never ask for more price competing and Innovation and so now with that out of the way let's talk about the case trand for 2017 some of the things that I would love to see moving forward first of all tempered glass is a huge trend for 2017 but specifically I would love to see the Tempered Glass Mount to be improved in particular I would like to see the four thumb screws Mount to be somewhat simplified because right now many of those mounts utilize uh some Peg that has a rubber insert and then you mount the glass in there and you you screw the thumb screw in there but that rubber insert sometimes can fall out and cause some inconvenience in mounting the glass panel and I would like to see that completely improved the cool master 5T case has the best toolless mounting approach that I've seen so far with uh you know the simple key and it has reinforcements on top and bottom so that you can simply hang in on and uh put push the glass in I I love this approach um I also would like to see more glasses uh more glass panels utilize the darker perimeter around the glass so that it hides the frame underneath and also when you're handling the glass you don't necessarily have to clean the edges around the inside uh before mounting because that panel is completely covered with some dark material and it won't be visible next is connectivity where is our USB 3.1 Gen 2 type-c front I/O support still not many cases have the type-c integration at all and uh you know with the kbl L processors z270 platform the new 20 pin uh USB 3.1 Gen 2 connectors on motherboards on MSI gigabyte and Asus and many others already integrated where are they on cases I would love to see that support come through very quickly because it allows the 10 gbits per second transfer through poot plus we have Quick Charge support through you know with compatible motherboards so having that uh type-c port that is Gen 2 uh on a case on a front IO would be awesome next is I would love to see more cases come with low profile handles and this isn't necessarily to let's say take your case to someplace uh for land parties and stuff but this is generally during assembly I'm tired of picking up cases from the bottom that is so uncomfortable and sometimes when you pick up the case the front panel may come off and it's uh maybe a little you know risky with a full system assembled so uh Cooler Master 5T has an excellent excellent uh integrated top handle that fits in with the design the cougar Max which is right here also is you know it's taller because of that handle but makes uh carrying the case while you're assembling it and just Etc so much easier I would love to see more case manufacturers Implement case Handles in a low profile manner for easier Transportation next is the silent case and I would love these silent enclosures with their noise dampening material and Industrial grade uh foam uh to be supported by the fact simply because uh silent cases are more expensive you know it's understandably so there there's more material inside the case you know on the side panels and the front panel the top panels but what exactly are these thin um noise dampening materials contribute in terms of uh you know acoustic isolation or insulation uh so I would love to see case manufacturer give us the numbers on exactly what frequencies these this noise absorptive material isolates and you know what is the benefit of me going with a silent case versus non-silent and potentially save somebody there next is I would love to see more interior unique color options NZXT is doing it with their fantastic color selection fantex is doing it with a little bit less but still more than the rest black on black is boring black on white is boring black on red is boring we need options you know debrand your case colorware is doing stuff with NZXT cases which is awesome so you can customize exactly how your you want your case to look in terms of color that needs to happen more color options please which ties in the fact with we need more different materials and textures in cases in general I love the fact that fractal design is still sticking with that brushed plastic front panel that's uh much easier to clean than aluminum yet it still still looks just as gorgeous I love that the cougar Max behind me uh looks like it's metal but it's not it's just plastic that been sand blasted with this particular set of paint that looks metal uh and also the carbon fiber actually looks really good too and more Textures in general that uh really highlight the uniqueness of the case I'm tired of simple steel boxes uh I would love to see more texture and just surface variations uh on the case and now let's move on to the inside and talk about the power supply shroud I would love to see more modular power supply shrouds and I think for now they've gotten to be as good as they have ever been with that little you know removable piece at the front so you can install radiator and fans in the front there without sacrificing the full functionality of uh what the power supply does by hiding all that bottom chamber um but what about little removable pieces near the power supply so you can reveal your power supply model and showcase that way how about different materials for the power supply top cover so you can perhaps put a piece of glass or illuminated acrylic there so that you can have this you know different ambiance of Illumination from the bottom and just have this separation of materials inside your case something that we haven't seen before and Cooler Master is actually introducing these illuminated panels that go uh that you can substitute for the maker series and that looks absolutely amazing I would love to see more case manufacturers Implement such module designs how about we bring back removable motherboard trays I know it's not something everybody wants to see because uh maybe you're used to Building inside the case with the case on the table cable but um ever since building with the dark Bas Pro 900 that has a removable tray uh it's just it was a little bit challenging to install back inside the case but it was so easy to little area to work with when it comes to motherboard installation instead of having this giant case on the on a table and me having to work with the motherboard in general so for bigger cases and perhaps for smaller cases a removable motherboard tray would be nice I would love to see more vertical GPU mounts to be properly implemented that is with you installing your GPU a simple double wi GPU without affecting the rest of your PCI slots and that is if it comes with the compromise of widen the case I will take it because um you know if you're installing a GPU that blocks all your PCI slots where am I supposed to install my nvme SSD plus vertical GPU mounts are so cool to look at you know you'll finally be able to Showcase your GPU and all its glory and RGB and fness and stuff vertical GPU mounts for 2017 they're coming this one's been building up for a while and you know many of you might not agree but case fans should be optional many of you might still use the included case fans that comes with your case but many will also substitute them for a more you know uh visual cohesion uh replace them with RGB fans replace them with better fans for quieter airflow or you know better airflow and quieter operation so why not have that option when you're buying a case to have case only or case with included standard fans case fans should be optional like if you agree the next one is also kind of crazy MOX why is that still a thing please get rid of MOX connections for the front IO usually MOX powers like your fan controller or case lighting but why not substitute the MOX connector with a SATA power connector and that way you don't have to plug in an extra cable for your MOX connector to power whatever that is needed on the case for MOX rest in peace MOX I hope never to see you again and the last one is I would love to see more unique accessories included with cases moving forward a few cool accessories you've seen this year is the NZXT Puck it's the magnetic little uh rubber piece that uh you can mount your headphones on you can do stuff with cable management it has a lot of functionality built into it it's a really cool accessory another one is magnetic toolbox uh we've seen one from Cooler Master 5T it's such a cool piece of uh kit that you can just like Mount behind your computer or or somewhere where there is metal exposed so that you can have this toolbox always ready and always with you another thing is RGB lighting uh and not just RGB Lighting in general but diffused RGB lighting we've see so many cases that come with sort of very bright and harsh light and uh again coming back to the 5T it has this beautiful diffused uh LED strip uh it's not RGB but uh you know that's I guess easily to implement but it has this beautiful song diffused light to you know put inside your case that's not harsh from the light if it's visible directly and uh that needs to be uh implemented and rolled out with more uh incase lighting and one more thing uh headphone stands to be implemented directly into the case something that we saw with cougar Max I do actually like this implementation it perhaps a little bit too aggressive but it fits with the design and when it's cohesive with the overall design then it's okay so I guess all we have to do now is wait and see how the industry changes uh if any of the things that I mentioned today are implemented down the line maybe I'll revisit the same topic 2 years from now and maybe we won't be using cases at all and maybe cases will be this big and who knows but let me know what some of the things that really you know annoy you perhaps on what some of the builds that you did recently and how you'd like to see case industry change moving forward let's have the conversation let me know in the comments down below thanks very much for watching we'll see you in the next video\n"