A case is a perfect example of why you should never overlook any PC component. Moreover, the case can affect the compatibility of the components, i.e. it is possible that the variant of RTX 3080 you have selected might not even fit inside the case you are thinking of buying. Even though a case does not directly affect the computer’s performance, it can greatly impact the performance by indirect means. This article will look at the best case for RTX 3080, so stay tuned.
The GeForce RTX 3080 is the best-valued high-end graphics card by the Green Team these days and is available at less than MSRP, as the mining industry has been crashing for the last couple of months. If you pair this graphics card with the latest gen processors, you can max out most of the titles without any problem. The graphics card comes with GDDR6X memory, dedicated Tensor and RT cores, and a whopping shading unit count of 8704.
The overall performance of this graphics card is roughly 60% faster than the RTX 2080, and it got a golden spot on our best gaming graphics card list. The high core count of the graphics card has highly increased the power consumption of the graphics card, and thus it has a high TDP of 320 watts, whereas some third-party variants utilize over 350 watts in some cases.
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Best Overall PC Case Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic Read More | See On Amazon |
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Best Mid-Tower PC Case Fractal Design Meshify C Read More | See On Amazon |
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Best Premium RGB Case Corsair iCUE 4000X RGB Read More | See On Amazon |
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Best Budget PC Case Phanteks Eclipse P400A Read More | See On Amazon |
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The Most Stylish PC Case NZXT H510 Elite Read More | See On Amazon |
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Best ROG PC Case Asus ROG Strix Helios GX601 Read More | See On Amazon |
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The Best Mini-ITX Case NZXT H210 Read More | See On Amazon |
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Best Stylish Premium Chassis Corsair Crystal 680x Read More | See On Amazon |
First, a case is responsible for handling the heat output of the computer, and this point is especially important for those looking to buy a pc case for 3080 or other high-end graphics cards. It would be best to look at full-tower cases, as they are bigger than common mid-tower cases and can be fitted with more fans. Full-tower cases also provide better looks than most mid-tower cases but cost more, too, apart from some premium mid-tower cases. It’s not that mid-tower cases are underpowered, though.
We have examples of Cooler Master H500M and CORSAIR 5000D, both of which are mid-tower cases but provide fabulous performance and looks nonetheless.
Table of ContentsShow
How Do We Choose a Casing for RTX 3080?
Form Factor
There have been dozens of form factors that have been used to fit many cases depending on the use case of your PC. Nowadays, most of them have either been discarded or designed for specialized purposes only. The consumer market consists of motherboards belonging to three categories; Mini-ITX, MicroATX, and ATX form factor.
Mini-ITX is the smallest with the least number of features, followed by MicroATX which has more space and hence more features, and ATX is the largest and hence capable of hosting the largest number of features it can hold. Nonetheless, the boards share similarities and traits such as they support the Same CPU, the same GPU, and similar back panel ports regardless of the form factor with the number of back panel ports increasing and decreasing concerning the price of the board.
Airflow
Airflow through your casing is a very important factor in keeping your hardware cool and performing at the maximum level. As a general rule, there should be a clear path for air to travel through your case. The best airflow cases usually have front intake fans that suck in air and have rear fans present that throw the air out.
Most casings today come with vents at the top where you can place exhaust fans to throw the hot air out as air with increased temperature tends to rise and with exhaust placed at the top it will easily be able to get out of the case and cool air will rush in to take its place hence completing the circuit of airflow through your casing. Also, make sure that you clean your PC regularly as dusty components can block the airflow circuit and hence result in higher temps.
Graphics Card Clearance
In laymen’s terms, GPU clearance is the space that your GPU will take up in your casing. GPU clearance is quite a vast topic and I can write a detailed guide on the GPU clearance in a casing. Modern-day GPUs tend to vary vastly in their shape and sizes, so make sure that you do your research on the casing of your choice.
Before you go out and buy the GPU of your choice make sure you have the case measurements and know its limitations. If you have a case smaller than the ATX form factor such as the mATX then you will need to do some research.
Mounting Drives
These days SSDs are all the rage and they offer data speeds that were previously just a product of our imagination. They take up no space as they plug in directly into the motherboard in a slot. But they’re expensive due to their fast data speed transmission. This means that mounting drives haven’t become obsolete and they need to be plugged into your PC via a mount hence the name mounting drives.
Your casing should contain ample space for mounting drives and usually casings come with mounting drive spaces either at the back, the front, or below. Make sure these drives get plenty of air as they tend to get hot too while operating. So, choose your casing wisely.
Cable management
While your components can be top-end and bring the aesthetic value to your build that it deserves. Cable management is the thing that can improve the visual appeal of a build to the level it deserves. PC components can add all the color to your build but if the cables aren’t managed properly, it can make the PC look like a cluster of wires gone crazy. Cable management is important because nobody likes a mess of wires, so casings should have ample space in them that hide the wires that connect the components.
Glass PC casings usually offer up spaces in the back part of the casing which is covered by a non-glass part of the casing. Or you can do it on the sides of the PC, either way, it can be a tedious task and can be quite the hassle. Still, if you do a good job of hiding the cables you will have yourself a PC on your hands that is pleasing to look at and you can showcase it online and to your friends.
Best Case for RTX 3080 Reviews
Lian li is a Taiwanese computer case maker that creates modern-looking cases with trustworthy build quality as well as other computer components like AIOs and case fans. When it cooperated with a well-known German overclocker, Der8auer, the brand gained a fair amount of public attention after that – and it’s considered one of the best premium-quality case makers on the market.
Lian li PC-O11 Dynamic is Lian li’s premium case in Full-Tower form factor – it has a dual-chamber design with two tempered glass panels, one on the front side and one on the left. To add to the prestige appearance – half of the cut-outs are covered with rubber grommets. Case’s generously sized design makes it exceptional in cooling support, which is why it has received so much attention. 3x 120mm fans can be installed on the side and 3x 120mm on the bottom. Furthermore, up to 3x 120mm or 2x 140mm, fans can be installed on top of the enclosure. Most cases do not support a radiator or fans on the bottom, but this case does and provides excellent airflow in the interior.
The case has quite a lot of space on the back side and can easily store up to 6x 2.5” SSDs and 3x 3.5” HDDs with a lengthy metal cover to hide all the cable mess. Moreover, the case is long enough to support any variant of flagship GPU like RTX 3080 or a 3090.
The I/O of this casing is situated on the top front-right side rather than on the front. It has 4x USB 3.0 ports (two on the IO portion and two at the front foot of the chassis), 1x USB 3.1 Type-C port, and 1x 3.5mm HD Audio jack. It is a solid case overall, with a distinctive design, impressive build quality, and ample airflow inside the interior – which makes it the best case for RTX 3080 at even better value-for-money that provides quality and performance at a price tag of just 130$.
Fractal Design is a small yet relatively famous Swedish computer hardware manufacturer – dedicated to creating impressive products. Founded in 2007, the firm designs and manufactures high-quality computer cases, water coolers, case fans, and power supplies. Cases are one of Fractal’s most selling PC components and are loved by many all over the world.
Fractal Design Meshify C case is one of its kind and strives to deliver superior build quality and cooling performance – it also offers a distinguishable angular asymmetry design on the front mesh, which is not what you usually see in a computer case. Being a budget-friendly chassis, the I/O of the case – is nothing special and consists of 2x USB 3.0 ports, 2x 3.5mm audio and microphone jack, power and reset button.
As it is designed for maximum cooling – it has a front mesh, and the case can support up to 7x 120mm fans – which it utilizes thoroughly to keep the temperatures at a minimum. Storage drive space is also acceptable – it can house 2x 3.5” HDDs and 3x 2.5” SSDs all at once, together with Velcro straps to hold the cables nicely and angular rubber grommets for the cable routing. On the interior side, it has a GPU of up to 315mm, and this is why we are recommending it as the best case for RTX 3080 Ti graphics card.
Both tempered glass panels on the side and the PSU cage on the rear have captive thumbscrews, which come in handy. Overall it’s a well-constructed compact case with the top-notch build quality on an affordable budget.
Founded in 1994, Corsair is one of the most recognized companies in the computing industry, best known for manufacturing computer peripherals and hardware such as power supplies, RAM kits, and PC cases. They know what they’re doing and offer quality items in premium and low-cost markets. Computer cases are one of their best-selling products in the world.
The Corsair 4000x is part of the Corsair iCUE series and is visually appealing. It offers a lot of interior space that custom PC builders would love to have in their case. The case resembles the 350D case, which was released almost a decade ago. With the release of 4000x, Corsair has made chassis for the builders a lot more confusing because of the features and quality it holds – it makes it a worthy case to look at. The I/O, however, is a bit disappointing on this, having only 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, 1x USB 3.0, and 1x 3.5mm Audio in/out.
It’s a Mid-Tower ATX case with dual tempered glass panels, one on the front and the other on the left. The side glass panel and the opposite panel are interchangeable – if you wish to show your pro-grade cable managing skills. And for the cooling options, you can connect a 360mm radiator in the front, 3 x 120mm fans, 2 x 120mm/140mm fans on top, or up to 280mm Radiator. There are also seven expansion slots with two vertical GPU mounts. The interior has a GPU clearance of 360mm, which makes it a great case for Nvidia RTX 3080 or other large-sized graphics cards.
As far as housing the storage drives is concerned, the case has 2x drive bays for 2.5” SSDs (which can be placed on the PSU shroud at the front), and 1x drive bay for 2x 3.5” HDDs along with Velcro straps at the back to keep the cables intact at one place. With its Pros and Cons, it is still a viable option for housing your high-end PC components.
Phanteks is a Dutch manufacturer of PC cases, fans, and other PC case components. The company was founded in 2007 and has headquarters in the Netherlands – it is one of the underdogs of the PC industry, which mostly gets overshadowed by the big multinational corporations. They provide cheap and luxury components to ensure that every consumer is satisfied.
One has to spend a fortune on components to house a flagship card, but Planteks offers a great PC case for an affordable price. The Eclipse P400A is a low-cost case with a GPU clearance of 420mm, which is more than enough for any card, and 3x pre-installed 120mm ARGB fans accompanied by excellent ventilation capabilities. The case can house 6x 120mm or 5x 140mm fans and an E-ATX motherboard without causing compatibility issues. As it’s a big case, the storage drive housing capacity is also reasonable – it can store 2x 3.5” HDDs and 2x 2.5” SSDs right out of the box and has a place for optional 4x 2.5” SSD drives.
The overall design is quite attractive and practically perfect for performance. It has a controller to control the pre-installed fans or link them directly to the motherboard via a controller. The case also has rubber grommets on the cable cut-outs for an extra premium feel and enough room on the back for pro-grade cable management using the already attached straps.
However, the I/O is not anything special and consists of ports like a 2x USB 3.0 port, a 2x 3.5mm audio jack for headphones and mic, a power/reset, and a fan RGB button. Despite all this, it’s still a good case with plenty of features to make it a worthy and cheap alternative to house your high-end components.
NZXT is an American computer components manufacturer – founded in 2004 and has been producing products that are entirely diverse from the others to give them an iconic symbol of recognition. NZXT cases are considered one of the best all over the world – providing exceptional build quality at a reasonable price tag.
The NZXT H510 Elite is one of a kind since it has NZXT’s trademark design pattern, as well as two 140mm NZXT Aer RGB Fans and one simple 120mm Fan. NZXT officially entered the dual tempered glass case trend with the launch of the NZXT H510 Elite Mid-Tower case – and it helped them to offer something new to consumers. The case supports up to 4x 140mm fans on the front, top, rear, and 280mm radiator support on the front with a removable radiator bracket for easy installation.
The I/O has been significantly reduced in this case by having only a power button, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port, and a 3.5mm HD Audio Jack, which is a big letdown for many users. The case comes with an RGB LED strip on the top, which can be controlled with NZXT’s Smart Device 2 that is included in the case.
NZXT H510 Elite can store up to 2x 2.5” SSDs with 1x optional space, and SSD bays can be relocated on the front PSU shroud as well, also 2x 3.5” HDDs with 1x optional space. It has a maximum GPU clearance of 368mm, making it the best case for RTX 3080 in terms of both compatibility and performance. Needless to say, it’s one heck of a case if you don’t want to go with traditional chassis design and want something premium and distinct for your high-end build.
Asus, often known as AsusTek Computers, is a Taiwanese multinational computer component manufacturer best known for its flagship-tier ROG gaming products. They have you covered on all fronts, whether it’s computer components, gaming cellphones, laptops, or routers, with affordable and flagship-grade devices.
Asus ROG Strix Helios GX601 is one of Asus’s flagship-tier case offerings with distinct looks and features. It’s a Mid-Tower chassis that supports EATX Motherboards without causing an issue – and 3x tempered glass panels on the front and both sides. The front has a brushed aluminum finish – and the panel has integrated ARGB LEDs that are fully customizable with RGB controlling software like Asus Aura Sync, along with enough clearance on the front for airflow.
The case has an adjustable cable cover on the front with 2 GPU support arms built-in to give your build a nice and clean look. It supports up to 9 storage drives to never let you fall short on space for storage drives. To allow you to build your rig more professionally – the case has pre-attached cable ties on the back to hold all of your cables. Moreover, a dark-themed acrylic panel is also there to further hide the cables and make the case more visually pleasing to the eyes. The chassis can support cards of all sizes, and that makes it the best case for RTX 3080 and 3080 Ti.
The I/O, however, is also interesting in the case – it includes 4x USB 3 ports, a reset button, a Type-C port, 2x 3.5mm audio jacks for headphones and microphone, an LED control button, and a Fan control button. Overall it’s a great-looking case made out of premium quality material with decent airflow for the components and is only for premium and high-end builds.
NZXT is an American manufacturer of computer components founded in 2004 that creates products unlike any other with its unique and exclusive design pattern. NZXT cases are considered one of the best in the world and offer solid build quality at a reasonable price, and its mini ITX cases are no exception.
NZXT H210 is a Mini-ITX case from NZXT for mini and portable PC lovers – its compact form allows you to carry it over anywhere easily. The case has impressive build quality, which is expected from NZXT, and GPU clearance of 325mm – enough for most flagship graphics cards and that makes it best compact case for RTX 3080. Being a small case, it still allows you to add plenty of storage devices with support of 3 + 1 2.5” SSD drives and 1x HDD inside of it. 4x 120mm fans can be installed for optimal air cooling and aesthetics.
Like any other modern premium case on a budget, the company has to cut features somewhere, and most of them do it with I/O – which is what happened in H210’s case too. The I/O is limited, having only 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, a power button, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, and a 3.5mm combined HD Audio Jack with a splitter included. The case doesn’t offer any vertical GPU slot – so that’s not an option, but it’s justifiable considering how compact the chassis is.
The side tempered glass panel has a distinctive holding mechanism, it has two ball catches to keep it intact as well as a single captive thumbscrew at the rear for further ensuring that the panel stays right where it needs to be and doesn’t fall off and adequate amount of routing mechanism with Velcro straps at the back to manage cables more professionally. Despite having some Cons, it’s a great budget option for high-end builds in the ITX form factor.
Corsair, created in 1994, is one of the most well-known companies in the computer business, best known for producing computer peripherals and hardware such as power supplies, RAM kits, and PC cases. They have perfected the art of offering high-quality items in both the premium and low-cost markets. Computer chassis is one of its best-selling products all around the globe.
Corsair Crystal 680x is one of Corsair’s dual-chamber cases and a spiritual successor to the Corsair Carbide Series Air 540, which was a huge success after its launch. This case has improved on its predecessor in every way and makes a lot more sense now. It holds tempered glass panels on all three sides with enough space between them for a crystal clear appearance and adequate thermal performance, as well as 3x Corsair LL120 RGB Fans (case can house up to 8x 120mm Fan) that contribute to the aesthetics and can be controlled via the accompanying Fan Hub.
As it’s a dual-chamber design, the storage and PSU are located on the other side of the case – allowing you to fit in a full-ATX PSU along with up to 3x 3.5” HDDs and up to 4x 2.5” SATA SSDs to help to get all the storage you need. The cable cut-outs have rubber grommets on them – giving the case a more premium feel. Moreover, on the left side, the tempered glass panel is also attached with hinges instead of ordinary thumb screws – this makes the build process faster and more convenient.
The case has support for a full-ATX motherboard – and it can easily fit a Founders Edition RTX 3080 with a 360mm radiator installed at the front and a Tri-Fan aftermarket edition with a 280mm AIO already installed on the top. The I/O is pretty basic including 2x USB 3 ports, a power and fan control button, a 3.5mm audio jack, and with the addition of a new USB 3.1 Gen-2 Type-C port for high-speed transfers. The case has a price tag of 275$, which indicates that it’s targeted toward enthusiasts who will fill it up with all the fancy high-end components, and a build with RTX 3080 is no exception.
Do you need a case for RTX 3080?
When building a PC that comprises a large-sized GPU such as the RTX 3080 then you need a strong and sturdy casing. You shouldn’t compromise on the casing as building a PC that will not bottleneck this card will comprise of hardware that is high-end and comes with a bulky price tag. When transporting such hardware you need a durable case that will protect the components from harm.
The RTX 3080 is a performance beast as it’s capable of delivering a large number of frames in 4K resolution at the highest preset. Moreover, no matter what GPU you end up buying you need a case that will last you a while and provides good airflow. A GPU like the RTX 3080 can start to throttle and result in degraded performance if the airflow inside the casing isn’t good. To sum it up you need a casing that can endure duress and has optimal airflow so the card can shine and
While there are a lot of options in the market it can be quite the hassle to choose the right one, but don’t worry we have got you covered.
Conclusion
After going through all the cases - it will be easy for you; to choose the best case for RTX 3080 and 3080 Ti. I specifically chose chassis of different types – and the best of each.
As everyone knows that 3080 is a GPU well-suited for high-end builds, but little do they know that not every high-end PC guy likes to spend a fortune on a case alone. Therefore, I have included chassis from high and mid ranges - so no one stays behind.
If you’re someone who prefers to have a compact build, then the NZXT H210 is the one to buy. The case is highly compact and has enough clearance to house an RTX 3080 inside of it. The chassis is not only cheap - but offers solid build quality as well – it’s a treat for compact PC build lovers. Or if you’re someone - who likes to have a giant and bulky setup with an excessive amount of components inside the case with ample airflow and thermal performance, then I’d say Lian Li PC O-11 Dynamic is the one that you should buy. It’s a relatively big case with a lot of room to house many components altogether - that too, at a decent price tag of 130$.
In the end, all I hope is that this guide helps you pick the best case for your use-case scenario so that you don’t end up with something that doesn’t fit your needs or your budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a RTX 3080 fit in a mid tower casing?
Yes, an RTX 3080 graphics card can easily fit into a mid-tower case, and you will have no clearance issues or other problems.
