This is the Aerocool Hive, a budget case that is right on the edge of what I would consider cheap enough to be considered in a budget PC case group test. It costs $77/£50 for this configuration and comes with a total of three fans (1 x 120mm and 2 x 140mm). In fact, it is the only budget case I have checked that has 140mm fans.

There are also cheaper options with a total of four fans (4 x 120mm) for a bit less money, or even cheaper options with only one fan included (1 x 120mm).

Let's just say that if you like the vibe of this case, you have options.

In my opinion, the Hive is the front runner for a top budget PC case, with a sleek and flexible layout not unlike the Aerocool Zauron (open in new tab), and a fairly large fan at the right price, making it a case that works right out of the box and is a great choice. You don't need to add anything to this case to make a great gaming PC, or even one that runs cool enough.

These three fans are surprisingly not driven by Molex adapters. But neither are they PWM or DC plugs for the motherboard. They are powered from individual SATA connections, which is a much cleaner solution since the PSU likely already has many SATA connections. For this reason, it has to put up with a set RPM, but since the two front fans are 140 mm in size, they do not need to run that fast and loud to provide cooling capacity.

And our test PC recorded the most consistent low temperatures while installed inside the Aerocool Hive.

A key element of an impressive PC case is airflow, but you would be surprised how many case designs get this completely wrong. Ideally, a handful of high-flow intake fans on the front of the case would draw in cool air, place it over the PC's components, and exhaust it. However, inexpensive cases do not always come with the ideal number of fans for this optimal setup, so it is especially important to find one that is smartly designed to work with limited cooling capacity.

To test the thermal characteristics of these six inexpensive cases, we built a PC into each case. We then ran several benchmarks to put routine stress on the CPU and GPU, and the average results are summarized in this graph.

Looking at the fan gluttony, there is some decent build quality underneath the case; there are still some obvious signs of a cheap case, such as the PCIe slot covers and cheap metal construction, but the tempered glass side panels actually look great and the cable are hidden by a high-quality PSU shroud.

The Hive has one less SSD slot than the Zauron, and the Hive can only accommodate a GPU 8mm shorter. However, two additional fans can be mounted on top of the Hive's PSU shroud, greatly improving the Hive's cooling performance.

With a wide range of hardware support, the best cooling performance of any case I have tested, and a sleek design, the Aerocool Hive is the best of the inexpensive cases; not as cheap as the Aerocool Zauron, but for those on a tight budget, If you plan to buy the Aerocool Zauron case and additional fans right away, you may want to consider this Hive instead.

Our group test: cheap PC cases are a great way to cut costs on your next PC build, but many of the brands we're used to seeing in top case roundups aren't cheap enough for what we're looking for. So we asked our friends at Overclockers UK (opens in new tab) if they could loan us the cheapest case they could find.