The essential gaming PC case.

Carbide Series SPEC-01 is proof that great looks, smart design, and durable construction don’t need to be pricy, and that basic doesn’t need to be boring. You get aggressive styling, a huge side panel window for admiring your components, and an LED-lit front intake fan that draws cool air directly to your graphics cards.

Inside, there’s room for up to five fans, and the four combination hard drive / SSD trays make storage installation and upgrades quick and easy. Cable routing cutouts help you reduce clutter, and the built-in dust filters help protect your components. Up front, the USB 3.0 connector gets you up to speed with the latest high-performance storage devices.

The 120mm front intake fan is bathed in soft LED lighting, and it’s oriented to draw cool air directly across your graphics cards. And if you want even more ventilation, you can add a second 120mm fan or even dual 140mm fans.

You might not build a system with four hard drives or SSDs, but with SPEC-01, you can if you want. In addition to the two standard 5.25” optical drive bays, there are four built-in 3.5” / 2.5” combo drive bays for mechanical hard drives or solid-state drives.

Builds should be easy, no matter what your budget. 3.5” drive installation is tool-free, and you get cable routing holes for neater-looking builds and better airflow. And, there’s a CPU cutout to allow for cooling upgrades without removing the motherboard. The front intake fan filters help keep dust out of the interior, and the front panel has a USB 3.0 port for fast performance from USB flash drives and portable hard drives.