Best Mining Case – Buyer’s Guide

When building a mining rig, it is all too easy to get lost in the “more important” components especially the GPUs. OF course, an actual “mining rig” is made up of plenty more than high-end GPUs, and out of all those other components, there are few that are arguably more important than the case.

With most other components not requiring cutting-edge technology, the case does remain vital to controlling temperature, energy consumption, and general overhead costs. That is why the best mining case is just as vital to a profitable mining rig as any other components.

Best Mining Case 2018

Still, figuring out which case is the best mining case for your needs can be difficult and confusing. That is why we have put together a list of the 5 best mining cases, highlighting what each one does best. Then we provide a helpful buyer’s guide, so you can find the best mining case that is right for you.

1. Veddha Aluminum GPU Mining Case Rig – Best Budget Mining Case

Veddha is one of the few companies on our list that have grown large enough to begin increasing their internet presence and footprint. That said, this is still an exceptionally young company, though they do at least focus primarily on mining cases. This is good because it ensures that Veddha understands what it is that is most important for a mining case. What makes this all the more surprising is the fact that the Veddha is also the least expensive mining case on our list as well, making the Veddha our best budget mining case.

Capacity

While it is by far not the largest capacity mining case that we reviewed, the Veddha does provide plenty to like when looking at its specs. First, this mining case is able to mount up to 6 different GPUs, which is a great size for a starter kit. On top of that, this mining case can help cool those 6 GPUs off by mounting 5 different fans. While the basic capacities are nice enough, this case is also able to ensure that you do not have any issue running those fans and GPUs as it can easily mount 2 different PSUs.

Versatility

2. CryptoCase Sentinel – Most Compact Mining Case

CryptoCase is a good example of a startup that is designed to specialize and appeal to a very specific segment of the market. In particular, CryptoCase is everything that its name suggests and nothing more. Beyond the fact that this company exclusively specializes in mining rig cases, this brand actually only makes this singular product. The should ostensibly provide CryptoCase with an advantage when designing and making this mining case, but as we shall see, they could have made it a bit better.

Design

Capacity

One of the first things that should stand out to you with a quick purview through this mining case’s specs is its capacities specifically its fan mounting capacity. While it should be more than sufficient for the job it is designed to do, this mining case actually features the fewest number of fans that can be mounted to it. While this should not present much issue for a standard rig, this could actually make things a bit trickier if you look to expand your operation in the future. Though the CryptoCase can be stacked, the limited number of fans that you can mount means handling the extra heat may not be as easy in particular, it may be more difficult to actually control the airflow.

3. KILOLONE 6 GPU Miner Case – Best Starter Mining Case

KILOLONE is one of the few companies that we reviewed which does not specialize in mining cases. In fact, KILOLONE does not seem to specialize in computers, electronics, or really anything at all. While this could conceivably present issues with the company not actually knowing how to properly make the product they sell to the best of their ability, KILOLONE seems to have sidestepped that problem by taking inspiration from one of the fastest rising manufacturers of mining cases around actually, it is more appropriate to say they improved on it.

Ready to Go

Little Details

Another great quality about the KILOLONE mining case that flies in the face of specialize conventions are the little details. For instance, this mining case made it a point to provide a small amount of space between the GPUs that is just a little bit larger than many of their competitors. While it may not seem like much of a big deal, this space can actually make setting up a proper convection cooling system significantly easier. On top of that, this is also one of the few mining cases out there that is already compatible with most form factors of motherboards, so you do not have to worry about having to purchase an adapter separately.

4. LAWOHO Miner Case 12 GPU – Best Modular Mining Case

As yet another in a fairly long list of mining case manufacturers who have just recently started up to cash in on the crypto mining currency craze, LAWOHO does has not been around that long and does not have a sizable online footprint. This also happens to be another company that not only does not specialize in mining cases but also does not specialize in computer equipment or anything else for that matter. While this can sometimes turn out serendipitous, it can also have unintended consequences where designers who are not intimately familiar with the market make a potential misstep.

Capacity

Design

This is another situation where you can commend the company for having some truly solid design choices on the one hand while they make some questionable decisions on the other. For the questionable decision, look no further than the choice to use acrylic as the material that supports the GPUs. While it is sufficiently strong, acrylic will not dissipate the heat the GPUs will generate as well as aluminum supports would. That said, the hardware mounting kit is fully customizable and well-built with the option of supporting 2 different PSUs.

5. MXN Mining Rig Stackable Frame 19 GPU – Largest Capacity Mining Case

Though MXN follows in the same footsteps as so many other brands of mining case manufacturer, they actually take it a step further and offer some of the best mining cases that we have seen. This specific mining case is more than equipped to handle the largest at-home mining operations. If you need more than a couple of these mining cases, it is likely that you need to expand your mining operation to a larger area and should also invest in a professional cooling system. That said, it is the most expensive mining case that we reviewed and will nickel and dime you further.

Capacity

Convenience

Beyond the fact that this MXN can handle a significantly larger workload than any of the other mining cases on our list, it was also designed with numerous other features that should quickly become industry standards but are currently advantages MXN has over the competition. One of the better qualities along this line are the acrylic plates. While acrylic is not the best material to use for the sole support beam, it actually makes a great addition when mounting the different PCI-E risers to the GPUs. Another convenient quality about the MXN mining case is that you can mount the hardware on any of the racks and the GPUs can be mounted around it.

Best Mining Cases – Buyer’s Guide

This is arguably one of the more important factors when choosing a mining case because it will go a long way in determining how stable the mining case is. On top of general stability, the material itself and also play a big role in how well the kit manages the heat generated by all of the GPUs. Alos, the material that the mining case is made of will inform of its ability to truly handle a stacked or inverted arrangement.

Materials

Metal – This is generally seen as the best material to use for mining cases. Pound for pound, this is the strongest and most durable material used, but it really matters what the type and gauge of the metal is. The best metal to use for this is aluminum due to the fact that it quickly dissipates heat and is naturally anti-corrosive. Even better, strong aluminum alloys can be fairly close to steel in terms of tensile strength. By the way, steel may sometimes be used for mining cases, but the metal does not dissipate heat as well and can present a risk.

One thing to keep in mind with aluminum is that it is not all equal. Just like with most products, there varying grades of aluminum, and the one a mining case selects can have subtle impacts that may prove more important down the line. For instance, if a case is stackable, you will want to make sure the aluminum used is able to support the weight of multiple rigs.

Acrylic – When people think about acrylic and computer cases, they generally think about the panels that transparent computer cases use. However, there are a few mining cases that use acrylic beams to help support the GPUs. While any additional support the GPUs receive should be welcome, acrylic is decidedly not the best material to use for this purpose. While it can be made fairly strong at least strong enough for what is asked of it acrylic is definitely not the best material to use when trying to dissipate significant amounts of heat.

However, there are other potential benefits and drawbacks related to acrylic as a case material. Generally, the primary reason to use acrylic for your mining case or any computer case for that matter is aesthetics. If you have an entire rig of gear that all features the same color scheme with the appropriately complementary LED lighting, acrylic can allow the rig to look its best with transparent supports that do not obstruct the display. Unfortunately, acrylic might actually be the weakest material on our list to be used as a primary support for multiple GPUs.

Plastics – There are a wide variety of different plastics used when constructing computer cases, but the most popular are either polycarbonate or ABS. Both of these plastics are incredibly rigid and durable and more than capable of being used to house or support dense computer components. Another benefit about both of these plastics is that they do not readily foster the growth of microorganisms, though they can become statically charged in everything is not properly grounded and ultimately attract the bane of open-air mining rigs everywhere: dust.

While these materials will not melt, much like acrylic, neither are they especially adept at dissipating the significant amounts of heat the rig will be generating. That said, this is likely the least expensive material that is used, though it is generally reserved for smaller rigs that will not truly test the tensile strength of the plastic. Much like with the other materials previously mentioned, the thickness of the plastic will also play a large role in the type of rig it can support.

Capacity

Outside of the material, the next most important factor is the varying capacities. This is because the capacity of the mining case will ultimately determine how large of an operation that you can manage. Keep in mind, the size of your space matters, so do not simply get the largest capacity just to have it otherwise, you will simply suffer heat dissipation problems in the entire room. Depending on the mining case, it may be possible to arrange smaller rigs to better control the heat.

GPUs – This is generally where everyone first looks when scanning the specs of a mining case. It makes sense since the more GPUs you have calculating hashes, so you can be the one to claim the mined value. While it is entirely possible to get a mining case that caters to the largest operations, make sure that you are ready for that kind of outfit. Most of the time, mining cases increase by numbers of 6 due to the arrangement of different mining motherboards.

One thing to consider when looking at a mining case’s GPU capacity is how much space the mining case leaves between each of the GPUs. If a mining case does not leave enough room between the different GPUs, then you can run into some serious heat accumulation problems that will likely require additional measures or equipment to manage. In this situation, multiple smaller mining cases that can stack may be better than a single larger mining case.

Fans – If you are going to run a larger mining rig, you are going to have to figure out how to get rid of the heat the GPUs generate while computing hashes. While the location of the rig will play a big part in affecting this task, the number of fans that a mining case can support will also provide additional tools to help you manage the copious heat. Of course, different mining cases all arrive at the same conclusion but often take wildly varying routes to get there. Still, the primary mechanism to remove the heat from the GPUs directly is fans.

It is interesting to note that most mining rigs seem to favor fewer but larger fans though this is just as likely a way to bring down the overall costs of the mining rig in total. Still, it is not uncommon for a mining rig to support more GPUs than it does fans. While the GPUs are obviously more important, it should be somewhat easy if you follow the general principles and designs of desktops that effectively get rid of extra heat to find numerous places to put additional fans to more effectively control the dissipation of the heat.

Conclusion

As we can see, the best mining case will not be the same for all people. Depending on the size of your intended mining rig, the space you have available, and the amount you are looking to spend, some cases may appeal to you more than others. For instance, not everyone is going to need the mining case with the largest capacity, while others may simply want an all-in-one kit of sorts.

For the latter group, we recommend the KILOLONE due primarily to the 5 fans that come included with the mining case. While you may very well wish to upgrade the fans at a later date once you have become more familiar with the ins and outs of fine-tuning your mining rig, they will provide a serviceable start to a fledgling mining operation.

Of course, for the former group who has already learned the nuances of crypto mining and is looking to expand their operation, we recommend the MXN mining case that provides mounting for 18 different GPUs and even comes with 19 LED lighted fans. While this mining case only includes a single mounting kit, it is incredibly versatile and can be installed in numerous arrangements.