In many ways, computer cases are much like people. They come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors... Some are practical, while others are just about useless... And just like people, some cases are just plain ugly. One key difference is that when you pick a case your commitment isn't "until death do us part", so don't worry if a case you like wound up on this list; your relationship isn't forever!

This article is going to take a look at ten cases we've deemed to be at the top of the list when it comes to unattractive appearances. The few criteria considered for this list include that it is either an ATX or mATX case produced by a major manufacturer in the past 5 years, or that regardless of manufacturer it is currently for sale in the USA. Basically, we're ruling out the really old junk and beige boxes from way back in the day, as well as one-off cases that only a few people would have bought anyway.

The list is presented in no particular order, but the first case we will look at is one that I have used to house my primary system since 2008! Yeah, I have an ugly case, and we're starting with it to show I'm no case beauty snob! The whole CSX line from Cooler Master sported over the top graphics applied to some of Cooler Master's nicer cases. A variety of them might be considered ugly, but I have been told I chose the ugliest one... The Cooler Master CSX Shag Wagon.



I only liked it because my first car was a VW van that had the same paint job, and I'll admit that the design not only makes for an ugly case, but an ugly car, too. Considering I only paid $800 for the car, and that the case sold for over $700... the difference in price adds to the ugliness. The Shag Wagon is built around the popular CM Stacker 830 case, that when purchased with a standard paint job wasn't all that ugly.

The next case we'll look at is the GMC R-4 Bulldozer; a name that makes me wonder if they think it looks like a bulldozer, or it was hit by a bulldozer. This case reminds me of some of the homelier droids from Star Wars... perhaps one that even that Jawas wouldn't want to take. There are far too many angles, surfaces, and what seem to be randomly placed red lighting to know what is really going on. Drive bay access seems to have been ignored with this design, and you can use just one optical drive thanks to an oddly placed empty bay that will open so the tray faces down - letting your disk fall out on to the floor for easy access.



The next case doesn't win all on its own... but it will accept its award for all manufacturers that decided that pink was a color that had to be applied to a computer case. The Apevia X-Cruiser 2 is shown below in its putrid shade of light pink. It also scores ugly points for tacky chrome elements, powder blue lighting, and for a side fan attached at an angle like a cheesy Frenched license plate on a ricer... But it wins purely to represent all the pink cases that couldn't possibly even appeal to little girls obsessed with Hello Kitty, Care Bears, and so on.