The Best Raspberry Pi 5 Cases You Can Buy Today

If your Raspberry Pi 5 is sitting there naked and exposed to the elements, it’s time to get it out from the cold and into a case that it deserves. However, when I examine the options, it’s not entirely clear what’s unique about each one and for whom it’s intended. So in this post, I’ll share my top picks with you.

The most important factors when choosing a Raspberry Pi 5 case are: SSD support, passive vs. active cooling, and access to the Pi’s on-board PCIe, GPIO, and camera ports. Other secondary factors to consider include the case’s design aesthetics and its retail price.

I’ll cover everything from our budget picks to cases that have all the bells and whistles—and even ones made for retro-gaming. With so many great designs out now, I’m certain you’ll find a case that’ll fit you best.

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TL;DR: Which Raspberry Pi case should you buy?

If you’re looking for a short answer, here are the 3 links you should check.

• Best overall: Argon ONE V3 M.2 NVME (check the price).
• Best passive cooling case: Flirc Case (check the price).
• Best on a budget: Official Raspberry Pi 5 Case (check the price).

For more details, please continue reading the full comparison below.

Note: If you were looking for cases for the Raspberry Pi 4 instead, check out our other guide: What’s The Best Raspberry Pi 4 Case For You? (I Tested Them All).

Argon ONE V3 M.2 NVME

The best case overall.

Argon Forty houses many designs in its extensive Raspberry Pi portfolio, and the bestseller amongst them is the Argon ONE V3 M.2 NVME PCIe Case. We already covered its predecessor, the Argon ONE M.2 for the Raspberry Pi 4 (review here), and this new iteration carries the torch.

The Argon ONE V3 can do everything: it lets you add an SSD along with a heatsink to keep it cool. It can run in passive cooling mode, or you can program its fan to kick in for active cooling if you need overclocking for a game server, for instance.

If you intend to use this case as a mini PC, the I/O ports have been routed to the back with full-sized HDMI ports. If you want to run a media center, it includes an IR receiver for your remote and even an upgrade path to use an audio jack.

For project tinkerers, the magnetic top cover pops open to reveal the GPIO pins, and the camera is accessed via an extension ribbon (although it’s a little awkward). One last thing to be aware of is that once the case is assembled, the SD card slot is no longer accessible unless you open the case.

Summary

The Argon One V3 M.2 NVME PCIe Case is the best all-arounder; it covers every base, no matter how you decide to use your Raspberry Pi 5 later on.

Maybe this case wasn’t what you were looking for. Maybe you want something smaller, something more unique, or something less expensive—don’t worry, we have other choices waiting for you below.

Flirc Raspberry Pi 5 Case

Best passive cooling case.

A passive cooling case uses heatsinks only to transfer heat away from the Raspberry Pi’s components. No fan means no noise, and also means that it can’t break without your knowledge.

Several staff writers here at RaspberryTips own a Flirc case. We loved it when it came out for the Pi 4 (review here), and the newest version for the Pi 5 is just as worthy.

The secret to the excellent cooling performance of the Flirc Raspberry Pi 5 Case is that its entire aluminum shell acts as the heatsink itself. I couldn’t get my Pi to overheat and throttle in this case during normal use. Its rubber feet stop your cat from knocking it off the table, and the snug SD card slot is just perfect.

Two special editions of this case exist, if you can find them: the Kodi edition and the Pi-hole edition, which is just peak eye candy. (Nothing’s functionally different—they’re just for looks.) Flirc also sells a USB dongle and remote, which is helpful if you plan on using the Raspberry Pi as a media center.

However, this case is not recommended for project tinkerers who need access to the Pi 5’s board connectors. To use the PCIe, GPIO, or camera, you have to unscrew the bottom plate. So I wouldn’t recommend it for adding a HAT, for instance. But if you’re purchasing the Flirc case to keep a headless server cool and silent (like I do), then that problem won’t matter to you at all.

Summary

The Flirc Raspberry Pi 5 Case is my go-to recommendation for a silent setup.

Alternatives

If you want a passive case where you can easily access the PCIe, GPIO, and camera ports, check out the Geekworm Raspberry Pi 5 Heavy-duty Aluminum Passive Cooling Case. The cutouts in this case let you send ribbon cables through in a more convenient way.

Argon NEO 5

Best case for flexible expansion support.

Maybe you like the DNA of the Argon ONE V3 above, but would rather trade some of its extra features for flexibility. If so, then the Argon NEO 5 is your best bet.

We previously covered the Argon NEO for the Pi 4 (review here), and the NEO 5 for the Raspberry Pi 5 continues this same excellence in simplicity. The NEO 5 offers both passive/active cooling, but with a smaller footprint, no slowdown for Wi-Fi, and access to the board’s innards via a slide top.

Unlike the passive cases we mentioned earlier, the NEO 5 offers easy access to all of the Raspberry Pi 5’s ports—PCIe, GPIO, and camera—without having to use ribbon cables or take the case apart. It requires a little finessing, but yes, you can attach a HAT to the NEO 5.

The Argon NEO 5 comes in two variants. The NEO 5 BRED (black/red) is simple with no add-ons, so you can use the PCIe port for anything you’d like, while the more expensive NEO 5 M.2 NVME PCIE comes with an SSD expansion board included.

Summary

The Argon NEO 5 is the most flexible project box you’ll find.

Game5 Pi

Best retro-gaming case.

It’s a tight race in this category, but this case edges out a win purely on nostalgia.
The Game5 Pi is a tiny replica of the iconic Nintendo Entertainment System for retro-gaming on your Raspberry Pi 5!

All you have to do is flash your preferred gaming distro (e.g., RetroPie) onto an SD card and open the “cartridge cover” to plug in controllers (or connect Bluetooth controllers). Now you’re in retro-gaming heaven and can play titles from all the classic console generations.

This case cleverly hides an active cooling system with two fans. These keep the case cool to allow for overclocking, which is often recommended to emulate more demanding titles.

There are a few things that might not be obvious. The power/reset buttons on the front are dummies and don’t do anything. When the top is on, you lose access to the PCIe, GPIO, or camera ports, but I feel like you won’t be using these in a dedicated gaming setup anyway.

Surprisingly, there’s also a version of this case with SSD support. But it’s not plug-and-play, so you’ll need a little technical know-how to get your gaming system to boot to an SSD.

Summary

The Game5 Pi is great for retro-gamers who want a case that looks like a classic Nintendo:

Alternatives

If you don’t want a case that looks like an NES or are looking for something with higher build quality, then definitely check out these cases from Retroflag. You might know them from our review of the GPi Case 2W, which transforms a Raspberry Pi Zero into a Game Boy.

Retroflag sells two different designs for the Raspberry Pi 5: the 64Pi Case (inspired by the Nintendo 64) and the Dreamcase (inspired by the Sega Dreamcast).

Aside from aesthetics, both cases are quite similar in their features. Each comes with a heatsink and fan for overclocking. Controller ports are rerouted to the front, while display and power are in the back for clean cabling. There’s a functional reset button and even a hidden compartment to stow away extra SD cards for your ROM collection. Sweet!

Official Raspberry Pi 5 Case

Best case on a tight budget.

The Official Raspberry Pi 5 Case wins in this category because the easiest option that’s widely available at a low default price. This case gets the job done without fanfare.

The official case gives full protection to your Pi 5 without restricting access to its board connectors. You can pop the lid off to access the GPIO pins, fit some HATs, and access the other PCIe/camera connectors. It comes with a heatsink + fan combo that you can directly configure in Raspberry Pi OS or in config.txt for other operating systems.

But like the other cases in this budget category, it’s wise to temper your expectations; it’s not meant to support an SSD, and the cooling/noise profile is decent but not perfect.

Summary

The Official Raspberry Pi 5 Case is a budget pick for when you need the basics.

Alternatives

Below are a couple of good choices for cases on a tight budget.

EDATEC Pi5 Open CNC Case – This EDATEC open-air case is officially called the ED-Pi5Case-O. Strange name aside, the passive cooling is decent, sandwiching the Pi 5 between two aluminum slabs. It doesn’t provide full protection, but it does have cutouts for accessing the GPIO, PCIe, and camera ports—a great find at this price range.

Pibow Coupe 5 – The Pibow Coupe 5 is a see-through case with the stylish flair we’ve come to love from the makers at Pimoroni. This case is made of layers of stacked acrylic in your choice of rainbow, purple, or translucent black and also has cutouts to access the GPIO, PCIe, and camera.

The Pibow Coupe 5 fits the official Active Cooler inside, so it might be a good budget pick if you already own the fan. Oh, and there’s one more hidden feature: the mounting holes on the bottom fit onto Lego blocks, so you can get really creative.

Pironman 5

The best desktop case when money is no object.

We first covered the first Pironman case when it came out for the Pi 4 (review here). It was a complete reimagining of what a Raspberry Pi case could do. SunFounder took this design to the next level when they released a Pironman 5 to take full advantage of what the Pi 5 can do.

The Pironman 5 is built like a dual-chamber gaming PC with I/O ports rerouted to the back. It comes with full NVMe SSD support, a tower cooler, a mini-OLED display, RGB fans for that late-night LED aesthetic, and even support for special software functions.

There are too many features to list here, so you’ll have to read our reviews to understand everything. They now sell two different versions of the Pironman 5, and we’ve covered both of them here:

• Pironman 5 Review: The Ultimate Case for Your Raspberry Pi 5
• Pironman 5-MAX Review – The Ultimate Raspberry Pi Case Got Even Better

The steep price tag of the Pironman 5 is its biggest downside. It might make sense if you’re looking to treat yourself or for a knock-your-socks-off gift for the Pi lover in your life.

Summary

The Pironman 5 is the best maxed-out desktop case for the Raspberry Pi 5.

That completes our roundup! I hope I helped you figure out what the best case is for you and how you play with your Raspberry Pi 5. If you have a favorite that we missed here, please share it with the rest of us in the community.

Whenever you’re ready, here are other ways I can help you:

Test Your Raspberry Pi Level (Free): Not sure why everything takes so long on your Raspberry Pi? Take this free 3-minute assessment and see what’s causing the problems.

The RaspberryTips Community: Need help or want to discuss your Raspberry Pi projects with others who actually get it? Join the RaspberryTips Community and get access to private forums, exclusive lessons, and direct help (try it for just $1).

Master your Raspberry Pi in 30 days: If you are looking for the best tips to become an expert on Raspberry Pi, this book is for you. Learn useful Linux skills and practice multiple projects with step-by-step guides.

Master Python on Raspberry Pi: Create, understand, and improve any Python script for your Raspberry Pi. Learn the essentials step-by-step without losing time understanding useless concepts.

You can also find all my recommendations for tools and hardware on this page.