Choosing a case is probably one of the easier choices to
make when deciding what will make your computer. However it is the part
that everyone else will see.
Things to think about when choosing your case are:
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What size of motherboard are you going to have. There are two general sizes
or types of motherboards that correspond with cases and power supplies.
The two types are AT and ATX. AT can be further broken down into AT and
Baby AT.
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AT is the old style and isn't used much on newer motherboards, AT cases
usually can't power down by themselves and have a different metal plate
for connectors on the back such as mouse, keyboard, printer, etc.
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ATX is the newer style and preferred by most. It has a different power connector
where the power supply connects to the motherboard.
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Size of Case. The size of the case doesn't have anything to do with the
size of the motherboard (in general). There are three or four "sizes" of
cases. It might be easier to think of them as configurations.
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Desktop was the configuration that was common in the past but isn't used
much today, most people would prefer to have their desktop clear and have
the computer on the floor. As far as size goes these cases usually have
2 or 3 exterior bays, and 1 or 2 interior bays.
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Microtower is about the same size as the desktop, but it is designed to
stand up rather than lay flat. You should get a microtower only when space
around the desk is very important, and you absolutely know that you won't
be adding drives to your system in the future.
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Minitower is the most common by far and for good reason. The minitower
holds most of the drives anyone would want to put in a normal computer
system but it is still small enough to have on the desktop if need be or
fit under the desk and leave room for some legs. Minitowers usually have
3 or 4 large exterior bays and 1 or 2 small exterior bays. It also usually
has 2 or 3 inteior bays for hard drives.
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A Tower or full tower is the largest of the cases and is usually used in
servers. These cases tend to cost double what a mini or micro tower would
cost, but they will hold quite a bit more. They usually have 5 or 6 large
exterior bays and 2 small exterior bays. They also usually have 3 interior
bays for hard drives. The other thing to note on full towers is that they
usually have two fans; one fan pulls cool air in at the bottom of the case
and one blows hot air out the top of the case.
After the main decisions have been made regarding what type
of case to buy, now you have to decide which case to buy. There are tons
of different desktop, mini, micro, and full tower cases on the market.
Each manufacturer makes their case a little bit different. Sometimes the
only way to be sure you are getting a good case is to take a look at it
yourself. Now sometimes this isn't possible but usually you can ask someone
questions about the case to help you make a decision.
Questions to ask about the case are:
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What are the dimensions of the case?
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This will give you a good idea of how the case is configured and whether or not everything is crammed inside of a small case or their is lots of
room to work inside the case.
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How many large exterior bays?
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This is important if you plan to have multiple CD ROMS or a CD ROM and a tape
backup or a full size hard drive.
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How many small exterior bays?
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Usually one is enough because its for your floppy, but some tape drives
are the same size as a 3.5" floppy. Zip drives also fit those slots so
2 might be preferred. If you are getting a Superdisk drive you probably
only need one as it acts also as a 3.5" drive.
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How many interior bays?
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You want at least two. One for your current hard drive and one for a hard
drive you add on in the future. Three would be icing on the cake. Three
bays also gives you the option of deciding where to place your drives within
your case, rather than having no options.
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Where is the power supply in relation to the motherboard?
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People probably have different preferences in this so if you already have
a preference go with it. I recommend buying a case with the power supply
in the top right corner or at least very near to the top, and all the way
right as it can go. The reason for this is to keep the power supply away
from the motherboard, so when I take off the casing I can easily access
all components on the motherboard without having the power supply in my
way.
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Does it come with fans? If so how many?
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Usually cases don't come with fans, you will want at least one fan in your
case. Ball bearing fans usually last longer, but cost twice as much.
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Color?
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There isn't much to choose from only the standard drab cream color. I have
seen black before, so its available as well, but not very widely available.
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Ease of cover removal?
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This is a very important question to ask. You want to know how the cover
comes off the case. The best I have seen is one hand screw holding on a separate
top cover, then that piece slides off and each side slides out separately. This allow great access to change cards or settings on the
motherboard without causing any problems or having to find a Phillips driver.
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SUMMARY:
There are 4 sizes or configurations to choose from, desktop,
microtower, minitower and full tower. You have to decide if you need
an AT case or if you can get an ATX case. You have to ask some
questions about the features of the case such as ease of cover
removal, number of bays, and where is the power supply located. The
price of a case is pretty standard; its about $50 for a micro, mini,
and desktop case, and about $100 for a full tower.
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RECOMMENDATION:
I recommend that unless you have lots of cash to spend or you
really prefer a full tower and have the room for it that you get a
good minitower case. If you look around a little bit you should be
able to find one that has a easy to remove cover, an appropriately
placed power supply, and lots of bays both inside and outside the
case. The more fans the better, but you will probably have to purchase
those separately.
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