Building Your Own Computer: How To Select A Case
If you are building your own computer, you'll find there are hundreds of different cases to choose from. No matter what your needs are, with so many available you'll be able to find the right one. But just what factors should guide your final decision?
First, the most basic is the case's "form factor". Everything from a full size ATX, down to a micro is available. This also refers to the size motherboard it can accommodate. Bear in mind an ATX can accept any size board, but the smaller cases can't handle a motherboard that is intended for a full size ATX.
Also, at this step you'll be considering design. Do you want a tower? Maybe a mini-tower would be to your liking. There are cubes, desktops, and a wide range of variations.
Second, most people buy their power supply with the case. The minimum I could now recommend is 300 watts, and that is only for the most basic PC. A gamer, or 3-D animator will want 450 watts or more.
If you are building an extreme machine, you may want to buy your power supply separately, particularly if you are looking at the 650 watt level. This will give you a greater choice of sizes and designs.
Third, your case will have fan mounts to circulate air. Generally speaking, the more the better. Look for a case with two mounts in the back, and one in the bottom. With today's hot running CPUs and graphics cards, these mounts are one of the most important features to consider.
Unless, that is, you've decided to go with a water cooled case. These can be purchased as pre-configured units, saving a lot of trouble later in the building process.
Fourth, every case ought to have USB and Firewire ports in front, considering the number of digital cameras and other such devices we seem to have now. You can retrofit these in a 3.5" bay if you have to, but they really should come as part of the case's original design.
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