saikiasunny
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You have decided to go for a Desktop PC. You have decided upon the processor, motherboard, RAM, HDD, and everything. The only thing left is finding a home for these components; that is choosing a PC Case (cabinet).
A PC case is an enclosure which holds all the major components of the computer system. It gives each component a dedicated structure. You can call it the skeleton of a computer system and the components the muscle groups and organs.
Choosing a PC case is just like choosing a home. They are all same, yet so different. You don’t want a small one and don’t want it to be too large either. You need all the necessities and want add-ons too. Like a good view, large doors, storerooms and etc.
So to make it easier for you, I compiled this short guide which will give you some tips for choosing a PC case. It will be a simple guide but comprehensive enough that it will provide the necessary info for making a sound purchase.
So let us get the basics clear first.
Size of the Cases
PC cases come in a variety of sizes and deciding the size of the case is important. The cases are broadly divided into 3 categories – Mini Tower, Mid Tower and Full Tower. The terms don’t correspond to particular dimensions.
Use of the Case
As if the varying amount of sizes were not enough, PC cases are also available in many different flavors – Gaming PC cases, Silent PC cases, for water cooling, home theater cases etc.
For example, the gaming PC cases usually have large side windows to show the amazing hardware, have better thermal performance, fan controllers and bling-bling features like color changing LEDs. Silent PCs, on the other hand, have thick solid panels and have understated exterior styling. Home theater oriented PC cases have a small footprint and muted styling.
Some manufacturers like Lian-Li manufacture high-end aluminum PC cases which are really expensive. They are famous among the PC modders but a simple PC user does not need the lightness of an aluminum case. Sure it is usable but not a necessity.
It will largely depend on your uses. How you are going to use the PC, what you are going to put in it, where will you use it…. Decide upon these questions and you are halfway there for choosing a PC case.
Hardware Compatibility
You should also know that because of their different sizes, every case does not support every component out there. Some cases are specifically built for a certain group of hardware components.
You should not expect a Mini Tower case to hold 5 hard drives and some air cooling oriented cases will not perform well with water cooling without some modifications. They are not designed to perform this way. Some Mid-Tower cases do not support water-cooled CPU coolers because of their non-standard fan mounts,
The list goes on, but don’t worry it is easier to decide that it looks. Carefully going over the spec sheet before the purchase will not lead to these situations. Any reputed manufacturer today will give you a detailed info on compatibility of the case and community support is always present.
Future Upgrades and Expandability
Expandability and future upgrade paths should also be considered here because if you are going to upgrade the system, a wrong case can give you many problems down the road.
Now what is expandability and why do you need it?
Let’s say you wanted to keep it cheap, and built a mid-end gaming PC having 3 hard drives in a mini-tower case. After 5 months you are bitten by the upgrade bug and now you want to add 2 more hard drives and a new graphics card for a multi GPU setup. Now you realize that your lovely mini tower is not capable of handling the new configuration. If you had chosen the right sized case, you would not have faced any problems.
This is not an everyday situation but it can happen. Pre-planning always pays. Expandability directly relates to a bigger case and an upgrade. Going for a smaller case can also be upgraded but it will in return limit the expansion options.
Aesthetics or Looks
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It applies to everything and PC cases is no exception. It’s a subjective matter and every user will want something good looking and unique. Today, even the low budget PC cases have enough oomph to stand out from the cheap quality boxes.
Long gone are the days of beige colored plastic boxes. Today PC cases are inspired by battlefields, cars, jet fighters and what not. They use expensive and lightweight materials like aluminum. They have painted interiors and parts. Some are even modular, so you can mix-match your PC looks. There are plenty to choose from and you will definitely find something for your tastes.
You should go for a PC with the right balance of form and function. When you spend on an expensive case, functions will follow form anyway. And if you are going cheap then I will suggest target functions overlooks.
Price
I will not go deep into the pricing factor. Reason? Cause price, like looks, is subjective. A case or any other part may be expensive for someone who does not have the money but it will be a cheap toy when you have the money.
Still, just for the info, a PC case can cost anything between 25$ (minimum Rs.1800) to 750$ (Rs.45000). The feature set only increases with the increase in price. Cheaper options are also available but not suggested for any hardworking rig.
Additional Features
Apart from the above-mentioned factors, there are some additional features you should consider while choosing a PC case.
Fan Support and Mounts- If you are a beginner, you will be most likely go for an air cooled PC. So it becomes important to consider this factor because for good thermal performance it is necessary to have fan mounts at the right spots. This applies to all the sizes. You need minimum 3 fans over the right spots i.e for the high heat producing components. Even for water cooling radiators or coolers, standard fan mounts are necessary. Most modern cases have generous support for fans; still, you should double check it.
Cable Management- After fan support, you should check for cable management features of the case. It depends on the user how he manages the cables and a good case only helps here. A PC with bad cable clutter not only looks bad but it also hampers the performance of the system. Cheaper cases do have cable management but only to a small extent. Usually larger the case less is the cable clutter. Make sure that the case has rolled-edged cable holes (preferably with rubber grommets), zip tie points and enough clearance behind the motherboard tray.
Ease of use- Everyone likes an easy to use product. PC cases too can be easier to use provided they have a tool-less design, large working space, rightly placed cutouts and smartly designed parts. They are not necessary; they only give a better PC building experience. You should look for a CPU cutout and tool-less design at the minimum.
Miscellaneous- Features like USB 3.0, fan controllers, dust filter for intake fans should also be considered. Cheaper cases might omit them to cut costs, but if you are paying more than 70$ (Rs.5000), you should definitely look for these features. Especially the dust filters should be present in the case if your area has a dust problem.
Wrapping it Up
So what PC case should a person choose now…A mini or the giant full tower?
Mini Tower- you should choose a mini tower case when you have limited space or want to have some portability. They can make great entertainment and LAN party PCs. They have the space for bare minimum components. They have limited upgradability and less internal space but make for it by going small. They may be the smallest but certainly not the cheapest.
Mid tower- They are the most versatile PC cases and will work anywhere. They have all the necessary space and features for building a nicely performing rig. You have silent cases, gamer cases, mod-friendly cases and etc. They only lag behind when you go for multi-GPU setups, server type storage setups or extreme-end water cooling. They form a perfect balance between form and functions. They are also available in flexible price ranges.
Full tower- When the mere mid towers don’t have enough horsepower for you, then you choose the full towers. They have the largest internal volume; ample cable management options, all the bells, and whistles and the biggest price tags. Simply put you cannot go wrong with them.
Now some of you may be thinking, why go through all these hassles? Answer: because even though people come and go, the house stays there forever; it is renovated but never demolished. Same way the configurations might change over time but a good PC case will still handle them. Therefore it is important to invest in a better product right now rather than replacing cheaper products later.
Feel free to make suggestions, give feedback or any critic.
A PC case is an enclosure which holds all the major components of the computer system. It gives each component a dedicated structure. You can call it the skeleton of a computer system and the components the muscle groups and organs.
Choosing a PC case is just like choosing a home. They are all same, yet so different. You don’t want a small one and don’t want it to be too large either. You need all the necessities and want add-ons too. Like a good view, large doors, storerooms and etc.
So to make it easier for you, I compiled this short guide which will give you some tips for choosing a PC case. It will be a simple guide but comprehensive enough that it will provide the necessary info for making a sound purchase.
So let us get the basics clear first.
Size of the Cases
PC cases come in a variety of sizes and deciding the size of the case is important. The cases are broadly divided into 3 categories – Mini Tower, Mid Tower and Full Tower. The terms don’t correspond to particular dimensions.
- Mini Tower Cases- these cases have a small footprint and support Mini-ITX and Micro-ATX motherboards. These cases have limited spaces to work in and houses less number of components compared to other sizes.
- Mid Tower Cases- this size is the most common form-factor for custom PC cases. They are larger than Minis and smaller than the Full Towers. Most of them have flexible work areas and can house enough components for a mid-high end PC.
- Full Tower Cases- these are the Big Daddies of the PC Cases. They are huge and need an equally large desk to place them. Some of them can handle even HPTX motherboards. They have the largest internal volumes and can hold the largest of the components.
Use of the Case
As if the varying amount of sizes were not enough, PC cases are also available in many different flavors – Gaming PC cases, Silent PC cases, for water cooling, home theater cases etc.
For example, the gaming PC cases usually have large side windows to show the amazing hardware, have better thermal performance, fan controllers and bling-bling features like color changing LEDs. Silent PCs, on the other hand, have thick solid panels and have understated exterior styling. Home theater oriented PC cases have a small footprint and muted styling.
Some manufacturers like Lian-Li manufacture high-end aluminum PC cases which are really expensive. They are famous among the PC modders but a simple PC user does not need the lightness of an aluminum case. Sure it is usable but not a necessity.
It will largely depend on your uses. How you are going to use the PC, what you are going to put in it, where will you use it…. Decide upon these questions and you are halfway there for choosing a PC case.
Hardware Compatibility
You should also know that because of their different sizes, every case does not support every component out there. Some cases are specifically built for a certain group of hardware components.
You should not expect a Mini Tower case to hold 5 hard drives and some air cooling oriented cases will not perform well with water cooling without some modifications. They are not designed to perform this way. Some Mid-Tower cases do not support water-cooled CPU coolers because of their non-standard fan mounts,
The list goes on, but don’t worry it is easier to decide that it looks. Carefully going over the spec sheet before the purchase will not lead to these situations. Any reputed manufacturer today will give you a detailed info on compatibility of the case and community support is always present.
Future Upgrades and Expandability
Expandability and future upgrade paths should also be considered here because if you are going to upgrade the system, a wrong case can give you many problems down the road.
Now what is expandability and why do you need it?
Let’s say you wanted to keep it cheap, and built a mid-end gaming PC having 3 hard drives in a mini-tower case. After 5 months you are bitten by the upgrade bug and now you want to add 2 more hard drives and a new graphics card for a multi GPU setup. Now you realize that your lovely mini tower is not capable of handling the new configuration. If you had chosen the right sized case, you would not have faced any problems.
This is not an everyday situation but it can happen. Pre-planning always pays. Expandability directly relates to a bigger case and an upgrade. Going for a smaller case can also be upgraded but it will in return limit the expansion options.
Aesthetics or Looks
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It applies to everything and PC cases is no exception. It’s a subjective matter and every user will want something good looking and unique. Today, even the low budget PC cases have enough oomph to stand out from the cheap quality boxes.
Long gone are the days of beige colored plastic boxes. Today PC cases are inspired by battlefields, cars, jet fighters and what not. They use expensive and lightweight materials like aluminum. They have painted interiors and parts. Some are even modular, so you can mix-match your PC looks. There are plenty to choose from and you will definitely find something for your tastes.
You should go for a PC with the right balance of form and function. When you spend on an expensive case, functions will follow form anyway. And if you are going cheap then I will suggest target functions overlooks.
Price
I will not go deep into the pricing factor. Reason? Cause price, like looks, is subjective. A case or any other part may be expensive for someone who does not have the money but it will be a cheap toy when you have the money.
Still, just for the info, a PC case can cost anything between 25$ (minimum Rs.1800) to 750$ (Rs.45000). The feature set only increases with the increase in price. Cheaper options are also available but not suggested for any hardworking rig.
Additional Features
Apart from the above-mentioned factors, there are some additional features you should consider while choosing a PC case.
Fan Support and Mounts- If you are a beginner, you will be most likely go for an air cooled PC. So it becomes important to consider this factor because for good thermal performance it is necessary to have fan mounts at the right spots. This applies to all the sizes. You need minimum 3 fans over the right spots i.e for the high heat producing components. Even for water cooling radiators or coolers, standard fan mounts are necessary. Most modern cases have generous support for fans; still, you should double check it.
Cable Management- After fan support, you should check for cable management features of the case. It depends on the user how he manages the cables and a good case only helps here. A PC with bad cable clutter not only looks bad but it also hampers the performance of the system. Cheaper cases do have cable management but only to a small extent. Usually larger the case less is the cable clutter. Make sure that the case has rolled-edged cable holes (preferably with rubber grommets), zip tie points and enough clearance behind the motherboard tray.
Ease of use- Everyone likes an easy to use product. PC cases too can be easier to use provided they have a tool-less design, large working space, rightly placed cutouts and smartly designed parts. They are not necessary; they only give a better PC building experience. You should look for a CPU cutout and tool-less design at the minimum.
Miscellaneous- Features like USB 3.0, fan controllers, dust filter for intake fans should also be considered. Cheaper cases might omit them to cut costs, but if you are paying more than 70$ (Rs.5000), you should definitely look for these features. Especially the dust filters should be present in the case if your area has a dust problem.
Wrapping it Up
So what PC case should a person choose now…A mini or the giant full tower?
Mini Tower- you should choose a mini tower case when you have limited space or want to have some portability. They can make great entertainment and LAN party PCs. They have the space for bare minimum components. They have limited upgradability and less internal space but make for it by going small. They may be the smallest but certainly not the cheapest.
Mid tower- They are the most versatile PC cases and will work anywhere. They have all the necessary space and features for building a nicely performing rig. You have silent cases, gamer cases, mod-friendly cases and etc. They only lag behind when you go for multi-GPU setups, server type storage setups or extreme-end water cooling. They form a perfect balance between form and functions. They are also available in flexible price ranges.
Full tower- When the mere mid towers don’t have enough horsepower for you, then you choose the full towers. They have the largest internal volume; ample cable management options, all the bells, and whistles and the biggest price tags. Simply put you cannot go wrong with them.
Now some of you may be thinking, why go through all these hassles? Answer: because even though people come and go, the house stays there forever; it is renovated but never demolished. Same way the configurations might change over time but a good PC case will still handle them. Therefore it is important to invest in a better product right now rather than replacing cheaper products later.
Feel free to make suggestions, give feedback or any critic.
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