Choosing A Good Computer Case

The computer case is often on of the most overlooked components when building a computer. There are a few things computer cases do besides just keeping all of your components in one central location:

• Controls the temperature within the computer and deals with cooling components.
• Sets the upper limit on how many components you can have within a case.
• Allows you to show off how good your computer looks.

Size

Well there are two sizes to understand. The first is "how big is the case?" and the second is "How much stuff can I cram into this case?". Lets take the first one first.

Are you keeping your computer in a small room? Maybe you are using it in an office where size is not really as important. Small cases allow you to save space (and sometimes noise) but small cases also have two serious limitations: You have less space to expand your computer and small cases are difficult to manuever your hands around.

Form Factor

A case's form factor is crucial to know before going out and buying other components (exp. the motherboard). Basically when a motherboard gets made, there are screw holes placed around the motherboard. This allows the builder to make sure the motherboard gets firmly attached to the case. The form factor is laid out so motherboard and case manufactures make sure the screws can go in the right spot.

The most popular form factor for regular desktop computers is called ATX. All you need to do is make sure the motherboard and computer case have the same form factor, otherwise you will not be able to securely install the motherboard into the case. Without a doubt, matching the case and motherboard's form factor is crucial when buying a case.

Power Supply

Most computer case manufactures actually provide a power supply with the case but sometimes cases don't come with one. The power supply does exactly what it says; it supplies power. Without one you can't turn on your computer.

Each component will need to be connected to the power supply. The power supply will have a bunch of connectors coming out of it. Typically there is one for the motherboard, another for the case fans and the rest go towards any devices not connected to the motherboard.

The two biggest  things to consider with purchasing a power supply are:

1. Will it fix into the computer case? (matching form factors)
2. Does it have the correct wattage?

While the first is simple to check and verify, how do you know how much wattage your power supply needs? My personal rule of thumb is use any power supply over 400 watts . While using a power supply with a higher wattage drains more electricity, it makes sure the computer is getting ample power. If you are running intensive programs, your computer might not be able to get power to the needed components quick enough. And without ample power, all the components will run less efficiently.

Heat

Heat is a serious problem with computers. If a case is to hot it could potentially destroy internal components. You want to make sure the computer has fans installed and that they are working properly. You also want to make sure there are enough fan holes in the case to begin with. At a bare minimum a case should have one fan on the front and another in the back of the system.

Design

While not crucial to the operations of your system, you want to at least like what your case looks like. Back in the old days, cases were mostly plain and white. Now you can get them in all sorts of colors. You can even add blacklights to your case so the case glows. Cool huh?

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