There are several things to consider when looking for a good case. Some are more important then others. For the most part case selection is a matter of personal preferences and your individual needs. Amount the things to consider are:
- Case Type
- Construction
- Cooling
- Noise
- Features
- Aesthetics
There are numerous case options available with numerous features, benefits, drawbacks and of course price points. It is the purpose of this article to outline the various components of modern cases in an effort to help the reader focus on those cases which will best meet their needs.
Case Type
First you need to consider what kind of case you will need. What is the primary use of your system? There are 3 basic categories of case each with there own set of sub categories. Some cases even reside in 2 of the categories but each category has its set of sub categories. The 3 basic categories are:
These are the main categories. Many people want to list Small Form Factor(SFF) cases and Media Center cases as separate categories but there basically just Desktop cases. Within each category there are a range of Form Factors used. The 2 primary form factors are ATX and mATX. You can still find some BTX cases but generally they are backwards compatible with ATX. Most all ATX cases are compatible with mATX but you will not be able to use an ATX motherboard in a mATX case. Basically the Form factor needed is determined by what motherboard you will be using. So pay careful attention to your motherboards form factor and make sure the case you get will accommodate your board.
Tower
Tower cases consist of Full Towers, Mid Towers and Micro Towers. Many Full Towers will be referred to as a Server. Companies like Dell and HP sell PC that look like a very slim Mid Tower. These are really nothing more then a Desktop turned on its side. Just an example of how there are many cases that reside in a couple of categories.
Desktop
These cases are the kind that sits flat on your desk. They may be about the same size as some Mid Towers but are oriented for desktop use. There are some cases that can be configured for both Desktop and Tower use. It's generally a matter of reorienting the drive cage. As mentioned I also lump SFF and Media Center cases in this group due to the fact that they have the same basic orientation of a Desktop Case.
Server
Generally Servers are not consumer products. These are usually the kinds of cases that reside in a rack, in the back room of some organization or business. The only difference between Server Towers and a full Tower is the number of dive bays in the case. So I consider those Full Towers and not Servers.
Construction
The materials that make up your prospective case can determine if it's a quality case or not. The most commonly used materials are steel, aluminum and acrylic. Some of the sturdiest cases are made from steel. Overall it's the thickness of the material that matters. While steel weighs more then aluminum it has a more solid feel to it and you can use somewhat thinner material and still have a solid case. While aluminum needs to be fairly thick to make for a solid case. Overall aluminum is lighter then steel even when thicker material is used. So the thickness of the material is an important item to look at. Make sure the case is durable. If it’s flimsy to the touch then you may want to move on. Cheaper cases try to save money by using thinner material making for a shifty case that may be out of square. This will make installing the components difficult. Regardless of the weather it's steel or aluminum, if it's a cheap case it will have sharp edges that can further complicate your build. Some cases are made completely from Acrylic. While these cases are generally sturdy and look good they can have issues with static buildup. As long as the system is properly grounded this doesn't present much of a problem.
As a side note, some manufacturers create composite or layered side panels to help with sound dampening. The Antec P180 is one such case. Other manufacturers use acoustic deadening material on the inside of a traditional Steel or Aluminum case to accomplish the same thing. This same material is availible for those looking to reduce the sound level in there current case.
Cooling
Your choice of cooling, be it air or water, has a large impact on your choice of cases. While most cases center on air-cooling there are those that take water-cooling into consideration. Good cases tend to come with fans even if there isn’t a fan for every position in the case. Airflow configurations will very from one case to another. It all comes down to the overall design of the case as to what the optimal configuration of the fans will be.
The important thing to note with air cooling is that cool air is brought into the case at a good rate and that it flows over the hot spot of the motherboard (about a 4" radius around the CPU which covers the RAM, capacitors, and other heat generating components. Additionally once the cool air comes in; the newly heated air needs to be removed as quickly as possible to make room for the flow of cool air. Although a study of fluid dynamics might be useful, a good flow can be created using one fan pushing in, and another fan pulling out.
Some cases like the Coolermaster Stacker 830 is designed to use a wall of fans on the side as intakes and every other fan is set as an exhaust, even the front fans. Other cases use creative designs such as wind tunnels over the CPU, and thermal zones which separate the PSU from the rest of the components. These creative designs may be quite effective for your use, but might also present additional challenges. It is advisable to research those cases with creative designs to see how they have been received by the public at large and what challenges might need to be addressed.
As a component of cooling, it is important to note that many after market CPU coolers can be very large. Although all modern cases will support stock CPU heat sinks and fans, only the widest of cases will be able to accommodate the largest aftermarket CPU coolers. Although there are many other considerations to take into account, it is good to know that your cooling solution will actually fit within your case before settling down on either the case or the CPU cooler.
Noise
For many noise level is a key concern. In general more fans mean more noise. Regardless of weather it's a silent fan or not. Air makes noise when it moves. Also pay attention to the size of fans. You will want the case to have 120mm fans or larger in it. Larger fans don’t have to spin as fast to supply the same amount of air as smaller ones. The faster a fan spins the more noise you get from both the motor and the fan blades cutting through the air.
Although it should go without saying, if it moves, it will likely make noise. If your goal is to make a silent or at least quiet computer and you use a noisy power supply, hard drive or video card; all your effort to make the case silent will allow you to clearly hear the lilting sound of these other noisy devices – without having your case noise get in the way. If noise is a concern, there is much research you will need to do to ensure that all components will meet your acoustic and performance needs.
Features
Now we enter the area of personal preference. There are a wide variety of features on cases. Ranging from windows and lights to removable motherboard trays and tool less drive bays. The list is almost endless. Now positioning of these features such as the placement of the front panel play a role in choosing a case. You wouldn’t want a top mounted front panel if your case is going to sit inside a cabinet. So think about the features you want and consider their impact. If you run your system in your bedroom 24/7 you may not want a case with LED fans. It may keep you up all night. Another facet is the interior layout of the case. There are those cases that are a bit cramped and difficult to work with. You also want to consider if the case has the room to fit that nice 1 kW PSU and that new video card. Also consider the orientation of the motherboard in the case. Some cases like many of the Lian-Li cases mount the motherboard upside down. Many boards now use heat pipes to cool the chipset. Most of those heat pipes will not function well when mounted upside down. Placement and orientation of the drive cages can also affect your choice in a case. With the size of current video cards it has become necessary to have a case that mounts the HDDs sideways so that there is a bit more room in front of the motherboard that will accommodate a long video card. So look at the features, learn about them and see if they will be beneficial to you or not.
Aesthetics
Simply put, you don’t want an ugly case. Maybe you’ll want a case that looks good to you and possibly fits in with the rest of your room. Maybe you want a case that can sit in your living room and not be noticed. Many people like a case that is noticed and can be showcased to friends. What ever your style is there should be a case to suit you. A wide range of colors and styles are used on cases. So whatever your preference may be you can find a case or at least make it look the way you want.
Conclusion
In the end it’s all a matter of finding what you like. Sometimes you may have to make compromises. Generally this is due to a limited budget. Just try not to compromise build quality for the look you want. Great thing about cases is if you don’t like something about it they can be modded but that’s another topic all together.
Case Selection Guide
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