Picking The Perfect Case Its not as easy as it seems...

[kevlar557 0]

From prior experience, I learned that picking the right case can be crucial in the overall well-being of your computer. I went out and spend $150 on a piece of crap case that I thought was cool when I saw it on the shelf. I'm writing this to help all of you not make my mistake. There are 3 main things to think about when looking at cases.

 

1: Compatibility. This is a mistake that I've made many times. An ATX motherboard probally won't fit into a Micro ATX case. Also, some ATX or Micro ATX motherboards will not fit into the compatable form factor case. I know a person who bought a Micro ATX case and motherboard off of newegg, only to find out that the motherboard was half an inch too big for the case. Make sure to compare measurments of the case and the motherboard before buying.

 

2: Expandibility. If you are planning to make a top of the line dual processor server, don't put it in a case that only has two 3 1/4" drive bays. Also, if you are planning on building a small word processing computer, don't go out and waste money on a Lian-Li full server case. Get a case that has has the appropriate amount of room for expandibility.

 

3: Cooling. this will be your best friend, and your worst enemy when it comes to computing. Too little, and your processor is a $150 piece of burnt crap. Too much, and your computer will sound like a wind tunnel. The first thing to look at is, how much heat will your components give off. Here is a small equasion to figure out about how much CFM of air each your fans should move: (p²·f) where p= processor speed, and f=the number of fan openings. This equasion is not guaranteed to work in all cases.

 

4: Looks. Not exactly the most important part, but it is a thing to ponder. If you are making a awesome gaming rig, you would want to have a window, nice color, and mabye some lights, not a putty colored box. Try to find a case that fits your personality, and your wallet.

 

In part 2 of this tutorial, I will recommed cases for different applications, and prices. If you are looking for a case, post what you are looking for along with the specs of your other components, and I can try to help you find... The Perfect Case.

[qwijibow 0]

$150 !!!i spent £20 on a sweeet looking black / sliver case.400 WATT power supply, 4 CD drive bays, 1 floppy bay, 5 hard disk bays.Front USB / audio connecters.and it keeps my AMD-k8 3400+ cpu at 35 degree's idle, 50 degree's flat out compiling.i dont think you need to spend money to get a decent case.just make sure you have a big enough power supply, (bigger is better, even if you dont need it, it will run more efficently)

[redsox58 0]

Here is a list of all my components for my new PC. I'm trying not to spend to much on the case so will that case be enough to keep everything cool?

[kevlar557 0]

$150 !!!

 

i spent ÂŁ20 on a sweeet looking black / sliver case.

400 WATT power supply,  4 CD drive bays, 1 floppy bay, 5 hard disk bays.

Front USB / audio connecters.

 

and it keeps my AMD-k8 3400+ cpu at 35 degree's idle, 50 degree's flat out compiling.

 

i dont think you need to spend money to get a decent case.

 

just make sure you have a big enough power supply, (bigger is better, even if you dont need it, it will run more efficently)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I know... I was stupid to spend that much money on a case. The one good thing is, my processor runs at a chilly 26 celsius under full load. This How-to is to help people not do what I did, which is spend $150 on a case that you can spend $70 on.

 

Here is a list of all my components for my new PC. I'm trying not to spend to much on the case so will that case be enough to keep everything cool?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

If you are going to be running the SLI configuration, no that is not enough cooling. Your best bet would be to spend a little more money on a bigger case, if and only if you are going to go with the SLI configuration. If you are not planning on going with the SLI configuration, that case should be ok. My suggestion would be to get a fan for the back on intake, a fan on intake on the window if possible, and a 5 1/4 bay cooler on exaust. Later on, you might want to cut a 80mm hole in the top to put a fan there. Hope that helped you out.

[redsox58 0]

I was planning on not going for the SLI config right now, I was more like future-proofing it. Alright I'll consider your suggestions. I also picked two more cases. They are in the $70-$80 dollar range and hopefully will have better cooling.

[kevlar557 0]

I can't seem to access your wish list. Try saving the page and putting it as an attachment to a post.

[redsox58 0]

// snipped

[Killer008r 0]

Go to http://www.pricewatch.com/, or http://www.atxcases.com/ They have the best cases from any place I have seen (Now I make my own Cases and PCs right now I'm making one out of a school binder because I got bored I haven't named the computer mod yet though, maybe you guys can help). See that way it is mostly free except the 5-10 dollars I have to spend on supports to keep the parts so they don't hit eachother. And Pricewatch has Cheap computer parts as well.

[kevlar557 0]

redsox, that is a pretty sweet looking case. I wish I would have saw that case before I bought mine It's nice and big, and great for airflow. If it has a blowhole, that's even better. The only thing I'll suggest is, is that you get a tornado 80mm fan for the side window. Good pick.

[redsox58 0]

Alright thanks, I think I'll finally push the button for this by the end or the month, lol. I've been researching parts and what not since september, I've gone through many changes in what I want. I can't wait to finally get it.

[insanity10117 0]

wow that is such a neat little case. best of luck in your computer parts search. its hard to pick something that you wont find something better to replace it hehe. i think mine will last me the next year or maybe even two, but i know a better case will come along then.

[Yosho-sama 0]

2: Expandibility. If you are planning to make a top of the line dual processor server, don't put it in a case that only has two 3 1/4" drive bays. Also, if you are planning on building a small word processing computer, don't go out and waste money on a Lian-Li full server case. Get a case that has has the appropriate amount of room for expandibility.

 

3: Cooling. this will be your best friend, and your worst enemy when it comes to computing. Too little, and your processor is a $150 piece of burnt crap. Too much, and your computer will sound like a wind tunnel. The first thing to look at is, how much heat will your components give off. Here is a small equasion to figure out about how much CFM of air each your fans should move: (p²¡f) where p= processor speed, and f=the number of fan openings. This equasion is not guaranteed to work in all cases.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The BTX standard is going to cause a lot of this to change, but I've found that once you're looking through compatable cases,, the most important thing to look is an intelligent designed structure.

 

Having adequate space in the case is crucial, because it affects your ability to assemble the computer without putting too much stress on the componants by getting them into the case (and the case itself).

 

Space and design are also the factors that determine how well heat will move in your case, if it will be trapped by the closeness of your componants. In fan-cooling systems, this is important because the only way to get heat out of the system is good airflow. In water-cooled systems, it's less important, but ambient heat coming from the system (the parts not being watercooled) still needs to be dissipated.

 

A great feature you'll find on newer cases is that the cases themselves are much more modular. I happen to think that a modular design is the best feature to look for in a case. Some cases come now with removable motherboard trays, side-loading hard drive bays (IMHO, the greatest invention ever), and just about everything else for easy assembling/disassembling of the computer.

 

I love those side-loading hard drive bays. I can remember when I destroyed a video card by removing a hard drive facing front-to-back, when I had difficulty removing the HD because of the cables and it collided with the video card... well you get the idea. This isn't a problem anymore.

 

I found my perfect case, and It's the Koolance PC3-720. It's a bit underpowered in the watercooling department (alleviated by adding another pump), but the shape and design are so fantastic that it really made aseembling my computer very simple and fun.I'm not advocating Koolance, I'm just saying that the PC3-720 is a great example of intelligent case design.

 

Hope this was helpful.

[skorv 0]

Time and time again we've (computer technicians) experienced problems not only because of bad casing but also by horific PSUs.

There is no cheap alternative if you're aiming for perfection, on looks, expandability, cooling and power....

One of the best All-In-On solution comes from Thermaltake, The "Armour" SuperTower.
ATX format can be easely converted to BTX format with a small upgrade.
in therms of cooling, its the best i ever saw, even the HDD Casing on 5.25" (takes up 3 drive bays) has active cooling.
it can be fitted in a water cooling system also by thermaltake called big water (try the special edition, it looks better to me)
The only con i see is its size... but in looks, expandability and cooling it exceeds by far anithing else.
as for power, it can come without a PSU and you can select one yourself, or you can select one of the many thermaltake very reliable PSUs from 350w to 680w, including some fanless systems.

Termaltake is a All-In-One Solution brand. Check it out at http://www.thermaltake.com/

Sk

[gamerchick39 0]

ive thought about getting a new case for my computer.. i got a dell dimension 8300 but ive added and changed so much stuff inside it that i have no idea what case to get for it haha...your tips should helpe me a ton when i decide to get a new one, thanks

[Sarah81 0]

Oh ... man. I had an HP Pavilion 8086 (I inherited it from a friend). When this summer started, the power supply died on me. I would like to let everyone know this:<I>just because you do your research and know good and well that the replacement power supply is compatible with your motherboard and system in general does not guarantee that it will actually fit into your case.</I>It seems that there is only ONE replacement model for this power supply. It cost me almost forty bucks, but it was worth it because it kept my PC going until I could afford to get a new one.So I ordered the right part on eBay, and it showed up. I looked at it carefully to be sure that it was the right thing. It had all the right connectors ... right power rating and all that fun stuff. Should have worked ... except that the screw holes didn't line up at all, so I couldn't anchor the sucker in the case."Okay," I thought. (I also said a few not-G-rated words, but that's another story). "I'll just slide the stupid thing into my case and not worry about the screws or whatever."So I couldn't put the case covers back on. For the rest of the summer the computer sat there, half-naked, while I did my work.It wasn't so bad, really. If I'd been motivated and willing to invest a little money, I could have bought a kit/guide/rail/etc. to help adapt screw holes and such. But I didn't want to invest more money in this old computer when I was about to get a new one.Besides which, one of my younger brothers inherited the thing and he's not complaining about the cover being off, so everybody wins.The morale of the story: expect stuff to go wrong, especially when the only replacement part you can get is from a third-party manufacturer.