A basic

he Computer Case guide to Computer Case types

The computer case contains all the hardware components of your PC. Inside
you would find a motherboard, CPU, RAM, hard drive and maybe a DVD
drive. Computer cases are available in a variety of different colours, shapes,
sizes and materials. The style of the case is determined by the size of the
motherboard and the role of the computer. Some of the common case styles
which you may see are the traditional desktop case, more modern tower
case or even the rack mounted server case.

Over the years computer cases have evolved becoming more compact,
practical and stylish in design. It is now common to find cases equipped with
front USB ports, memory card readers and headphone sockets.
The desktop case was the ”original”
computer case. It sat on your desk
and saved space by allowing the
monitor to be placed on top, with
the keyboard and mouse in front.
They were very large in size but
practical at the time. A smaller slim
line variation became available but
was not very common as they were
more expensive. The desktop case
design eventually became
superseded with the tower case.
The midi tower case was and is still
a very popular design. This tower
case is large in size but versatile,
offering space for upgradability and
can either be placed on your
desktop or be neatly tucked away
below your desk. Usually the case
has 3 or more 5.25" inch bays and
can support multiple motherboard
sizes.

Image credit: Baran Ivo

MINI TOWER CASE

Mini case imageMini tower cases

are common place in the home
where size and practicality is more
important than upgradability. They
are smaller in size than the midi
tower usually only having 1 or 2
drive bays and have limited internal
space for expansion.
FULL TOWER CASE

Full tower case imageThe full tower

case was popular for cheap
servers, power users and
enthusiasts. It has a large amount
of internal space and a number of
drive bays making them a flexible
case for upgrades. They can house
multiple hard drives, DVD drives
and other hardware. It’s not very
common to see this type of case
any more.
Specialist Cases

THE MEDIA CENTRE PC

Media centre PC,s became popular

with the release of Microsoft
Windows XP Media Centre Edition.
They were usually compact in size,
smart in design, and looked natural
in the living room or below your TV.
Features may include front USB
sockets, front video /audio out
sockets and digital displays. The
image is of a Hiper media centre
case that’s about the same size as
a DVD player.
SHUTTLE

The Shuttle design uses a small

form factor motherboard to fit their
custom cases. Always attractive to
look at, setting them self apart from
other competitors. Shuttle PCThey
became quite popular and other
companies copied there design.
RACK MOUNTED

The rack mounted case is used in

the server market. This type of case
is designed to be a compact and
standardized in size. The case is
fixed to special rails so it can be
easily slotted into a server rack.
They are available in different
heights measured in U,s. The
picture below is of a 1 U server.
THE ALL IN ONE PC

Apple Mac PCThe all in one style

case is becoming very popular in
the home user market. The
computer hardware and monitor
have been combined into one
enclosure. This computer case type
is compact and smart to look at.
However they are limited in their
upgradability and can be expensive
to repair.