Different Cases for Different Jobs
Computer cases are broken down into several general types, or form factors. These are meant for different situations, or to hold particular types of motherboards.
- Mid-tower: This is the most common type of computer case, and stands about two feet tall, and can hold most motherboards and the typical number of hard dives, media drives, and expansion cards for a typical desktop system without undue crowding. (High-powered graphics cards can cause problems.)
- Full tower: This is effectively just a larger, taller version of the mid-tower, about 2 1/2 feet tall, with more room for drives and extended ATX motherboards. They are typically used for independent server systems, or high-end gaming machines that need extra room for graphics cards and cooling.
- Mini-tower: A smaller (shorter) version of the mid-tower, it is best used with micro-ATX boards or smaller, and is good for lightweight systems that do not need a lot of powerful components.
- Desktop: This is much the same as a mid-tower, but is designed to lie on one side, instead of being stood up. Tower designs often stand on the floor, while desktops sit... on top of the desk.
- Slimline desktop: This a thinner (shorter) version of the desktop. It is excellent as the chassis of a workstation, but is too limited in space for a more capable machine.
- Ultra small: The ultra small form factor case is usually seen in lightweight 'barebones' systems and can be the basis of an excellent lightweight/portable desktop system, though the need to use a micro-ATX board will keep it from being very fancy.
