Things to know before buying computer cases and motherboard

The CPU is the heart of the computer, what determines how good your computer is at running a game or processing information is the specifications of the components of your system. These components can be found inside the CPU. The number of components that can fit into the CPU depends on the case.

In order to make the decision of choosing a computer case and a motherboard easier, given below is the different types of the two that are available:

Computer Cases

The tower is a quite popular choice, the subtypes are:

a) Full Tower

Height: Above 30 inches (76 cm)

The number of bays: Between six and ten.

b) Mid Tower

Height: Between 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm)

The number of bays: Between two to four.

c) Mini Tower

Height: Between 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm)

The number of bays: Between two to three.

d) Slim Line Case

These are generally just tower cases which can be aligned sideways. A monitor can be placed on top of it as well.

e) Small Form Factor (SFF) Case

These cases make a basic computer that can fit anywhere.

Motherboard

Choosing a computer case is not a decision that is based solely on its size. The form factor determines the following:

1) The size of the motherboard.

2) The location of the slots.

3) The location of the faceplate.

The different types of motherboard available are:

ATX Form Factor (Full ATX)

Size: 12″ x 9.6″ (30cm x 24cm)

The types of ATX motherboard are

a) Mini ATX

b) Micro ATX

c) Flex ATX

d) Mini ITX

e) Em ITX

f) Nano ITX

g) Pico ITX

h) Mobile ITX

DTX Form Factor

DTX is designed for small form factor PCs.

Size: 8” x 9.6” (20.3 cm x 24.4 cm)

Mini DTX:

Size: 8” x 6.7” (20,3 cm x 170 cm)

SSI Form Factor

This is intended primarily for systems that are larger than the standard ATX form factor. The different types available are:

a) SSI CEB

b) SSI EEB

c) SSI MEB

BTX Form Factor

Despite having improved over several aspects of ATX, this version was not widely accepted.

NLX Form Factor

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This is an older form factor primarily used in slim line cases.