Types of pc case sizes. Types of housing and power blocks of the system unit. Power supplies Housings
This article, our site continues a whole cycle of useful materials, the purpose of which will be the facilitation of the choice of any product from thousands of options offered in the market. Agree, the choice of a specific model of some device always takes a lot of time that you can spend with benefit. In today's material we will talk about choosing a case for personal computer.
Introduction
The housing is a house for all components of a personal computer, and experts recommend not to save on it. The fact is that a good hull for the PC can serve you a lot - a lot - years. The stuffing inside is relatively easily replaced, and an excellent quality and functional body will not allow not worrying about its safety and cooling. The buildings are produced by a great set - the model can be chosen for every taste and for a computer of any purpose and size.
The selection of the housing determines the number of components that you can use in your PC, the ease of their assembly together (for example, due to the convenient placement system of internal cables), the quality of the total cooling and safety of the entire internal filling. A cheap body of fine aluminum with a pair of weak fans and without dust filters is definitely not suitable for the game PC, and indeed how home the PC will look not too presentable, but for sure it is suitable for office solutions.
It is worth noting that the housings are not only large and stupid rectangles - some manufacturers produce interesting models With the design, similar to example, with media players, others (like Alienware) and make their buildings like some starships at all.
In the next section, we will tell about the main characteristics of PC buildings, and after will present to your attention 10 best modelsthat are suitable for any budget and are considered best in their class.
The main characteristics of the buildings
Form factor
Determines the motherboard form factor that can be installed in a specific case. Form factors are quite a lot: ATX, MATX, BTX, MBTX, EATX, MINI-ITX, NANO-ITX, PICO-ITX and FLEXATX. The most common ones are ATX (standard size of ordinary motherboards), MATX (slightly smaller size, usually compatible with ATX), EATX (enlarged ATX) and mini-itx (for mini-computers). If you have chosen motherboard Before starting the choice of the case - be sure to make sure that it can be installed without any problems.
Power Supply
Some housings are supplied with the power supply installed. This is usually not too powerful and cheap model, so we recommend buying a power supply separately (and we will tell about the hotel in the hotel).
In addition, the power supply in a conventional rectangular body can be located below or from above. There is no particular difference between these options, but in lately The housings with the location of the BP below have become particularly popular - possibly due to theoretically more stable design (power supplies are pretty heavy, and on top they hold on to several durable screws).
Size
It characterizes the size of the housing and, more importantly, the number of type 5.25 compartments "(for optical drives and other devices). The sizes are also quite a lot (ascending by dimensions): Micro-Tower, Mini-Tower, Midi-Tower, Full-Tower, Super -Tower, Slim-Desktop (location in a horizontal position), Full-Desktop (horizontal position) and Rackmount (for servers). For home and office use mini-tower and MIDI-Tower are suitable for a powerful game PC or workstation. You may need Full-Tower or even Super-Tower. Slim-Desktop and Full-Desktop will be useful for multimedia computers located, for example, next to the TV.
The number of compartments, no-fastener
The number of types of types 5.25 "and 3.5" determines the number hard disks, optical drives and some other components that can be installed inside the housing. In recent years, the importance of optical drives has declined much - when was the last time you used a CD or DVD disk? In general, now the number of compartments remains important only for those who are going to use several large mechanical HDDs, but their capacity already reaches several terabytes - you hardly need a lot of compartments.
The attachment of discs and drives in the compartments can be carried out both using screws and using, for example, latches. Naturally, the less in the casing of the screws, the easier it is to work with it.
Corps material
Some enclosures are made of plastic, but the overwhelming majority are made of aluminum or stainless steel. Here everything is simple: aluminum is less durable and much easier, steel - durable, thick and heavy (as well as more expensive). If you plan to frequently transfer the case from place to place - it is possible that light aluminum is suitable for you, in other cases the case material is not so important.
Window, LCD display, etc.
Advanced enclosures are equipped with various "chips" in the form of windows that allow you to look inside and admire the working components, the displays that information about the temperature and speed of the fans, doors for protecting ports and aesthetics, as well as various side panel opening mechanisms (the most Common - ordinary removable panels). Some enclosures even equip wheels and locks.
Cooling system
One of the most important factorsto be taken into account when buying a housing. Each case is equipped with at least one fan that is responsible for circulating air inside and the overall cooling of the system. It is better to buy housings at least with two fans - for example, on the back and front panel. This allows you to constantly drive through the enclosure of fresh air.
Powerful gaming PCs and workstations need serious cooling, that is, in several fairly large fans on the housing. In addition, if you want to use the liquid cooling system, then make sure that the housing supports it.
The dimensions of the fans are rather important. Little I. powerful fans It will be noticeably noise - it is better to look after the housings with large (140x140 mm and more) fans. Often, there are free spaces in the housings to install additional fans that need to be purchased separately.
Also, the housings can be equipped with separate panels to adjust the speed of rotation of the fans. It is not too important, but it can be useful if you want to make your PC as quiet as possible, for example, when simple.
Facial panel and ports
Modern PC case must have several uSB ports 3.0 on the front panel (at least two), as well as a 3.5-millimeter audio output and audio input. Also, the ESATA and FireWire ports can be located on the front panel - if you have any devices with their support, then they will surely come up.
There is much more interesting location of all these ports. They can be placed both at the bottom of the front panel of the housing and in its middle or above. Pick the housing with this location - for example, if your PC will stand under the table, the ports on the bottom of the front panel are most likely not too convenient.
Color, Design
Most enclosures are produced in white and black options, but sometimes you can find other colors for sale - for example, red or silver. Each manufacturer tries to stand out in design - someone adheres to strict lines and straight corners, someone is trying to use fantasy. Here is the recommendation one - first make sure that the case will be easy to use, and only then make a purchase decision.
10 best enclosures for PC
Excellent inexpensive and quiet standard design for multimedia pc or office computer. 1 Fan 120x120 mm, 1 USB 3.0 port on the front panel and durable stainless steel.
A good housing for the game PC or the middle class workstation: not too high price, two fans 140x140 mm, two uSB ports 3.0 in front and very strict design.
Steel Full-Tower for beginners enthusiasts: three fans 140x140 mm, two USB 3.0 ports on the front panel, four 5.25 "compartment and 8 3.5" compartments.
Budget Solution for Gaming PCs: Two 120x120mm fan, the possibility of installing five (!) Additional 140x140 mm fans, two USB 3.0 ports in front, convenient fastening mechanisms and a very attractive price.
Beautiful, dear and large housing for a powerful game computer. Three 140x140mm fan, three USB 3.0 ports front, nice red light and interesting translucent side panelwhich is easy to open.
Huge and not too expensive for its class Super-Tower with two fans (92x92 mm and 140x140 mm), a pair of USB 3.0 on the front panel and a bunch of compartments and places to install additional fans.
Small steel premium body for enthusiasts. Three 120x120 mm fan, two USB 3.0 ports in front, excellent dust protection and convenient carrying handles.
The case of a non-standard view for multimedia PCs - such a good look under TV or projection screen. Quite quiet, not too expensive and not too spacious (just one compartment 5.25 ").
The housing with a unique modular design, designed for game enthusiasts. Equipped with three 200x200 fans (!), One 140x140 mm fan and has a lot of space to install components.
Huge, dear, but simultaneously strict and pleasant to the Super-Tower. Three 120x120mm fan, one 140x140 mm fan, 2 USB 3.0 ports in front, a lot of space for components and highest quality Materials and assembly.
Conclusion
We hope that this article helped you understand the difficult task of choosing the case. In the next article we will talk about
One of the most important details system Block - This is a housing. All elements of the future computer are attached to it. There is a huge variety of formation form such as vertical and horizontal, which in turn are still on many subspecies.
At first, the conversation will go about vertical system blocks. The first view will be low profile:
The case collected on the basis of the motherboard has a rather miniature size, it takes little place, in addition, they have a fairly attractive and beautiful appearance than the place on the computer table. The only and perhaps a serious minus will be, the fact that absolutely no possibility for modernization and improvement. Because of its small size, the details of the computer are close to each other, which increases the threat of overheating. In addition to all prices, this type of body is not at all attractive.
In general, a low computer, a kind of office plankton. Because of its not convenience, do not allow you to place a full-fledged motherboard, cooling and ventilation. In addition, it is recommended to periodically remove dust from the inside. This species The corps are not very popular.
The most encountered computer case. Large enough dimensions allow complete full gaming computer, You can place a good motherboard, up to several hard drives and video cards. If you work hard, you can easily build a powerful home computer. There are no problems with the cooling system, everything is perfectly ventilated.
The biggest of your fellow. Because of its sizes, it is necessary to complete everything with your soul in it. Mainly exploit as small servers or progressive users.
File-Server
The basis of any server. It has a multitude of compartments for additional devices. It has wheels for movement, a bunch of indicators running continuously. Most into the body set multiple coolers, fans and power supplies for greater reliability in their work. The system easily caresses between power blocks.
The horizontal view of the housings is designed to be installed on the desktop, which is what the desktop name says. By appearance Elegant enough. The big minus will be what to repair is hard enough and expensive.
Operating system, software installed, Documents, photos, music and movies are stored on the hard disk. HDD ( hard disk) Measured in gigabytes. It is believed that the more, the better. As they say, there is no free space.
The front panel of the PC system unit, as a rule, contains two buttons:
- POWER - Used to turn on the computer;
- RESET - Used if you need an emergency reboot of the computer if it is hung.
Also on the front panel you can find such items:
- indicators - LEDs and light bulbs displaying PCs: computer display indication, indication status hard disk.
- drives and optical drives are devices designed to work with such media of information as diskettes and optical disks.
- connectors - Designed to connect some external devices. Most often these are USB connectors, as well as a nest for connecting headphones and microphone.
Ate you want to assemble a new system unit if you want it to be made specifically for you and was not like hundreds of others sold in stores, then the center computer help The site will gladly help to fulfill the dream. Turning to our service, you can be confident in the reliability and durability of the future computer. After all, professionals with many years of successful experience will be engaged in assembly and configuration!
Oddly enough, but often before buying a new computer, people do not always think over the size and type of future PC (form factor). Most often it falls on the shoulders of sellers who are not always interested in the needs of the client, simply speaking - what corps caught - both stuck ... however, it is often that this parameter is important for both the user and for the computer itself. How important is it? From the form factor of a PC (and from the correctness of its choice, of course ...), many important parameters depends on the convenience of work, the noise level, the temperature of the housing, and from here it is followed: "Health" of components inside (primarily hard drives - which store your information - And this is as you know the highest value), the convenience of work, etc., etc. ... So, how to choose the right size of the system block of the future PC?
To begin with - I propose to consider them more in turn:
At the beginning it is necessary to say that the sizes of the PC are not only from the size of the hull itself. The size of the housing must match the size of the components - the motherboard first, video cards, power supply and other devices. For example, it is impossible to place the ATX system board in the MinitOwer case, or the GeForce 9800GTX type video card in the same case - it simply does not fit. And if it gets, it will be so warm that small space will not allow to effectively remove heat, and overheating will threaten all devices ...
So let's consider the form factors of the buildings - their size can be said directly proportional to the possibilities of the future PC, because It defines the size of components that can "fit" in it. And modern components are often large sizes (for example - powerful video cards). Therefore, it is possible in a sense to give such advice: the more powerful PC is planned - the greater the case ...
Full Tower (Full Tower): Sizes of such a case: width 15-20cm, height 50-60cm. Such a housing has from 4 to 9 compartments for devices 5.25 inches (example: DVD-ROM drive), has from 6 to 12 compartments under the device 3.5 inches (example: hDD) has the ability to install seven expansion cards (for example, TV tuner, sound card). Also such a body accommodates a full-sized systemic aTX fee (We'll talk about their dimensions later). Speaking easier - the buildings of this type are the largest, and the capacity of various "iron" is enormous. But here, of course, it all depends on the motherboard - how much it allows you to connect hard drives, extension boards, (which then find a place in the enforcement of the case), etc. Application: Mostly for powerful computersfocused solely on high performance, because Such systemic blocks contain a lot of fast components, which are known to highlight a lot of heat, and in such a large case, the cooling is not difficult.
Medium Tower: Mid Tower: Perhaps the most common size among home desktop computers. Its dimensions: width 15-20 cm, height 43-45 cm. Such enclosures are able to accommodate a full-sized ATX system board, full-size power supply, several hard drives and a lot of hard drives. Application: You can say - universal. Sizes are acceptable and for high-performance PCs, and for the usual average home Computer. The space inside the housing allows the circulation of air flows inside usually does not make it difficult to cool the housing and devices. I recommend it to build a PC - if your PC requirements are common, and if you do not need a computer "on the shelf".
Mini Tower (Mini Tower): Mainly distributed in the office computers sector. Because of its small sizes (width 15-20cm, height 33-35 cm) they allow you to install a bit: (1-2 optical drive, 1-2 hard disk And approximately 4 expansion slots) and the device is moderately or below performance. First, due to the size, and secondly, due to heating. Places in such a case are not enough - and therefore the requirements for the temperature of the devices above, in order not to be created the other noise of fans and overheating of the devices. But in such a case, you can fit the components that are quite enough for office work with text, presentations and spreadsheets.
Mini PC (Small Form Factor): With its size (width of 20 cm, height 18-23 cm) they contain a maximum of 2 expansion slots, some hard drives and imply a compact power supply. Here it is understood that the user will mainly use the components built into the motherboard (which is also small) as well as built-in video and sound. In appearance, these hulls resemble household appliances. Their use is like office PCs or as the basis of a home theater. About cooling here is not worth the question, because Devices are very little and they allocate a little heat in their destination.
Also there are still form factors. Micro PC (which are even smaller compared to mini-PC with dimensions, but because of their sizes have even greater limitations) and desktop (horizontal buildings on the table), but they are less common and you are unlikely to get involved with them.
So, we reviewed the form factors of the buildings. I hope - you will choose something suitable for yourself. If not - you can apply for individual advice.
In the following articles from the form factors cycle, we will generally consider the form factors of the component system block and other devices.
system Block Housing
The computer case is of great importance for stable and silent operation of your home computer. Although many believe that the case is not the main element of the system unit and is needed for mounts inside its components. In fact, this is not the case, the case is an important element that provides accommodation and rigid fixation of all its devices, and protection against environmental impact.
The most important thing for the system block case is its dimensions. You can select several sizes of computer enclosures Barebone, Slim, Minitower, Miditower, FullTower and Bigtower (from Tower - Tower), and as many form factors: ATX, E-ATX, MATX, MINIITX, XL-ATX. All of them are interconnected by overall dimensions. For example: Big -Tower housing (large tower) has an XL-ATX form factor with a body size of about 234 x 600 x 555 mm, and the small MINI-TOWER tower has a MATX form factor with dimensions of 181 x 363 x 400 mm (width x Length x height).
Horizontal
There is another kind of system unit horizontal, the so-called Desktop-s. The time of the DESKTOP type enclosures is already running. 
Translated Desktop indicates the desktop, which speaks for itself and still find application in offices in order to save the working space. In such system units, the overall dimensions are relatively small, and the horizontal way of location, allows you to place a monitor on it. With the advent of the LCD monitors, the dimensions of which are significantly less, interest in such types of the system blocks. Their typical dimensions are 450 × 450 × 200.
Vertical
We will no longer consider the horizontal system unit and stop at the most popular types of system blocks of system blocks - "towers". 
The Barebone system block case is suitable for the connoisseurs of space, it takes very little space. In addition, it is great to look great. As a rule, such cases are not sold separately, they are supplied with pre-installed components. In such systems, so-called passive cooling methods are often used. 
Practically not used on this moment Standard Case AT. Applied to build computers on intel database 486, Pentium I, Pentium II and their modifications.
Maximum integrated FLEX-ATX format system boards and their continuation - SLIM housing. In general, the corps are close, extremely uncomfortable, but - externally they look very original.
A small in height of the MINI-TOWER body was used to be the most widespread, but now it meets much less often, since with the placement of full-sized system Plasteps ATH may arise problems, only small-sized Micro-ATX and FLEX-ATX formats remain. Such enclosures are most often used in the PC of the simplest configurations and is used as office machines or network terminals.
To date, the most common body format - MIDI Tower ATH, provides the use of a large number of drives and almost all types of system boards at acceptable overall dimensions. As a real "workhorse", optimally adapted to solve the widest range of tasks, the housing of this type is used almost everywhere.
The largest dimensions of the housing has Big Tower. It provides the placement of system boards of any size and the largest number of 5.25 format devices, most often 6. In addition, they are usually equipped with high power supply blocks. The main area of \u200b\u200bapplication of enclosures - workstations, small servers and computers for advanced users.
Quality
From how directly made panels of the case, insertion, etc. It depends on the convenience of working with it and safety. Metal corners must be smoothed so that it is impossible to scratch hands about them. Also, the case must be sufficiently tough. Of course, all painted housing panels must be well processed. It is also worth paying attention to the material of manufacturing - iron or aluminum. Aluminum, of course, preferable, but prices for aluminum hulls are noticeably more than on the iron.
Internal location
For components within the system unit, there should be enough space and the ability to improve the computer. The amount of heat released by modern components require the appropriate size, so the system unit inside should have enough space for ventilation. Dimensions of computers purchased for offices can be any.
Let's look at the photo block in the photo. Here you can see that the case is used for the system - MIDI Tower, quite spacious in height and width, it can be seen on the installed vertical kuller. Matx Motherland, it is possible to install a full-format card. The power supply has a 120 mm cooler. On the back wall there is a place to install an additional fan, they are on the side lid. It can be seen that for this system, there is an opportunity to upgrade and organize quality cooling.
Functionality of the case
Pay attention to the location of the buttons and switches, as follows uSB connectors and audio connectors. Sample immediately - whether you will use them. It is also worth paying attention to whether the case provides the possibility of an eventless assembly of components. Vessel-free assembly implies a large number of fasteners and latches for equipment, so when assembling the system unit, you do not have to use screws and a screwdriver, which is very convenient.
Ease of access inside. Removable side wall (left, if you look from the face of the face) provides easy access to internal components. Most buildings are removed both sides. Previously, traditional is a casing in the P-shaped version. For rapid removal (casing or wall), instead of traditional screws-latch screws. This allows you to do without screwdriver at all.
On the front side there are 2 control buttons: on (POWER) and reboot (Reset). Bad, if they are all the same, for example, round, one diameter and color and are close to each other.
Manufacturer
Most manufacturers - from little-known chinese firms, To famous companies (THERMALTAKE). You understand yourself, it is still better to have a system unit with a case from famous brandSince it implies the quality of manufacture and use at the proper level.
Price
The range is very wide - from 100 to ... a few thousand. The cheap body of the system unit may have flaws, such as: a bustling design, ill-conceived cooling inside, the inconvenience of work inside the case, using buttons and connectors.