Understanding gaming PC computer case

The main function of the computer case is to hold most of the hardware together in our gaming PC. It also determines the type and number of hardware that we can install in our system. Because is one of the pieces of hardware we are going to look at every day we use our gaming PC, (along with the keyboard mouse and monitor), we should be happy with its appearance. Common brands are: APEVIA, Rosewill, Cooler Master, Antec and Thermaltake. The vast amount of computer cases available with different layouts and design makes the decision of selecting it a hard one so we decided to give you some tips about what to look at when choosing one.

Features to look for when choosing a computer case for your a gaming PC

1) motherboard compatibility – there are two main motherboard factors, ATX and BTX. ATX was developed about 15 years ago while BTX was developed more recently. The most common and affordable of the two is ATX so we are going to choose a computer case with support for that factor for our gaming PC.

2) case types – there are two main computer case types, desktop and tower. Tower cases have more space than desktop cases making them a better choice for our gaming PC. There are three types of tower cases: full, mid and mini. Mid tower computer cases provide the best combination of features, functionality and affordability so we should pick one of those.

3) drive bays – there are two main kinds of drive bays internal and external. There’s also two main sizes of drive bays: 3.5” and 5.25”. Internal 3.5” drive bays are often used to install hard drives. External 5.25” drive bays are commonly used to install optical drives and card readers. Floppy disk drives are commonly installed on 3.5” external drive bays. Just pick a computer case with enough drive bays to accommodate all the hardware you plan to install at present and in the future.

4) expansion slots – just pick one with enough expansion slots for the present and future.

5) cooling – cooling is very important in a gaming machine because they usually run hotter than the average PC, specially when you overclock hardware (we don’t encourage our users to do that). Pick a computer case with enough places to put the cooling fans your gaming PC will need.

6) front ports – there are some computer cases with USB, speaker and microphone ports in the front. Pick one of those since this makes some tasks easier.

7) power supply – the power supply that comes with most computer cases usually don’t meet the power demand of the average gaming PC so is better to choose a computer case without one and get our own power supply.

8) side panel – this feature makes the computer case look so cool so pick one with this feature if that’s important to you. Usually they also come with colored led lights which make the computer case look even better. This also help to keep our gaming PC cooler with the availability of an air duct.

9) side air duct – this helps to keep the gaming PC cooler so we should pick a computer case with one or more.

10) material – the better the material the better the durability of the computer case. The most common materials are steel and aluminum with aluminum being more expensive. Steel is affordable so we should pick one in this material.

11) fans – they keep the gaming PC cool se we should have some placed in crucial places. Common sizes are 80mm, 90mm and 120mm (mm stands for millimeters).

That’s pretty much the most important features to look at when choosing a computer case for our gaming PC. Now let’s choose a keyboard and mouse combo.