Understanding PC Cases and How to Buy the Right One

I still remember the time when buying a PC case was as easy as anything. You could just go the market and pick the best case that you can want and be done with it. However, things have changed drastically. Gone are the day when PC case buying was an easier experience. When you are in the market looking for a good case, you have to go through a lot in order to find the perfect case. This often leads to some confusions among the people who are in the market looking for the case for the first time and just want to buy the perfect case for their build.

While looking at the best full tower cases, we realized that we need to have a proper guide that will help people buy the right PC case and that too, without any further confusions. That is why we have decided that we want to write this down so the readers can have an easier experience buying a good case for their PC.

Keeping that in mind, let’s not waste time and let’s get down to the details.

Understanding the Form Factors

First things first, whenever you are in the market looking to buy a case, you will have to understand the different form factors that are available for you to choose. Although this is common knowledge, people still tend to find themselves on a confusing road.

Below, we have a small list of the available form factors in the market.

• SFF: Can hold mini ITX motherboards.
• Micro ATX: Can hold micro ATX as well as mini ITX motherboards.
• Mid Tower: Can hold mini ITX, micro ATX, and ATX sized motherboards.
• Full Tower: Can hold mini ITX, micro ATX, ATX, and E-ATX motherboards.

In addition to the aforementioned mainstream cases that we have mentioned above, there is another breed called the super towers. These cases are not as common but they are large enough to hold two systems at once. The Corsair Obsidian 1000D is a common example of such a case.

Whenever you are buying a case in the market, make sure that you decide the form factor that you are looking for so you do not have to worry about anything later down the road.

Modularity

PC cases used to be pretty straightforward back in the day. However, Cooler Master took the concept and turned it into modular. What is a modular PC case, you ask? Well, it is a PC case in which pretty much every component can be altered in the way it is aligned. For instance, there are some cases which allow you to flip the motherboard tray upside down so you can have an inverted system inside the case.

Or cases that allow you to remove all the unwanted components for a much cleaner look. I know modularity might not be on the list for the most desirable feature but the good thing is that it is damn well functional and can result in some pretty great builds.

Case with a Power Supply

This used to be a great value proposition back in the day. However, it has become pointless in the modern day and age. Whenever you are in the market looking for a case to buy, you might find some cases that come with preinstalled power supplies. Our suggestion is that you should avoid those cases.

Why? Sure, the case might be good but the power supply in it is going to be rubbish. This is a clever way of cutting corners and sending out stock that is no longer sellable to the general public, and it is always better that we avoid such situations altogether.

Cooling Features

A cool PC is a happy PC, and this is a fact that we can never overlook. There is no point in building a $2,000 PC and having absolutely abysmal cooling it. You have to make sure that the cooling capacity of your PC is good because otherwise, you are just wasting money.

Whenever you are buying a case, make sure that the case you are buying has ample room for fans and good cooler support; this goes for both air coolers or liquid coolers. The reason why I am saying this is because this way, you will not have to worry about changing the case in the future if you want to go for a different cooling solution.

Another benefit is that a well-ventilated and properly cooled case will be more than beneficial for your PC. An advantage that is never considered negative.

Aesthetics

Last but not least, we can start focusing on aesthetics. Considering how those are something that we are paying attention to now, aesthetics are important for a lot of people. Below are some of the common aesthetic elements that people want to look out for in a good case.

• Tempered Glass Panels: Although a rudimentary addition, there is no denying that tempered glass makes your PC look so much better than a standard acrylic window because it is resistant to scratches and offers great transparency as well.
• RGB Lighting: Most of the cases in the market you get to see come with integrated RGB lighting. However, not all cases come with it. So, whenever you are buying a PC case, do look for it and decide whether you need it or not.
• Cable Management: I know it might be confusing for some but cable management has become something that is a lot more aesthetical than functional. People love to have cases with good cable management so they can easily make the cables look pretty and neatly arranged. Make sure that whenever you are buying a PC case, the backside of it has ample room for cable management or at least enough tie down points so you do not have to worry about things going out of the way.

Conclusion

Truth be told, when it comes to choosing a PC case, the process is fairly simple. However, with a plethora of options available in the market. Getting confused is just as easy, too. That is why most of the people find themselves buying cases that they do not really need in the first place, or have no proper understanding of the case you have just bought.

With this buying guide, we hope to solve that problem and help people the best PC case that they can buy without any issues that might come in the way.