From prior experience, I learned that picking the right case can be crucial in the overall well-being of your computer. I went out and spend $150 on a piece of crap case that I thought was cool when I saw it on the shelf. I'm writing this to help all of you not make my mistake. There are 3 main things to think about when looking at cases.

1: Compatibility. This is a mistake that I've made many times. An ATX motherboard probally won't fit into a Micro ATX case. Also, some ATX or Micro ATX motherboards will not fit into the compatable form factor case. I know a person who bought a Micro ATX case and motherboard off of newegg, only to find out that the motherboard was half an inch too big for the case. Make sure to compare measurments of the case and the motherboard before buying.

2: Expandibility. If you are planning to make a top of the line dual processor server, don't put it in a case that only has two 3 1/4" drive bays. Also, if you are planning on building a small word processing computer, don't go out and waste money on a Lian-Li full server case. Get a case that has has the appropriate amount of room for expandibility.

3: Cooling. this will be your best friend, and your worst enemy when it comes to computing. Too little, and your processor is a $150 piece of burnt crap. Too much, and your computer will sound like a wind tunnel. The first thing to look at is, how much heat will your components give off. Here is a small equasion to figure out about how much CFM of air each your fans should move: (p²·f) where p= processor speed, and f=the number of fan openings. This equasion is not guaranteed to work in all cases.

4: Looks. Not exactly the most important part, but it is a thing to ponder. If you are making a awesome gaming rig, you would want to have a window, nice color, and mabye some lights, not a putty colored box. Try to find a case that fits your personality, and your wallet.

In part 2 of this tutorial, I will recommed cases for different applications, and prices. If you are looking for a case, post what you are looking for along with the specs of your other components, and I can try to help you find... The Perfect Case.

$150 !!!

i spent £20 on a sweeet looking black / sliver case.
400 WATT power supply, 4 CD drive bays, 1 floppy bay, 5 hard disk bays.
Front USB / audio connecters.

and it keeps my AMD-k8 3400+ cpu at 35 degree's idle, 50 degree's flat out compiling.

i dont think you need to spend money to get a decent case.

just make sure you have a big enough power supply, (bigger is better, even if you dont need it, it will run more efficently)

Here is a list of all my components for my new PC. I'm trying not to spend to much on the case so will that case be enough to keep everything cool?

I know... I was stupid to spend that much money on a case. The one good thing is, my processor runs at a chilly 26 celsius under full load. This How-to is to help people not do what I did, which is spend $150 on a case that you can spend $70 on.


If you are going to be running the SLI configuration, no that is not enough cooling. Your best bet would be to spend a little more money on a bigger case, if and only if you are going to go with the SLI configuration. If you are not planning on going with the SLI configuration, that case should be ok. My suggestion would be to get a fan for the back on intake, a fan on intake on the window if possible, and a 5 1/4 bay cooler on exaust. Later on, you might want to cut a 80mm hole in the top to put a fan there. Hope that helped you out.

I was planning on not going for the SLI config right now, I was more like future-proofing it. Alright I'll consider your suggestions. I also picked two more cases. They are in the $70-$80 dollar range and hopefully will have better cooling. http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/WishLi...COMP%20AMD%2064

I can't seem to access your wish list. Try saving the page and putting it as an attachment to a post.

Oh yea sorry about that I copied the wrong link the second time. There is the new setup with hopefully a better case.

Go to www.Pricewatch.com, or www.colorcases.com They have the best cases from any place I have seen (Now I make my own Cases and PCs right now I'm making one out of a school binder because I got bored I haven't named the computer mod yet though, maybe you guys can help). See that way it is mostly free except the 5-10 dollars I have to spend on supports to keep the parts so they don't hit eachother. And Pricewatch has Cheap computer parts as well.

redsox, that is a pretty sweet looking case. I wish I would have saw that case before I bought mine It's nice and big, and great for airflow. If it has a blowhole, that's even better. The only thing I'll suggest is, is that you get a tornado 80mm fan for the side window. Good pick.

Alright thanks, I think I'll finally push the button for this by the end or the month, lol. I've been researching parts and what not since september, I've gone through many changes in what I want. I can't wait to finally get it.