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Case it up: New choices for your system The inside of your system can contain any number of different components, but the part you will see every day is the case. The case is made from a sheet of metal bent to form the exterior with plastic cosmetic pieces, over a metal frame, which is most often aluminum. The motherboard, drives, interface cards, etc. will be mounted on this frame. So how do you choose a case for your system? You will first need to look at the size of the case. If you want expandability, go for a mid or full size tower which has extra drive bays. Count how many 5.25" size drives and how many 3.5 drives you want to add to the system, then buy a case with a few extra bays for future upgrades. For places where conserving space is the key or for smaller desks you may opt for a booksize PC, although they are usually non-standard and have little room for expansion. Some companies still offer desktop cases (like a minitower laid on its side). This can save space by allowing the monitor to sit on top of the system unit rather than in the floor or beside the display. One factor which will narrow your choices is whether your motherboard has an AT or ATX type connector on it. AT cases are slightly smaller. The switch on the front of the system is a click on, click off type. If you are upgrading an older system and not the motherboard, this may be what you require. AT standard has been around for years, but has been replaced by ATX on most new motherboards. The main reason is that the new boards support automatic powering off of your system at the shutdown screen. The TV Genie card by Zoltrix even supports auto shutdown via remote control. The switch on an ATX style case is a momentary contact switch. It makes contact long enough to turn the system on, and it must be held in for a few seconds if you wish to manually shut the computer off. If your motherboard has both types of connectors, opt to use the ATX one. Next consider the power supply wattage. You can change out the power supply in most standard cases to get the size you need in the case design you choose. 230 watt is the smallest you should consider for most uses, with 250 watt being the most common. With Athlon processors and Pentium 4 units you'll be better off with a 300 watt, and there are even 350 watt supplies available if you suffer from technology overload! If you intend to add lots of accessories such as internal CDRW and DVD drives, video capture devices, or USB devices which draw their power from the system, bigger is better. Cases today come in assorted sizes and colors. One of the more popular cases is the smoke tinted translucent black. However, standard beige is still the most commonly requested color, but the styles and shapes are becoming more exotic and creative. Another nice flavor is the cool ice or translucent teal. There are also deep sea blues, purple, and new pastel translucents to choose from. It's almost a neverending rainbow. Accessories such as speakers, keyboards, mice, and some printers and scanners come in colors to match the cases. Keep in mind if you choose one of the truly exotic ones, it may be hard to locate for example a lilac scanner to go with it! With some brands of proprietary systems you will not have a choice of cases, and will not be able to change the look at a later time. And as always, keep in mind the warranty. Isn't it nice to have so many choices? Decisions, decisions! |
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