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The type of motherboard for which the design is designed. This parameter is indicated by the form factor of the "motherboard", under which the case is designed. The options might be:

— ATX. One of the most common types of motherboards today, the standard ATX size is 30.5x24.4 cm. It is used in both home and middle-class office PCs.

— XL-ATX. The general name for several standards of motherboards, united, as the name implies, by rather large sizes and corresponding equipment. Specific values for these dimensions can vary from 324 to 345 mm long and 244 to 264 mm wide, depending on the manufacturer and model. Accordingly, when choosing such a case, it is worthwhile to separately clarify its compatibility with a specific motherboard.

— E-ATX(Extended ATX). The largest type of motherboards, under which modern cases are made, has dimensions of 30.5x33 cm. It is usually used in high-performance systems that require numerous expansion slots.

— micro-ATX (m-ATX). The compact version of the ATX board has dimensions of 24.4x24.4 cm. The main scope of such boards is office systems that do not require high performance.

— mini-ITX. One of the further reductions in the form factor of motherboards after m-ATX assumes a board size of about 17x17 cm and one (most often) e...xpansion slot. Also designed for compact systems that do not differ in performance.

— Thin mini-ITX. A modification of the mini-ITX described above, designed to reduce the thickness of the case (up to 25 mm), and the RAM sticks do not protrude upwards and lie on the "motherboard" parallel to the board itself (for more details, see "Form factor"). Like most compact designs, thin mini-ITX boards do not have high processing power.

Note that most cases allow the installation of smaller motherboards — for example, many E-ATX cases can be used with ATX motherboards. However, specific compatibility anyway should be clarified separately.

The maximum length of a graphics card that can be installed in this case.

Modern mid-range and top-end video cards with high performance often differ in considerable length, which is why such a card can not fit into any case. So before collecting components, it is worth evaluating the length of the proposed graphics card and choosing a case in which it is guaranteed to fit. This forethought is useful anyway, but it's especially true if you're building a system that requires a powerful graphics adapter, such as a high-end gaming PC or 3D design workstation.

The highest cooler height allowed for this case.

In this case, we mean a cooler used to cool the processor — such a component is found in the vast majority of modern PCs. Height is measured relative to the motherboard.

The thickness of the side walls used in the case. When choosing a thickness, manufacturers have to compromise between several points at once. On the one hand, thin walls are inexpensive and heat dissipates faster through them, which has a positive effect on cooling efficiency. On the other hand, powerful systems inevitably require thick walls, otherwise the case may simply not withstand the weight of advanced high-performance components. Thirdly, steel is a fairly durable material even with a relatively small thickness. In light of all this, in most models this indicator does not exceed 0.7 — 0.8 mm, and more often it is about 0.5 – 0.6 mm.

The type of illumination provided in the body design.

The backlight plays mainly a decorative role, it gives the computer an original appearance, which is appreciated by fans of external tuning. Lighting can be mounted separately, but it is easier to purchase a case where it was originally provided. The types of illumination can be as follows:

— Illuminated fan. One or more coolers are illuminated, facing the side or top surface of the case.

— Cases with backlight. Separate parts of the body are illuminated, usually from the inside, in such a way that the illumination can be seen through a transparent window / windows or a lattice surface. Sometimes external lighting can be provided.

There are cases in which both types of illumination are provided simultaneously. And for office needs , cases without backlight are suitable.

The number of 5.25" form factor bays provided in the case design. Such bays are made only external, that is, they can be accessed from the outside without opening the case (unlike 3.5", see the corresponding glossary items). Today, 5.25" bays are mainly used for installing optical disk drives, internal hard drives in removable pocket adapters (Mobile Rack), and sometimes additional fans. Also, 3.5" devices can be installed in such bays using special adapters. ". Most cases are equipped with 1 5.25" bay or two bays. But there are models with 3 or more bays, as well as cases without external bays.

The number of internal 3.5" form factor bays provided in the design of the case. Such bays, in accordance with the name, are intended for internal components, mainly hard drives and some SSD modules; to access them, the case must be disassembled.

Theoretically, the number of bays corresponds to the maximum number of drives that can be installed in the chassis. However, in fact, the best option is to install drives through a single slot to ensure efficient cooling. Accordingly, it is best to select a case in such a way that the number of internal 3.5" bays is twice the expected number of hard drives.

The number of internal 2.5" bays provided in the case design.

Such bays are mainly used for installing internal hard drives and SSD modules; The 2.5" form factor was originally created as "laptop" form factor, but recently it has been increasingly used in components for full-size PCs. At the same time, when evaluating the number of these bays, note that drives are recommended to be installed through a slot; so in Ideally, the number of bays should be twice the planned number of drives.

Also note that some cases use combined bays: initially they have a size of 3.5", but if desired, they can be converted to 2.5". These bays count towards both 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch slots. In fact, this means that the total number of available slots is not always equal to the sum of the number of both. For example, a case with 10 3.5" bays and 6 2.5" bays can have 4 combined bays, and the total number of slots in this case will not be 16, but only 12.

The more fans provided in the design, other things being equal, the more intense the cooling will be and the more powerful (and, accordingly, “hot”) hardware can be placed in the case without the risk of overheating. For everyday tasks, a case with one, two or three factory fans is enough. At the same time, when comparing, it is worth considering not only the number, but also the performance characteristics of the fans (diameter, speed). Also note that there are cases without fans on the market with free space for fans, which allows, if necessary, to supplement the cooling system and improve its performance.