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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 position of the motherboard in the case; it is assumed that the body is in its original position.

The motherboard is most conveniently placed along the case — this gives the most space for it (and "motherboards", we recall, are large in size). And since the most popular nowadays are vertical-layout cases (mainly certain types of “towers”), the boards in them are arranged vertically. The horizontal arrangement can be found much less frequently — in separate Mini-Towers and "cubes" (Cube Case), where the height is not much greater than the width, as well as desktops designed for horizontal placement.

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 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.

The number of fan slots on the front of the case, and the size of the fans these slots are designed for. The presence of the fans themselves in the kit should be specified separately.

The larger the fan, the more advanced it is considered: a large diameter allows you to work efficiently at relatively low speeds, which reduces the noise level and energy consumption. Case fans are available in several standard diameters; specifically for the front panel, the size up to 92 mm is considered relatively small, 120 mm — medium, 140 mm — large, and in the most advanced solutions, fans of 180 mm or even more can be installed.

Also note that most often the holes for installing fans are designed for one specific size, however, there are also “multi-size” seats, for 2-3 options. Moreover, these options may differ both in diameter and in quantity: for example, it may be possible to install two 140 mm fans or three 120 mm fans.

This feature is indicated for housings that normally allow the installation of liquid cooling systems(LCS). Such systems are extremely efficient, but complex and expensive, so they are mainly used in high-performance PCs, for which traditional coolers are no longer enough. Note that theoretically, liquid cooling can be installed in almost any case; however, if support for such cooling is not initially provided in the design, this can be very difficult. So if you initially plan to use LSS, you should choose a case for which support for this function is directly claimed.

The size of the seat for the water cooling system provided on the top side of the case.

In cases with CBO support, water cooling radiators are installed in the same slots as traditional fans. In other words, either a fan (fans) or a CBO radiator can be installed on the same seat. The size of the seat under the CBO is indicated by one number — the length (on the larger side); the width can be determined based on these data. The fact is that modern CBO radiators usually use fans of one of the standard sizes — 120 mm or 140 mm; and if there are several such fans, they are arranged in a row. As a result, the length of the radiator turns out to be a multiple, and the width is equal to one of these numbers: for example, 280 mm is 2x140 mm with a width of 140 mm, and 360 mm is 3x120 mm with a width of 120 mm. In general, the size of the upper radiator of 240 mm or less is considered relatively small, 280 mm — medium, 360 mm — large, and in some models it reaches 420 mm or even more.

Note that in this case, the same nuances are relevant as for air cooling: a larger fan takes up more space and costs more, but it is considered more advanced, as it can work efficiently at a lower speed — and this reduces the level of noise and vibration.