What Makes a good Case ?

Having focused on selling PC Cases for seven years, we know a thing or two about the finer points of a good computer case.

The fact is computer cases are easily the most overlooked component an assembler can buy. Too often in today’s market, people are concerned with price. After all a PC case only has to do two simple things :

  1. Merely power up and keep running £200 pounds upwards of kit
  2. Keep that kit from being damaged or tampered with.

And many people are only prepared to pay as little as a round of drinks (well a round in London’s prices) for the privilege of housing all that expensive kit. In reality a good PC case can and will make a great deal of difference to the performance and lifespan of your system. So what the C & J team have tried to do is point out some of the features to look for when purchasing a PC Case :

Things to consider

Space:

How many Drives, CD-Roms, CD-R, Zip Drives, Hard Disks are going to be fitted into your system ?
Remember too much kit crammed into a PC creates a heat problem and affects airflow ( More on this later). A Midi or Fulltower will offer the expandibility for future ugrades.

Accessibility:

If a case is too small, cables will run wherever they can , without a logical cable plan. This can create complications for access and maintenance, E.g. If you need to upgrade your memory, can you reach it without having to dismantle half the system ?

Chassis Quality:

If the chassis firm enough to withstand day-to-day knocks? Is the frame riveted at the corners for a firm frame? Have the edges been folded ? Or are your fingers going to end up like Freddy Krueger’s been partying. Seriously the possibility of cut fingers, hands also raises a health and safety issue, also its much more difficult to set jumpers with plasters all over your fingers !

Building with it:

Is the case deep enough to work with ? Is the 3.5 HDD removable or easy to install ? Are the holes for drive support correctly punctured ? For the M/B, the case should be able to mount and support at enough points to ensure correct grounding and be able to support adaptor cards.

Power Supply:

If your case doesn’t come with a PSU, your being ripped off. Are there enough power leads available to hook up all your drives, including future expandibility. ? Is the wattage of the PSU big enough to optimize performance on your system ? A poor PSU can slow down a PC, and too many drives can pull excessive +12v power, putting a strain on your PSU. If in doubt, we recommend to always go for a high wattage PSU.

Looks:

Remember the look of a case is also representing your company image. Here at C & J you can choose from a variety of Front Panel designs, that are pleasing on the eye, and don’t remind you of Frankenstein.

CE:

Look for the CE logo on any PSU and case you purchase. This is a safety standard required for all electrical equipment in Europe now, it also shows that your case (and PSU) can prevent Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) i.e. Will not interfere with other electrical appliances in your house such as distorting the TV screen.

Cooling Issues:

It always amazes us, how often people overlook this issue. With the arrival of 20GB drives,LVD, and ever increasing CPU speeds by the minute, the design of a case chassis can affect the quality of airflow inside a system. It is an issue which can ultimately affect the performance of your system as hot air in a poorly designed chassis can accumulate around drives and peripheral cards.

Problems which need to be addressed :

  • The quality of the fan on a PSU. Is it powerful enough to pull in and expel all the hot air from a PC.
  • The quality of the heat sink on your processor. Can it generate enough power to keep the CPU from exceeding its maximum temperature ratings.
  • The development of heat pockets around Hard Drives stacked on top of one another. This tends to block airflow forcing most of cool air circulating to flow around the sources of heat. If air temperature in pockets exceeds maximum ratings, the driver will fail.

Here at C & J we offer a complete selection of cooling solutions which can address these problems, from Hard Disk Drive Coolers, System Blower Fans to processor fans for every speed and specification. Simply Click on COOLERS for more information. So having looked at the above requirements, please take a tour of our product range, the biggest chassis range you will find in the UK. We aim to offer you great choice, performance, price and service as well as an informative and rewarding tour of our site.