The following advises are based on many years of experience. They are provided as a free service to our customers and visitors. However, Computer Warehouse is not responsible for any damage as a result of following any of these guides.
Functionality vs. Aesthetics. Most end users would choose a computer case by its outside appearance and price. Most computer experts would choose by inside functionalities and brands. In the past few two years the quality of most cases that would be considered to have aesthetically pleasing have dramatically increased in quality. It is now very possible to choose a case that is good in both areas.
Power supply. The most critical part of a computer case is the power supply. Power supply is one of a few PC components that have moving parts (a cooling fan or fans), which renders it to more reliability problems than other components. Therefore, choosing a case with a genuinely reliable power supply is very important. The wattage of power supply is likely less important than its reliability. 300W is more than enough for the majority of systems running today. 350W-450W is necessary when multiple hard drives and optical drives are used in conjunction with high-end video or other components. Unfortunately, there is no industry standard in measuring the reliability of a power supply or mostly any other PC components for this matter. We recommend staying with major brands and from a reliable source.
Quality. The wattage of ISI labels on a power supply is difficult for any government agency to monitor and police. We have seen 300w power supplies that are much lighter in weight than a 230w with significantly smaller capacitors and transformer wires inside. Therefore, again, a well-known brand from a trusted vendor is recommended. We do not experience much of a difference in reliability among the major brands.
Cooling. A case fan (or fans) is highly recommended! With the modern processors used today it is important to deliver cool air to hot components such as processors, video cards, and hard drives. Failure to do so can result in decreased stability and longevity of a system, especially since the failure of a power supply fan can go unnoticed for weeks in a system. High temperature is one of the worst enemies of all computer components! A front case fan should suck ambient air into the case, while a power supply fan sucks hot air from inside the case out, which forms a stream of air flow passing the CPU and helps maintaining the temperature inside the case relatively low and constant. A rear case fan should also suck hot air out of the case. A dual fan power supply is recommended when using modern AMD Sempron/Athlon/processors or Intel Pentium4 processors. The second fan on the power supply helps quickly move hot air away from the processors heat sink fan combination.
Notes about the noise level from a PC. There are three moving parts in a computer: the CPU fan, the case fan, and the fan inside the power supply. These are the main contributors to the noise level. Choosing reliable and quiet fans are important for noise considerations. The other factors that affect the noise levels include: the size of the motherboard, the mounting mechanism for the CPU fan, and the way the motherboard is mounted onto the case. These factors contribute to the noise level because the CPU fan could cause the motherboard to resonate against the case, generating more noise. The larger the motherboard size, the lower the noise level. The stronger mounting for the CPU fan and motherboard, the lower the noise. Therefore, mounting the motherboard with solid screws instead of plastic spacers is recommended.
Vibration Transfer Control. In thin steel cases, aluminum cases, and some of the ultra low cost models, vibration can become a problem. Vibration transfer can happen if a piece with moving parts (such as fan, hard drive, power supply or optical drive) is screwed directly in to the case. In severe cases this vibration can be transmitted into the side panels, which case then act as noise amplifiers (think steel drums). As a rule of thumb: The thicker the case is, the less likely this is to be a problem. Thicker materials tend not to vibrate easily. There is also something to be said for the quality of the case in this regard. Very high quality cases will always have a much thicker drive mounting area / frame then their side panels / mounting tray. This increases stability and reduces the possibility of transfer. Another approach to this is to use plastic or another substance as an intermediary between the two mounting surfaces. To that end, a large number of cases now use plastic fan mounts instead of traditional fan mounting screws. Fans tend to be a bigger source of vibration then drives. An effective way to approach this problem is to use noise isolation materials such as rubber fastener, Dynamat, Grommets, or Shake-Proof Washers.
