CHOOSING THE RIGHT COMPUTER CASE
A computer case (also known as the computer chassis, cabinet, tower, box or housing) is the enclosure that contains the main components of a computer. Cases are usually constructed from steel, aluminum, or plastic, although other materials (such as wood and perspex) have also been used in case designs.
Cases can come in many different sizes or form factors. In 2006, the most popular form factor is ATX, although small form factor cases are becoming popular for a variety of different uses. A case with an ATX motherboard and power supply, for example, may still take on one of several specific shapes, also known as form factors. Common case form factors include towers (such as mini tower, mid-sized tower, and full-sized tower); desktops or pizza boxes (also called flatbed or horizontal); and slim desktops, which integrate the display into the housing. Tower cases are taller and typically have more room while desktop cases are more compact and are more popular in business environments.
Small form factor cases are a variety of cases that are becoming more and more common. Companies like Shuttle Inc. and AOpen have been producing such cases and Mini-ITX is the most common motherboard designed for these cases. Apple Computer recently announced its Mac Mini computer, which is around the size of a CD-ROM drive.
