[ The PC Guide | Systems and Components Reference Guide | System Case ]

System Case Styles and Sizes

Cases come in several different major styles. Despite the commonly-used names, such as "tower", "mini-tower", etc., there are no standards for case size or shape, and one company's full tower case can be very different in details from another. Some of the companies that make high-quality high-end cases incorporate very interesting features into their cases that stretch their capabilities for the same amount of space taken. As a result, one company's "mini-tower" may be able to hold more components, and cool them better, than another company's "mid-tower".

An assortment of different cases in the same series, showing an array of sizes and styles.
From the left: a microATX "micro tower", a microATX mini tower, an ATX mid tower,
an AT/ATX full tower, a microATX desktop (above), and an ATX desktop (below).

Image � In Win Development, Inc.
Image used with permission.

The two basic styles for the case are the tower case and the desktop case. You've no doubt seen each of these before; the desktop is a rectangular case that is wider than it is tall and normally sits on the desk. The tower is like a desktop flipped on its side and can sit on the floor or on the desk.

Next: Case Location


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