A tower case featuring a modern design. There is a DVD-ROM and a CD-RW drive along with a floppy disk drive below. The silver panels are covers which can be removed if fitting extra drives. The power button is located on the right, alongside the floppy disk drive.

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. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1037x1972, 176 KB) This image (or all images in this article or category) was uploaded in the JPEG format. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1037x1972, 176 KB) This image (or all images in this article or category) was uploaded in the JPEG format. ... DVD is an optical disc storage media format that is used for playback of movies with high video and sound quality and for storing data. ... Compact Disc ReWritable (CD-RW) is a rewritable optical disc format. ... A floppy disk is a data storage device that comprises a circular piece of thin, flexible (hence floppy) magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic wallet. ... A Lego RCX Computer is an example of an embedded computer used to control mechanical devices. ... General Name, Symbol, Number aluminium, Al, 13 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 13, 3, p Appearance silvery Atomic mass 26. ... Plastic covers a range of synthetic or semisynthetic polymerization products. ... WOOD is a pair of radio stations in Grand Rapids, Michigan owned by Clear Channel on the frequencies of 1300 AM and 105. ... Perspex could mean several things. ...

Size and shape

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. Form factor refers to the linear dimensions and configuration of a device as distinguished from other measures of size (for example Gigabytes; a measure of storage size): in computing, form factor is used to describe the size and format of PC motherboards (see AT, ATX, BTX), but also of hard... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ATX form motherboards became increasingly popular because of their advantages over older AT motherboards. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

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. In computing, a pizza box is a style of case for computers. ... Horizontal is an orientation relating to, or in parallel with the horizon, and thus perpendicular to the vertical. ...

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............... Shuttle (TAIEX:2405) is a Taiwan-based manufacturer of motherboards, barebone computers, complete PC systems, and monitors. ... Acer (LSE: ACID) (Chinese:宏碁股份有限公司) is a Republic of China-based company which by 2004 had grown to be one of the worlds top five branded PC vendors. ... Mini-ITX is a motherboard form factor developed by VIA Technologies. ... Apple Computer, Inc. ... The Mac mini is the smallest desktop computer marketed by Apple Computer. ...

Function

A computer case opened up and stripped of its motherboard and power supply unit

Cases usually come with room for a power supply unit, several expansion slots and expansion bays, wires for powering up a computer and some with built in I/O ports that must be connected to a motherboard. A computer case opened up and stripped of its motherboard and power supply unit. ... A computer case opened up and stripped of its motherboard and power supply unit. ... A power supply unit (sometimes abbreviated power supply or PSU) is a device that supplies electrical power to a device or group of devices. ... Fitting an expansion card into a motherboard An expansion card in computing is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an expansion slot of a computer motherboard to add additional functionality to a computer system. ... Full-height, 2 half-height, and 3. ... A8N VM CSM, Asuss Flagship MicroATX motherboard An old Octek Jaguar V mainboard with an AMD 386DX-40 processor. ...

Motherboards are screwed to the bottom of the case, its I/O ports being exposed on the side of the case. Usually the power supply unit is at the top of the case attached with several screws. The typical case has four 5.25" and three 3.5" expansion bays for devices such as hard drives, floppy disk drives and CD-ROMs. A power button (and sometimes a reset button that can be turned-on and off using a remote control) are usually located on the front to turn the computer. LED status lights for power, hard drive activities are often located near the power button which are powered from wires that connect up to the motherboard. Some cases come with status monitoring equipment such as case temperature or processor speed monitor which appear on an LCD on the side. Screws come in a variety of shapes and sizes for different purposes. ... Typical hard drives of the mid-1990s. ... A floppy disk is a data storage device that comprises a circular piece of thin, flexible (hence floppy) magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic wallet. ... The CD-ROM (an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (ROM)) is a non-volatile optical data storage medium using the same physical format as audio compact discs, readable by a computer with a CD-ROM drive. ... Lightning strikes during a night-time thunderstorm. ... A button (control) is a simple physical mechanism for controlling some aspect of a machine. ... Reset button can also refer to the plot device known as the Reset button technique. ... A television remote control A DVDplayer remote control A remote control is an electronic device used for the remote operation of a machine. ... Blue, green and red LEDs. ...

A panel on the side, covers up and protects the inside of the computer when being used, which usually slides on and held with a screw. Most cases require a large amount of screws to put together. Recently there has been a move to "screwless" cases, where cases are held together with other methods than screws. Since the early 2000s, computers have begun to have clear side pannels so that the user can look into the computer while it is operating. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Appearance

The current iMac G5 contains the entire computer in a two inch-thick screen—there is no tower.

Traditional designs are beige and rectangular, but have evolved in style, especially after the introduction of the iMac in 1998. Beige box designs are typically found on budget machines; some people still prefer the traditional design. Image File history File linksMetadata IMacG5FR_whiteBG.jpg An iMac G5 (Front Row model with integrated iSight) on white background. ... Image File history File linksMetadata IMacG5FR_whiteBG.jpg An iMac G5 (Front Row model with integrated iSight) on white background. ... For other uses of the term IMAC, see IMAC. The iMac is a desktop computer designed and built by Apple Computer. ... Beige is a light yellowish gray color. ... In geometry, a rectangle is defined as a quadrilateral polygon in which all four angles are right angles. ... For other uses of the term IMAC, see IMAC. The iMac is a desktop computer designed and built by Apple Computer. ... This article refers to beige boxes in personal computing. ...

Case modding is the artistic styling of computer encasings, often to draw attention to the use of advanced or unusual components. Modded cases may include internal lighting, colored cable covers, clear side panels, or liquid cooling systems. Companies such as Alienware are known for unusual cases. An X-Dreamer II case with LED-fans, a window, and a computer inside. ... Watercooling is a method of heat removal from components. ... Alienware Corporation is an American computer hardware company; it has a reputation for offering the latest technologies for desktops and laptops that are specialized for video editing, audio editing, and especially gaming. ...

Stickers are common on cases. These may include the manufacturer's logo, the computer's specifications (CPU, RAM, Hard drive, etc), the operating system (such as "Designed for Windows XP") and processor (such as Intel Inside). Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) (founded 1968) is a US-based multinational corporation that is best known for designing and manufacturing microprocessors and specialized integrated circuits. ...

Brands

Case manufacturers include ASUS, Lian Li and Thermaltake. Cases may be composed of acrylic glass. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Lian Li Industrial Co. ... Thermaltake is a company that makes cooling equipment for personal computers as well as other computer accessories. ... Structure of methyl methacrylate, the monomer that makes up PMMA Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or poly(methyl 2-methylpropenoate) is the synthetic polymer of methyl methacrylate. ...

See also

• Small form factor

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

External links

• How To Shop for a Computer Case
• Choosing a computer case
• Computer chassis examples
• How To Choose A Good Computer Case