A computer case also known as a "computer chassis", "tower", "system unit", "base unit" or simply "case" and sometimes incorrectly referred to as the "CPU" or "hard drive"[citation needed], is the enclosure that contains most of the components of a computer (usually excluding the display, keyboard and mouse).
Cases are usually constructed from steel (often SECC — Steel, electrogalvanized, cold-rolled, coil) or aluminium. Plastic is sometimes used, and other materials such as glass, wood and even Lego blocks have appeared in home-built cases[citation needed].
Size
Cases can come in many different sizes (known as form factors). The size and shape of a computer case is usually determined by the form factor of the motherboard, since it is the largest component of most computers. Consequently, personal computer form factors typically specify only the internal dimensions and layout of the case. Form factors for rack-mounted and blade servers may include precise external dimensions as well, since these cases must themselves fit in specific enclosures.
For example, a case designed for an ATX motherboard and power supply may take on several external forms, such as a vertical tower (designed to sit on the floor, height > width) or a flat desktop (height < width) or pizza box (height ≤ 5 cm (2 in), designed to sit on the desk under the computer's monitor). Full-size tower cases are typically larger in volume than desktop cases, with more room for drive bays and expansion slots. Desktop cases—and mini-tower cases under about 46 cm (18 in) high—are popular in business environments where space is at a premium.[1]
Currently, the most popular form factor for desktop computers is ATX, although microATX and small form factors
have also become very popular for a variety of uses. In the high-end
segment the unofficial and loosely defined XL-ATX spec appeared around
2009. XL-ATX extends the length of the Mainboard to accommodate 4
graphics cards with dual-slot coolers. Some XL-ATX mainboards increase
the Mainboards width as well, to allow more space for the CPU and Memory
PWM, and in some cases a second CPU socket. While the market share of
these exotic high-end mainboards is very low, almost all high-end cases
and many mainstream cases support XL-ATX (10 expansion slots). Companies
like In Win Development, Shuttle Inc. and AOpen originally popularized small cases, for which FlexATX was the most common[dubious ] motherboard size. As of 2010 Mini ITX has widely replaced FlexATX as the most common small form factor Mainboard standard. The latest mini ITX mainboards from Asus, Gigabyte, Zotac and Foxconn
offer the same feature set as Full size Mainboards. Highend mini ITX
mainboards support standard desktop CPUs, use standard memory DIMM
sockets and feature a full size pciE 16x slot with support for the
fastest graphics cards. This allows customers to build a fully fledged
high-end computer in a significantly smaller case. Apple Inc. has also produced the Mac Mini computer, which is similar in size to a standard CD-ROM drive.
Tower cases are often categorized as mini-tower, mid-tower or
full-tower. Full tower cases are typically 56 cm (22 in) or more in
height and intended to stand on the floor. They have anywhere from six
to ten externally accessible drive bays. The ratio of external to
internal bays is shifting, however, as computing technology moves from floppy disks and CD-ROMs to large capacity hard drives, USB flash drives, and network-based solutions. The full tower case was developed to house file servers
which would typically be tasked with serving data from expensive CD-ROM
databases which held more data than the hard drives commonly available.
Hence many full tower cases include locking doors and other physical
security features to prevent the theft of the discs. Midtower cases are
smaller, about 46 cm (18 in) high with two to four external bays. A
minitower case will typically have only one or two external bays and
stand from 36 cm (14 in) to 41 cm (16 in) tall. In 2012 CoolerMaster introduced the Cosmos II "ULTRA-Tower" case, standing 71 cm (28 in) tall and featuring 16 drive bays.[2][3][4][4] This is a high-end case intended for desktop systems and doesn't include security features.
Layout
Computer cases usually include sheet metal enclosures for a power supply unit and drive bays, as well as a rear panel that can accommodate peripheral connectors protruding from the motherboard and expansion slots. Most cases also have a power button or switch, a reset button, and LEDs to indicate power status as well as hard drive and network activity. Some cases include built-in I/O ports (such as USB
and headphone ports) on the front of the case. Such a case will also
include the wires needed to connect these ports, switches and indicators
to the motherboard.
Source; www.wikipedia.org
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