Motherboard Compatibility

The first and most important decision to get right is choosing a case that is big enough to house the motherboard. The good news is that whatever brand of case or motherboard you look at, all manufacturers design their components according to a common set of industry standards. All you need to do is ensure that the case and motherboard are both the same standard. The most common standard for mid-tower and full tower size PCs is ATX. The other standards are Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX, both of which are smaller than ATX, and finally the enormous E-ATX SSI-EEB standard. The diagram below illustrates the dimensions of the most common motherboard sizes.

Motherboard Compatibility
MINI-ITX MICRO-ATX ATX E-ATX SSI-EEB
170 x 170 mm 244 x 244 mm 305 x 244 mm 305 x 330 mm

Although a larger motherboard will require a larger case, there’s nothing to stop you installing a small motherboard in an oversized case. This could be beneficial as larger cases do provide some benefits such as more cooling options and additional drive bays. It all depends on how much space you have available for your PC and your other requirements.

PSU Compatibility

It’s also important to make sure you choose a case that is right for your PSU. Like motherboards, PSUs come in a variety of standard sizes as shown below.

ATX

ATX

SFX

SFX

TFX

TFX

Please note, there is no standard for micro-ATX PSUs, so a micro-ATX case will normally use an ATX PSU. One word of caution, some extremely high wattage PSUs, 1200W and above, are much longer than the 140mm of the ATX standard and so many require a case with an extra-long PSU bay. If in doubt check the Specification tab on the product page of the case on the Scan website.

Cooling Capabilities

A well-designed case does a lot more than keep dust away from your precious PC components. It will also channel air through your PC, keeping everything cool and quiet - much better than having a PC sat out in the open. While every case is designed to air-cool a PC, some cases have additional fan mounts and space inside making them more suitable for watercooled PCs. Depending on your how you intend to cool your PC this is what you need to look out for.

The best cases for air-cooling

The best cases for air-cooling

Even the cheapest case will include a fan mount or two and normally some fans. If you’re building an entry-level PC a single exhaust fan at the back or top of the case is normally sufficient, but high-end PCs will require more fans, with some sucking cool air into the case and others exhausting hot air out of the case. Make sure you choose a case with sufficient fan mounts, ideally for 120 or 140mm fans as these are more efficient than smaller fans. Most manufacturers list on their product pages how many fans the case supports.

If you’re intending on using a particularly large CPU heatsink then make sure the case has sufficient space to house the cooler. Our product pages list the height on the ‘Specifications’ tab so you can check against the width of any case. Always leave room to spare as some of the width of the case will be taken up by the motherboard and its standoffs.

The best cases for hydrocoolers

The best cases for hydrocoolers

If you’re going to buy a CPU or GPU with an all-in-one hydrocooler it’s critical you choose a case that has the right number of compatible radiator mounts. Hydrocoolers come in three main size groups, 120/140mm hydrocoolers with a single fan, 240/280mm hydrocoolers with two fans and 360/420mm hydrocoolers with three fans. You can check on our case product pages under the ‘Specifications’ tab where it will be listed what size radiators the case supports.

The best cases for custom water-cooled PCs

The best cases for custom water-cooled PCs

Custom water-cooling is lot more complex than a CPU or GPU hydrocooler because you not only need to find a case that has the right number of compatible radiator mounts but also plenty of room for the pump, reservoir and tubing. Some cases provide dedicated mounting points for these components, but often your only option is to bolt or screw the pump and reservoir into any spare space you can find. For custom watercooled PCs the larger the case the better as it’ll have more space for the components and be easier to work inside while you’re building your custom watercooled PC.

Drive bays

SSDs and HDDs come in a number of form factors - M.2, 2.5in and 3.5in. While M.2 drives connect directly to the motherboard so require no bay, 2.5in and 3.5in drives will need a free bay inside the case, so its important to check the type and number of drive bays in any case you’re considering.

Drive bays

It is also possible to use larger unused drive bays for smaller drives using adapters, for example you can get 3.5in to 2.5in adaptors. If you still want to use older storage formats such as CD, DVD or media cards, you will need to use an external USB device unless you opt for a case with a 5.25in external bay - probably hard to find these days.

Connectivity

In addition to the usual power and reset button, all PC cases have some external ports to help you connect devices to it, such as keyboards, mice, cameras and external drives. Some of these may be front mounted and some may be at the rear of the case.

Connectivity

The most popular combination is a handful of large USB-A ports plus audio connections for headsets or speakers. However, some cases are beginning to include the smaller and faster USB-C ports.

Aesthetics

PC cases are available in a huge variety of colours, and many also have one or more transparent panels so you can showcase the hardware inside. At the cheaper end of the market these transparent panels are made from acrylic, but at the higher end they are made from tempered glass - we strongly recommend choosing a glass version as it much harder wearing and less susceptible to scratches.

Aesthetics

If you want a case with a side window it’s worth thinking about orientation. The vast majority of mid tower and full tower PC cases are designed to be viewed from the left side panel, as they mount the motherboard on the right side of the case. If your desk arrangement is such that you can only have the PC on your left it’s important to choose a reverse case which mounts the motherboard on the left and has the window on the right. A tiny number of cases even allow you to choose the motherboard orientation yourself.

It is also worth mentioning that many cases also include RGB fans as standard, though you can always add more RGB fans and lighting strips according to your own tastes.

Minimising Noise

While every case will muffle the sound of your PC fans to some extent, some cases are specifically engineered to keep noise to a minimum. These cases are fitted a layer of foam on the outer panels that absorbs sound vibrations and plates to cover up unneeded fan mounts. Just beware that you need to strike the right balance between making your PC as quiet as possible while ensuring it is adequately cooled.

Minimising Noise

Some cases also include fan controllers with a dial or switch on the front panel to adjust fan speed. However, we’d recommend avoiding these in favour of using motherboard BIOS settings or a Windows application such as Corsair iCUE, to control the fan speed instead, as you’ll get far more control and can create a custom profile unique to your PC.

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If you still have questions on how to select the perfect case, don't hesitate to contact our friendly advisors on 01204 474747.