Computer Cases

Computer Cases

For the longest time, computers came in one colour, usually grey, and slightly resembled a rather large breeze block in design. For years and years this was an accepted inevitability and consumers put up with the rather uninspiring aesthetics of computers as long as the internal components and performance continued to increase. All of this stagnation was reserved for the PC world, Apple Inc. released the first iMac in 1998, a colourful computer where all the components were enclosed in the monitor, following this up with a flat panel model where the screen was held on a stalk somewhat resembling a flower. The current range of iMacs are only 2in thick and come in many sizes. Along with the iMac Apple concentrated on the design of all their products, releasing first the Cube and then the MacMini as standalone computers. For a while PC manufacturers were slow to catch and even now their attempts to match Apple's design innovations seem rather tame, many times simply changing the colour from beige to black or white and adding superficial curves. Although for many design will be the most important thing there are also other things to consider when purchasing a computer case. These include the expansion possibilities, cooling and power. For some, especially hardcore gamers, will appreciate many hard drive bays and a larger case as this is easier to cool. The power supply is also an important part of any case, for modern processors this should be able to supply at least 300W but for any system with high powered graphics cards, many hard drives and optical drives and a high-end processor will need 400W or perhaps 500W. A smaller case looks less obtrusive in living rooms and takes up less space in offices, they are also better suited to LAN party use as they are much easier to transport.

This category contains tests on Computer Cases.