Form factor
The form factor of a computer case characterizes, first of all, the internal volume. Main PC Form Factors:
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Midi Tower. A representative of the tower family (tower cases) of medium size — about 45 cm in height with a width of 15-20 cm, with the number of external bays from 2 to 4. Most popular for middle-class home PCs.
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Mini Tower. The most compact "vertical" case type, with a width of 15-20 cm, has a height of about 35 cm and (usually) less than 2 compartments with external access. Used mainly for office PCs that do not require high performance.
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Full Tower. The tower case is one of the largest form factors for PCs today: 15-20 cm wide, 50-60 cm high, with up to 10 externally accessible bays. Most often in this form factor running advanced high performance PCs
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Desktop. Enclosures designed for installation directly on the desktop. They often have the possibility of horizontal installation — in such a way that a monitor can be placed on top of the case — although there are also models that are installed strictly vertically. Anyway, "desktop" models are relatively small.
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Cube Case. Cases having a cubic or close to it shape. They can have different sizes and are intended for different types of motherboards, this point in each case should be clar
...ified separately. Anyway, such cases have a rather original appearance, different from traditional "towers" and "desktops".Chipset
The model of the chipset used in the standard configuration of the PC.
A chipset can be described as a set of chips that provides the combined operation of the central processor, RAM, I / O devices, etc. It is this chipset that underlies any motherboard. Knowing the chipset model, you can find and evaluate its detailed characteristics; most users do not need such information, but for specialists it can be very useful.
Max. memory support
The maximum amount of RAM that can be installed on a computer. It depends, in particular, on the type of memory modules used, as well as on the number of slots for them. Paying attention to this parameter makes sense, first of all, if the PC is bought with the expectation of upgrading RAM and the amount of actually installed memory in it is noticeably less than the maximum available
So the amount of maximum installed memory depends on the number of slots in the PC and can be from
16 GB(a modest PC) to
64 GB and above. The most popular on the market are
PCs with a maximum installed 32 GB of memory.
Drive capacity
The volume of the main drive supplied with the PC. For models with combined storages (for example, HDD+SSD, see "Drive type"), in this case, the main one is considered to be a more capacious hard drive; and if there are two HDDs in the kit, then they usually have the same capacity.
From a purely practical point of view, the more data the drive holds, the better. So the choice for this indicator rests mainly on the price: a larger capacity inevitably means a higher cost. In addition, we recall that SSD-modules in terms of gigabytes of capacity are much more expensive than hard drives; so you can only compare carriers of the same type by the combination of volume and cost.
As for the specific capacity, a volume of
250 GB or less in modern PCs can be found mainly among SSDs. Hard drives of this size are almost never found, for them a capacity
of 250 to 500 GB is still considered quite modest.
501 – 750 GB is a pretty good value for an SSD, and among them it is also mainly used.
751 GB — 1 TB is an impressive figure for an SSD and an average for hard drives,
1.5 – 2 TB is a very solid capacity even for an HDD. And a very high capacity —
more than 2 TB — paradoxically, is found even among pure SSDs: such drives are installed in high-end workstations, where speed
...is no less important than capacity.2nd drive capacity
The capacity of the optional storage installed in the PC.
This parameter is relevant primarily for configurations with different types of media. So, in HDD + SSD and HDD + eMMC bundles, the hard drive is considered the main drive, and this paragraph indicates the capacity of the solid-state module. In SSD + eMMC configurations, eMMC is considered the second drive — less capacious and performing an auxiliary function. There are PC models with two hard drives, but in such cases, the drives usually have the same volume, and it does not matter for them which one is considered the main one.
If we talk about specific numbers, then the volume
up to 128 GB can be considered relatively small, and
128 GB or more is solid. For more information on volumes in general, see "Drive Capacity" above.
Internal 3.5" compartments
The number of internal 3.5" component bays in the computer. This form factor is standard for hard drives, and is also often used in other types of drives; accordingly, the more bays, the more drives you can install on your computer.
Paying attention to the number of internal 3.5" bays makes sense, first of all, if you purchase a configuration without drives or plan to upgrade your PC in the future. It is worth noting that it is recommended to install drives not in a row, but through one slot — for cooling efficiency ; so ideally the number of slots should be twice the number of devices to be installed.
Internal 2.5" compartments
The number of internal bays in the computer for components of the form factor 2.5 ". This form factor is popular, in particular, among SSD drives, as well as compact ("laptop") hard drives.
Paying attention to the number of internal 2.5" bays makes sense, first of all, if you purchase a configuration without drives or plan to upgrade your PC in the future. It is worth noting that it is recommended to install drives not in a row, but through one slot — for cooling efficiency; so that ideally the number of slots should be twice the number of devices installed.
Connectors
In most desktop PCs, this assortment is determined both by connectors on the "motherboard" and on a discrete graphics card, among which
VGA,
DVI,
HDMI output(there are models where
HDMI 2 pcs),
HDMI input,
DisplayPort,
miniDisplayPort. More details about them.
— VGA. He's D-Sub. Analogue video output with maximum resolution up to 1280x1024 and no audio support. It is rarely installed in modern devices, but it can be useful for connecting certain models of projectors and TVs, as well as outdated video equipment.
— DVI. Modern PCs can be equipped with both pure digital DVI-D and hybrid DVI-I; the latter also allows analogue connection, including work with VGA-devices through an adapter, and in analogue format has a resolution of 1280x1024. In digital DVI, this parameter can reach 1920x1200 in single-link mode (single link) and 2560x1600 in dual-link mode. The presence of a dual-channel mode must be specified separately.
— HDMI output. Digital output originally designed for HD content — high-definition video and multi-channel audio. The HDMI interface is almost mandatory for modern HD multimedia technology, and it is also extremely popular in computer monitors — so the presence of such an output on a PC provides ve
...ry extensive features for connecting external screens and even high-end audio devices. Some devices may even have 2 HDMI outputs.
— HDMI input. Your PC has at least one HDMI input. See above for details on the interface itself; here we note that it is the inputs of this format that are found mainly in monoblocks (see "Type"). At a minimum, this allows you to use the monoblock's own display as a screen for another device (for example, as an external monitor for a laptop). However, there are other, more specific options for using the HDMI input — for example, recording an incoming video signal, or transferring (switching) it to one of the PC video outputs.
Both the HDMI inputs and outputs in modern PCs may correspond to different versions:
- v 1.4. The earliest standard widely used today. Supports resolutions up to 4096x2160 and frame rates up to 120 fps (however, only at a resolution of 1920x1080 or lower), and can also be used to transmit 3D video. In addition to the original version 1.4, you can find improved v 1.4a and v 1.4b — in both cases, the improvements affected mainly the work with 3D.
- v2.0. The standard, also known as HDMI UHD, was the first to introduce full support for UltraHD 4K, with frame rates up to 60 fps, as well as compatibility with a 21:9 aspect ratio. In addition, the number of simultaneously transmitted channels and audio streams has increased to 32 and 4, respectively. It is also worth noting that initially version 2.0 did not provide support for HDR, but it appeared in update v 2.0a; if this feature is important to you, it's ok to clarify which version 2.0 is provided in the PC, the original or the updated one.
- v2.0b. The second update of the above v 2.0. The main update was the expansion of HDR capabilities, in particular, support for two new formats.
- v2.1. It is also HDMI Ultra High Speed: the bandwidth has been increased to such an extent that it became possible to transfer 10K video at 120 fps (not to mention more modest resolutions) as well as work with extended colour schemes up to 16 bits. The latter may come in handy for some professional tasks. However, note that all the features of HDMI v 2.1 are available only when using cables designed for this standard.
— Display port. A digital media interface similar in many respects to HDMI, but mainly used in computer technology — in particular, it is widely used in Apple computers and monitors. One of the interesting features of this standard is the ability to work in the daisy chain format — connecting several screens to one port in series, transmitting its own signal to each of them (although this function is not technically available with all screens for this interface). DisplayPort is also on the market in several versions, the current ones are as follows:
- v 1.2. The earliest widely used version (2010). However, already in this version, 3D compatibility and the daisy chain mode appeared. The maximum fully supported resolution when connecting a single monitor is 5K (30 fps), transmission up to 8K is possible with certain restrictions; a frame rate of 60 Hz is supported up to a resolution of 3840x2160, and 120 Hz — up to 2560x1600. And when using daisy chain, you can connect up to 2 2560x1600 screens at 60 frames per second or up to 4 1920x1200 screens at the same time. In addition to the original version 1.2, there is an improved v 1.2a, the main innovation of which is support for AMD FreeSync, a technology for synchronizing the monitor's frame rate with the signal from an AMD graphics card.
- v 1.3. An update introduced in 2014. The increased bandwidth made it possible to provide full, without restrictions, support for 8K at 30 fps, as well as transmit 4K images at 120 fps, sufficient for 3D work. Resolutions in daisy chain mode have also increased — up to 4K (3840x2160) at 60 fps for two screens and 2560x1600 at the same frame rate for four. Of the specific innovations, it is worth mentioning the Dual Mode mode, which allows you to connect HDMI and DVI devices to such a connector through the simplest passive adapters.
- v 1.4. The newest version widely used in modern PCs. Formally, the maximum connection speed has not increased compared to the previous version, but thanks to signal optimization, it became possible to work with 4K and 5K resolutions at 240 fps and with 8K at 120 fps. However for this, the connected screen must support DSC encoding technology — otherwise, the available resolutions will not differ from version 1.3. In addition, v 1.4 added support for a number of special features, including HDR10, and the maximum number of simultaneously transmitted audio channels increased to 32.
— miniDisplayPort. A smaller version of the DisplayPort connector described above, may also correspond to different versions (see above). Note that the same hardware connector is used in the Thunderbolt interface versions 1 and 2, and the graphic part of this interface is based on DisplayPort. Therefore, even some Thunderbolt monitors can be directly connected to miniDisplayPort (although it is desirable to clarify this possibility separately).
— COM port (RS-232). Serial port, originally used to connect dial-up modems and some peripherals, in particular, mice. However, today this interface is used as a service interface in various devices — TVs, projectors, network equipment (routers and switches), etc. Connecting to a PC via RS-232 allows you to control the operation parameters of an external device from a computer.USB 3.2 gen2
The number of full size USB 3.2 gen2 connectors provided on the back of the PC.
USB is the most popular modern interface for connecting peripherals. And the number of connectors is, accordingly, the number of devices that can be simultaneously connected to the rear panel without the use of splitters. And the version previously known as
USB 3.1 and USB 3.1 gen2 is now officially called USB 3.2 gen2. The maximum data transfer rate in this version reaches 10 Gbps, and with the support of the USB Power Delivery function, this port can supply power to external devices up to 100 W.
Separately, it is worth noting that ports of this type can also be located on the front side of the case. However, for peripherals that need to be constantly connected to the computer, it is more convenient to use the rear panel, while the front placement is better suited for frequent connection / disconnection.
