Sidewall thickness
The thickness of the side walls used in the case. When choosing a thickness, manufacturers have to compromise between several points at once. On the one hand, thin walls are inexpensive and heat dissipates faster through them, which has a positive effect on cooling efficiency. On the other hand, powerful systems inevitably require thick walls, otherwise the case may simply not withstand the weight of advanced high-performance components. Thirdly, steel is a fairly durable material even with a relatively small thickness. In light of all this, in most models this indicator does not exceed
0.7 —
0.8 mm, and more often it is about
0.5 –
0.6 mm.
Rubber feet
The presence of
rubberized legs in the design of the case.
These feet absorb vibrations generated during operation of the computer (mainly due to the operation of fans and optical drives), thereby reducing noise levels and providing additional comfort. Rubberized feet are especially desirable if the computer is placed on a table (on a tabletop or in a dedicated compartment on a table) or on a hard floor.
Fans total
The
more fans provided in the design, other things being equal, the more intense the cooling will be and the more powerful (and, accordingly, “hot”) hardware can be placed in the case without the risk of overheating. For everyday tasks, a case with
one,
two or
three factory fans is enough. At the same time, when comparing, it is worth considering not only the number, but also the performance characteristics of the fans (diameter, speed). Also note that there are
cases without fans on the market with free space for fans, which allows, if necessary, to supplement the cooling system and improve its performance.
Fans (top)
The number of fan slots
on the top side of the case, and the size of the fans these slots are designed for. The presence of the fans themselves in the kit should be specified separately.
The larger the fan, the more advanced it is considered: a large diameter allows you to work efficiently at relatively low speeds, which reduces the noise level and energy consumption. Case fans are available in several standard diameters, and the seats under them can be designed for both one and several sizes — for example, 120 / 140 mm. At the same time, in some models, the available number of seats also depends on the chosen size: for example, there are gaming cases where you can install either one 180 mm fan or four 120 mm fans at once.
Dust filter
The presence of a special filter in the housing to prevent dust from entering. Without such a filter, dust settles on the system elements; Radiators are especially susceptible to this; they also lose their efficiency by becoming clogged with dust. If you have
a dust filter, you have to clean not the “filling” of the PC, but the filter element itself, which is much simpler and more convenient.
Compartments for dust filters can be located on
the front panel of the case,
back,
bottom,
top, or
in the side walls. There are also case models with several technological niches for installing dust filters - the combined version assumes the presence of such compartments on several sides of the case at once.
