Comparison Asus ROG Strix Helios GX601 black vs Cougar Panzer EVO RGB black

Possible length of the PSU that can be installed in the case.

The maximum length of a graphics card that can be installed in this case.

Modern mid-range and top-end video cards with high performance often differ in considerable length, which is why such a card can not fit into any case. So before collecting components, it is worth evaluating the length of the proposed graphics card and choosing a case in which it is guaranteed to fit. This forethought is useful anyway, but it's especially true if you're building a system that requires a powerful graphics adapter, such as a high-end gaming PC or 3D design workstation.

The highest cooler height allowed for this case.

In this case, we mean a cooler used to cool the processor — such a component is found in the vast majority of modern PCs. Height is measured relative to the motherboard.

The material from which the body is made.

— Steel. Steel cases are durable, scratch resistant, and relatively inexpensive. They are quite heavy, but given that most PCs are not designed to be frequently carried from place to place, this point can hardly be called critical. Due to this, this material is used in the vast majority of modern cases of all types, specializations and price categories.

— Aluminium. Aluminium cases are lightweight, provide improved heat exchange with the environment and are mostly stylish in appearance, but are more expensive and susceptible to scratches than steel. They are designed mainly for mid-range and top-end systems, where the cost of the case is negligible compared to the price of components, and the above-mentioned advantages are of decisive importance.

- Tempered glass. In this case, we mean cases made of glass panels mounted on a metal frame, most often steel. And the panels themselves are not necessarily all made of glass: at least the top and bottom are usually made of an opaque material, most often the same metal. In general, such cases are among the design solutions created based on the original appearance: they look really interesting, which is very much appreciated by modding fans. At the same time, from a practical point of view, glass has no advantages over metal, rather, on the contrary: this mate...rial is quite fragile and requires careful handling, but is not cheap.

The type of illumination provided in the body design.

The backlight plays mainly a decorative role, it gives the computer an original appearance, which is appreciated by fans of external tuning. Lighting can be mounted separately, but it is easier to purchase a case where it was originally provided. The types of illumination can be as follows:

— Illuminated fan. One or more coolers are illuminated, facing the side or top surface of the case.

— Cases with backlight. Separate parts of the body are illuminated, usually from the inside, in such a way that the illumination can be seen through a transparent window / windows or a lattice surface. Sometimes external lighting can be provided.

There are cases in which both types of illumination are provided simultaneously. And for office needs , cases without backlight are suitable.

The timing technology provided in the illuminated housing (see “Light Type”).

Synchronization itself allows you to "match" the backlight of the case with the backlight of other system components — the motherboard, graphics card, keyboard, mouse, etc. Thanks to this matching, all components can change colour synchronously, turn on / off at the same time, etc. It is worth noting that all such systems have RGB backlighting. The specific features of the operation of such a backlight depend on the synchronization technology used, and, usually, each manufacturer has its own (Mystic Light Sync for MSI, Aura Sync for Asus, etc.). The compatibility of the components also depends on this: they must all support the same technology. So the easiest way to achieve backlight compatibility is to collect components from the same manufacturer.

The number of internal 2.5" bays provided in the case design.

Such bays are mainly used for installing internal hard drives and SSD modules; The 2.5" form factor was originally created as "laptop" form factor, but recently it has been increasingly used in components for full-size PCs. At the same time, when evaluating the number of these bays, note that drives are recommended to be installed through a slot; so in Ideally, the number of bays should be twice the planned number of drives.

Also note that some cases use combined bays: initially they have a size of 3.5", but if desired, they can be converted to 2.5". These bays count towards both 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch slots. In fact, this means that the total number of available slots is not always equal to the sum of the number of both. For example, a case with 10 3.5" bays and 6 2.5" bays can have 4 combined bays, and the total number of slots in this case will not be 16, but only 12.

The number of slots for expansion cards located on the rear panel of the case.

The expansion card itself (graphics card, sound card, TV tuner, etc.) is installed in a slot on the motherboard, and an external panel of such a card with inputs and outputs is attached to the hole on the back of the case. The more holes are provided in the case, the more expansion cards can be installed in it. Note that some boards can occupy two or even three holes at once; this is especially common in powerful video cards. On the other hand, you have to pay attention to the number of holes mainly if you are building a powerful high-performance system. For an ordinary household PC, in most cases, one opening is enough for a graphics card; and in many configurations, the openings on the rear panel are not used at all.

The ability to install a graphics card in the case vertically, facing the side panel. To do this, the design provides for an appropriate bracket, and the graphics card is connected to the motherboard with a special extension cable — a riser. This feature is found in open cases and models with a viewing window (see relevant paragraphs), its purpose is primarily aesthetic: a vertically placed graphics card is clearly visible from the outside, which gives the case an original appearance, designed for fans of external modding. But vertical installation does not provide any fundamental practical advantages.