Power Supplies and Cases
September 26 (Day); September 27 (Night)
A computer case is the first thing you notice when you see a computer. Made of metal (or
sometimes plastic), it’s the box that houses all of the components and devices that make up a
computer (p. 149).
External Size:
oThe size of the case should depend on several factors (p. 149):
Do you plan to upgrade the system at a later date?
Who will be using the system?
What will be the final location of the system?
Case Sizes:
oFull-tower case (pp. 149-150) :
A full tower case is likely to be the largest case you will ever see.
Usually at least two feet tall.
Lots of interior space to add a variety of drives and expansion cards:
Normally have at least four external drive bays (for CD-ROMs,
CD-RW drives, DVD drives, etc.)
Normally have at least two external floppy disk drive bays.
Normally have between 3-5 internal drive bays (for hard drives)
Usually placed on the floor
oMid-tower case (p. 150) :
The mid-tower case is good for expandability and is small enough to sit
atop a desk.
Usually at least twenty inches tall.
Normally have three external drive bays, one external floppy drive bays,
and 1 or 2 internal drive bays.
oMini-tower case (p. 150):
The mini-tower case is usually smaller and a little wider than a mid-
tower case.
