A Beginner's Guide To PC Case Sizes For Your Gaming PC

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• Why Are Case Sizes Important?

• The Most Common PC Case Sizes

• How To Choose A PC Case Size?

• What About Small Form Factor PC Cases?

The PCcase you choose for your gaming PC build has the potential to make your life easier or much more difficult. Many newcomers to the PC-building world assume that any case size will work for their gig (or setup), but that isn’t true. After all, your PC case size determines how many components you can use and what the overall healing situation will be like.

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There are several different sizes of gaming PCs, and they all have pros and cons. Factors like space, quantity of components, and the size of your motherboard are all important. With this article, we aim to help you find the perfect PC case size for your gaming PC.

Why Are Case Sizes Important?

A PC case’s job is to comfortably fit all the components you need both now and in the foreseeable future. Naturally, the bigger your PC case is the more time and effort you can expect to spend on maintaining your PC.

There are three core reasons we recommend all PC building beginners properly look into PC case sizes.

Reason

Explanation

Your Components Should Fit

The size of your PC case determines how many components fit in it. For example, larger PC cases can fit multiple graphic cards, bigger CPU coolers, and extensive storage options.

Your PC’s Thermal Performance Can Be Affected

Larger PC cases often have better airflow because of more cooling options. On the contrary, smaller PC cases are rather limited when it comes to cooling choices.

Your PC Should Be Future-Proofed

Your PC’s case should be a long-term investment. Choose a size that accommodates any future upgrades you might do to your PC later down the line.

The Most Common PC Case Sizes

Theoretically speaking, PC cases can be of any shape or size. Many individuals even end up creating a DIY PC case to suit their specific needs. However, you don’t have to concern yourself with any of that just yet. If you’re a beginner, you’ll likely be picking up one of three PC case sizes for your gaming PC.

Micro ATX (Mini Tower) PC Cases

Micro ATX PC cases arethe smallest gaming PC cases you can find. Their small size makes them ideal for gamers with limited space on their table or room. They are a nominalistic person’s dream come true.

Aside from their small size, they’re also cheap when compared to the other PC case sizes on this list. They’re relatively easy to build with and can comfortably fit mini-ITX motherboards, single fan graphic cards, and other small components.

If you decide to go with a Mini Tower PC case then be sure to confirm whether or not a component will fit in it before ordering it. A mismatch can be costly in most cases.

However, Micro ATX PC cases lack future-proofing. With all the demanding games coming out today, you must have the option to upgrade your gaming PC. This can mean upgrading your graphic cards and cooling capabilities or increasing your RAM. The size limitations of these PC cases can potentially stop you from doing this.

Also, Micro ATX PC cases don’t have the airflow demanded by most recent games. This means that, because of their compact size, high power consumption can result in overheating when using a Micro ATX PC.

EATX (Full Tower) PC Cases

Extended ATX, or EATX cases, are the complete opposite of Micro ATX cases. That’s right, they’re big. Some might even say they’re a little too big. Being the largest of the bunch, they can fit any component you throw at them. Since they usually come with more than ten expansion slots you won’t have to worry about running out of them any time soon.

More room also means better cooling management. This is especially important when you consider how Full Tower cases can easily support liquid cooling and install a high number of cooling fans. A larger computer case size means higher air volume, which, in turn, means better ventilation and heat dissipation. You won’t have to worry about your PC overheating too often.

Pretty much every component can fit in a Full Tower PC case, regardless of the size. The same can’t be said for any other case size.

The two things you need to consider before buying an EATX case are the size and price. In addition to taking up significantly more space than the previously mentioned Micro ATX cases, they’re also very pricey. While the cases themselves are already enough to make a small hole in your wallet, all of the extra components you’ll fit in them can make a sizable dent in it.

ATX (Mid Tower) PC Cases

If you don’t want to make a super high-end PC but still want to play the latest game releasesthen ATX PC cases are the way to go. With the appropriate amount of internal capacity and reasonable form factor, they’re the sweet spot between the other two case sizes.

Mid Tower PC cases are the most popular when it comes to gaming PCs. Most casual gamers and beginners prefer this size as it isn’t too big or too small.

ATX PC cases don’t take up as much space as EATX cases do and they can fit more components than Micro ATX cases. Because these cases aren’t nearly as small as Micro ATX cases, the airflow is significantly better. They also can fit enough cooling fans to further ensure proper airflow and their cost isn’t too high.

However, they also don’t have any of the standout qualities of the other two PC case sizes. They aren’t nearly as compact as Micro ATX cases and they can’t fit as many components as EATX cases.

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How To Choose A PC Case Size?

Several factors contribute to deciding what PC case size is best for you. However, we want to highlight the five that beginners tend to give more importance to.

Factor

Explanation

Your Motherboard

The single biggest factor determining what size PC case you get is the size of your motherboard. Naturally, if you have an ATX motherboard then going for a Micro-ATX PC case would be a bad idea.

Your Available Space

If you don’t have the space to keep an EATX PC case, then that choice is off the table (literally). Ensure you have the proper space for keeping the PC case you choose before making any purchases.

Your Budget

Micro ATX PC cases are the cheapest while the EATX ones are the most expensive. ATX PC cases, meanwhile, fit right in between. Take a careful look at your budget and compare it to the available PC case sizes.

Your Chosen Specifications

Your PC case size directly impacts the components you can use. Take a look at the other components you have either decided on or are looking to purchase. This will ensure there isn’t a mismatch.

Aesthetic Preference

We won’t pretend that aesthetics don’t play a huge role in choosing a PC case size. It’s important to choose a PC case that gives your gaming setup the look you want.

Ensuring you choose the best PC case size for your gaming PC is key if you want to make things easier for yourself. Remember that your PC case is a long-term investment, so it should be good for a while without you wanting to change it. Don’t just look at your requirements now, but compare them with the foreseeable future’s requirements.

What About Small Form Factor PC Cases?

Before closing the guide, we’re sure some of you might be wondering why we left out one PC case size. That’s right, the Mini-ITX PC cases (better known as Small Form Factor or mini PC cases).

The gist of it is that we didn’t include this PC case size because it isn’t an ideal gaming PC case for beginners. Some people have managed to make this portable and affordable PC case into something great. However, most mini PCs cannot run the latest AAA games reliably.

Small Form Factor PC cases also restrict their users a lot. When it comes to power supplies, GPUs, and, of course, motherboards, beginners can potentially find themselves lost when looking for components small enough to fit in these cases.

Of course, the biggest reason most gamers don’t even think of going for this PC case is the terrible airflow. With more demanding games coming out, overheating is more of an issue than ever before. While EATX, ATX, and to a lesser degree, Micro ATX PCs can somewhat handle this by installing air coolers or taking advantage of the spacey interior, mini-ITX cases don’t have that luxury.

Next: A Beginner's Guide To Installing A CPU Cooler For Your Gaming PC