Gaming PC Cases - Ventilation, Power And Size

Personal computers have grown to many people's pride and joy. Whether it's the ability to do whatever they like on it without fear of reduced performance, such as running complex programs or video games, or because their computer looks unique or is a demonstration of what a real gaming PC looks like. There can be many reasons for pride, but they all usually relate to one of three things.

The internal components, the software or the external components being superior. The ultimate expression of pride would be to have all three being at their best, but sometimes purchasing gaming PC cases can be a difficult task, as people tend to be unaware of what is needed and are, instead, attracted to the wonderful looks and designs. 

Heat Flow

 Ventilation is a key aspect of any personal computer case and even more so for a gaming PC. Good ventilation ensures that all of your components are running at optimum efficiency as they're cooled by whatever cooling system you prefer. Fans are the most common form of cooling and do their job well in combination with on-component heatsinks.

To avoid bad ventilation, upgrade older devices like drives that utilize ribbon cables and instead move on to SATA. This is not only more efficient in terms of space, but also provides faster data speeds. For a gaming PC, you should really have a front fan pulling cold air in and a rear fan pulling hot air out. This is a good system and can be upgrade to have more front or rear fans as necessary. Additionally, there should really be space for a high-quality central-processing unit (CPU) fan. These are sometimes very large devices.

 Power System

 When purchasing a case, they almost always come with a power supply unit (PSU). If they don't, this can be a benefit, as the supplies are often not on par for gaming rigs. All of your internal components require power and this all adds up when you're using multiple optical and hard drives as well as one or more high-end graphics cards and high-end CPU. The power supply should be at least 700w for a gaming rig, more for machines with additional graphics cards, as each unit can require over a hundred watts.

 Case Size

 ATX cases are most common in the personal computer world as they combine size and functionality for the average user. While gaming rigs can fit inside an ATX case, it's important to note that those wishing for additional drives, such as those in RAID, will want more drive bays. However, with a larger graphics card, space may start to prevent hard disk drives from being installed. To avoid this, you could look for a case that fits your needs and is designed different.

 However, for a true gaming case, consider a mid-tower case, which provides a lot more space not only for drives, but for multiple graphics cards, more fans and various other devices. Some cases come with clear panels that are great for LEDs to light up your computer. Additionally, you could also try installed a liquid-cooling system for maximum cooling effect.