Depending on the configuration we want to mount and the space we have, we can choose one type of box or another. So we have categorized them not only by the type of motherboard that can be mounted on them, but also by the size of the case. The reason is that a small PC is not the same to connect under the TV to a server in a small business.
PC cases are designed to accommodate different types of motherboards and their sizes are taken into account, the largest of which is the E-ATX type and the smallest is the smallest mini-ITX of all. Although there are other formats not specified in the image such as DTX and mini-DTX. It is therefore possible to put a Mini-ITX card in an E-ATX box, but not to do the reverse.
Super tower PC cases
These are the boxes that are used to accommodate motherboards in E-ATX format, which are larger than conventional ATXs, since they were initially intended to house the CPUs of the servers, as well as their corresponding motherboards. So they are the largest type of PC case that exists due to the hardware they usually contain inside.
The main use of this type of box is in the construction of SOHO-type servers (Small Office Home Office) and, therefore, as servers in offices or workstations that host an EPYC or Threadripper in the case of AMD or a Xeon if we are talking about Intel processors. So unless you go for this type of processor and its corresponding motherboards will be much more than you need.
Finally, these types of boxes are generally present on the gaming market, but designed to house ATX motherboards, the most common. The advantage of using large boxes? Being able to install liquid cooling systems without space problems or long graphics cards like the NVIDIA RTX 3090.
Mid-turn format, the most common
They are the most widespread today, indeed 98% of desktops created by users in the world use this PC case format. The reason why I ended up replacing ATX towers in popularity comes from the integration of the components and is that in the late 90s when Micro-ATX cases appeared, we were seeing several boards of extension in a PC apart from the graphics card.
At that time, we would also see a sound card, modem or network card, but over time these components were built into the motherboard, so it was not necessary to occupy so many ports of the motherboard. ‘extension. So the plates Micro-ATX Although they have fewer expansion ports than ATX, they have become quite good and this has reduced the height of the PC towers, but not their width.
PC cases in microtower format
These are cases that have been designed to take up as little physical space as possible, however, with minimal expansion capabilities that allow us to fit a gaming graphics card inside, however much more limited than that. other types of towers. Although given its small size, power and cooling consumption is not the same as that of a high-end gaming PC or workstation. For this reason, components designed for this type of equipment are usually installed, which are smaller in size and consume less.
Microtower according to base plate
This type of box makes it possible to create extremely compact computers, the perfect example being the HTPC connected under a television set. Regarding the different types of PC cases in microtower format, we have the following:
- Mini-ITX: the smallest and most popular of all, it can accommodate motherboards measuring 17 x 17cm, making them much narrower than ATX, Micro-ATX, and DTX. Because they have less depth, it is necessary to purchase shorter graphics card models, as they are the only expansion card that is generally used.
- DTX: The DTX format is not very well known, it is a variant of the ATX which is even lower than the Micro-ATX, but which preserves the length, so unlike the Mini-ITX this one could house large GPUs. . The other difference is that it contains an additional expansion slot.
- Mini DTX: Halfway between the previous two, it is intended for dual PCIe port motherboards like the DTX, however, its length is that of a Mini-ITX.
Now it is not normal to see DTX cases, the reason is that you can put them in a Micro-ATX case and take advantage of the saved space for better cooling. In any case, since it is not a very popular format, towers appear in this format from figs to figs. Instead, we can see that many Mini-ITX enclosures are designed to house Mini-DTX cards.
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