My First Computer Case with a P4 CPU

by Krys

My first PC with a Pentium IV 3.0GHZ CPU had a good mid size tower case that was used for ATX boards. I really liked the look of the case because it had the side window and 2 fans for additional cooling which actually had some funky colored LED lights in it when the case is powered on. It also had a spot to place a 120mm fan in the back and front of the case for even more cooling features. On the faceplate of the case it had a temperature gauge and the normal indications for hard drive busy and the date/time on a small LCD screen.

The only issues I had with the case was that even though it was more an ATX size case, it seemed difficult to install the ATX ASUS Board I had purchased. Screws that were supposed to be placed through the slots on the board and into the case were an extremely tight fit. And the metal of the case was very flimsy and not that supportive. I would image if you kicked it slightly you could put quite a dent into it and most likely damage your PC's circuitry.

I would say in my opinion it definitely matters what case you choose if your building your own PC piece by piece. You may choose to overclock your system which causes heat in the case and must be diffused to the outside. Also, high end video cards need cooling (yet most of them have some of this functionality built on them now). Even some memory needs cooling but that would also have to do with overclocking as well.

You know you've built the right case when your PC is still functional and up to speed after a month's time. If you don't smell smoke you're good! :P

A good case should allow you to easily configure, add on and install more components with ease and definitely allow you to easily take off the cover of the case! One of my biggest peeves with cases is the damn cover. Older model cases seemed to provoke you to use a crowbar to get them open!

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of this case I had because I now have a Dell XPS 630 which I love.