Full ATX vs. Mid ATX vs. Server Case

[febuld]

I recently started to read up on the different types of ATX cases, but I never got a clear answer on which of the three are better and for what purposes.

Also, the server case I included points to cases such as the following that are classified as Server on Newegg.com:
http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=11-144-054&depa=1

Also please leave any suggestions you have for a case and or power supply for under $100 bucks. I only plan on spending about $800 bucks on a home built computer. (P4 3.0C, 512MB DDR 3200 512 MB Ram, NVIDIA 5900XT)

Thanks,
Akash

 

[KillaKilla]

Server: I think they are refering to full tower, as that is obviously not a rackmount case (as used in major servers, mainframes and the like)
Mid-tower: Will fit just about everything you like, made for standard desktop style PCs.
Full tower: the leviathin of ATX, it will fit everything you can put in it, all of your friends' add ins, and more, with significant room to spare. These are made to take on many HDDs, CD sized (5 1/4") drives, and the largest multiple CPU MBs, with many expansion card slots. They generally are heavier than mid tower, for obvious reasons, and they are always more expensive.

I waould say that something like the revered Antec Sonata would work well, at 100$ and with included PSU. It's mid-tower, and incredibly quiet. It is arguably the best looking mid-tower case ever made for a reasonable price. It keeps everything reasonably cool, and is near silent even with my noisy HDDs. It also has a automotive like finish, which is very good looking. Can you tell I love my sonata?

Regardless, any mid-tower or full tower case will fit your parts.

 

[orangat]

Originally posted by: febuld
I recently started to read up on the different types of ATX cases, but I never got a clear answer on which of the three are better and for what purposes.

Also, the server case I included points to cases such as the following that are classified as Server on Newegg.com:
http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=11-144-054&depa=1

Also please leave any suggestions you have for a case and or power supply for under $100 bucks. I only plan on spending about $800 bucks on a home built computer. (P4 3.0C, 512MB DDR 3200 512 MB Ram, NVIDIA 5900XT)

Thanks,
Akash

Get a full tower/server case if you can spare the space and need a big/tall drive cage from many harddrives. It might require longer (24") IDE cables if you use the top drive cage. Theres no inherent advantage for a big case apart from the roominess.

A mid tower is more suitable for most since its smaller for carrying it around for LAN parties. Some decent
mid-towers - Sonata, Evercase 4292x, Compucase LX6A19.

And consider the AMD A64 CPU unless you know Intel does better for your applications since it is generally a speed grade cheaper.

 

[Zepper]

Entry-level server cases usually are similar to mid-tower cases but should be somewhat deeper (~21") to handle oversized (dual/quad CPU) motherboards and should have arangements to fit hot-swap drive cages in the 5.25" bay area as well as separate drives. Server cases generally will come without PSU as server integrators will usually want to specify their own and should also have room for a redundant PSU. They should also be more secure, with a sturdy front door w/ heavy duty lock as well as a way to lock the side covers.
. One that I like is the Silverstone Berserker (SST-B032F) (and other variants on the same design like the Enermax Shiny Titanium or the Bow Technology, etc.) though it lacks some of the mentioned features. It has plenty of room for two hot-swap cages and room for an oversized mobo and PSU w/ a litle modding. Not to mention that it's relatively cheap.
.bh.

:moon: