How do I tell what style case I have so I can find a MB to work? w/Pics

[Kelemvor]

I know certain types of MBs only fit in certain types of cases... I have an old case I picked up a few years back but honestly can't remember just how many years that was.

Is there a way I can tell what style case I have to know what type of MB I could or couldn't mount in it? Not sure if the MB mounting holes would be in certain places for certain styles or what.

It might be old enough I need to replace it but I'd sure like to use it if I could.

Thanks.

Here's two pics of the case in question if that helps.

 

[Homerboy]

looks like a standard ATX case to me.

 

[zagood]

agreed, standard ATX.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Looks like atx would work. Pics of the front of the case and I'm sure someone would know 100%

 

[CurseTheSky]

Is that bare steel on the inside / back, or is it painted gray? I don't know if it's just the camera and lighting or actually the case itself, but the finish looks really smooth and nice for some generic, old steel ATX case.

 

[ehume]

If you never overclock, if you never need to change backplates on good aftermarket coolers - it will be OK. If it is out of the way, especially tucked into furniture, it's OK.

But if you want to have access behind your cpu to mount a good cpu cooler, buy a case with a window in the mb tray.

If this system will be where anything can bump it, get a case with the psu at the bottom. Top-mounted psu's make cases unstable.

 

[Meghan54]

agreed, standard ATX.

Nice picture of the mb mount......

Of course, an easier way to discern the difference between a case that will house an ATX mb vs. one that will house only a mATX mb is count the rear slots on the case.

Cases that will handle only mATX motherboards typically have 3-4 slots/slot covers while cases that will handle full ATX motherboards will have at least 7 slots/slot covers. Easiest way to check and you don't have to pull the side cover off.

 

[Meghan54]

Is that bare steel on the inside / back, or is it painted gray? I don't know if it's just the camera and lighting or actually the case itself, but the finish looks really smooth and nice for some generic, old steel ATX case.

The case he's got is an Ultra mid-tower ATX case. Ultra was quite the rage a few years ago in cheapie cases when they had a few cases that were FAR or only $10 after MIR. This was one of those cases.

Just took one in Thursday as a trade-in on a new build:

Athlon 3000+ w/512MB RAM, 160GB hd, GeForce 6200 AGP video card w/128MB RAM. Not too bad running....just dog slow compared to almost any current build.

If this system will be where anything can bump it, get a case with the psu at the bottom. Top-mounted psu's make cases unstable.

While a top mounted power supply in a mid-ATX case can make it a bit top heavy, they're certainly NOT unstable. To say that this case will be unstable with its top mounted power supply is just exaggeration, to say the least, as is the assertion that all cases with top mounted power supplies in general are unstable.

(Let me put the condition on that statement that we're not speaking to putting a 1200W power supply in the top or other extreme examples, just to insulate myself from the nit-pick, petulant childish argument of someone doing just that type of scenario. Anyone buying anything like a heavy 1200W power supply won't be looking at light, narrow (skinny), cheap cases.)

This case I pictured above has an Antec 350W ps, something that'll probably be found in the vast majority of these type builds, and it takes one helluva tilt before it wants to topple over. And really, considering the hundreds of millions of computers built with top mounted power supplies over the years, both home built and OEM, if instability in these computers was so prevalent, don't you think there'd been a huge outcry about them? Haven't heard of any of that happening yet.....

 

[Kelemvor]

The case he's got is an Ultra mid-tower ATX case. Ultra was quite the rage a few years ago in cheapie cases when they had a few cases that were FAR or only $10 after MIR. This was one of those cases.

That is exactly correct. Was a FAR case so I figured maybe some day I'd make use of it. It's been sitting in my basement ever since. I liked it because it has a front door on it that can be locked to keep the kids from pressing buttons.

 

[zagood]

Top-mounted psu's make cases unstable.