Would you rather have a midtower or full tower case?

DaveCSparty

Senior member
May 14, 2000
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And why? Thanks!

I am going to build a new computer and I have both, wondering which one to go with...
 

Goi

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
6,771
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Full tower if I have the space, because there's more space to work with, and generally better ventilation.
 

bigpow

Platinum Member
Dec 10, 2000
2,372
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81
after having two giant full size tower, I'd take my aluminium mid-tower thanks!
Why? you should see my chiropractor's bill :frown:
 

redbeard1

Diamond Member
Dec 12, 2001
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For my main system I like towers, I usually run too many hard drives and cdroms to fit in older mid tower cases. Though new cases have extra drive bays to help with raid setups.
 

DT4K

Diamond Member
Jan 21, 2002
6,944
3
81
It really depends on how much stuff you want to put in it.
I tend to tinker a lot and replace heasinks and RAM and stuff like that, so I like to have room to work in.
But I also don't want a giant case that is a pain to move.

I guess my preference is for very roomy midtowers.
 

GrumpyMan

Diamond Member
May 14, 2001
5,780
266
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Probably if you ran a poll on it the towers would win but not by a huge margin. I myself like towers due to the reasons the other members have given. LL PC-75 and an Inwin Q-500 are next to me. I do also have a no name mid-tower that I will build another small setup in and just give it away to family.
 

redbeard1

Diamond Member
Dec 12, 2001
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Grumpyman reminded me of something. If you ever plan on selling the setup, most people don't appreciate towers because of the size. So when I'm making one up for someone else I use mid towers.
 

MasterHoss

Platinum Member
Apr 25, 2001
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What case? I've seen plenty of full towers with HORRIBLE cooling. Be very careful making assumptions that a POS full tower will yield better cooling than a smaller tower.
 

Sunny129

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2000
4,823
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i am in constant self-debate over this issue. a big case makes for better airflow (and not necessarily better cooling...it depends on how and where you position your case fans)and is easier to work on because the system isn't crammed into a small space. but at the same time, they are such a pain to hide if you're the kind of person who likes to keep your box tucked away out of sight. and they are also hard to move around. i suppose in the end, i chose convenience of storage and mobility over better airflow and easier maintenance. but you have to ask yourself that question and determine what is most important to you.
 

MournSanity

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2002
3,126
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Are those Cheiftec aluminum cases considered full or mid tower? I choose whatever size they are because they rock :p
 

zCypher

Diamond Member
Aug 18, 2002
6,115
171
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I like medium cause it's standard. I like all-standard stuff. I hate working on compaq/ibm/dell systems with their custom BS. PITA!

So yea a standard 350w atx mid tower case for me. Mine is nice. Plenty of room and ventilation. I have NO case fans, and I'm running a tbird 1.3 @ 1.5, 1GB DDR333, ATi 9000, WD 80GB + Seagate 80GB all on an MSI KT4VL, and my processor runs at 40c, case temp at around 25-30c. I see NO reason to buy extra fans, etc, or to replace the stock AMD CPU fan.

That is all!
 

corkyg

Elite Member | Peripherals
Super Moderator
Mar 4, 2000
27,370
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I have had nothing but full towers since 1989. They have more room - easier to work on, and work nicely out of the way on the floor under the desk. Mid towers are too short for that. The floor is where they belong - less noise amd a cooler ambiance.
 

Mavrick007

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2001
3,198
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I have had full towers since 1993 and I enjoy being able to work inside them, but I would consider a nice midtower case if it had a mobo tray and was aluminum.

I have a full tower aluminum case that I'm using now and I really like it, it's light but big and flashy with the window and cold cathode :D
 

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,353
1,862
126
Full tower for these reasons
1. Plenty of room for drives
2. Plenty of room for working in the case
3. In most cases better airflow
4. Some (including the one I use) come with casters, which make them very mobile except a pain on like stairs and lputting in the trunk of the car

Midtower for these reasons
1. If you arent going to use 10 or 12 bays .. then you don't really need them
2. Lighter easier to carry around though a full tower with casters is easier on flat surfaces
3. Takes up less room

For these reasons ... I have 2 full towers (server and Main box) , and a few midtowers (second gaming box, and a box I built for my mother, and one my brother usually uses).
 

Dantzig

Golden Member
Oct 11, 1999
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Super mid-tower! Easier to move than full tower. Still enough bays for all your drives.
 

Mitzi

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2001
3,775
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Used to have a POS full tower a couple years back, changed it to a Lian Li PC60 mid tower and never looked back, the main reason being a good sized mid-tower is easier to move around and I don't need the extra 8 drives bays (or whatever) the full tower provides.
 

TheCorm

Diamond Member
Nov 5, 2000
4,326
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I used to have a really nice Aopen Full tower and it was good....but my current Midi tower has almost as many bays....cooling is still good....I see no point in having a full tower unless you are going to have at least 5 hard drives and 4 optical or other 5.25" drives.