Mother boards and cases

are motherboards and computer cases universal? I'm building a desktop and i was wondering if all motherboards would fit in any case. for example could i put this motherboard(http://www.compuvest.us/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=353944&CategoryCode=MB) into this tower(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103011)?

 

You will need a tower that says "Full Tower"

Not "Mid Tower" Mid towers are usually for micro ATX boards, you might be able to fit a reg ATX mobo in a mid tower but its a tight squeeze, its nice to have extra play room in a case IMO

 

actually atx boards go well in mid towers since mid towers are designed for them. Full towers are for people with a lot of peripherals and extended atx boards although a standard atx can still be used. A full tower is a little overkill for most , especially when you factor in space requirements.

 

Well i know if i had a mid tower my video card would have a pretty tight squeez to fit, but i suppose you are correct thank you

 

Some vidoe cards are outrageously long but powerful and all cases are not equal, that's for sure. It can be a tight fit depending on the video but generally a name brand case will have the clearance (it may not be by much) for the high end cards.

 

You can even put a micro ATX board in a full tower case. But as noted, full towers are to house lots of peripherals, like 5 - 10 hard drives for servers.

The key thing to remember is ATX - if the board is ATX and the case is ATX, it will fit, physically, and electrically. The same goes with power supplies. That was the purpose of establishing the ATX Form Factor standards.

 

One thing to remember (i know from experience) check that the screw points on the case match with the points on the Mobo.
I have just built a new PC and had an Abit IX38 GT3 board (expensive) and i fried it by not taking out the unnecessary screw points from the case so it was a costly mistake.
My local PC repair man told me only use the studs along the side of the board and do not screw them in too tight.

Also a full tower gives you room to fit extra cooling.

 

That is absolutely correct and extremely important. All cases are designed to support 1000s of motherboards. The ATX Form Factor standard only states where mounting holes "can" be, not where they "will" be. This means there will always be extra mounting holes in the case that do not match up to holes in the motherboard. All too often, new builders (and absent minded experienced builders :-o ) will insert a "standoff" in the case where there is no corresponding motherboard mounting hole. The result is the standoff comes into contact with several live circuits running through the motherboard. If lucky, no permanent damage is done, but often it results in catastrophic, permanent, and expensive damage.

But that is wrong - and is actually bad advice! You should use the provided standoffs at every mounting point on the motherboard and the reason for this is threefold:

(1) These points provide a "common ground" for all the circuits on the motherboard and a "common" ground is necessary to ensure electronic "noise" and interference is eliminated, or at least minimized.

(2) These points provide a solid foundation for the motherboard. Like the East Indian who lays on a bed of nails - he is not hurt because there are many nails to evenly distribute his weight. With mounting screws only around the edge, there is no support in the middle, and the motherboard will flex (never good) when installing cables, CPU, fans, and other devices. CPU heatsink fan assemblies can be very heavy. The flexing of the board puts undue stress on all the circuit runs (solder traces on the board) and the larger components, sockets, and slots soldered to the board. A flex in the board can cause microfractures in the board and traces, which eventually can lead to an "open" circuit - dead computer.

(3) Many cases are cheaply made. They are often not "true" - that is, the corners are not exactly 90°. They may use thinner sheet metals, and no corner reinforcements. They flex and warp with the smallest of twisting forces applied. These cases actually use the motherboard to keep the cases from flexing and warping - instead of the other way around. With every mounting screw in place, there is less chance the case will warp, twist, and crack the motherboard, and any stresses due to the case not being true will be distributed across all the points, not just a few.​

This time I agree. However, they still must be pretty snug to ensure they do not work loose due to fan and drive vibrations, heavy footfalls, and accidental kicks.

 

I stand corrected Digerati and bow to your superior skills.

I am always ready to learn.
This is maybe why when your PC comes back from the shop it has other problems.
As for my situation i can check to see how many i left out and put them back.

 

lol Let's say "experience" rather superior skills - fortunately for me, I was lucky and removing the extra standoff fixed the problem. But sadly, others have not been so lucky and permanent damage occurred.

I've been working with computers for 35+ years and if there is one thing I have learned it's that there is always more to learn!

 

wow thanks evey1 for the advice. It helped me understand it better but i have a few more questions. What is ATX just a type of board? the standard most popular type i am assuming from your comments. Also can I use a full tower for just a computer not a server and only put one hard drive in it? I think this will allow me more room for my first time building a computer so i can look over it better. Are the screw points and mounting holes the same thing and they are pre-punched so i can just find them on the mobo and use only the holes on the mobo that match up with the ones on the case right? so in other words i should use all the holes on the motherboard but some may be left open on the case right? Also is there anyway of getting the hard drive and mobo and stuff too cold and ruining it by putting in too man fans?

 

Old IBMs were based on the old AT Form Factor. Then came ATX Form Factor Standard. This standard defines voltages, connectors, and physical dimensions of computer parts thus allowing consumers to pick and choose a PSU from Company A, a motherboard from Company B, and a case from Company C and they will all fit and work together.

Sure, but you will have lots of empty space. One problem with full towers is you need long cables for drives near the top.

No. Most cases have a bunch of pre-drilled and threaded holes for mounting motherboards. The brass standoffs are screwed into the case, the motherboard sits on the standoffs, mounting screws secure the board the standoff.

Right.

How? Do fans actually reduce the air temperatures? Or just blow the existing air around? They only blow the existing air around so fans can never cool something cooler than the air they are blowing. Perhaps you are thinking of Wind Chill, but note that only affects living tissues, and reflects "apparent" temperatures, not real temperatures.

 

True all that. Most cases come with, in addition to metal screws and studs, plastic or nylon stand-offs that screw into the case. I sometimes use these in low-stress areas of the motherboard (By that I mean places where you aren't going to be pushing/pulling components in/out of the board). For high stress areas I suggest you use the metal screw and stud assembly to avoid any stress micro-fractures on the motherboard. Areas of high stress are the RAM slots, and Video and PCI card ports, to a lesser degree where cables and such plug in. Not a big issue if you don't ever intend to add any new or upgraded components, but it's something to keep in mind. By and large I upgrade and/or change components often, so I generally use the screws and studs where the board manufacturer directs.

I'm not much on flashy cases . . . I see the case as pretty much a box - If I can get a case on the cheap that has good venting, then I can spend that much more on components!

 

True all that except for this . . . got distracted.

 

If the case is standing on your desk i understand that it needs to be easy on the eye but my PCs are built into the desk so for me cooling is the most important factor.

As for the PSU IMO buy the best quality and size you can afford (it's always better to have too much power than not enough)

 

Thank you very much everyone especially Digerati, your really smart. I have learned a lot and better understand this subject. Mission accomplished :major haha

 

Don't say stuff like that - I have a big enough head already.

Thanks.