Types of PC cabinets, there is a great variety in the computer market that have been transforming their designs since the appearance, they all have their own characteristics, we will show them in this article.
Cabinet Types
The types of PC cabinets In the computer world it is a structure, also renowned as a computer case, casing, chassis or tower, it is made of strong material, they can be made of plastic or metal, they have the function of protecting the internal elements of the computer from external agents such as humidity, dust or any other element that damages the equipment.
The types of computer cabinets, in the computer world, are also known by different names, their manufacture is made of strong materials such as metal or hard plastics, among the functions they have, the main one is to safeguard the internal components of external agents typical of the environment that usually damage computers.
In the computer market there are any types of models of computer cabinets that can be purchased according to the taste and particular needs of the user, below we will mention the following:
Barebone
This type of cabinet has its design in the shape of a small tower, its size adapts to narrow places, being one of the main characteristics of this type, so it is preferred by many users, however, they present a certain difficulty that is deals with the expansion of its components, this condition does not accept few additional devices.
This type of PC cabinet also has another aspect that makes it unfavorable, such as it overheats, all due to its small size, however the ventilation depends largely on the type of accessories and the demands of energy consumption.
In addition, this type of cabinets that have many USB ports with the intention of complementing their few devices, such as: a floppy drive that allows adjusting external devices, a USB disk or a memory, finally they are also called Cube because of their shape.
Mini tower
It is the type of cabinet that is made up of one or two 5 ¼ ”drive bays, and two or three 3 1/2” drive bays, it all depends on the motherboard, you can add other expansion cards that make the computer functions are optimized.
In general, this model does not present difficulties with the USB ports that are heated, the models of this type of small tower cabinet have a high sales index, despite being a small structure, other components can be added to the cabinet, its temperature may be normal and does not generate any kind of problems.
Dessert
This type of cabinet, has the particularity that is distinguished from the mini towers by its structure, it is one of the best sellers today, the most ideal is to place it on the desk, which significantly helps to minimize dirty storage inside , usually the monitor is placed next to you.
Half tower or half tower
Among the types of pc cabinets, this model is found, it has a larger size, so it is ideal to install more devices to the computer, almost always these cabinets have four 5 ¼ ”bays, and four 3 ½” bays. and it has good ample space that allows you to install extra cards and other devices, however, it all depends on the motherboard that approves adding other elements.
Torre
It is the most spacious and comfortable type of cabinet of all the models destined for domestic equipment, you can add a good number of tools and devices that can be used when the size of the cards and their quantity, accept it.
Among these models we can mention the well-known duplicator towers, which can have a large number of CD or DVD recording units, and among them it has spaces to add other elements.
employee
It is a type of cabinet that is not the most recommended for domestic use, because it has a large tower apart from not having a good aesthetic design, it occupies a lot of space, they are especially to be used in remote places and where there is a lot of intervention of persons, such as data processing.
The objective of the development of these cabinets is based on offering efficiency to the user, in terms of peripheral elements they do not represent being the most essential, what is vital are the servers and the ventilation that the entire system has.
This type of server, usually has a source of energy and heat extraction so that it continues its operation in the event that any function is obstructed, these devices are regularly connected to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS or UPS), that protects the devices from voltage spikes, and also has the virtue of a failure in the electrical network, the server continues its operation for a set period of time.
Rack
This type of cabinet is similar to the server model, its function is oriented to carry out massive information processing activities and they have a strong power greater than any other equipment.
This rack model, are the ones that are screwed to a special piece of furniture according to the measurements, in this type of cabinet they are placed in spaces with sufficient cooling, which is necessary due to the high temperatures that emanate when they are generating data processing.
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Portable
This type of cabinet is manufactured by a structure that cannot be separated, which means that the cabinet contains everything integrated, which does not allow them to expand, and also they get very hot and very easily due to the agglomeration of all the parts in the cabinet. team.
The size of this cabinet depends on the screen it has incorporated, as well as all the devices, and as time progresses, thin dimensions appear on the market, for example ultrabooks.
However, it offers a great advantage, the computer is integrated into the cabinet, such as the keyboard, the monitor, and the touch panel, making it a portable computer.
Integrated to the screen
It is a type of cabinet, which has an exclusive design, it is an expansion of space in its structure from the back with a CRT monitor or an LCD screen, which integrates the different basic and functional components of a complete equipment , as does the motherboard, the hard disk, the optical disk drive, the power supply, fans, among other devices.
This model was developed thinking about saving space, it has an assembly and technological use similar to portable equipment; the expansion of components is limited in terms of space, for all these aspects they have a high economic value.
Conventional cabinets
It is a type of cabinets that are preferred by most common users, however, it is not that they have a particular characteristic, they only meet the basic requirements of storing the components and safeguarding them from their elementary functions.
Gamer cabinets
This type of cabinet is usually accompanied by Led lighting, as well as a kind of refrigeration that exceeds the needs of the care of the components that guarantees power.
It has some striking designs, some of its models contain a tempered glass on the covers on each side of the equipment, which work to show the contents of its interior.
Horizontal cabinet
It has a metal structure with a rectangular shape, it is placed horizontally, it is covered with a fiberglass base, sheet or a type of resistant plastic.
PC Cabinet Features
Different types of pc cabinets, there are models on the market for computer cabinets, they have their own characteristics, namely:
Internal space
The internal space that a computer cabinet has is an important aspect, because it contributes to an adequate arrangement of all the elements, being a vital issue in terms of cooling, which makes the equipment offer power.
Cable management
The cables are essential elements to connect the components and the structure of the computer, they are distributed and placed in strategic spaces so that they are not visualized, in addition they do not present discomfort in the user's activities.
Compatibility
It should be borne in mind that in some cases computer cabinets are not compatible with ATX and MIcroATX motherboards, it is an issue that should not be ignored, because it is decisive.
Air flow and cooling
The vast majority of cabinets have their own front fans with the aim that ventilation enters the equipment, also it happens in the rear part to avoid the accumulation of hot air.
Front connections
These elements are usually placed in the front, to connect with the motherboard so that they can work, according to the user's requirements, these ports can be used.
Hard drive or optical drive bays
Currently it does not present any difficulties, it can be seen that the vast majority of computer cabinets contain these compartments for hard drives with 2,5 and 3,5.
Items contained in a cabinet
There are several elements that go inside the cabinet or case of the computer, which makes its operation possible, among which are:
- Hard disk (HD).
- RAM.
- The source of energy.
- Plate or Network card.
- Video card or plate.
- Processor.
- Sound card or card.
- Motherboard or motherboard.
- Storage unit.
- Optical drives for DVD and Blu-Ray readers and card readers.
Importance of the cabinet
The types of pc cabinets, known as computer case, represents a great importance because it is a structure made of resistant metal material that has the function of protecting the internal components contained in the equipment.
In addition to the protection aspect, it also offers the organization and ease of the different internal connections so that they interconnect in a suitable way with each other.
The importance of these cabinets is to guarantee that the internal components, so that they are kept protected from external elements that are harmful to the useful life of the equipment, among which are mentioned: dust, temperature and others.
Component distribution
A computer case can have boxes for power supplies that distribute power throughout the computer, as well as drive bays for DVDs, CDs, and other items.
Speaking of the rear panel, it contains suitable connectors for accessories coming from the motherboard, as well as from the expansion cards, graphics cards, while on the front panel there are the power, reset buttons and the LEDs that show the status of computer power, hard disk usage and internet network functionality.
It is important to note that many archaic cabinets contained turbo buttons that limited the use of the processor, and over time they have been disappearing because they are classified as old.
It can be seen in the new cabinet designs, the panels that have the possibility of connecting updated devices such as USB memories, Firewire, headphones, microphones, as well as flash memory card readers.
Likewise, LCD screens can be displayed that show the user the performance of the microprocessor, temperature, system time, date, and other aspects that are important, most of these devices must be connected to the motherboard, so that their use is more user-friendly and easy, which optimizes and makes efficient the operation of the computer.
Cabinet maintenance
The maintenance aspect of these structures is essential to be very careful with the internal elements and components, such as the base plates, which are always bolted to the bottom, in some cases to one end of the internal part of the cabinet, everything it will depend on the design of the cabinet, and on how the distribution of the components is located.
It is important to note that certain types of cabinets such as the ATX model, their design has slots that must be uncovered to insert the input and output devices, which are integrated into the motherboard for peripheral devices, they also have special card slots expansion, in case the user wishes to modify the equipment.
Not to be left behind when it comes to maintenance is the power supply, the ones that should be located at the top, and are screwed in, should be carefully removed when performing maintenance.
Other elements that can be easily moved to carry out a good cleaning and maintenance, there is the front panel that in certain types such as the ATX design has 51/4 ”bays in which optical readers, USB readers and flash memories are integrated. .
Access to the interior of the cabinet
To enter the interior of computer cabinets, either modern structures have a single panel, as a kind of cover that is practically easy to disassemble, it is screwed to the cabinet structure, and after being removed it allows access to all the components such as the motherboard, expansion cards, and various data storage devices.
To be able to internally visualize the pc cabinets, it must be known that current structures have a single panel, it is similar to a cover that is easy to remove, which is attached with special screws to the cabinet, and after being removed they can be observed all the components inside the cabinet such as: the motherboard, expansion cards and other devices that are essential for storing information.
The types of pc cabinets are archaic and compared to modern designs, in order to adapt or remove disk drives, as well as other components, the two side panels should be removed, unscrewing a good number of screws, which made it cumbersome. equipment maintenance.
However, in these modern times there are any number of cabinets in which it is easy to remove the accesses without the need for special tools, because the screws are supplanted by comfortable plastic rails and brackets that make care and maintenance practical and simple. cabinet maintenance, either externally or internally.
History of computer cabinets
When talking about the computer cabinet, of course the curiosity is born to know how these structures became vital for computer equipment.
It is essential to let users know that these originate in 1972, once the Intel company developed the first known microprocessor, being the number 4004, which opened the way for computers to enter homes, which The same happened later with Apple in 1976; then in 1977 Commodore and Tandy appeared.
The Commodore company began to develop its single-block computers that contained a keyboard and magnetic tape reader, as well as Tandy's TRS-80, which added a monitor with separate wiring, while Apple sold its computers without a cabinet to protect them.
After the vast majority of home computers continued with the line of including the keyboard in the computer cabinet, the Commodore and Thomson companies presented other options in 1982 with the Commodore VIC 20 model, and the popular Thomson TO7, which They had the components separately: the keyboard and the monitor of the cabinet, only Macintosh 128K, I continued with adding the monitor in the cabinet, showing a striking design for these times.
Over time, the majority of domestic equipment continued with the purpose of attaching the keyboard to the cabinet, it has to be known companies Commodore and Thomson, in 1982, designed other equipment, especially the Commodore VIC 20 model, and the famous Thomson T07, they counted separately the components such as the keyboard and the monitor, only Macintosh 128K, preferred to add the monitor to the cabinet, presenting a unique and exclusive design in these times.
With the passing of time, different companies manufacture different types of pc cabinets, which look attractive, being a new focus in the evolution of cabinets the issue of ventilation and noise, which was improving over time and even present.