Also known as: PC case, Chassis, Tower
A computer case is the enclosure that houses and protects a desktop computer’s components, giving each part a place to mount and a path for air and cables.1
Overview
The case holds the motherboard, the power supply unit, drives, and expansion cards, with standoffs and brackets sized to standard layouts. Its job beyond mounting is thermal: fans and vents move air across the hot parts so cooling keeps the CPU and GPU from throttling. Cases come in sizes — full, mid, and mini towers down to small-form-factor boxes — and each is built to accept a particular motherboard form factor such as ATX or Mini-ITX.
Where it fits
The case is the one part that does no computing yet shapes the whole build: it decides which boards fit, how many drives and cards you can add, how quiet the machine runs, and how it looks on the desk. A roomy tower eases upgrades and airflow; a small case saves space at the cost of expansion and cooling headroom. A pre-built all-in-one computer or mini PC hides this choice inside a fixed enclosure.
Sources
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Computer case — Wikipedia, on PC cases and their role. ↩