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                                     2




                                  Chassis























Help Guide to Buying a Computer





Chapter 2 - Chassis


     The computer "Chassis" is the metal (partially plastic) box that holds all 
of the "guts" of the computer including its disk drives, RAM, CPU, etc.  The 
chassis can be made in all sizes and shapes and each has it's own advantages 
and disadvantages.  Fortunately,  there are several standard sizes that I'll 
explain below.  




-------------------  The Full Tower Chassis is the largest chassis design and 
| Picture of Full |  allows for the most upgradability and expandability, but
| Tower Chassis   |  it also cost more than any other chassis design.  This 
-------------------  chassis is intended to stand on the floor next to a desk 
                     so it is out of the way.  If you intend to add lots of 
                     drives (see Chapter 5), then you'll want this chassis.









-------------------  The Mini Tower Chassis has quickly become the chassis of 
| Picture of Mini |  choice.  It can be placed on the floor next to the desk or
| Tower Chassis   |  can be placed on the desktop because of it's small size.  
-------------------  It offers more space for drives and costs less than most  
                     desktop and slimline chassis.  This is the chassis I would  
                     recommend for users that don't foresee adding more than     
                     one or two additional drives and want an easy-to-live with
                     chassis design.


















Help Guide to Buying a Computer





Chapter 2 - Chassis


-------------------  The Desktop Chassis is still the most common type of 
| Picture of      |  chassis sold, and it has been around ever since IBM's very   
| Desktop Chassis |  first PC .  This chassis generally has less expansion  
-------------------  capability than the mini-tower chassis and is intended to   
                     sit on the desktop (hence its name).









-------------------  The Slimline Chassis is the smallest chassis, but it 
| Picture of      |  greatly limits your expandability or upgradability.         
| Slimline Chassis|  Manufacturers that use this chassis design usually design   
-------------------  these computers to be proprietary (not standard), so   
                     fixing, upgrading or expanding is either relatively 
                     expensive or not possible at all.  Be leery of this chassis 
                     because you're still better off with a mini-tower chassis.





























Help Guide to Buying a Computer



