One component of a desktop computer system that is often overlooked even though it is in plain sight is the case. Over the years it has gone through a number of changes – some of them related to advances in technology, some purely for aesthetics. Lets take a quick look back in history at the evolution of the humble desktop case.
Way back when computers were first mentioned in popular science magazines, there was nothing like the computer case as we know it now. Enthusiasts looking to explore this new technology were hand-assembling circuit boards and hooking them together with loose cables and leads. Then some manufacturers started producing “kit computers” – packages that included all the components needed and often with a case specifically designed to mount them in. Atari, Commodore, Apple II, even the locally produced Australian Microbee – regardless of whether they came in a kit form or as complete units, they had a case to suit their product.
Then in the early 1990s IBM released the XT computer – one of the first personal computers to really take off in mainstream business and in the home. This came in a case that was beige in colour and laid flat on the desk with room to sit a heavy CRT monitor on top of it. Inside was the space to add additional components such as extra hard or floppy drives, better video cards and other items. 3rd party manufacturers started offering alternative components to those that came with the IBM and the Personal Computer industry took off from there. (Unlike the “open” system offered by IBM which allowed other companies to produce products that could “fit” into the system, Apple computers have to this day remained effectively a closed system. Only a select few manufacturers are allowed to provide alternative components strictly under the control of Apple itself).
Over time, business and home users wanted more space in the desktop case to add more components – more hard drives, better video cards, larger power supplies to drive it all. So the humble case started to grow. As it grew, it took up more and more desk space. Eventually someone had the bright idea to flip the case onto its side and sit it on the floor beside or under the desk. And so the “Tower” case was born – more space to fit more components, designed to bring the power switches and other factors towards the top (within easy reach of someone sitting in the desk chair) and more space back on your desk.
This trend has remained to this day and the “tower” case still rules supreme. As technology has evolved and components have gotten smaller, the need for the large expansion space within most tower cases has fallen and “mini-tower” and “micro-tower” cases have appeared. Because these cases are not as tall, they sit closer to the floor and started to become out of reach to people sitting in chairs. So there has been a progression back to having your computer sitting on your desk again. This time though, it stands tall and has a smaller footprint so it takes up less space than the traditional desktop of old that laid flat under the monitor.
Now there are a large range of cases available to suit the diverse roles that personal computers are being used for. Tower cases and their variants still rule for most systems and often they are sitting back on the desk itself. Gaming enthusiasts even go as far as putting clear panels on the sides of the cases and lighting them up with neons and LEDs so make them “stand out”. But computers are also finding their way into the lounge room – sitting beside your TV and working as the modern equivalent of the old VHS or Beta video recorders from the 80’s and 90’s. These cases are usually much smaller units often running without fans, other “noisy” components or fancy lights that may intrude when watching your favourite TV show or blockbuster that is being streamed over the internet.
So the next time you are looking at getting a new computer, spend some time and think about the case that will hold it all. Whether it is sitting on your desk or beside your TV, it will be in your view and will have an impact on the overall “look” of your personal spaces. Black, white, lit with coloured LEDs – there are a huge range of options available to give your desk or lounge room just the right “feel” that you want. Don’t just accept what the supplier is offering with their system, look around! The variety available means there is one out there that has “YOU” written all over it (and that may even be taken literally).