How to Select a Good Case for a Duplicator

 

Cases are easily the most overlooked and under-estimated part of a system. When it comes down to price and performance, a good case can make a good system great. A good case can make a great deal of difference with respect to both your system's performance and its lifetime. It is going to be your most lasting computer investment.

Most people will really care what the case looks like. But let not functionality be forsaken by outward appearances. A case is a heat trap and cooling problems ultimately can affect everyone. When selecting a case, consider the following factors:

Environment: The envirnoment you can give to a case will have a role in what you get. If you place a large case in a very tight space, the result will be bad air circulation. Hot components such as CPU may burn and CD-R writer may fail.

Space inside: A case can be too small to fit all the components. A case can also be too big. Large towers are often guilty here. Without proper air circulation or side louvers, those drives you place up in the top of the tower may be without proper cooling. With today's drives getting faster and hotter, you need to be concerned about heat disspation. If you are using cheap power supply, do not think your power supply fan is going to help. If you get a big tall case, make sure it has sufficient ventilation up top.

Power supply: If a few dollars is not a concern. Get the biggest you can get. With drive prices dropping, you will come to eat that extra wattage up just by adding a couple of new drives, or more. Under power situations are bad on performance, and you may goes for years without realizing that your performance is being drained because of a weak power supply. Make sure the power supply has enough power leads as some of the big 300 watters do not have enough hookups.

Cooling: How many fans can it hold, and how well is the case curt for circulation. Are there air intakes in the front, back and side panel louvers? Microboards' Inferno CD-R/DVD-R Duplication Station has drive cooling air slots under each drives. This aerodynamic design allows for constant air flow, controlling heat buildup inside the duplicator and dramatically increases MTBF ratings and overall system life. Also, if you are using extra fans to pull a lot of air into your case, it will be better to have a removable air filter in those locations where you are planning to pull air in from the outside.

Metal quality & finish: Do you need a tetanus shot just to touch the case? Many cases out there are just crawling with metal splinters, rough edges and razor sharp corners. Make sure your case has a nice smooth finish to it. Cheap metal can cut your fingers.

Accessibility: Make sure that you can get to the mounting and screw holes on the right side of your case without a crowbar. It will be very inconvienent if you have to unscrew, pulling ribbon cable, and wrestle out the whole drive part of the chassis just to take out a drive.