require a larger, full tower chassis.
Micro-ITX boards can be accomodated in smaller chassis. Micro-ITX
boards can be accomodated in
smaller chassis. Users who aim to
employ multi-graphics solutions will
also have to take into account size,
and most likely opt for larger
chassis. Some extreme gaming or
overclocking motherboards in fact
use the largest XL-ATX
form factor for which thereare
reletively few compatible chassis. If
you choose an XL-ATX form factor
motherboard, you can check the
GIGABYTE website for a list of
compatible chassis models.
It’s also important to understand
the role the chassis will play in
terms of ventilation and cooling.
Most chassis come equipped with
internal cooling fans, designed to
maintain airflow and prevent
key components from
overheating. Larger chassis
generally tend to offer better
ventilation, while aluminum
chassis designs are also
optimized to maintain
stability.
For the majoity of PC builds,
your chassis will also be
influenced according to
aesthetics and style, but you
may also want to consider
additional features such as
front access to USB ports an
audio jacks.
The Power Supply
The power is arguably
the most important
component in the PC, and
yet it is frequently the most
overlooked. Without a stable
and reliable power supply,
none of the other components
will work at expected levels of stability. Modern
power supplies follow a revamped ATX specification which offers more dedicated power for the
CPU and additional power for the graphics cards.
The most important features of any power supply
should be realiability and effiiciency. Most GIGABYTE ODIN power supplies for example confrom to
the 80% power efficiency rating and make great
choice for enthusiast and upper tier gaming
systems.
It’s important when choosing the power supply to
consider what the systems overall thermal profile
will be, i.e. how many watts should your newly
built PC demand? Many modern
CPUs and grapics cards
will push the
overall power
profile beyond
traditional 500
Watt or 600 Watt
boundries, with
top tier systems
demanding as
much as 1000
Watt power
supplies, or higher
if designed for
extreme overclocking.
How to Build Your Own PC
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