Mid Tower Vs Full Tower PC Case: Which Is Best

Mid-tower PC instances have change into the go-to possibility for many customized builds right this moment as they supply the right quantity of house to accommodate all of the {hardware} elements comfortably.

On the opposite hand, full tower instances are well-suited for extremely superior and complicated PC setups, akin to gaming rigs or highly effective workstations. Their roomy inside helps you effortlessly combine the hefty {hardware} elements like a graphic card or a customized loop cooler.

I usually follow mid-tower instances as a result of I usually don’t desire cumbersome {hardware} akin to DIY water coolers or multi-GPU setups. My workspace is small, and mid-tower instances are a superb match for each the dimensions of my house and my price range.

Now, let’s discover out if you happen to want a mid-tower or a full-tower PC case.

Differences Between Mid Tower and Full Tower PC Case

No matter whether or not you go for a mid-tower or a full-tower PC case, they each are there to accommodate your {hardware} and safeguard it.

However, they do have some variations, just like the bodily dimensions, supported motherboard kind components, and variety of PCIe enlargement slots. Let’s rapidly undergo every as soon as.

Physical Dimensions

The most noticeable distinction between a mid-tower and full-tower PC case is their bodily dimension.

Let me rapidly inform you that full tower PC instances have a powerful top of 55 cm to 70 cm or (22 to 27 inches). While the peak is wonderful, do word that you could have a tough time comfortably becoming them into your workspace.

In distinction, mid-tower instances usually measure between 45 cm to 55 cm (17 to 21 inches) and fairly simply suits in your work space.

Referring to the size, it could be a no brainer to state that full-tower PC instances aren’t simply taller but additionally significantly heavier.

Ranging from Phanteks Enthoo Pro, which weighs 11.9kg, there are some extraordinarily heavy full tower instances like Thermaltake Tower 900, which weighs 24.5kg and makes them very onerous to move.

On the flip facet, mid-tower instances are usually more manageable when it comes to weight, which lies wherever between 5-15 kgs.

To be sincere, full tower instances are like a monster. But when you have fairly a spacious workspace, you could be good to go. Otherwise, full-tower PC instances are a purple flag when it comes to bodily dimensions.

Motherboard Support

Interestingly, the PC instances are named after the motherboard they’re designed to accommodate. If you may have heard about Micro ATX or Mini-ITX PC instances, let me inform you that they’re made to accommodate Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX boards, respectively.

In the identical approach, full-tower PC instances are primarily designed to soak up E-ATX boards and mid-tower PC Cases for ATX motherboards.

Nonetheless, you may nonetheless use smaller boards if they’ve essential standoff places or mounting holes to align the mobos.

So, it’s all the time a good suggestion to examine the specs of your PC case to know which motherboard will match into it.

Number of Drive Bays

Frankly talking, full tower instances take storage capability to the following stage. They usually combine 9 to fifteen drive bays (2.5”, 3.5”, and 5.25” bays mixed) to accommodate your HDDs, SSDs, and optical drives.

On the opposite hand, mid-tower PC instances have fairly just a few bays as in comparison with full-tower ones. Mostly, 5 to 10.

I feel that is sufficient, even for a lot of the high-end setups. But it’s as much as you. If you might be planning to make use of an enormous variety of drives, say, for organising a RAID, full tower instances could also be a greater possibility.

Do word that some fashionable mid-tower PC instances, like my NZXT PUBG H700, additionally embrace brackets to mount the SSDs as an alternative of the normal bays.

GPU and CPU Cooler Clearance

Graphic playing cards nowadays are fairly bulkier in dimension. This additionally holds true for some CPU air coolers.

Since mid-tower PC instances provide restricted horizontal and vertical clearance compared to the complete tower ones, you may need a tough time becoming these girthy elements contained in the case.

The mid-tower presents 160-200 mm clearance for CPU coolers and 300-320 mm for the graphic playing cards.

Full tower, alternatively, has spacious interiors that may comfortably home bigger CPU coolers and graphic playing cards. They can match CPU coolers with a clearance of 200mm or greater and a GPU of as much as 400mm.

So, a full-tower PC case could also be a really perfect selection for gaming fans and professionals who require high-performance GPUs and CPU coolers which are cumbersome in dimension.

PCIe Expansion Slots

Although the variety of graphic playing cards supported by your system is dependent upon the variety of PCIe slots on the motherboard, the PCIe enlargement slots on the chassis additionally make a distinction. Wondering how?

Assume your motherboard has three PCIe slots that may accommodate three GPUs. But does that work in case your PC case doesn’t have sufficient enlargement slots to assist them?

Obviously NO! Not solely does this maintain true for graphic playing cards, but additionally if you’re planning to put in extra Wi-Fi playing cards, sound playing cards, or every other specialised enlargement playing cards.

Full tower instances usually provide 7 to 10 enlargement slots on the chassis, which is all the time the best choice for advanced builds and future-proofing.

On the opposite hand, mid-tower presents 4 to 7 enlargement slots. It is sort of ample for traditional gaming or content-creating rigs however might pose restrictions for having a multi-GPU setup.

Airflow and Cooling

The more spacious your PC case is, the more elements it could home. And it additionally holds true for cooling components like case followers and customized coolers.

Mid-tower PC instances typically include 2 to three case followers pre-installed, with further room for putting in a further 2 or 3 followers.

On the flip facet, full tower PC instances include 3 to 4 case followers pre-installed. Depending upon your cooling wants, it’s possible you’ll additional add as much as 6 followers.

Both these instances can combine both a 120mm or 140mm fan. But 120mm ones are usually the very best match for mid-tower instances.

If you need more superior cooling, you may additionally set up AIO coolers or customized loop water cooling. Most mid-tower instances can accommodate AIO coolers with radiator sizes of 120mm, 240mm, or 280 mm. In distinction, full tower instances can home a radiator of 360mm as much as 420 mm.

Not to say, full tower instances additionally present more room and suppleness for putting in customized loop water cooling. Although not not possible, it may be fairly difficult to combine the reservoirs and pumps of a customized loop cooling system within the mid tower PC instances.

So, when you have highly effective CPUs or GPUs that generate quite a lot of warmth, full tower PC instances would possibly assist you dissipate the warmth effectively and keep away from thermal throttling.

Pricing

The extra space and customization a case has to supply, the more the value tag. So clearly! Full-tower instances are dearer than mid-towers. They almost value 1.5 to 2 occasions the price of a mid-tower PC case. Or much more than that.

Verdict – Mid Tower Vs Full Tower PC Case

Now that you’re on the finish of this text, I hope you may have already made your selection. If not, right here’s a fast comparability desk that may assist clear all of your doubts.

Frankly talking, simply keep calm and get a mid-tower PC case except you need luxurious and need to make quite a lot of modifications to the system.

Mid-tower PC instances are greater than sufficient to run mid-range to high-end builds. Only go for a full tower case if you’re planning to accommodate huge elements in your construct or constructing a PC for servers or workstations.

With that, listed below are a few of the best collections of mid-tower and full-tower PC instances so that you can select from.