THERE’S AN ART TO SYSTEM BUILDING. It starts with a thought, a concept, an idea. A conscious spark permeates the air as you home in on what, exactly, it is you want to construct. That first thought is often intrinsically connected to the next two decisions in any given system: What processor should you use, and which form factor? ATX, ITX? Micro? XL? Then, how many add-in cards will you be using? And among the myriad flexible, rotating questions, you arrive at one of the more important decisions: Which chassis?
Surprisingly, many people forsake this decision, because it adds little, if any, obvious performance. It is, however, the backbone of any good rig—as crucial as the motherboard, as artistic as in-game graphical frame rates, and as vital to cooling as…