It’s pretty tall and can fit an ATX motherboard, has plenty of space for graphics cards, optical drives, hard drives and still space to allow air to flow over all those components and keep them cool.

Although primarily thought of as the realm of gamers, these cases are good to look at and like the beautiful cases that Apple computers boast, can actually be brought out in the daylight without embarrassment.

Here’s three that I really like, for different reasons.

Cooler Master Full-size Computer Tower Case

Cooler Master HAF X Full Tower w/ SuperSpeed USB 3.0 w/ Window w/ Black Interior ATX Case (RC-942-KKN1)

Price: $197.49
35 used & new available from $139.99
(80 customer reviews)

Appealing to gamers, it features that “gamer” look. The big, red fan visible through the front mesh.

There’s a big fan positioned right over the graphics card slots.

A power button on the top, front edge (which), along with other buttons on that same panel, and a screen on the front.

Overall fine if you like something flashy.

Silverstone Full-size Computer Tower Case (Silver)

SilverStone Aluminum Micro ATX, 120mm Fan x3, USB 3.0 x 2, 3.5-Inch x 3 and 2.5-Inch x1 Drive Bays Tower Computer Case FT03S (Silver)

Price: $166.80
1 used & new available from $166.80
(3 customer reviews)

The color of this is important, and the main reason I picked it. This may seem a little silly, but Apple were the first ones to say, “Why do all computers have to be gray?” And damn right.

This case offers a minimalist design, with an easy-to-open side panel.

The airflow would not be sufficient for a gaming computer, but that’s not it’s primary role (although it does have a 120mm fan included).

It looks good. And it’s not black.

Lian-Li Black Aluminum Full Tower Chassis

Lian-Li PC-X2000FB Black Aluminium Full Tower Chassis

Price: $449.99
9 used & new available from $449.99
(2 customer reviews)

Reminds me of the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

But it’s just that simplicity that appeals to me. There is ample space inside and it is remarkably easy to get to all the components inside.

Considering it’s price, this case will not likely be replaced quickly. Continuous upgrades are likely, and that deep satisfaction from getting something that has been masterfully created can’t be beat.

Here are all the ASUS motherboard reviews we’ve done in the past. Honestly, they’re a bit out of date, but hear me out. There’s a lot you can tell about our methodology and how it has changed very little over time.

Well, here they are, in no particular order.

• Asus A7S8X-MX Socket A Motherboard and AMD Sempron 3000+ Processor
• Asus P5P800 Intel Socket 775 ATX Motherboard AGP 8X/4X
• Asus P5P800 Motherboard / Socket 775 / 865PE
• Asus P4P800 MicroATX Motherboard
• Asus P4P8X Pentium 4 Motherboard Review
• Asus P4P800E Deluxe Motherboard
• Asus P4P800E Deluxe Intel Socket 478 Motherboard with AGP 8x, firewire and WiFi
• Asus P5WD2 Premium Intel 955 Socket 775 motherboard
• Asus P5WD2 Socket 775 motherboard
• Asus A8N SLI Premium nVidia nForce4 Socket 939 motherboard

Well, hope you enjoyed that little blast from the past.

For very new computers I would recommend a more expensive graphics card, simply to avoid extra costs in the future. But for a computer that just needs a little bit of help, these will do the trick.

1. PNY Nvidia Quadro 128MB PCI Express graphics card
   

   PNY VCQ285NVS-PCIEX1-PB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 285 128MB x1 Graphics Card for PCI Express

   Price: $55.00
   8 used & new available from $44.99
   ( customer reviews)
2. EVGA e-GeForce FX5200 PCIe graphics card
   

   EVGA e-GeForce FX 5200 128 MB GPU

   Price: $24.95
   7 used & new available from $24.95
   (24 customer reviews)
3. Dell Nvidia Quadro FX540 128MB PCI-E graphics card
   

   Dell nVidia Quadro FX540 128MB DVI VGA PCI-E Video Card – Dell T9098

   Price: $54.99
   4 used & new available from $54.99
   ( customer reviews)
4. ATI FireGL V5100 128MB PCI Express video card
   

   ATI Technologies 100-505087 FireGL V5100 128MB DDR SDRAM PCI Express x16 Graphics Card (5-Pack)

   Price: $60.00
   2 used & new available from $60.00
   (1 customer reviews)
5. Nvidia Quadro NVS 285 128MB PCIe card
   

   Nvidia Quadro Nvs 285 128MB Pcie Card.

   Price: $57.77
   3 used & new available from $26.99
   ( customer reviews)

Those should serve to fill your graphics requirements for a little while into the future.

AGP is a slot type for older graphics cards. It has been superseded by PCI Express, which offers higher speeds and quickly took over as the dominant video card slot-type.

However, if you are looking to keep an old system going (good on you), and you only have an AGP slot available, then these can help give a little oomph for video and gaming.

1. Sparkle GeForce FX 5200 256MB AGP Card with DVI, video out and S-Video – 256MB or RAM puts this as one of the slightly faster of the bunch
   

   SPARKLE SF8834DT256MB GeForce FX 5200 256M AGP TV-Out S-Video DVI Graphics Card

   Price: $59.00
   1 used & new available from $59.00
   (16 customer reviews)
2. EVGA e-GeForce FX5200 AGP 128MB – similar to the Sparkle above, but with less memory, however the brand is slightly more reputable
   

   EVGA e-GeForce FX5200 AGP Video Card – 128MB Light Version 128-A8-N303-L2

   Price: $39.99
   4 used & new available from $39.99
   (30 customer reviews)
3. Sparkle GeForce 6200 256MB – packs a little more punch and has 256MB of memory
   

   Sparkle GeForce 6200 256 MB DDR2 AGP Graphics Card SA6200256D2HPP

   Price: $44.43
   2 used & new available from $31.99
   (2 customer reviews)
4. ATI All-In-Wonder 9600 128MB – beyond our price point for a new card, and probably not worth it for upgrading an old system, unless you get a used model for a song
   

   ATI Technologies 100-714116 All-In-Wonder 9600-128MB DDR AGP 8x Graphics Card

   Price: $28.00
   8 used & new available from $28.00
   (6 customer reviews)
5. PNY GeForce 6200 256MB – Same as the Sparkle at no. 3, packing the same punch in different packaging
   

   PNY VCG62256AEB GeForce 6200 256MB DDR 64-bit DVI+ VGA AGP Graphics Card – Retail

   Price: —
   0 used & new available from
   (27 customer reviews)
6. ATI Radeon X1300 Pro 256MB AGP Video Card OEM – decent price for the ATI equipped cards
   

   New ATI Radeon X1300 Pro 256MB AGP DVI VGA Graphics Card – OEM Bulk Pack

   Price: $38.00
   1 used & new available from $38.00
   (1 customer reviews)
7. ASUS Radeon 8X/4X AGP Video Card 128MB – Rather go for the ATI above, for a little less price and a little more punch
   

   ASUS Radeon8X/4X 128MB DDR AGPGraphic Card (A9250/TD/128M )

   Price: $44.99
   2 used & new available from $34.99
   (1 customer reviews)

The Asus W5 is not longer available but I recommend the Asus UL20A as an even-better replacement for the Asus W5.

This laptop was quite expensive at the time and is now well above the price of most 12.1 inch notebooks. The standard set of features hasn’t changed that much, but are now available at lower price levels.

Here are some the features:

• 12.1 inch screen
• 1280 x 768 resolution
• 4.2lbs

Check the Asus UL20A for a newer, slicker Asus alternative to the ASUS W5.

This popular “sub-notebook” us the best value for money offering of all the 12.1 inch screen ASUS notebooks. It offers less battery life than the more expensive models, but makes up for that in the slightly lower price.

The Asus UL20A hits that spot between a full notebook and the ever-popular netbooks. It costs the same as a high-end netbook, but offers a larger screen, and performance and specifications that are more typical on a notebook computer.

Here’s some of the features:

• 1.3GHz Intel SU7300 Core2 Duo CPU
• 2GB of memory
• 250GB SATA hard drive
• 12.1 inch WXGA LED LCD display
• Wifi 802.11 b/g/n
• Webcam and built-in microphone and speakers
• Windows 7 Home Premium

The weight of the Asus UL20A is a little high. Netbooks come in at less than 3lbs, whilst this model weights 5.4lbs. Not a major setback, but a little heavy for a computer of this size. UPDATE: this model comes in at 4.18lbs which is much more reasonable and pretty standard for this size. Not too much effort to lug it around. Will give you a bit of workout if you drag it around all day. The ultra-thin design is very appealing however, so despite the weight it still fits comfortably in a big bag of backpack.

The speed will not disappoint; with a processor that is pretty well specced. The memory is what helps the most and the system will be able to handle as many of the standard programs you care to throw at it: web browsing, instant messaging, typing documents and even doing graphics will all be fine. As with all notebooks, fast 3D games will not handle very well.

The not so technical features are worth noting too. The battery lasts for up to 8 hours, which is most of the day. There’s an accidental damage warranty which covers against some common things like spilling coffee on the keyboard and touts a 3 business day turnaround time for repairs.

Overall a decent amount of power in a very thin package.

Good:

• Very thin
• Long battery life
• Large hard drive
• Powerful

Not so good:

• A little heavy

Here’s a golden oldie. Released over 4 years ago this board is still available for those who want to add a new motherboard to a Pentium 4 system.

Old computers can last for a very, very long time and often get disposed of long before their capabilities run out and the components give up the ghost. This board solves one particular problem with very old boards, and that is the lack of upgrade capabilities.

But before we look at those, here’s a list of features:

• Pentium 4 support
• Two port SATA RAID
• 3 x PCI expansion card slots
• 1 x PCIe x16
• 8 x USB
• Onboard audio
• LAN port

I can honestly admit that I still run a Pentium 4 processor on my primary (and only) computer. It has been in service for 7 years. And still going strong.

I upgraded primarily to take advantage of SATA RAID. After my hard drive crashed and I lost all my data I realized that I needed some sort of RAID solution for safety’s sake. The upgraded motherboard had this as a built-in feature.

For an older P4 system this motherboard will allow the addition of a RAID setup and upgrade to a decent graphics card. The built-in features like audio and LAN can be some nice added extras too.

The pricing is not too low, but this product has been through the paces and come out a winner. With years of proven performance behind it, it’s guaranteed to work well.

A powerful desktop computer with a big hard drive and large monitor thrown in for good measure.

For a full desktop computer this system from Dell doesn’t look too bad. There have been complaints about the pricing of Dell desktop computers being a little high compared to the offerings from the other big boys in the home computer market. But his model fights back with a whole lot for under $700.

Here’s a bunch of numbers:

• 2.6GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core E5300 CPU
• 6GB memory
• 640GB hard drive
• DVD writer
• 6 USB ports
• 22-inch monitor, 1920 x 1080 resolution
• Windows 7

Lets just start off by saying that this is not the fastest or newest processor out there, however it is more than enough for most intensive programs. Graphics programs will have no problem, although heavy games that need powerful graphics cards will have a hard time.

One interesting thing is a review on CNET that pointed to this computer being low on the value scale and not matching up to its near competition.

With the price lower than their review and the 22-inch model thrown in for good measure it at least measures up to similar models in terms of pricing and has a more reasonable amount of memory at 6GB. The speed increase from 4GB upwards is not worth the money most of the time.

Hidden behind the shiny black front cover is a DVD writer and a media unit for plugging in the myriad of memory cards gathered from various home electronics.

One of the biggest upsides to the whole deal is the great monitor. Quite often 22-inch monitors still don’t support 1920 x 1080, which I think should be the absolute minimum specification for this sort of machine. So it’s not just a cheap add-in to pick up sales of the main machine, it really is a worthwhile addition to the set.

Note that the system does include mouse and keyboard, although not pictured above.

Like

• Big, high-resolution monitor
• Ample memory
• Big hard drive
• Decent speed

Not so much

• No Wifi (included on some rival machines)

A nice little little netbook with a decent price, but with a slower-than-average processor.

Although the netbook is lacking in processing power, you can look into a Dell Vmware solution that uses a remote desktop for more demanding applications.

Netbooks are not known for their great speed. The vast majority of netbooks use a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, whilst this one uses a slower 1.33GHz version.  Not a massive game changer, but does make something that is already pretty slow, even slower.

Rather than droning on about the speed of the processor, here is a breakdown of the major features.

• 10.1″ screen
• 1024 x 600 maximum resolution
• 1GB of memory
• 160 GB hard drive
• Windows XP
• Built-in microphone, speakers and webcam
• LAN port
• 3 x USB ports
• WiFi

So there is pretty much the standard spread of features.

Overall, people’s experience with this little computer are pretty good. But there have been a few hassles, which should be noted to avoid any hassles.

There is no Windows CD included, so you cannot uninstall it then reinstall it. Not everyone needs to do this, but if you do you’ll have to get hold of a recovery disk somehow. Note that one user reports Windows 7 not working if you are planning on trying it.

The HDMI port is for video only and does not support any audio. Typical HDMI supports audio, but most computer video outputs only output video, so you’ll have to wire the audio from the microphone output.

The other bits and pieces work as expected. Wifi works in locations with good signal, and the system offers the standard 802.11b/g which is fast enough for anything that involves using the web.

All the features needed for  video conferencing are there. The webcam to handle the video and the built-in microphone and speakers to handle the audio aspects.

The battery life of 8 hours is average. There are more expensive “ultra-low voltage” laptops that can go for 10 hours and a lot of other netbooks that can also go for 10 hours. Eight is not the most, but not bad either.

The good:

• Decent battery life
• Nice price
• Complete set of features

The not so good:

• No Windows CD
• No audio on HDMI

Ah, the granddaddy of netbooks, the Eee PC. Asus were the pioneer of this small form factor portable computer. Thankfully the 7inch screens from the first models have had a few upgrades since then. This newer 10 inch size, gives a little more to those who don’t have teeny-weeny hands and don’t want to wear binoculars to see tiny text on screen.

Apart from the awful, almost unpronounceable name, this computer provides a huge range of features, in a package that is small enough to drag around anywhere and with a battery life long enough to last for an entire day.

Here’s some of the main features:

• Intel Atom CPU
• 1GB memory
• 160GB hard drive
• 10 inch screen with 1024 x 768 resolution
• Built-in webcam and microphone
• LAN, Wifi and Bluetooth
• 2.81 lbs

The styling is good. So no childish looks from this mini-performer. The screen provides enough size for webpage viewing, although sometimes requiring left to right scrolling. For desktop use I’d recommend an extra monitor as it’s easier to view. The VGA port will connect to almost any monitor, but some monitors no longer have VGA ports, so check first.

1GB of memory is just right.

160GB hard drive is fine, but I’d prefer a smaller solid state drive instead. There is an extra 10GB of online storage offered, but this strikes me as gimmicky, I would much rather they provided a subscription to one of the big online storage firms. I just don’t know how much to trust their in-house offering as Asus are a hardware company.

Networking is a critical component for netbooks that, by their very name, are designed to be online. Fast Ethernet is the staple of office networks, and Wifi 802.11n allows faster wireless speeds on networks that support it. Bluetooth is also included and will connect to Bluetooth microphones and stereo headphones.

The Asus Eee PC just can’t really go very wrong. The important part is that there are no important features missing. The blue Samsung netbook is $50 cheaper than this computer, but has less battery life, so weight up what is most important to you.

Pros:

• Compact
• Cheap enough
• Light
• Standard features

Cons:

• Little more expensive than some other similar netbooks
• Gimmicky online storage