Does the size and design of a PC case matter when building a system?

[Bram Turismo]

Hey guys,

So my mom is getting fed up with using a computer with such a large screen for just internet browsing. She is also tired of all the cables just laying around. So I suggested that we could swap so that she uses my laptop for her browsing, and I take over a very old computer (Pentium 4 era) with a 21" screen.

Now my plan is to remove all the parts from this computer and build an entirely new one. The plan is to keep the current case, and install new parts since every part that is installed in it right now is severely outdated by many years.

Now for my question, does the case matter when building a system?

The system I am looking forward to build is not going to be the best of the best, but a solid system that should be able to run everything. Albeit not a system that should run every game at maxed settings at 60 fps. But I would like it to be able to easily run most modern games.
If possible I'd like it to have room for improvement for the future. Games I currently play on my PC are games like WoW, LoL, and other games which do not really crave a lot (DiRT3, Fallout 3, etc.)

The case in its current condition lacks one of the side panels, and I'm not really busy with the design of the case.

Feel free to suggest builds. Right now I assume an i5 processor with a 1GB graphics card or even one with 2GB, and 8GB of RAM might keep me good for a while. But I'm always open for suggestions, and I have no problem with going for a heavy build like an i7 processor, but as I said I'm not looking at a system that would eat Battlefield 3 for breakfast.


Thanks in advance!

 

[Sharky.]

Does case matter? Absolutely.

Not all cases will fit all components (and a case from the P4 era likely won't be able to fit *anything* remotely decent from this generation of stuff), cases can have wildly varying airflow which will have a huge effect on operating temperatures, cable management likewise, and an old case is likely to have no/few few external ports like USB.

In short, reusing a really old case is not worth it.

 

[NissanSkylineN1]

Things the case will affect:

Airflow
Aesthetics
Cooling
Component fitment (some parts might not fit)
Wire management and length
Auxillary ports
Computer stability (crappy computer cases tend to bend sometimes)
Injuries (some cheap cases dont have rounded edges, giving the sharp metal edge a chance to cut you)

 

[Grayfox]

A case will determine what you can put in, so if you are going for gamung get a high end mid-atx or a full atx.
If you are making a pc to play movies you can get a low profile case or itx or a htpc case.

 

[Bram Turismo]

Thanks for the answer guys. Short and simple 👍