Size guide
PC case sizes explained
“Mid tower” and “SFF” are marketing names, not standards. Here is how big each category really is, averaged from the cases in our database.
Average size by category
Front outlines drawn to the same scale (width × height).
| Category | Avg. W × H × D (mm) | Volume range | Motherboards | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Tower | 266 × 564 × 578 | 66.9–112.9 L | E-ATX, XL-ATX, SSI-EEB, ATX | Workstations, custom water cooling, multi-GPU, lots of drives |
| Mid Tower | 243 × 483 × 460 | 45.1–62.1 L | ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX (some E-ATX) | Most gaming and general-purpose builds |
| Mini Tower | 210 × 368 × 430 | 27.7–36.5 L | Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX | Budget and compact gaming builds |
| Mini ITX (SFF) | 178 × 299 × 311 | 11.1–24.8 L | Mini-ITX | Portable rigs, minimalist desks, living-room gaming |
| Cube | 312 × 326 × 397 | 21.8–61.7 L | Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX (some ATX) | Home servers and NAS, under-monitor builds, showcase builds |
| Open Frame | 401 × 437 × 359 | 10.7–115.4 L | ATX, E-ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX | Hardware testing, showcase and wall-mounted builds |
| HTPC / Slim | 409 × 126 × 359 | 12.2–30.9 L | Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX (desktop) | Media centres, living-room gaming, silent office PCs |
How to measure for a case
- Measure the space: width, height and depth of the desk spot, shelf or cabinet.
- Add breathing room: about 10 cm behind for cables and exhaust, and 5 cm on any side with intake or exhaust vents.
- Check the manufacturer's dimensions: whether they include feet, handles and front panel protrusions. We list the largest figure when sources differ.
- Try it to scale in the desk tool next to your monitor.
Motherboard sizes
- E-ATX: 305 × 277–330 mm. Workstations and enthusiast boards.
- ATX: 305 × 244 mm. The standard.
- Micro-ATX: 244 × 244 mm. Up to 4 expansion slots.
- Mini-ITX: 170 × 170 mm. A single PCIe slot.