i've been hanging around for a few months, reading everyone's suggestions on computer builds and learning a bit. i sort of get how you pick the cpu/gpu/psu/ram/hdd/ssd at a high level. but how do you determine the motherboard and case?

Motherboard are different sizes and should be compatible with the rest of your units.
most important is the socket in which the CPU is placed.
Do you need wireless?
Do you really need the 3x pci slots? (sli for example)

Chipset speeds etc





Chassi's are somehow a little bit of what size the units together has (mATX, ATX MBO for example), and then noice reduction, fan filters, how well you can have your PSU chords and airflow etc.

This post was edited by Trimble on Nov 24 2014 03:52am

For cases I generally choose for quiet fans and cable management, most ppl want a window so I throw a windowed case in there (unless there is an amazing deal on non-matching color parts, then I go without a window)
For mobo I choose for the needs of the user (wifi + # of pci slots + quality and typically factor in some sort of customer service)

keep in mind, cases are generally up to the user making the purchase, they could not like your case so it's better to show them 3-4 cases online instead of just being like "get this one" --- of course this is for people not recommending builds on a website, but to friends/family.

This post was edited by Penguins0690 on Nov 24 2014 12:41pm