Case is very similar in meaning, but tends to connote the protective aspect of the frame rather than its structure. People tend to choose one term or the other. The rest of this definition uses tower but applies as well to the term case.
In a computer, the tower houses the main electronic components, including the motherboard (with places to insert or replace microchips for the main and possibly specialized processors and random access memory (RAM) and places for adding optional adapters (for example, for audio or video capabilities). Typically, room is provided for a hard disk drive and a CD-ROM drive.
The IBM PC tower for its XT computers set an early de facto standard for a tower configuration (sometimes referred to as the form factor). The desktop computer has since evolved through the AT model, the mini-AT, and the small-footprint PC. A later development was the vertical or tower configuration, designed to be placed under a desk. The outer dimensions of a tower are said to form its footprint. |
