First post, by Andrew T.
- Rank
- Newbie
For more time than I cared to admit, I've toyed with the idea of building a computer with "new-ish" (post-2000) components and housing it in a desktop case. New ATX desktop cases are as scarce as hens' teeth these days: The only sources I'm aware of are an American industrial PC supplier and a British eBay seller, and shipping to Canada (where I live) is bound to be a punitive experience.
Although these cases would be satisfactory for my purposes, what strikes me is how narrow the footprints are: The lateral dimensions of 42-44 cm are downright diminutive compared to the width of an XT case (50 cm) or full AT case (54 cm). The same can be said of all the ATX desktop cases I've seen, including those from 1990s OEMs such as Gateway 2000. It seems that after some point in the early 1990s, "compactness" became the desktop case's sole raison d'être and people wanting wiggle room started embracing towers instead.
Has there ever been an ATX-compatible desktop case as w-i-d-e as the large-footprint ATs (or even XTs) of yore? Or is this a non-existent unicorn that I'll never find?