In a fresh development, this doesn't affect our editorial independence. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission.
Industry observers note that beyond the basics, like which motherboard format is supported by your case and what size your enthusiasts are, you also need to know your PC case’s capacity for a graphics card, for example. Austrian cooling publisher Noctua did an investigation and found good reasons for you to take your own measurements. In short: your PC case’s specs might be wrong. PC builders know that millimeters matter.
According to the latest update, if a manufacturer’s specifications are off, it means customers might be settling for a smaller, less effective CPU cooler than their case can handle… or worse, buying a bigger one than the case can handle and being forced into a return. Noctua says it has started taking its own precise measurements of widely used cases (like the Fractal Design Terra pictured above) to give its customers more precise data. Noctua—a manufacturer of case enthusiasts, CPU coolers, and other cooling devices—is especially interested in the interior dimensions of PC enclosures.
Industry observers note that the most dramatic was a 10mm difference in Corsair’s widely used 4000D and 5000D cases, which Noctua determined can handle 10mm more than listed on the spec sheet. (For those of us in backwards countries, that’s 0.39 inches—a pretty huge gap when it comes to computer components.). After Noctua tested “more than a hundred cases,” it found that 56 had a significant discrepancy between the actual CPU cooler clearance and the one listed by the case manufacturer.
In a fresh development, but the more troubling finding is cases that show a larger figure for clearance than actually exists, which could result in wholly incompatible builds. In cases from Asus and Lian-Li, Noctua found real clearances that were 1.8mm and 3.5mm shorter than the specs listed by their manufacturers, respectively. That makes those cases incompatible with specific CPU coolers in Noctua’s catalog that should otherwise fit according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. The difference could be explained by a manufacturer adding in a dramatic margin of error to make sure customers aren’t scraping the sides of the case with their cooling devices.
According to the latest update, to avoid this, Noctua has created and hosted a database of case specifications. Dimensions that vary from a manufacturer’s supplied data will be indicated with a question mark next to the “Max. Cooler height” field. It’s another way that Noctua is winning enthusiasts (har har) among the PC building user base. Again, I know we’re talking about tiny distances here, but millimeters can make the difference between a smooth afternoon of building and a week’s wait for a replacement part.
The report highlights that of course, that’s not possible if you’re starting a build from the ground up, which involves getting a fresh case and cooler at the same time. For that, a little research (and maybe a swing by Noctua’s fresh database) could help prevent some headaches. After seeing nearly half of these values deviate from their official specs, I think I’ll start taking my own measurements whenever I need a fresh CPU cooler.
The report highlights that on PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a fresh one for a review and building a fresh mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile Worldwide scene Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip. Michael is a 15-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE.