WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.560 If you've ever built a PC, you probably know that community has a massive focus on how 00:00:04.560 --> 00:00:09.920 computer components perform. You know, FPS go burr. But here's something very important you 00:00:09.920 --> 00:00:14.000 don't want to forget about. Will everything, you know, fit? You wouldn't be the first person 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:17.760 to order a bunch of parts for your spiffy new rig just to discover that one or more of the 00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:22.560 components simply is taking up too much space once you start putting everything actually together. 00:00:22.560 --> 00:00:25.760 So today we're going to tell you how to avoid this kind of unpleasant surprise. 00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:30.960 First things first, know what form factor you're working with. Motherboards mostly come in one of 00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:35.440 three standard form factors, which you can think of as sizes. From largest to smallest, they're 00:00:35.440 --> 00:00:41.920 called ATX, micro ATX, and mini ITX. Why micro and mini are switched? So annoying, I don't know, 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:46.560 don't ask me. Larger form factors will give you more expansion slots and oftentimes more features, 00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:51.440 but a smaller form factor will obviously take up less space if you're going for a compact build 00:00:51.440 --> 00:00:55.680 and don't need all that extra connectivity. Once you decide which motherboard form factor you want, 00:00:56.240 --> 00:01:02.240 make sure to pick a case that can fit it. Most mid tower cases out there will fit a full size 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:07.760 ATX board, no problem. But there are plenty of cases out there that can only fit a micro ATX 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:12.640 or mini ITX board. And unless you look carefully at the product's description, it can be easy to 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:17.440 buy a case that's too small, as it can be hard to tell exactly what kind of motherboard case will 00:01:17.440 --> 00:01:21.920 fit just by glancing at a couple photos. Next, let's talk about your heat sink. If you're going 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:26.080 with a stock CPU cooler or a water block, this probably isn't something you need to worry about 00:01:26.080 --> 00:01:29.840 too much because they're pretty small. But if you're installing an aftermarket air cooler, 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:34.880 this is where things get a bit tricky. Air coolers can keep you from installing RAM in the slots 00:01:34.880 --> 00:01:39.840 closest to your CPU, especially if you have RAM sticks with tall heat spreaders. And just as 00:01:39.840 --> 00:01:44.320 bad, they can keep you from reinstalling your side panel, depending on how far the cooler 00:01:44.320 --> 00:01:48.240 sticks off from your motherboard. The way to prevent this is to carefully look 00:01:48.240 --> 00:01:53.200 at the listed dimensions for your cooler case and any potentially conflicting opponents. 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:56.960 Some case spec sheets will tell you straight up what the tallest cooler you can fit inside 00:01:56.960 --> 00:02:01.360 them is, which can help eliminate some guesswork. And if you absolutely must have a super wide 00:02:01.360 --> 00:02:06.720 cooler, some of them can play nicely with low profile RAM sticks. So check those out. This 00:02:06.720 --> 00:02:10.400 leads us right into another cooling component that can be problematic. As we mentioned, 00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:14.800 water blocks don't usually cause too many space issues. But what about the radiators they're 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:19.920 attached to? You'll want to make sure your radiator and case are compatible, though the good news 00:02:19.920 --> 00:02:24.320 is that radiators tend to come in one of several standard sizes and which ones your case supports 00:02:24.320 --> 00:02:28.000 should be clearly listed on the spec sheet. However, you'll also want to verify that the 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:33.360 radiator along with attached fans isn't so thick that it'll hit other components. For example, 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:37.680 it's possible for a top mounted radiator to interfere with your RAM or even make the headers 00:02:37.680 --> 00:02:43.120 at the top of your motherboard inaccessible. In that case, you might be able to make things work 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:48.080 if you opt for a slimmer low profile fans. Give it a shot. But an even more likely part 00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:53.280 to cause you issues is perhaps your most prized component, your graphics card. Higher end GPUs 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:57.840 need lots of cooling and adequate power delivery. And all of that supporting hardware can take up 00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:02.240 lots of space. The most common problem when installing a chunk of a graphics card is that the 00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:06.480 card is simply too long for the case. So if this is the situation you're in, see if you can get 00:03:06.480 --> 00:03:10.880 your hands on a shorter card with the same GPU on it, though this could be a little tougher for 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:15.280 very high end GPUs like an RTX 4090 or 5090. Who knows when you're watching this? 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:18.960 Considering the relative prices of things though, maybe just get a bigger case. 00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:22.320 But that's not it with graphics cards. It's also good to think about how many slots your 00:03:22.320 --> 00:03:27.680 graphics card will be taking up. Obviously, you only insert your card into one PCIe express slot, 00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:31.920 but I'm talking about the slots on the back of your case. Most GPUs with any kind of gaming 00:03:31.920 --> 00:03:35.520 horsepower take up at least two slots, and there are a good number of them on the higher and they 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:40.560 take up three or even four. So find out whether the card you have your eye on is a dual slot, 00:03:40.640 --> 00:03:46.160 triple slot, or quad slot, and pick a case that matches. Keep in mind that multi-slot cards also 00:03:46.160 --> 00:03:51.440 usually physically block at least one more PCIe express slot, so it could limit your ability to 00:03:51.440 --> 00:03:56.720 install other adapter cards like capture cards, sound cards, or Wi-Fi cards. So if you need another 00:03:56.720 --> 00:04:01.120 slot free, check your motherboard's layout to ensure there will be a slot available for you, 00:04:01.120 --> 00:04:06.960 or maybe investigate whether a PCIe riser can help solve your problem somehow. Your mileage may vary. 00:04:06.960 --> 00:04:10.480 Are there other headaches that you've run into when building or upgrading a PC where 00:04:10.480 --> 00:04:14.400 something just wouldn't fit? Let us know down in the comments, and if you'd like to specifically 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:20.080 know more about building a tiny PC, including how to fit in a power supply, go watch this video next.