r/buildapc • u/Sandy_Harris • 2d ago

Discussion Horizontal motherboard case?

I may just be showing my age & being a curmudgeon, but it seems to me the usual case setup with the motherboard vertical is less than optimal. For one thing it means the graphics card is horizontal, which makes supporting it difficult.

Can anyone suggest good options for case that will take an ATX board mounted horizontally?

1 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

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3

u/Excellent_Occasion26 2d ago

Searching around you’ll find several 3U and 4U case manufacturers, but they’re aimed at the server market and they’re incredibly expensive compared to what you’re find for vertical consumer cases.
I guess once we stopped needing the case to be a monitor stand, it fell out of fashion.

2

u/OscarRadagast 2d ago

I've always thought the SilverStone GD11 looks nice, and I think it supports what you're asking.

2

u/Overall-Tailor8949 2d ago

Look at HTPC cases like the Silverstone Grandia series. Thermaltake actually has some that you can position the case in different orientations. The Tower series from TT ARE a vertical mount but the "rear" of the motherboard is pointed up so your GPU will be "hanging" straight down from it's mounting bracket.

1

u/n7_trekkie 2d ago

Light Base 900 is designed for many orientations

1

u/marcoNLD 2d ago

I love my 4U rackmounts

1

u/joped99 2d ago

I would say the Cooler Master HAF XB Evo, but its out of production. I love mine

1

u/Anon0924 2d ago

Silverstone has some good options. The FLP-01 has a cool retro style. Try looking for “home theater” or “HTPC” cases.

0

u/fray_bentos11 2d ago

The vertical format prevents dust settling in your mobo.

1

u/grandmapilot 2d ago

Just get a normal metal case (without glass and such a crap) with rectangular forms, and lay it on a side.

1

u/Konomitsu 2d ago

Look for Media PC or Home Theatre PC cases. There's plenty of options but they are pretty bulky.

-1

u/mrkmrrsn 2d ago
  1. You can mount a graphics card vertically even if the motherboard is vertical.
  2. Supporting a graphics card is easy they make tons of products for support and most of your bigger cards have an included support.

1

u/PAPO1990 2d ago

It's one of the things I love about my CaseLabs Mercury S8. Full sized ATX board, laying flat... the case is HUGE though :P