Put your PC into a slick ATX case

Most new cases support the ATX motherboard standard, while some also support one or more variants, notably MicroATX (for compact PCs) or BTX (designed for better cooling). Your PC's motherboard must adhere to one of these to be eligible for migration. Not all do.

Major-maker PCs--from Hewlett-Packard, Gateway, and especially Dell--often use proprietary motherboards or power supply units (PSUs) incompatible with ATX cases. Before shopping, determine the standard your motherboard and PSU support by checking manuals, contacting the maker, or Googling for specs.

To house our ATX mainboard and PSU, we chose Lian Li's $159 PC-6070A, an aluminum minitower built like a 1980s Volvo--a minimalist box with tanklike construction and intelligent design. Its interior padding muffles the drone of fans.

Before you begin, gather pliers, Post-it Notes, Scotch tape, bubble wrap, and Phillips and regular screwdrivers.

Be advised that a case change will likely void your PC's warranty.