Brackets
There are two main types of brackets used in PCs, each serving a distinct purpose:
1. Mounting brackets:
- Description: These are metal frames used to secure various PC components within the case. They come in various shapes and sizes depending on the components they hold.
- Function: They prevent components from moving around during operation, provide stability, and maintain proper airflow within the case.
- Examples:
- Motherboard mounting bracket: This large bracket secures the motherboard to the case and allows for connections to peripheral devices like storage drives and expansion cards.
- Drive bay brackets: These smaller brackets secure various storage drives (like hard drives and SSDs) within designated bays in the case.
- Fan brackets: These brackets hold cooling fans in position, directing airflow toward specific components like the processor or graphics card.
2. Expansion brackets:
- Description: These are metal slots on the back of the computer case. They come in a standardized size and shape called PCI-e (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express).
- Function: Expansion brackets allow users to add additional functionality to their PCs by installing expansion cards like graphics cards, network cards, or sound cards.
- Examples:
- Full-length PCI-e x16 slot: This is the largest and most powerful slot, typically used for high-performance graphics cards.
- PCI-e x1 slot: This is a smaller slot often used for network cards or other low-bandwidth add-on cards.
Remember, these are just two main categories of brackets used in PCs. There might be other specialized or specific types depending on the individual PC case and its components.