how important is the case to you?

[burn-e86]

just as it says above, I was thinking of getting a top-of-the-line HTPC case. Upgrading from the 20quid POS that i have at the moment, i just wanna hear what others have to say about cases

 

[Windfish]

I'm going with a Lian Li for my new PC, pure class in aluminium, not too cheap, but you definately get what you pay for with them.

 

[azomiss]

it is like cars and womans ... you must have a beauttiful and good one

 

[chunkymonster]

For an HTPC, the case is important, you don't want something that seems out of place but a case that will fit in with your decor and other home theater components...me personally, I have an Antec case for my HTPC, sits on a shelf in the entertainment center and blends right in with the receiver, CD player, CATV box, and DVD recorder...so much so when I switch over to the PC people often say, "OMG, where's the computer, I didn't know you had one hooked up to your TV!" Although it's obvious to me, it's got it's feng-shui going on...

 

[Silent_Bob]

A good case is extremely important. Cheap cases typically have garbage airflow which makes things run hotter and can shorten their life. Also cheap cases are almost invariably more noisy and can be extremely flimsy. If your someone who is doing your own build you're gonna take a lot more abuse from the cheap un-finished jagged corners on a cheapo case too. There's no quicker way to make a smouldering pile of rubble than to spend $30 on a case/PS combo. I had a cheap PS fry a motherboard a CPU back when the Athlons first came out (RIP ole' 1100+). Then to make matters worse when I cracked the case open I gashed my wrist while poking around trying to figure out what went wrong. That was the last time I bought a system that I didn't assemble myself.

My personal case requirements are No PS, bigger fan holders 120mm or 92mm, 80s are just too noisy for the amount they flow, and a quality name like Lian Li or Antec (among others). Reasearch it online and ask around once you've narrowed it down.

For HTPC I hear that silverstone makes some nice ones but I am more of a tower guy myself (just bought an antec Solo (P150 sans PS in black/silver with quiet panels).

 

[Miles72]

I'm going with a Lian Li for my new PC, pure class in aluminium, not too cheap, but you definately get what you pay for with them.

I just got my v1200 in the mail a week ago, it sitting on my desk awaiting my motherboard

I've never seen such quality before in a case.

 

[PhoenixKnight]

I'm going with a Lian Li for my new PC, pure class in aluminium, not too cheap, but you definately get what you pay for with them.

I just got my v1200 in the mail a week ago, it sitting on my desk awaiting my motherboard

I've never seen such quality before in a case.

In the past, I've generally just used generic beige mid-towers, but I've decided that I want to upgrade to the Lian Li V1200 myself. I'm going to put my Opty system in it for now, and eventually upgrade to dual Woodcrest.

Just out of curiousity, where is the hard drive cage located in the case? Are those two things in the bottom for the hard drives?

 

[Onus]

I don't move my PCs much or open them a lot, so generally, I've looked for the cheapest case I could find with front and rear 120mm fan openings for good airflow. I use round cables to further reduce obstruction.
For my next case, however, I'm looking for something not too expensive that also has a top blowhole. I'm considering using my Dremel to make one, but I'd rather just buy a case with the hole already there. I'd then switch the rear fan from a blower to a sucker.

 

[clue69less]

just as it says above, I was thinking of getting a top-of-the-line HTPC case. Upgrading from the 20quid POS that i have at the moment, i just wanna hear what others have to say about cases

I seem to see more difference of opinion on case selection than any other part of a home build. With the CPU, you have the typical fanboy angle, then cost/value. The case is a personal kind of thing for some people, maybe looking for a certain attitude, others look for quality of construction, others for cooling.

 

[stoppard]

for me it's airflow first, then amenities,(usb,card readers, smooth edges,etc.), then appearance. And you don't need to spend a ton to get it. Lian Li makes very nice stuff, but charges a high premium for it. If you don't mind a steel case you can spend much less for a good looking case with ,good airflow and those little extras like card readers. And smooth edges.

Some people are sold on aluminum, some tout the weight difference, but really, unless you are going to lan parties every day it's not an issue, I'm not sure it is even then. we are talking a pound or two, not ten.
Some say they dissipate heat better, Speaking from personal experience, if there is a difference I just am not seeing it. To me it's more money spent for no tangible gain. Unless you count bragging rights.

But hey I could be wrong, according to the girlfriend I am more often than not.

 

[Miles72]

In the past, I've generally just used generic beige mid-towers, but I've decided that I want to upgrade to the Lian Li V1200 myself. I'm going to put my Opty system in it for now, and eventually upgrade to dual Woodcrest.

Just out of curiousity, where is the hard drive cage located in the case? Are those two things in the bottom for the hard drives?

Yeah thats them down there...its really useful

 

[bigsby]

I think cases are really important. Getting a good solid case not only makes your computer look better, but run quieter and cooler as well. In order for me it's:
1. airflow (this includes things like where the psu is located and how well cables and stuff can be routed, not just fans and shtuff)
2. Layout & rigidity. There's nothing worse than having to get extenders and stuff to make everything work together. It makes it look like a pig pen. It's also important to have your case made out of quality ingredients, like a good sauce. Things like steel cages, doors and hinges that aren't made of plastic, and things that would vibrate, making more noise.
3. looks & amenities. Things like a door panel, and all those pluggy-inny things that are great. A sexy case is a good thing to have, but only if it's very functional as well. Since I only go to a LANparty 2 or 3 times a year, I'm not too worried about it not looking the best. You can always add things later.
4. Price. Cases can be really expensive, but I'd rather pay an extra 50 bucks for quality rather than being cheap.

 

[Miles72]

4. Price. Cases can be really expensive, but I'd rather pay an extra 50 bucks for quality rather than being cheap.

Absolutely I bought the v1200 for $180 bucks and I'm satisfied with it

 

[burn-e86]

I bought a new case to replace my GTR perspex (the name of the company is GTR). because for me in hind sight it was a stupid buy but it was like 30~40 quid. anywho i got one of those really cheap cases cause i needed a case and a PSU...I know I know crappy PSU etc. but it was only for a few days before i replaced it. the reason that i got the case is that it was cheap, and very light weight. because i travel on the train to go to my mates alot (i live in bristol, he lives in preston around 3 hours by train) the light weight was a major factor. though now I've decided to go all out and replace it with an ahanix MCE 701 to use in the living room of my house. if i go to a lan party i think that i'll just get another mobo and hdd and move my CPU, RAM and grfx card over and use the cheap case to carry it

 

[Slobogob]

I´m not picky at all.

I tend to buy as cheap as it gets as long as the power supply is at least 450W - no matter the brand.

Maybe i should mention that cheap cases got some nasty sharp edges, but hey, building a computer without bleeding on it is only half the fun now, right?

 

[Invader]

I'm a cheapie and not all that impressed with fancy names or paint jobs. My local CanadaComputer store has nice black & grey cases for $23 with a 450 watt ps. The nice one is $26 with a 500 watt ps. (I think I'll go for the $23 one. )

I'm building my Core2 dream machine. I hope to reuse my 2 sticks of 512mb 400DDR Ram (Samsung) that runs at 2-2-2-5, my DVD burner, video card and SATA harddrive from my old computer (piece of scrap P2.4)

I'm hoping the Core2 is a mite cooler and quieter. So's all I gots to buy is the Core2duo 6300 ($250), Assrock DualVsta mb ($85), (or Asus P5pe-vm $65?). I guess I could use the old case but it is full of dust and gunk around all the fans and stuff. So I will probably spring for a new case.

 

[burn-e86]

I'm a cheapie and not all that impressed with fancy names or paint jobs. My local CanadaComputer store has nice black & grey cases for $23 with a 450 watt ps. The nice one is $26 with a 500 watt ps. (I think I'll go for the $23 one. )

I'm building my Core2 dream machine. I hope to reuse my 2 sticks of 512mb 400DDR Ram (Samsung) that runs at 2-2-2-5, my DVD burner, video card and SATA harddrive from my old computer (piece of scrap P2.4)

I'm hoping the Core2 is a mite cooler and quieter. So's all I gots to buy is the Core2duo 6300 ($250), Assrock DualVsta mb ($85), (or Asus P5pe-vm $65?). I guess I could use the old case but it is full of dust and gunk around all the fans and stuff. So I will probably spring for a new case.

sorry to bust you a bit but you cant use DDR ram for a coreduo machine
since core and well every intel nowadays uses DDR2

 

[Windfish]

I'm a cheapie and not all that impressed with fancy names or paint jobs. My local CanadaComputer store has nice black & grey cases for $23 with a 450 watt ps. The nice one is $26 with a 500 watt ps. (I think I'll go for the $23 one. )

I'm building my Core2 dream machine. I hope to reuse my 2 sticks of 512mb 400DDR Ram (Samsung) that runs at 2-2-2-5, my DVD burner, video card and SATA harddrive from my old computer (piece of scrap P2.4)

I'm hoping the Core2 is a mite cooler and quieter. So's all I gots to buy is the Core2duo 6300 ($250), Assrock DualVsta mb ($85), (or Asus P5pe-vm $65?). I guess I could use the old case but it is full of dust and gunk around all the fans and stuff. So I will probably spring for a new case.

sorry to bust you a bit but you cant use DDR ram for a coreduo machine
since core and well every intel nowadays uses DDR2

Actually there is at least one motherboard that supports the Conroe, and has 2 slots each for both DDR and DDR2 memory, it was an ASRock one if my memory serves me correctly.

 

[p05esto]

I go for quality and elegance. I'm 30/yrs old so I'm not looking for flamming skulls and neon flashing crap - just quality and professionalism.

I have 3 Lian-Li PC-60 cases (yes, the original aluminum). I wanted all my computers to have the same case which looks kind of cool. I modded them with stainless steel blowholes on the top and side, and put stainless steel handles on the top for carrying them. All three are modded exactly the same for consistency.

Here's a pic:
http://www.proactivedesign.net/eric/loves/computers/art/computer.jpg

 

[I]

This topic is far too broad to attempt to classify as you have.

One the one hand they're personal (or room decor matching) style, on the other quality of manufacturering/finishing, then getting my feet into the act, on one foot there's value and on the other, pure engineering per function.

You can't usually have all of these in one case, though you may not need all.

I'd never buy or use a $20 case though, why do it? you can mod an old circa-'98 case and end up with a better result and I don't mean mod like "neon, dragon fan grills, etc", I mean the airflow and adding a drive rack if necessary to compliment modern HDD heat and more drives.

I've never really cared what a case looked like though, mostly it should be inconspicuous. Generic beige isn't inconspicuous though, it's so fugly it stands out.

IMO, buy at least one good quality case per each computer function-specific need you have, then reuse them over and over. Today that might mean buying an ATX-BTX co-compatible case if we are to believe Intel will eventually win and shift the industry over to BTX.

 

[clue69less]

I go for quality and elegance. I'm 30/yrs old so I'm not looking for flamming skulls and neon flashing crap - just quality and professionalism.

I have 3 Lian-Li PC-60 cases (yes, the original aluminum). I wanted all my computers to have the same case which looks kind of cool. I modded them with stainless steel blowholes on the top and side, and put stainless steel handles on the top for carrying them. All three are modded exactly the same for consistency.

Here's a pic:
http://www.proactivedesign.net/eric/loves/computers/art/computer.jpg

Looks good!

 

[asdasd123123]

20 quid??

Isn't a "quid" 1000 pounds?

 

[Gary_Busey]

I've really taken a liking to the newer NZXT cases, the Lexa and the Apollo. They're not outlandishly modded, but they're just enough that they look unique and still have some class to them, especially the Lexa.

 

[burn-e86]

20 quid??

Isn't a "quid" 1000 pounds?

no, a quid is 1 pound or GBP
around $1.4~8 USD i'm not too sure i havnt checked in a while and the dollar keeps falling

dont know where the 1000 comes from but i do know that in slang a ton is 100 quid
i.e. ton half
150

 

[Fox_granit]

I've dealt with the cheap cases, and I love my Wavemaster from Coolermaster. Aluminum, would look good beside the tv ( I have a black one) and stays really quiet IMO.

Like everyone else has said before, it up to taste. i feel if i am going to spend a large portion of my savings on the parts inside, i'm willing to spend some money to protect (cooling) and make it look good.