Cases

I am building my first computer, and would like to know what users think of metal vs aluminum cases.

That is not true. I brought a Lian-Li PC60 with Enermax EG365P PSU for 180. Please tell me a $50 steel case that come with 3 speed controled fan , removable motherboard tray, removable hard drive holder, and a high quality PSU.

The sides aren't any thinner than the steel, just lighter.
I have a PC-68.

<font color=green><b>Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what the hell happened!

OK


What's the frequency, Kenneth?

Well I answered your last post but I'm responding again because I think you should be asking yourself ideological questions. You know you're going to have to upgrade it later on. You know you may have to deal with defective parts, RMA, paying for shipping. Do you have a budget, or can you spend as much as you want? If so, do you really want to spend as much as you want? Even if I had the money I wouldn't want to upgrade my computer every month when something new came out--it would be too much trouble. I ask the same questions. Who is it for? How much time are you willing to dedicate to it? Are you willing to spend 6+ hours a day learning about your computer, how it works, and troubleshooting it when it inevitably blows up?

One of the most important questions: How long do you want the computer to last you before you become dissatisfied with it? Most people have a timeline that occurs and repeats itself over and over again. It goes like this:

Get new computer - happy

Computer starts showing age, can't run things as fast as it used to - neutral

Computer starts wearing down and showing signs of it; hard drive may die, processor may overheat, memory may suddenly stop working - irritated

Computer is very slow at running most games - extremely irritated, but learn to live with it

Been living with slow computer for a couple months, time to replace - repeat cycle again

I really truly do NOT want you to get the false impression or myth about how a fast computer will last you a long time. You will also undoubtedly run into loads of problems. If you thought software troubleshooting was bad, wait until you try to troubleshoot hardware in addition to that. You must fiddle with the BIOS, swap parts in and out, and use the process of elimination to solve many problems, which takes a long time. You may find that you simply do not have enough minutes in the day to even work on it because it's so time-consuming. Or you may become bored. Also be prepared to be so frustrated that you'll end up swearing at your computer (like I do ). I'm not trying to discourage you, even though it SOUNDS LIKE IT, I'm not. I want to make sure you really do have a tiny bit of interest in computers so you won't be totally annoyed when things like this happen. Are you building this for someone else? Or is it for yourself? Ask yourself all of these questions. I don't know if I'm reading this the right way, because I know so little about your situation, but I hope I can help.

Aluminum: Looks cool (at least the ones I've seen), lightweight (good for toting it to Lan Parties).

Steel: can look cool, but normally not lightweight.

After that you have to look at various models for the features (mobo trays, easy access, drive rails, fan mounts, filtering options etc etc) as well as what you need (how many drive bays do you need to use now, how many down the road) and spacial considerations. Also keeping in mind what budget you have for this.

Sure you can get a case/psu for $20.00 but normally you're better off going into $70-100 range for steel, aluminum will run you a bit higher (and usually that doesn't include the power supply).

AntecRep

It is better to get the PSU separately anyway. It is more expensive but you can choose a good one to go with your case.

It looks like a great case.