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Don't Buy a PC Case, Go Open Air!

By - Source: Tom's Hardware US | B 64 comments
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Showing off what you've got and easy access is worth risking a little dust.

Transparent acrylic PC cases aren't exactly new, but AskTech Co. has at least two acrylic cases that are definitely designed for showing off your workstation's innards. The unimaginatively-named NK-OC350A is less PC case and more a platform for "open-air testing". The motherboard mount (for miniITX, microATX, and ATX motherboards) is slanted towards the viewer, with the drive and power supply mounts situated directly under.

The NK-OC450A on the other hand is designed for more stability, with the motherboard separated from the other components by non-angular shelf. The whole setup is also contained within a steel frame, but it's easy to remove the top cover for maximum exposure.

Both of AskTech's offerings are advertised as testing platforms, so you can bet it appeals to frequent overclockers and hardware reviewers. Not to mention boastful enthusiasts who'd want the best way to showcase their setup on a wildly active computer hardware forum. And at an estimated price of $50, the NK-OC350A won't exactly burn a hole in your pocket.

Unfortunately, AskTech currently only sells in Germany, Japan, Eastern Europe, and Korea (where they're based). The company rep revealed that they were looking for a distributor in the US though, so let's see what happens.

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Top Comments
  • 23 Hide
    captainnemojr , June 3, 2010 5:28 PM
    Sure would suck to spill my beer on it or have the cat jump on it.
  • 23 Hide
    sliem , June 3, 2010 5:12 PM
    Mmmmm no.
  • 10 Hide
    jojesa , June 3, 2010 5:42 PM
    "Don't Buy a PC Case, Go Open Air!"
    I hope you don't have any kids, besides all other things that could happen in an open case (drop water, drinks, dust, something could fall into the fan, etc).
    I thinks is a good thing for someone alone or a PC tech.
Other Comments
    Display all 64 comments.
  • 23 Hide
    sliem , June 3, 2010 5:12 PM
    Mmmmm no.
  • 5 Hide
    twbg4cq , June 3, 2010 5:15 PM
    A while back I saw a pic of someone that just mounted everything on his wall behind his monitor. I'll see if I can find the pic...

    edit: this isn't the exact pic, http://www.joe-ks.com/archives_dec2007/RedneckComputer.jpg but the same idea. The difference was that everything was spread out a lot more and was mounted on a plank of wood. Looked cooler than this one.

    edit2: Looked more like this: http://www.chadabarrett.com/images/wall_1.jpg
  • -1 Hide
    JasonAkkerman , June 3, 2010 5:16 PM
    Unless everything was liquid cooled it would be too noisy. Four case fans, GPU, CPU and PS fans make a lot of noise.
  • 9 Hide
    Anomalyx , June 3, 2010 5:23 PM
    JasonAkkermanUnless everything was liquid cooled it would be too noisy. Four case fans, GPU, CPU and PS fans make a lot of noise.


    Well, throw out the case fans, since it's open-air. CPU, GPU, and PS fans are typically temperature-controlled, so I'd think the reduced air temp would make for a lower core temps and therefore lower fan speeds. Yes, I agree, you'll hear those 3 fans more, but in their defense, they should be spinning slower than if they're in an enclosed case. (in theory)

    I'd think watercooling would be loud too... haven't come across a pump quiet enough for me, especially to have sitting on my desk while running.
  • 23 Hide
    captainnemojr , June 3, 2010 5:28 PM
    Sure would suck to spill my beer on it or have the cat jump on it.
  • 5 Hide
    kd0frg , June 3, 2010 5:28 PM
    If you want a quiet machine just dunk the whole thing in mineral oil haha
  • -7 Hide
    maigo , June 3, 2010 5:37 PM
    The real problem is heat, there's no mass to help soak it up
  • 0 Hide
    webmastir , June 3, 2010 5:38 PM
    http://www.chadabarrett.com/images/wall_mobo.jpg
  • 0 Hide
    Xlick , June 3, 2010 5:39 PM
    twbg4cqA while back I saw a pic of someone that just mounted everything on his wall behind his monitor. I'll see if I can find the pic...edit: this isn't the exact pic, http://www.joe-ks.com/archives_dec [...] mputer.jpg but the same idea. The difference was that everything was spread out a lot more and was mounted on a plank of wood. Looked cooler than this one.edit2: Looked more like this: http://www.chadabarrett.com/images/wall_1.jpg



    http://www.blogcdn.com/www.diylife.com/media/2007/07/pcguts03-by-visual-velocity-pc.jpg
  • 10 Hide
    jojesa , June 3, 2010 5:42 PM
    "Don't Buy a PC Case, Go Open Air!"
    I hope you don't have any kids, besides all other things that could happen in an open case (drop water, drinks, dust, something could fall into the fan, etc).
    I thinks is a good thing for someone alone or a PC tech.
  • 3 Hide
    Anonymous , June 3, 2010 5:48 PM
    What about the Antec Skeleton Case. i have it or a daily machine and it works well and above normal temperatures have never been a problem. dust however is problem but a can of dust off does the trick.

    P.S. Watch it if you have cats
  • 0 Hide
    omnimodis78 , June 3, 2010 5:57 PM
    Unless it was in its own air conditioned room (which I guess would mean it does have a case), this is a rather silly idea. Let's see - spills, pets, noise, ugly, --- ya no thanks, absolutely no reason not to have a case.
  • 0 Hide
    Caffeinecarl , June 3, 2010 6:01 PM
    And that is hardly an enthusiast class board anymore... I think that thing was realeased in 2005.
  • 4 Hide
    greenscope , June 3, 2010 6:04 PM
    I would love to go commando!
  • 3 Hide
    maestintaolius , June 3, 2010 6:13 PM
    One of the issues I have with our open air testing rigs is the passively cooled pci/pci-x cards. They tend to rely on case fans moving the air around and without them some of those cards start to get a little toasty. It usually results in me stealing the little fans people clip on the walls of their cubicles to get some air movement over the boards.
  • 0 Hide
    joebob2000 , June 3, 2010 6:22 PM
    Are there any links to people who did actually *nice* looking open-face computer case setups? Like with finished wood, and not cardboard, a metal grate, or some sort of ugly painted fiber board?
  • 0 Hide
    kelemvor4 , June 3, 2010 6:25 PM
    Nice, this is the cheapest test bench setup I've seen so far. Acrylic, though.. might not hold up very well.
  • 5 Hide
    spectrewind , June 3, 2010 6:28 PM
    "Showing off what you've got and easy access is worth risking a little dust."

    Spoken/authored like a true idiot...
  • 0 Hide
    bustapr , June 3, 2010 6:29 PM
    well, in my tropical island home, theres alot of moisture, alot alot alot of dust, and alot and alot of kids so no.
  • 3 Hide
    sstym , June 3, 2010 6:34 PM
    Let's see... I have an old house, two dogs and two cats. Within one week, this computer would look like a giant alien hairball with weird lights and whirring noises.
    Within one week and one day, it would be as useless as a giant alien hairball. No more noises, no more lights.
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