I got it mainly because I thought it looked a little better than the 830. The door was also useful to protect my Live!Drive IR when moving around... but the door only opens one way, the side I don't want it to open to, and you have to make sure you leave the door open when burning a cd or the cd tray will hit the door. Overall I think it's a great case, either way you go... by the way, the 1030 comes in black and the 830 doesn't... if you are interested.