Why do PC Cases suck?

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MaJik

Senior member
Jul 20, 2000
267
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Anybody else ever ask themselves this question? Every case ive ever seen sucks, sure some of them have some good ideas in design, and the outside make look pretty cool, but when you look inside you always think, man it could be so much better, put this here, fit another fan over here, move this down. ect.? Ive never seen a case that i couldn't think if "if could place stuff where i wanted i could make it better."
Im sure all you overclockers and hardcore computer people could say the same.. There is always room for inprovment, but i mean come on; Some cases there is some pretty simple things that you could do to make it better?

Anybody know how hard it would be to make cases, I mean like mass produce with plastic parts and stuff?
 
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2Cool

Senior member
Oct 13, 1999
649
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Heh... thats why the good cases cost so much money... you gets what you pays for. Plus, even the most awesome case in the world has room for improvement...
 
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MaJik

Senior member
Jul 20, 2000
267
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Very true, Id be interested in how hard it would be good to manufacture cases if anybody has made some cases or anything...?

I think i could come up with some good designs especialy for overclockers.
 
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HaVoC

Platinum Member
Oct 10, 1999
2,223
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I think what you think would be ideal for cooling may be very difficult to manufacture cost effectively. That is really a hidden factor in a lot of stuff we buy. You can engineer it to be the best damn widget on the planet, but if you can't manufacture it economically, then it is just another pie-in-the-sky idea.
 
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Tripleshot

Elite Member
Jan 29, 2000
7,218
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What chaps my *ss is P.C's trying to look like Apple Macs.Cheap plastic in stupid colors on cases that the eye never sees becuase the 'puter is on the floor or hidden some cabinet.How many users give the computer such status as it sits in plain view,replete with cables dripping out the back connected to every thing it has an orifice for.

The next S.O.B. that sells me a case that cuts my hands trying to pick it up or place a hdd or floppy in is going to get it shoved up thier metephorical *ss. There are to many case makers that have no business making cases.DO YOU HEAR ME TAIWAN!!

(i'm going to find these b$%^trds at comdex and really VENT)

Thank you. I'll be much better now.
 
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FicU

Junior Member
Jul 25, 2000
1
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You've hit it right no the nail there. Everytime I move into a new case, I'd hunt to the ends of the earth til I find one that I have the least complaint about and then I'd go home and mod it either by myself or professionally done.

EXCEPT this new case I just got. The almighty Antec SX1030. After hearing so many on the o/c forums raving about it, I took a chance and it turned out to be the smartest designed case I've ever used.

Tool free access to get into inside the case, all the 5.25" drives snap right out (tool free), both 3.5" internal drive bays slide right out (tool free). 4 fan mounts (2 fans come with the case) to mount fans (tool free) and one of them sits right in front of the internal HD mounts so as that fan pulls air into the case, it cools the HDs as well. These fans are sleeve bearing, quieter than the ball bearing ones I use to mod my previous cases with. Already comes with the top rated Antec 303x 300W P/S. 1 mm thick sheet metal construction. Anyway, enough raving, it's the only case I haven't found a need to mod, even when running my o/c Athlon.

If you're interested:
www.antec-inc.com
Thank God, thank God for Antec.
 
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Crypticburn

Senior member
Jul 22, 2000
363
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Some cases suck... while others arent so bad, but what you see as a perfect case may suck for someone else... it's all a matter of opinion... although, the generic case that everyone makes does SUCK
 
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MaJik

Senior member
Jul 20, 2000
267
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Thanks for the info on that case FicU, think im going to look that one up.

My Enlight case seemed so cool at first, with the slide out rails for 5.25" drives, and the big removable 3-3.5" bay thing. You know how much i use that for anything??? never... just makes my case wider and makes the CD-ROM drives wiggle. The front fan is only 80mm when there is room for like 92-120mm fan, could be alot more space for another 3.5" or two. Install some fans on the side, where the side pannel has air holes.

Also i think cases with soft plastic (like a rubber/plastic combination) outside walls are alot better then metal.(with inside shielding, or mabe steel case like a normal OEM case, with another plastic layer) Alot quieter, better looking, more protective, won't get scratched.

I know cases where designed for the average computer user, but shouldn't there be a case manufacture for overclockers =-)
When you take your normal case and start cutting stuff apart, and making holes it usualy looks bad, like u did it yourself.. I want profesional quality goodness =-)
 
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dszd0g

Golden Member
Jun 14, 2000
1,226
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I'm with FicU. I picked up that Antec SX830 and was truly impressed. The SX830 only has one 3.5 drive enclosure inside instead of two, but doesn't have that door in the front. I wanted a smaller case too for this machine since I plan on lugging it around a bit.

If it had a 400W power supply and 5 more fans it would be perfect. :) Hey, there is always room for improvement. Nah, make that dual 400W power supplies. :) Seriously though, it is the second best case I have worked with. The best one was a $15,000 cube Alpha server case at work. I don't recall who made it (It wasn't a DEC case). Not even in the same league. There was a SCSI RAID inclosure built into that case. I think Antec could have charged twice as much and I don't think I would have felt ripped off. The Antec SX830 and 1030 are a nice cases.

I here KMurphy is right about the Chenbro. I have not personally worked on one. KMurphy do you have one? Could you tell us about it from a personal having built a system with it point of view? They are quite pricey though as far as PC cases.

The other cases I want to find out about are the Computer Divine Arctic Cool cases. I have only seen one comment about them and it seems like he ordered one of their bottom of the line cases, but it was a very negative opinion.
 
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ghetto buck

Senior member
Feb 29, 2000
544
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looks nice FicU http://135.145.31.89/product/cases/perfo.html <--- for anyone in a hurry.

I'm on my second Inwin a500 (I sold the first one, still as solid as the day I bought it) I really like it, maybe it's because it's the first case that I spent more than 30 bucks on and doesn't cut me EVERYTIME I work on it. It has a slide out tray to install your mobo, cards, ram, etc. It's also pretty sharp lookin if you ask me.(not the sharp that cuts your thumbs :) ) And it has plenty of ventilation.

BTW, just be glad you don't have to work in the new mac cube!
 
BoberFett

BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
37,562
9
81
ghetto buck. If you like the A500, I'll recommend trying the S500 sometime. It's head and shoulders above the A500, IMO.
 
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dszd0g

Golden Member
Jun 14, 2000
1,226
0
0
Caitiff:

That case isn't actually all that great of an idea. No shielding. The metal around our cases provides a decent amount of sheilding. If you aren't running many electronics around your house and live at a low elevation that case would probably work. If not you might get a lot of unexplained crashes. I would definitely use ECC memory with that case.
 
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dszd0g

Golden Member
Jun 14, 2000
1,226
0
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Caitiff:

Also most cases are grounded. I'm not sure if/how much that matters.
 
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ghetto buck

Senior member
Feb 29, 2000
544
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BoberFett,

is the S500 a full tower with basically the same design? I should have looked into it before I bought but i've never had any problems with my case and that speaks wonders for any PC component.
 
BoberFett

BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
37,562
9
81
ghetto

No, it's a mid tower, but the layout is slightly different, and much better if you ask me.

It's an inch or two thinner but an inch or two taller than the A500. The PS is above the motherboard rather than beside it. Plus it comes with drive rails. If you are in the market for another mid-tower, try the S500, I think you'll like it.
 
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Midnight Rambler

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
4,200
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Well, I love my SuperMicro 750A's, and it'd be a hard sell to get me to change them.

But the YY mini-server cube is pretty sweet, and for those with more morbid tastes, it even comes in black. ;)

But a recent newspaper article I read comes to mind here. It was an (AP) story about the growing trend of DIYer's, ie. computer hobbyists,etc. who build them own. Well, the guy feature in the article had grown fed up with his constant having to open the case to work on stuff, add components, whatever. So he built a wooden case that eased the job, and then shucked the top half of the housing of that as well because he got tired of taking the &quot;lid&quot; off. So now his computer is always sitting open. Obviously he must not consume any liquid beverages around his machine, and who knows how he controls the dust, but it was funny. Sort of an &quot;anti-case&quot; approach ...
 
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WoundedWallet

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
2,325
0
0
I like Antecs also. I have a KS188 and the only two bones I have with it are minor stuff.

The hole in the middle where you pass the cables is kinda tight, and the panels require a lotta clearance in the back to pull them out which ends up hitting all the wires. I guess a swing door would make this case almost perfect.

But to address what MaJik asked, I think cases suck because only overclockers and Steve Jobs worry about them. It may be time for a company to start addressing these issues like Abit did with softmenu.

WW
 
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