Slashdot Mirror


How a Computer Case Is Built

mtxmorph writes "Ever wondered how that pretty case on your desk came to be? Tom's Hardware Guide recently took a trip to China to see the production process for the Chenbro XSpider/Gaming Bomb case. Lots of interesting pictures in this detailed article." I must admit, this is far more intriguing than I'd initially thought, if only for the subtle differences in corporate culture. Chenbro employees have the option of living "on campus" in employee housing.

245 comments

  1. Pretty case? by arcanumas · · Score: 1

    Pretty case on my desktop?
    You have to be vision impaired to like a plain white box with no distinguishing features.
    In fact it's the ugliest thing in my room.

    --
    Slashdot Sig. version 0.1alpha. Use at your own risk.
    1. Re:Pretty case? by Sir+Haxalot · · Score: 1

      In fact it's the ugliest thing in my room.
      What about yourself? Ok lame joke, so sue me :P

      --
      I have over 70 freaks, do you?
    2. Re:Pretty case? by hype7 · · Score: 1
      Pretty case on my desktop?
      You have to be vision impaired to like a plain white box with no distinguishing features.
      In fact it's the ugliest thing in my room.


      Well your plain white box wouldn't be if you bought a "Chenbro XSpider/Gaming Bomb" case. This new case would instead become the ugliest thing in your room.

      It looks like it went up against a markedly superior paintball side and had it's ass handed to it.

      -- james
    3. Re:Pretty case? by isorox · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      In fact it's the ugliest thing in my room.

      Until you look in the mirror

    4. Re:Pretty case? by arcanumas · · Score: 1

      Well you would be true if i could have a CPU and motherboard inside my, but until that blessed day comes the computer case is the ugliest thing in my room :)

      --
      Slashdot Sig. version 0.1alpha. Use at your own risk.
    5. Re:Pretty case? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Until you look at your girlfriend.

    6. Re:Pretty case? by Yartrebo · · Score: 1

      I almost never look at my case. When I do, it's for a few seconds to change a CD or press the power button. Why should I spend $20-$100 on a fancy case that I'll hardly look at?

    7. Re:Pretty case? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In fact it's the ugliest thing in my room.

      How do you reach the keyboard from another room?

    8. Re:Pretty case? by m00s3m4n · · Score: 1

      And one of many pointless articles giving excruciating detail on the mechanical assembly of a flimsy computer case. Fascinating...

    9. Re:Pretty case? by Elbow+Macaroni · · Score: 1

      What I thought was interesting/appalling was seeing the child workers. One girl looked like she even had on her school uniform shirt.

      --
      -------------------------------------
      Technically, we are beyond survival.
    10. Re:Pretty case? by b-baggins · · Score: 1

      The "horrors" of child labor are grossly overplayed. We all have images of 12-year old kids crawling around inside dangerous machinery, and so think any kind of child labor is horrible, even a 14-year old working for four hours after school snapping plastic covers on the front of a beige metal case.

      Personally, I think we could do with a bit more child labor in this country and a little bit less with smoking teenagers cruising the streets or surfing internet porn in their bedrooms at night.

      But, then, I'm a cold heartless slob who actually thinks we pamper our kids too much today, probably out of a sense of guilt for dumping them in day care for most of their lives.

      --
      You can tell a great deal about the character of a man by observing those who hate him.
    11. Re:Pretty case? by axxackall · · Score: 1

      most of my computers have no cases at all. Some even have no chassis. But I don't think they look ugly. Ultimately, no case is the best case :)

      --

      Less is more !
    12. Re:Pretty case? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you have any idea what RF interference is? Just because you personally don't notice it, doesn't mean it's not causing problems for someone else.

    13. Re:Pretty case? by mobets · · Score: 1

      Because if you are a true geek you would be constantly fidling with the stuff in it. My antec case was pricy, but it is well worth it when working inside. There is not a single shart edge in it, and having the drive bays snap out comes in real handy.

      --

      It was me, I did it, I moved your cheese
    14. Re:Pretty case? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So did you just wake up one day and discovered you were evil, or have you always been that way?

      Ever wonder if the people around you think you're an asshole? Because you really are an asshole. And if you ever said such evil shit in my presence I'd wring your fucking neck.

    15. Re:Pretty case? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I hate teenagers, I was one once and I should know.
      Work them to the bone, I say.

    16. Re:Pretty case? by jrockway · · Score: 1

      I have a $40 chieftech case. I never look at it because it's big and ugly, but it keeps everything inside of it nice and cold (right now: CPU at 35C, internals at 30C, hda 20C, hdb 26C [these two are on opposite sides of an air column, the sensor for hda is quite close to the fan], hdd 30C), and it's nice looking inside.

      Don't waste your money on a case, buy a good power supply (and CPU, Mobo, Graphics Card, etc :) Anyone who buys $10 LED fans instead of $3 fans should be shot :)

      --
      My other car is first.
    17. Re:Pretty case? by Jeremy+Erwin · · Score: 1

      but it keeps everything inside of it nice and cold (right now: CPU at 35C

      Interesting use of the word "cold".

    18. Re:Pretty case? by Jeremy+Erwin · · Score: 1

      I've found that if you place the case under the desk, the fan noise is less noticeable.

    19. Re:Pretty case? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can work my bone any day, bitch. Hold it like a broom, but slide it up and down -- not too tight! And be sure your hands are covered in poison ivy and you have a grip of sandpaper handy.

      booyuh I love the pain!

      fo shiznit my snitzel.

    20. Re:Pretty case? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ya i agree,

      it's c-c-c-cold to the x-x-x-Xtreme +++!

    21. Re:Pretty case? by Zugok · · Score: 1

      ...unless you get a super deal. I have a Silver Thermaltake XaserIII. Mind you part of the reason I got this case is because I live in Brisbane and it gets HOT HOT HOT. This case is designe to keep everything inside COOL. It looks good, it stays cool, and the sweetest thing about it...when I ordered an XaserIII, I asked for the Blue case which has a steel chassis. Instead the suppliers sent the Silver which is more expensive because of the aluminium chassis, and I got the Silver for the price of the Blue. However because aluminium is not as strong as steel, I have to becareful when I screw my secretary on my box.

      --
      "I just can't sit while people are saying nonsense in a meeting without saying it's nonsense" J Watson, Sci Am 288:(4)51
    22. Re:Pretty case? by jdeking1 · · Score: 1

      I don't know, I'd like to get one of those "AlienWare" cases. AS it is I bought an Antec for my last homegrown, and put a "Linux Inside" logo on it.

      The XSpider looks pretty cool, though, as long as I can get it in MegaTower form for all the extra stuff I usually end up cramming into a case. Don't like the "two fan" thing, though. I have two fans now (plus the power supply fan, of course) and am seriously thinking about a third. Those high-end graphics cards may have their own fans, but you still need to move the air. The option for a third fan in MegaTower configuration would be nice. Bottom front, bottom back, and top back, I guess. But then there's a new mobo configuration coming out, so that may have to change ...

      --
      "A generation which ignores history has no past and no future." -- Robert Heinlein
  2. ahoy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In Communist China, computer cases make YOU.

    1. Re:ahoy by leozc · · Score: 1

      Well, you haven't been to China, right?

    2. Re:ahoy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In Communist China, they would shoot you for making such a bad and repeated joke.

  3. I love the pictures by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All those *happy* employees. Yeah, right.

    I haven't been to Tom's site in quite some time (except for this story). I see his site has finally made the leap from hardware reviews to infomercials. Tom is the new Ron Popeil.

    1. Re:I love the pictures by c_oflynn · · Score: 1

      All those *happy* employees.

      Something along the lines of "Smile or get Shot" I assume...

    2. Re:I love the pictures by Mod+Me+God · · Score: 1

      More like the employees are pleased to work for a (comparitively in China) high wage employer rather than slave on a farm and die from poverty. Industrialisation is the best thing that has happened to the people of China.

      --
      --

      FreeNET user? Comfortable with the adverse selection?
    3. Re:I love the pictures by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Hey, that place is cleaner and more modern than the shithole where I work here in the US. Looks like they've actually replaced the carpet and painted the walls since the stock market crashed.

      But I do value living here in a non-fascist country. Well, at least it was non-fascist until Bush was elected.

    4. Re:I love the pictures by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wonder how many butts they had to kiss or money they had to pay to get to take photos. The Chinese are very wary of people taking photos in their country.

      Speaks volumes.

    5. Re:I love the pictures by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With any luck W will stay in office long enough for you to lose that job you hate so much. Then you can move to that "more enlightened" country.

    6. Re:I love the pictures by gabriel · · Score: 1

      Don't they have the "smile and wave or get fired" thing over at USA's Disney parks too?

    7. Re:I love the pictures by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Given how gushing the article was it does seem really irresponsible for Tom's not to say more about what these workers are paid and how it compares to other jobs in that area.

    8. Re:I love the pictures by amembleton · · Score: 1

      They probably just had to lie/tell half the truth.

      Talk about all the good things and none of the bad.

    9. Re:I love the pictures by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your backwards western views of modern China are apalling, and your mother dresses you funny.

    10. Re:I love the pictures by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Been there in the last year. Not much has changed. When were you last there? Hmmm?

      Won't your mother let you leave the house alone, little boy? There's a whole big bad world out there that you know nothing about.

  4. Microserf... by c_oflynn · · Score: 2, Informative

    Anyone else read the Microserf book? Same thing as the campus living and whatnot...

    Oh and here is the Google Cache of the Chenbro site, its already getting slow!!

    Pretty cool article though... I'm suprised at the amount of work that goes into one.

    1. Re:Microserf... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Microserfs was fiction, of course, and the housing was actually the privatized suburban 'strip housing' that springs up around economic centers. (I'm living in a similar house in an old factory town right now.)

      That said, this shows how far China has come, and how far it has to go. It's the same thing everyone went through during the industrial revolution - unskilled labor arrives from across the country to work in less-than-wonderful conditions, try to make a buck, start families, create new enterprise and so on. (Viva technology; whether or not they do have safety gear when the cameras aren't around, it's not much worse than the average US factory of the '60s-'80s; chances are, they're using machinery that used to be ours (or based on designs of ours) during that era. Beats using RBMK reactors just to be different.)

      Now, if they can go on to give everyone the perqs of "middle class" life without compromising their nationalist principles -- and making US geeks happy with cheap goods and GPL-shared intellectual property -- more power to 'em. (Ever heard of the "American Dream?") The question is whether the new leadership can be confident enough to reform civil rights and basic principles of government (free elections?), or if they'll "take the money and run," using the influx to benefit the state (leverage in standoffs with the US, Taiwan, etc) without improving the lot of its people.

      And whether new regimes 50 or 100 years down the road will keep the momentum going, or become throwbacks to the "Confucian"/Maoist methodologies. That's an obvious problem in the US, too, but we have strong enough founding principles that they at least moderate the damage. (USA PATRIOT sucks a lot -- words fail -- but on the other hand, even with it, we're conducting fewer wiretaps than Australia, where society never canonized a 4th Amendment right in the first place.)

      So hey, let's cross our fingers, and hope we can lead by example instead of with sticks. Everyone anywhere wants the basics - food, shelter, clean water, power - and the comforts - Comedy Central, a Playstation, good beer, fast cars with nice seats and MP3 players in the dash. It's the fringes who can feel the drives for *more* - be the need for a presence in space (mostly good?), or the invasion/overthrow of other nations (mostly bad?). Those fringes tend to make good leaders, whatever your economic model; the problem in any society is to make sure the "mostly good" ideas win out over the "mostly bad" ones.

    2. Re:Microserf... by BrookHarty · · Score: 1

      http://www.tomshardware.com/ its 404 again. WTF is going on with his site? Its been having issues for almost a year!

    3. Re:Microserf... by amembleton · · Score: 1

      Works for me.

    4. Re:Microserf... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I posted at 8:51, you posted at 12:06... The site should be back up by then.. ;)

  5. XSpider translatator by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Tom's Hardware: How are you gentlemen?
    Chenbro: What you say?
    Tom's Hardware: Someone set us up the Gaming Bomb Case

  6. what case? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I haven't seen my case in a year, its buried under the desk... not bad for a $14 case + power supply, running 24/7 for a year...

  7. Bending And Punching by John+Hasler · · Score: 1

    > Ever wondered how that pretty case on your desk
    > came to be?

    No. I've seen a sheet-metal brake in action.

    --
    Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
    1. Re:Bending And Punching by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am waiting for the post when mtxmorph gets a taste of a spot welder. He'll cream in his pants.

  8. Old news? by pointzero · · Score: 1

    Didn't I read the article on Tom's Hardware last week or something? Meh, I like the pictures anyway.

    1. Re:Old news? by rootofevil · · Score: 1

      you mean people still read that site? even with him being as big of a fucktard as he is?

      --
      turn up the jukebox and tell me a lie
    2. Re:Old news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your sig - "Practicing alternate computing for over 15 years"

      Do you mean alternative or do you constantly switch from one computer to another and back again?

    3. Re:Old news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i dont normally reply to AC, but yes, i switch back and forth.

  9. I'm unemployed by Hagar129 · · Score: 0

    And I still liked this article. Hagar...

  10. SHUT UP NERD! (5core: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    N0B0DY CAR3S ABOUT YOUR NEON CASE WITH 10 FANS AND 5 STRIP LIGHTS! NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR ABOUT YOUR INTEL PENTIUM EXREMENT EDITOION THAT WAS OVERCLOXOR3D TO 3.5 Ghz! NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR GXENTOO BOX COMPILED WITH -o9 -w-funroll-loops -mcpu=i986 -march=i986 -w-strict-speed -w-l33t -w-take-five-days-to-compile!

    Nobody cares about your karma! PLease fuck off and die, please just fix the GTK file dialog, and shrivvel up in your sweatty shitty fat corpse and rape a mare!

    1. Re:SHUT UP NERD! (5core: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      forget that gtk shit... just use explorer.exe

    2. Re:SHUT UP NERD! (5core: 5, Insightful) by UltimaL337Star · · Score: 0

      Apparently this guy cares enough to come into slashdot, read, and reply.

  11. Pretty Boxes by rf0 · · Score: 1

    These are nice, pretty boxes but I can't wonder how long after modders have got there hands on them they will have twin exausts and go faster stripes. By doing that they should be able to get to at least 4Ghz :)

    Rus

    1. Re:Pretty Boxes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      We can feel much better about ourselves when we have flashing lights, strobes and X-Tremely kewl colored windows mounted on our boxes. You're just jealous, making fun of us geeks. You... you... TROLL!

      /me runs away crying and hugging a plush penguin -- which cost $50 because of the advanced Linux Promotion Engine (LPE) it uses.

    2. Re:Pretty Boxes by Cyno01 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Done.

      --
      "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
    3. Re:Pretty Boxes by Reziac · · Score: 1

      I know a guy who got his up to look like R2-D2. Looked great, but didn't make it any smarter, since it still had a tendency to want to stick its cord into random electrical sockets. ;)

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  12. Ugly computer case? by Kuxifu · · Score: 1

    Never fear, the ever emerging trend of ubiquitous computing will solve that.

    1. Re:Ugly computer case? by Tilps · · Score: 1
      ubiquitous computing
      isn't that an outlook worm?
      --
      Sigs are for wimps. I am proud to be one.
    2. Re:Ugly computer case? by Kuxifu · · Score: 1

      It's actually about moving technology into the background - Where it belongs. I don't want to see the pistons firing in my car while driving (all though I'm sure it would excite some) - I just want the damn thing to work.

  13. on my Desk? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    huh? in order to put my case on my desk I'd have to make a hole in the ceiling!

  14. "living on campus" is not just an extra by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    The "living on campus" (what is considered by /. readers as a great thing) is not that great. The site is too slow so I can't read the article, though I do know a bit about China factories (living in Hong Kong and having visited a few myself, Hong Kong is part of the Guangdong province, Dongguan is one of the larger cities there). There is an important dark site to this whole China production work.
    The workers often come from far away - all the way from the west is not uncommon. These people come to the east because of the 'good' salaries (typically about 20 RMB per day, or USD2.5, 12 hour days, 7 days a week), to make money and after a year or a few years move back to their village having saved a bit to live from. The working conditions are often harsh, poorly lit rooms, dusty, hot, etc.
    They live on campus, often in single room appartments with shared facilities. Food is provided as well, the fee is normally around USD30 a month. Cheap, for you, but it is half of their salary! And all the rooms have strong iron bars - mainly against theft.
    Margins for these factories are also often really low - cents to the dollar. As a result workers are sometimes treated as slaves, I read regularly stories about this in the Hong Kong newspapers. About workers making just enough to pay for their own stay and the contract cost (often have to pay a commission to a middle man to get the job), and not being allowed to leave the factory. Breach of the one year contract would cost them a fine of about two months salary.
    The products coming from China are wonderful, and wonderfully cheap. Labour cost in China is low - China is now in the middle of the industrial revolution Europe and USA had in the 1800s. With all the poor working conditions and pollution included.
    This is something to realise the next time you buy a case, or another product "made in China"! There is a lot to improve here.

    Wouter.

    1. Re:"living on campus" is not just an extra by coraxo · · Score: 1

      mod parent up +truth

      --
      Strc prst skrz krk and vomit! Can help.
    2. Re:"living on campus" is not just an extra by leozc · · Score: 1

      But is the the fault of China? Thanks for capitalization policy of the foreign massive companies, they squeeezed the price of a product lower and lower, to a range that , the price even cannot purcher the raw materials from their own areas. Evenone wants to live, I mean at least get some food and which can last you to another morning. Natually, they have no choice, but those who live outside can get extra profit to buy some shit toys and feed their lazy employees. Is it fair.

    3. Re:"living on campus" is not just an extra by henc · · Score: 1

      I've experienced pretty much the same thing. I was in a factory (probably neighbor to the one on the picture (at least they look the same and are located in the same town. ;) where the employees making up the workforce would live on a campus in the same area. The other employees; executives etc. were all Hong Kong weekly commuter residents. Apparantly the employees living on campuses send all their remaining income to their families at home, whom they visit during one week a year. (Including travel...)

    4. Re:"living on campus" is not just an extra by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would suggest reading Naomi Klein's book No Logo if you think that living on campus could be "fun". The people living there often have no option but to do so, and live in fear of losing their jobs day by day, working hours you or I could not/ would not bear

    5. Re:"living on campus" is not just an extra by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      thank you.. now if you only would cover that by buying products made in china your helping them to build nukes... give`em time people and you`ll see..

    6. Re:"living on campus" is not just an extra by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The chinese labourers have to spend half of their total salaries on food and other living expenses? Really? Those poor guys. I hate to tell you this, but spending a significant portion of your income on food is pretty much normal in the good old USA.

      12 hour days, 7 days per week? Believe it or not, they do it because they want to. They want to go through a year of hard work so that, when they return home, they can have some nontrivial savings with which to improve their lives somewhat. If they didn't think they could come out ahead, they wouldn't have left their small towns in the western parts of the country.

      What you describe to me sounds much like people making sacrifices in the short term for long-term gains.

      Breaching your employment contract carries with it penalties? How is that unusual? Try getting out of your cell phone contract two years early.

      I'm sure there are some rather brutal employers in China, don't get me wrong. But you're generalizing to a huge degree here. Dormitories and long hours of work are a choice, and to say that they're being treated as slaves is going too far.

      I'm actually not a supporter of globalization, mainly because it ruins /our/ domestic economy and lowers /our/ quality of life, but the labour practices of chinese technology companies are probably not as bad as you make them sound.

      The malaysian textile industry, on the other hand, is probably closer to the conditions of "slavery" that you describe.

      In any case, the company profiled in this article looks like it's actually a good employer. They went to the trouble and expense of flying in a western reporter to conduct an extensive tour of their facilities. It looks to me like they're eager to put a human face on foreign manufacturing. Sure, it's publicity but if they had something to hide, they wouldn't have been quite as open about everything.

    7. Re:"living on campus" is not just an extra by C10H14N2 · · Score: 1

      Sounds alot like stories of factory visits to Czechoslovakia before communism bit the dust where econo-tourists were presented with gleaming factories for PR purposes when the truth was less than sparkling.

      In all fairness, this facility, the housing and, relatively speaking, the wages do not appear to differ much from manufacturing working conditions in the United States. A single U.S. electronics fabrication line worker earns about $1000 per month, spends half that on housing and a third on food, leaving $200 or less in the bank for things like paying the utility bills, insurace and transportation. Basically, if you included the same "on-campus housing" model, they'd be slaves.

      Manufacturing line worker types of this sort in the United States generally live at or below the federal poverty line, which is significantly less than the statistical poverty line in any major city. A great deal of these manufacturing jobs in California or Texas are filled in precisely the same migrant-worker manner, resulting in well over a $1 billion per month in transfers to Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America by the workers that have, legally and illegally, moved to the U.S. for the purpose of working and sending money home. Of course, some U.S. companies have realized this and set up maquilladoras in northern Mexico so they can pay them less without all those inconvenient OSHA requirements.

      Then there is Dell who until very recently used prison labor, which is perfectly legal in this country. Talk about "slave labor" conditions, those workers were paid almost dollar-for-dollar the same as their Chinese counterparts and hey, they had "on-campus" housing too.

      I'm all for taking China to task, but let's be real here. The United States is distinctly not a favorable location from which to start pointing fingers on this issue.

    8. Re:"living on campus" is not just an extra by Perianwyr+Stormcrow · · Score: 1

      Your anonymity is not even the half of your cowardice.

      --

      What we call folk wisdom is often no more than a kind of expedient stupidity.-Edward Abbey

  15. Toms Hardware Slashdotted, here is the text: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Many of our readers have written us with the same request: "Can you please explain how computer cases are created?" Purchasers and users of computer cases shop at their local retailers or shop online, yet have no idea how a case goes through the process of conception to design to finished product. And, unless you are an industry insider or work for an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) who orders custom or specific cases to build their systems in, it is not likely that you would be familiar with the complex process that is required to produce a computer case. For years now, the common American penis bird has been a staple of every American's daily diet. Whether it be penis
    bird sandwiches, fried penis bird, or perhaps penis bird under glass (for the rich), we all have penis bird at least
    once a day. Many Americans have no clue how the penis bird became so important in the pyramid of a balanced diet, so
    in this article I will attempt to explain its history and why it is so useful.

    In the early 1870s, Francis Zefran became the first penis bird breeder in North America. He started his famous Penis
    Bird Ranch in Canton, OH. At the time, not much was known of the penis bird's nutritional value, but the Penis Bird
    Ranch changed all of that. Not only did Francis Zefran raise penis birds to sell their colorful plumes (a VERY
    lucrative business), he also set up the world's first research lab dedicated solely to the study of the penis bird.

    The lab found many interesting things. First, it was discovered that thepenis bird was actually semi-sentient. Second,
    the scientists found that the meat of the penis bird was high in protein, vitamin A, vitamin B, and calcium, while low
    in fat, cholestorol, and sodium. Never before had such a nutritious meal been had without supplement or fortification.
    The scientists of the lab recommended immediately that the penis bird become a part of every American's daily diet.

    When the news of the penis bird's usefulness reached president Rutherford B. Hayes, he was absolutely ecstatic. You
    see, President Hayes owed a number of favors to Francis Zefran because as I said earlier, the penis bird plume trade
    was an extremely lucrative business and Mr. Zefran was important in getting RBH elected through a number of monetary
    gifts. President Hayes immediately asked Congress to pass what we all know today as the Hayes/Zefran Penis Bird
    Consumption Act.

    The act did a number of things to make the penis bird a daily meal, most important of which was the requirement that
    for every four people in a household, one penis bird must consumed every day. Another thing the act did was create an
    artificial monopoly for Francis Zefran's Penis Bird Industries. The act stated that the only supplier of penis bird
    meat in the US would be PBI. As one would imagine, this quickly made Francis Zefran into the richest man in the world.
    He was soon a multi-billionaire (quadrillionaire with today's inflation). Never before had a single man seen such
    wealth.

    Many challenges were made to the Hayes/Zefran Penis Bird Consumption Act, and several even made it the Supreme Court.
    It was argued that the act was unconstitutional and went against liberty itself, but once the detractors tasted
    delicious penis bird meat for the first time, they immediately dropped their cases and followed the law to the letter.
    We all know today that penis bird is the most delicious meat man has ever known, but at that time, the only meats
    people ate were pork and beef.

    In the early 1970s, though, challenges to the act began again. Many argued that the monopoly given to Penis Bird
    Industries by the act was in all ways unamerican. The Supreme Court finally agreed, and in 1974, Section II of the act
    was struck down. This in effect opened the market to competition for all.

    Today, Penis Bird Industries is almost no more. Today we have the market leader Penis Bird Meat International facing
    against Penissoft, a recent startup. Where will the future lead the penis bird market? Only time will tell us, but one
    thing is certain: penis birds are here to stay!

    < )
    ( \
    X
    8====D

    -klerck (Reproduced by AC)

  16. All those *happy* employees. by RevMike · · Score: 1
    Something along the lines of "Smile or get Shot" I assume...

    Don't kid yourself. China is a poor agrarian country, with many of their people in poverty that would shock a westerner. The workers that land skilled factory jobs like these are taking a huge step forward in their qulaity of life. They more than likely have substantial discretionary income and free time to enjoy it, compared to thsoe that still labor on small farms. Their income is reasonably assured, they have access to health care and education, they have good housing.

    The "happy peasant" is a romantic notion with little or no basis in fact. For people living in third world conditions, these jobs represent a quantum leap.

    1. Re:All those *happy* employees. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The "happy peasant" is a romantic notion with little or no basis in fact. For people living in third world conditions, these jobs represent a quantum leap.

      Woo! A giant 50 angstrom leap forward!

  17. on my desktop? by mobby_6kl · · Score: 1

    huh? in order to put my case on my desk I'd have to make a hole in the ceiling!

    (i've posted this as Anonymous Coward already)

  18. Chenbro XSpider/Gaming Bomb case... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And I quote Luke Skywalker: "what a piece of junk"

  19. the live-in culture by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    this actually seems to be a fairly common practice in China. especially among female workers, who will go away from home to live and make enough money to get married and then they return to their hometown and get married.

    sounds a little sad in a way but, hey, if they're happy then it's all good.

  20. YOU SO FUCKING FAIL IT!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  21. Re:SHUT UP NERD! {Score; 6, Troll} by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    WTF. I love the way these linux losers waste their life coding up some crappy OS with no thanks, without realising they are just doing themselves out of a job.

  22. Money, money, money... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm betting that there was a transfer of money from Chenbro to Tom's Hardware for this article. It reads like a press release. Chenbro this, Chenbro that. I wonder how many times the word 'Chenbro' was used in that article. It must be worn out by now.

    1. Re:Money, money, money... by zabieru · · Score: 1

      Well, y'know, it's an article about Chenbro. So... If you wrote an article about, say, Ford, or Intel, you might talk a lot about Intel this and Intel that. In fact, Tom's did an article back in the day where they toured an AMB fab, and you know? They said 'AMD' a whole lot there too! That said, while I strongly doubt cash money was exchanged, I expect Chenbro paid airfare and so on.

  23. infomercial by arbi · · Score: 1

    I really don't see how anyone would be interested in how a computer case is built. There is nothing complex or interesting about computer cases. What am I missing?

    1. Re:infomercial by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are ANAL!

    2. Re:infomercial by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I found the article to suck up to Chenbro way too much. Every page was full of BS about how careful they are.

    3. Re:Infomercial by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are fucking religishitty. Go kill yourself for your OWN FUCKING SAKE, BISH!

  24. Love is a many splendor thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Love is a many splendor thing...

  25. Tom's hardware NOT slashdotted. by vadim_t · · Score: 2, Informative

    It's just that for some reason the editors decided to link to www6. Just try other numbers, for example, I read it on www4. Links:

    www4

    www5

    1. Re:Tom's hardware NOT slashdotted. by Yarn · · Score: 2, Informative

      You imply they check the links! Next you'll say they read the articles they link to.

      Linking to the main dns load balancer might be more productive.


      yarn@blue:~$ host www.tomshardware.com
      www.tomshardware.com A 209.197.121.1
      www.tomshardware.com A 209.197.121.2
      www.tomshardware.com A 216.92.211.178
      www.tomshardware.com A 66.39.107.248

      --
      -Yarn - Rio Karma: Excellent
  26. Re:SHUT UP NERD! by bj8rn · · Score: 1

    Hmm. In the 17th century, they put madmen and beggars and criminals to work for no pay in some manufacture or workshop, putting other people (who got paid for working) out of work. History repeating?

    --
    Hell is not other people; it is yourself. - Ludwig Wittgenstein
  27. Nice case, and cheap price by ThoreauHD · · Score: 1

    It can be had for 40 bucks here:

    http://www.bensbargains.net/ktalk/1065831211,229 40 ,.shtml

    Looks kinda like a spider, I guess.

  28. not interesting by treat · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Many of our readers have written us with the same request: "Can you please explain how computer cases are created?"

    Shouldn't all literate people know how something simple like this is designed, tested, and constructed? If you can read this sentence but don't know how to fashion a trivial metal box, ask for a refund on your education.

    1. Re:not interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Didn't have a look at the article before posting, did you? Just because the product is relatively simple, doesn't have to mean the production process is simple.

      Yes, making a metal box is simple. But making a hundred thousand metal boxes that people actually want to buy, cost-efficiently, with high quality & yield and low tolerances is not easy.

  29. Land of the free... by zer0harm · · Score: 1

    "The employees can come and go from the campus when they are not working to shop and explore the local community."

    That's a little to liberal for my liking ;)

    Like David Stellmack (author), I've only ventured overseas once, though it was to Singapore. Same smiling-faces phenomenon. I asked a girl at a school we were visiting why everyone smiled, and she said they'd been told to!

  30. To change that all you need... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    is a FreeBSD case badge.

  31. Journalist lacks critical review by stomv · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Over and over again, this writeup seemed like it came from a FUD factory. I'm sure that these cases are outstanding -- however, statements like

    unless you buy a quality product you are wasting your money.

    are pure drivel. Buying a $100 case for middle-of-the-road or lower requirements is a waste of money. A machine used to run your OS and assorted apps, with generic HD, motherboard, processor, and drive components does not require a high quality case. Spending $100 on one is simply a waste of dough... and not the converse, as the Tom's journalist -- or Ken -- would have you believe.

    1. Re:Journalist lacks critical review by mobby_6kl · · Score: 1

      considering that the case is the thing that lasts much longer than what's inside it, it's not a waste to spend $40 more on it and get something with a good power supply, design good technical solutions. Maybe it's not worth (not a waste though, you get what you pay for) to buy a $100 case for a computer that costs $200 itself. What I consider a waste, is buying a 3.2Ghz processor which costs 1.5x more than 3.02, which costs 1.8x more than 2.6. ok, maybe in this particular case(not the pc case) it's a waste, i havn't FTFA, and spending those $$ just on 'cool' design isn't smart.

    2. Re:Journalist lacks critical review by Brandybuck · · Score: 1

      Most "high end" cases are designed only to appeal to the gamers. Racing stripes, brushed aluminum with plexiglass panels, 13 5" external bays, cold cathode strips everywhere, etc.

      But a good case and PSU is easily worth $100. My new system has the Antec Sonata. It's gorgeous simply because it's understated. Sturdy steel construction, and not flimsy aluminum. Small size (sub mid) tower but with plenty of room inside so it doesn't feel like a small tower. Easy accesibility to all components, good airflow, well designed HD mounts, included top quality PSU, etc. For $100 it was really a good price. The alternative would have been a cheap ass $40 case plus a cheap ass $40 PSU, and $20 worth of hassles setting it up.

      --
      Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
    3. Re:Journalist lacks critical review by AKnightCowboy · · Score: 1
      Sturdy steel construction, and not flimsy aluminum.

      You say that like aluminum is a bad thing. I gladly pay a premium for an aluminum case because it's lighter and stays cooler. There's a big difference between picking up my minitower steel case and my midtower aluminum case. The aluminum is much lighter and easier to work with. Who cares how thin it is anyway. It's not like it's supposed to stop gunfire.

    4. Re:Journalist lacks critical review by Jucius+Maximus · · Score: 1
      "You say that like aluminum is a bad thing. I gladly pay a premium for an aluminum case because it's lighter and stays cooler."

      The idea that aluminium stays cooler is a myth perpetuated by aluminium case manufacturers. Sure, heat moves more easily through aluminium than steel, but in real word comparisons, the effect on actual CPU temperature is negligible.

      Now I still like the aluminium Lian Li PC-6070 that is under my desk right now very much. The workmanship on the this is amazing and the case is very light. It's got a 'silver monolith' kind of look and the rubber lining does dampen noise from it quite a bit.

      You can get high quality cases that are very sturdy both in steel and alimunium. You just have to shell out the money to get them. Steel tends to be cheaper as cases are made in higher volume than aluminium.

      So are aluminium cases a good thing? Yes, but just not any better than steel from a cooling perspective.

    5. Re:Journalist lacks critical review by Fweeky · · Score: 1

      Whatever case you get, you want to get something suited to your needs and those of your hardware. If you've got a hot machine, you want to make sure you get a case with plenty of good airflow over the areas that get hot -- and it's no good if it keeps your motherboard cool if it's letting your HD's cook because they're in deadzones without even enough space for convection cooling.

      Cheaper cases usually come with cheapo PSU's with poor specifications and build quality, which can easily lead to annoying (and even painful) setup, instability, and annoying vibrations you can't get rid of.

      I paid 70 UKP for my case -- an Antex SLK3700 (review), based on a cheaper OEM case. It has good construction (aside from the plasticy facade), a beefy high quality PSU, and excellent airflow, especially over the generous number of drive bays (both requirements for me.. I lub my storage!).

      I *could* have spent 20 UKP on a cheapo case, but it would have come with a nasty 5-quid PSU which might not last six months (hopefully not taking my hardware with it, assuming it's powerful enough to run it at all), no removable drive bays, poor stamped fan-bays which block 90% of airflow, no dust-guards, and no nice shiny finish.

      Plus, if I need a decent case, I *know* I can just get another SLK3700 - I don't need to hunt through a load of generic OEM cases which will have changed by next week just to find something near what I want every time.

      That's not to say I don't buy cheaper cases for people with modest requirements, but computer weenies like us typically appreciate a bit of quality -- it's just like getting a 90 UKP Epox motherboard instead of a 35 UKP PC Chips one; they both do pretty much the same job, but I know which I'd prefer to work with. Cases just have the benefit of not being *quite* so vital.

    6. Re:Journalist lacks critical review by Brandybuck · · Score: 1

      Who cares how light it the case is? I never pick it up! And extra five pounds is nothing. If it's a problem for you, get a sturdier desk.

      --
      Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
    7. Re:Journalist lacks critical review by jrockway · · Score: 1

      I agree with you on the clockspeed thing. I have a 2500+ (that was $80) overclocked to a 3000+ (turns out they're the same chip...). The 3000+ is about $250. So for $150 extra I can have 15 seconds (that's what I got from compiling about 10 times on a 2500+ and averaging the last 9 times and doing the same with the OC'd one) off my kernel compile. I'm so 1337. That, or stupid.

      --
      My other car is first.
    8. Re:Journalist lacks critical review by Brandybuck · · Score: 1

      CPU prices always have a "knee" where the price starts shooting up. Current P4 prices at pixelusa.com: 2.8GHz = $298; 3.0 = $425. That's the knee. You save $60 by going with a 2.6, but spend $120 more by going to the 3.0. And jumping up to the 3.2 for $350 more is simply ridiculous.

      I've always preferred buying one or two steps below the knee. I get good speeds at good prices. The only people who buy above the knee are PHB's or parents of whiny gamers.

      --
      Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
    9. Re:Journalist lacks critical review by plover · · Score: 1
      The "who" might be the LAN gamer phreak, heading to his weekly game.

      The "who" might be the hardware hacker, constantly adding and/or changing parts.

      The "who" might be the device driver author, inserting and removing PCI cards.

      The "who" might be a handicapped person with a lifting limitation.

      The "who" might be a whole lot of people who might have a whole lot of valid reasons for wanting a lighter case.

      And yes, The "Who" might also be the world's loudest rock band, but I wasn't going there first.

      --
      John
    10. Re:Journalist lacks critical review by Brandybuck · · Score: 1

      Fair enough, you're still talking only a few pounds. If the weight difference is that critical, may a suggest a mini-tower or smaller instead?

      If I were a LAN gamer, I would go with the Antec Lanboy instead of the Antec Sonata. No, backup. I would go with a Shuttle instead. I do a lot of hardware changeouts at work, and I've found the weight of the case an insignificant factor compared to a clear workspace and easily removable side panels.

      You're right in that a steel case isn't for everyone. But my original post said "and not flimsy aluminum". The point I was making was that if you wanted a sturdy case, steel was the better choice. If you're always lifting the case, both weight AND sturdiness become an issue.

      --
      Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
    11. Re:Journalist lacks critical review by Reziac · · Score: 1

      Antec cases are really nice, but overkill for average systems (most people can't see putting a $120 case around a $350 system). Also, I'm not a big fan of drive rails. Quick and easy to use -- *until* you break or lose one.

      There's a LOT of variation among mid-price cases. Some are made as cheaply as possible and are complete crap; others are actually pretty nice.

      Right now I'm buying Raidmax midtowers -- heavy gauge steel inside and out, 10 drive bays, good elbow room, easy to work in, smooth edges everywhere, good ventilation aided by a quiet 2nd case fan, well-positioned to prevent disaster in the event of a failed CPU fan. -- A lot of generics and even some lights-and-windows models use the exact same chassis, with variations on the cover and bezels. Power supply seems decent (if not high end) and in any event the PSU is easy to replace. Not bad for $30-$35.

      In the AT era, I settled on a particular generic case that was real nice to work with and always had a good reliable PSU (in fact, right next to me is one that's been running 24/7 for almost 5 years now, with a fairly heavy load.) The front exteriors were often radically different, but the innards and backplate were always the same. The clone dealers all thought I was crazy -- I'd shop for cases by looking at their *backs*. :)

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  32. How do I by Stinky+Glen20 · · Score: 1

    Get an advertisement on Toms hardware?

  33. it gets even crazier? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    gas for your humvee is almost 2 bucks? ink is $35.00 an ounce?

    yikes. talk about a fairytail?

    it would be easy to make a case for whoreabull phonIE monIE payper liesense FraUDsters, causing A LOT of yOUR problems.

    the lights are coming up now... you know who to consult with/trust, & where to look.

  34. Journalist lacks any sort of writing skills by nyquility · · Score: 1

    I'm not sure I caught any of the FUD, after about the first 3 paragraphs I gave up reading the words and just looked at the pweddy pictures... Horrid stuff even if he doesn't get paid over at THG, sending him to China (or should I say letting him come back) is too much of a reward for that piece of drivel.

    Notice the bubble wrap that is used to protect Ken Stallman from readers throwing their old cases at him

  35. Small case? by Rhinobird · · Score: 1

    What? You got a small case or something?

    --
    If Mr. Edison had thought smarter he wouldn't sweat as much. --Nikola Tesla
    1. Re:Small case? by frostjoe · · Score: 1

      No, he just has a really tall desk.

    2. Re:Small case? by pyrrhonist · · Score: 1

      No, his room has a really low celing.
      Uh, er... You insensitive clod!

      --
      Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
  36. yeah.. by diffuze · · Score: 1

    Chenbro employees have the option of living "on campus" in employee housing.
    There is a word for that - sweatshop.

    1. Re:yeah.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >>Chenbro employees have the option of living "on campus" in employee housing.
      >There is a word for that - sweatshop

      Uh, no... In a sweat shop you can sleep next to your sewing machine when the next shift comes in.

      I think the word you're actually searching for is:

      Communism ...and, hey, guess what type of country China is?

    2. Re:yeah.. by arbi · · Score: 1

      > Communism ...and, hey, guess what type of country China is?

      Capitalist country perhaps? Because China is certainly not communist by definition of the word.

      Communism as defined by dictionary.reference.com:
      "A theoretical economic system characterized by the collective ownership of property and by the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members."

      China's economic system is clearly not what is described in the above definition, at least not for the last 20 years.

    3. Re:yeah.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, this is a very common practice in asia where housing and jobs are tight.

    4. Re:yeah.. by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      No, this is a very common practice in asia where housing and jobs are tight.

      Another reason why we probably see it much less here is lawsuits. Having employeer housing would make the company possibly liable for any drunken rages, rapes, etc. that may happen.

    5. Re:yeah.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes I always find the best place to consult on political ideology is dictionary.com

    6. Re:yeah.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would like to see a definition that contradicts it.

    7. Re:yeah.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey, that's what they call themselves! Who are you to tell them they are not?

      In any case it is a brutal dictatorship that oppresses its people. Is that what you want? Do you have some strange mental quirk that makes you admire and love dictators?

      Do you even read the news? Did you flunk history? Are you fucking crazy?

      Do you still want to defend such shit?

    8. Re:yeah.. by arbi · · Score: 1

      > Hey, that's what they call themselves!
      You are correct in that it is still part of the name for the political party that is currently in control. However this is just a name and nothing more.

      > Who are you to tell them they are not?
      They are not. It is a fact that most everyone knows, whether you like it or not.

      > In any case it is a brutal dictatorship that oppresses its people. Is that what you want?
      You are incorrect. Dictatorship implies one person in complete control. The Chinese government is perhaps authoritarian but it is not a dictatorship. And no, it is not "what I want".

      Do you have some strange mental quirk that makes you admire and love dictators?
      No.

      Do you even read the news?
      Yes I do. You obviously don't since you are still living with news that are over two decades old.

      > Did you flunk history?
      No.

      > Are you fucking crazy?
      No.

      > Do you still want to defend such shit?
      I don't believe I am defending anything. I am just correcting misinformed people such as yourself.

    9. Re:yeah.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah it is ironic that the Chinese goverment is still called the "communist party" when they aren't anymore while the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" (aka North Korea) is in fact communist. Names can be deceiving.

  37. tatoo? by nietsch · · Score: 2, Funny

    tie him down, pull his pants down and don't arouse him too much or you logo will shrink instead of grow.

    --
    This space is intentionally staring blankly at you
  38. Company benefits by asmithmd1 · · Score: 1


    The employees can come and go from the campus when they are not working

    What a progressive company. They certainly do have a great compensation package there.

    1. Re:Company benefits by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, right up there with Nike factories in the Phillipines.

    2. Re:Company benefits by jhines · · Score: 1

      It sounds like China is like the US was in the 19th century.

      For example, the Pullman neighborhood in Chicago, which was once a factory housing area for railroad car factory workers.

      China is just now experiencing the industrial revolution, for good and bad.

  39. hard tooling vs soft tooling by shird · · Score: 1

    Only cases that are hard tooled offer the best levels of quality consistency from case to case. This does not mean that cases produced using soft tooling are inferior, but consistent quality is difficult to control with soft tooling; and the additional time and labor that is required to produce quality soft tooled cases means that manufacturers must charge more for cases made with the soft tooling process to cover their production costs

    So let me get this straight.. hard tooling is better and costs less, soft tooling is worse and costs more? Hmm... sounds a bit like an ad to me. "Buy hard tooling.. its better and cheaper" just a coincidence this company happens to use hard tooling. There must be some cost benifit to using soft tooling, otherwise no one would do it. "Passing on additional production costs" is bullshit IMHO.

    --
    I.O.U One Sig.
    1. Re:hard tooling vs soft tooling by DaneelGiskard · · Score: 1

      No. While they say that hard-tooling is superiour, they do admit that they use soft-tooling as well for lower production amount units.

    2. Re:hard tooling vs soft tooling by DaneelGiskard · · Score: 1

      Something I forgot. They also state in the article that the _initial_ costs for hard-tooling equipment are extraordinary high compared to soft-tooling.

    3. Re:hard tooling vs soft tooling by PhiberOptix · · Score: 1

      worth mentioning that, even though tomshardware praises hard tooling so much, there's no friggin difference when you compare the pictures. The only thing i can see is that these "superior" hard tooling cases are a little more polished. oohhh, shiny!

      c'mon, he can say what he want, but drool over polished computer case interiors? gimme a break

    4. Re:hard tooling vs soft tooling by djupedal · · Score: 1

      Hydroforming is the current method of choice. Hard tooling is low-tech. I smell an opportunity...

    5. Re:hard tooling vs soft tooling by smack_attack · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Or plasma cutters. No retooling and every case can be completely custom.

    6. Re:hard tooling vs soft tooling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My tool only works when it's hard. Almost impossible to do anything with a soft tool.

    7. Re:hard tooling vs soft tooling by klafhat · · Score: 1

      My tool will get hard in a few seconds when I need it.

      --

      Tell me more, tell me more

    8. Re:hard tooling vs soft tooling by Animats · · Score: 1
      Hard tooling has a big up-front cost, but a lower per-part cost in production. It's not a small difference, either. Once the dies are made, stamping is an incredibly cheap process. Plasma cutting, laser cutting, water jet cutting, CNC punching, and CNC machining are slow, expensive processes.

      This is a classic manufacturing decision. You face this making quantities of anything from sheet metal or plastic. It's a classic issue in automotive design. It's why low-volume cars often have large fibreglas body parts.

    9. Re:hard tooling vs soft tooling by seanadams.com · · Score: 2, Informative

      So let me get this straight.. hard tooling is better and costs less, soft tooling is worse and costs more?

      Spend more on hard tooling, and you get a lower cost per part. Very simple.

      Soft tooling is made from less expensive, less durable metals such as soft steel or even aluminum. It can be used to make a few hundred or perhaps a couple thousand parts for prototyping or a small production run. They are cheaper to make not only because the metal is cheaper, but also because the metal is easier to work, so it takes less effor to make the tool. The reason you see better cuts with the hard tool is because the edges are stronger, and the reason you see a better finish is because the tooling can withstand much higher pressure.

      It's also helpful to do a soft tool first because not only are you prototyping the design, you also need to prototype the tool itself. Re-working a soft tool to make it work better or to change design features is relatively easy.

    10. Re:hard tooling vs soft tooling by TheHawke · · Score: 1

      Let's hear you tell that to a Corvette owner... Their body panels are Fiberglass!

      --
      First rule of holes; When in one, stop digging.
    11. Re:hard tooling vs soft tooling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Also, much slower, but sure.

    12. Re:hard tooling vs soft tooling by silentbozo · · Score: 1

      I take it case-hardening a soft tooling die wouldn't help, due to the high pressures when stamping?

    13. Re:hard tooling vs soft tooling by plover · · Score: 1
      Sorry, the words "hard" and "soft" do not describe the metals used in tooling. They describe how two different types of punch press machines perform their function.

      "Hard" tooling of sheet metals means making two large pieces of metal, one with a bunch of holes and the other with a matched set of punches. They operate by stamping a blank sheet of metal in a single stroke and producing an entire pierced and formed part. The press can stamp a high quality part out in seconds. Thus, the savings when making a large run of parts.

      "Soft" means that the punches are not necessarily shaped like the holes in the case. They're little "nibbling" tools that a computer drives around like a pair of scissors in the shape of the desired holes. The press has to spend lots of time driving the tool bits around the sheet metal. Thus, the expense when making a large run of parts.

      Making a custom punch and die to stamp a part out of a sheet takes a craftsman a long time, and a lot of effort. Thus, the high startup expense. Changes are also expensive. You can't just slide a set of holes around a big chunk of metal.

      Nothing needs to be "made" for a soft tooling setup. You buy a set of preformed tool bits, load them into the computer controlled punch, and it starts cutting parts now. Thus, the low startup expense. And changes are quick and easy. CNC machines are perfect for making test parts, or keeping production up when the punch and die are being serviced.

      The quality difference between "soft" and "hard" results from the nibbling process used in soft tooling. Nibbling does not make a "clean" cut. Think of it as the difference between a paper cutter making one quick, long straight cut while scissors make many slow, small jagged cuts.

      The "hard" vs. "soft" decision is usually an economic gamble. Will you make so many parts that investing thousands of dollars in a custom punch and die will be cheaper than investing minutes per piece in a CNC machine?

      [ You might just be perpetrating a clever troll, or you might just be misinformed. Sorry in advance if I spoiled any trolling... ]

      --
      John
    14. Re:hard tooling vs soft tooling by plover · · Score: 1
      See my followup to your parent article about the real meaning of "soft tooling" vs. "hard tooling".

      To answer your question, stamping punches and dies are typically made from cold-working tool steels that are designed to be hardened.

      --
      John
    15. Re:hard tooling vs soft tooling by seanadams.com · · Score: 1

      You might just be perpetrating a clever troll, or you might just be misinformed. Sorry in advance if I spoiled any trolling

      John, while my comments may have been a bit inaccurate with respect to stamping processes, I'm pretty sure that they accurate describe hard vs soft tools for injection molding.

    16. Re:hard tooling vs soft tooling by Reziac · · Score: 1

      That explains one case I had... it had a nice layout, but the metal was thin, and every interior edge was like a razor blade (I actually covered them all with duct tape, to avoid being sliced to ribbons).

      I sold the beast to a client, thinking I'd never see it again. Guess what machine I've now upgraded twice and done other work inside a dozen times... Thank ghod his next major upgrade will require a new case!!

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  40. building a case against unprecedented evile by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    it's not hard to do. you wouldn't think there'd be much resistance to such an endeavor?

    the evidence against the felonious corepirate nazis is overwhelming, & the behaviours are ongoing, resulting in the planet/population rescue initiative maintaining yOUR crisis mode status.

    there is a very real possibility that the georgewellian fuddite execrable could cause considerable damage to the main processor. that would not be good, as some of you obviously have already noted.

    consult with/trust in yOUR creator..... get ready to see the light.

  41. Focusing on the wrong thing by ScrewMaster · · Score: 2, Interesting

    As a software engineer specializing in user-interface design, I don't believe the computer's enclosure is where the user's attention should be focused. "Oooh ... shiny!" So what? A computer user spends most of his time looking at the screen anyway: the case has no purpose other than to support some parts. And the truth is that, whether it be cars, computers, or women, it's what's under the hood that counts.

    It's just ego, really, and the desire to be thought well of by other people. Now, I'm not deriding the ego trip, in and of itself. In the right context, it can be highly motivating. I mean, most of us programmers love to have someone in our own field look at our work and say "Hey ... that's way cool ... how'd you get it to do that?" The desire for more positive feedback of that nature drives us to do even better next time. So if you really want to stand out from the computing crowd, learn coding and do something cool and useful that the rest of us can enjoy, and you'll really impress us. Your shiny new plastic computer case with the electroluminescent panels stuck all over it will not. Put the money into a faster processor or a better video board instead, or better yet some programming classes at your local college.

    To be honest, if some manufacturer were to make a case that blended in with the rest of my office (say, a nice dark woodgrain finish that would match my desk) I'd be first in line to buy it. Some years ago I did something like that. I bought some wood-grain contact paper and covered a mini-tower with it, and spraypainted the front panel a matching color. It looked very nice, fit right in with the rest of the decor. Hm. I may have to try that again, now that you got me thinking about it.

    --
    The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
    1. Re:Focusing on the wrong thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hi - here's an idea. Maybe you can stick your wood grained case up your programming ass, ok?

    2. Re:Focusing on the wrong thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But, then again, who cares what it looks like? It's what's under the hood that counts.

    3. Re:Focusing on the wrong thing by Chronowerx · · Score: 1

      Damn, I wish I had moderator points left! You obviously have sense, which is rare on slashdot... yes reading about scaring childern during halloween with the goatse.cx pic on the polls is amusing, and the soviet russia and beowulf gags still make me smirk, but when the first couple of lines of a post make u think, it's a good thing.

      Cases should be exactly that...cases, if they are well designed and ergonomic, then that's about all we need. The new trend of cutting massive holes into panels and sticking neon lights in there astounds me - why is the case metal, duh! for EMC protection, so when their systems crash, and their pretty uv lights have prematurely aged their cables, that's their problem.

      I'd personally rather see PC's get smaller, a whole system contained in a TFT monitor case. Or my dream, a better user interface... I mean a lump of plastic with rows of buttons and another lump that you drag about and prod at to move things...where's my neural interface!

      In the end, the system is only as good as the software, yes, we can all bitch and fight at which OS is best, but in the end people will choose what is best for them, programmers choose Linux becuse it lets them get to the roots of the machine, others choose MS because they don't want to see the roots of the machine, they just want to press a button, and be able to look on the web.
      I know this is all offtopic, but the article is merely an ad anyway...
      I'll get off my box now...

    4. Re:Focusing on the wrong thing by ScrewMaster · · Score: 1

      There's a reason why people like you post as Anonymous Cowards. It's a lot like having a glowing electroluminescent sign stuck on your forehead (right next to that big plastic-covered window you had cut in your skull so that we can all be treated to a view of your 4.77 Mhz. Intel 8088 brain) that says, "I'M STUPID" so that the rest of us will know that you're intellectually-challenged and that it is okay to simply ignore you. With any luck at all, you'll fall into a tar pit somewhere and be exhumed in a few million years as an example of an Early Twenty First Century Troll.

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
    5. Re:Focusing on the wrong thing by Brandybuck · · Score: 1

      To be honest, if some manufacturer were to make a case that blended in with the rest of my office I'd be first in line to buy it.

      Take a look at the Antec Sonata. No, it's not woodgrain, but the high gloss "piano" black is magnitudes more classy than plain beige or gamer-green. It's also damned quiet and well designed inside.

      --
      Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
    6. Re:Focusing on the wrong thing by ScrewMaster · · Score: 1

      Very nice, actually. Unfortunately, not quite enough 5.25" bays for me ... I need at least four for a RAID array. But I'm probably going to be putting together a machine for my girlfriend, and that Antec may be the one. That 20.4 dB would make it real appealing for her.

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
    7. Re:Focusing on the wrong thing by Reziac · · Score: 1

      Faster heat dissipation and protection from interference are good reasons I want my case covers to be solid steel -- not aluminum, not plastic, and no windows or nifty fluorescent lights inside either, to not only age the cables (hadn't thought of that, tho the notion of *sunlight* degrading the cables did cross my mind!) but to also produce random electrical noise that one may not wish near their RAM or hard disk.

      After that, I want adequate room in a cleanly-made, well-ventilated interior. Coming with a good power supply is a bonus, but the PSU is easy to replace at need.

      As to looks.. so long as the case doesn't annoy me with crap that interferes with the external drive bay (sliding covers are the first thing I remove!) and doesn't actually hurt my eyes, I really don't care if it's plain beige (or 6 different shades of beige, depending on the age of each visible component). Beige isn't a real colour anyway, so they're effectively invisible. :)

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    8. Re:Focusing on the wrong thing by jayrtfm · · Score: 1

      Sorry, but likely because you're a software engineer you're not understanding the mindset of many people, for whom the design of an item counts for more than what's under the hood.

    9. Re:Focusing on the wrong thing by ScrewMaster · · Score: 1

      More the fools they. Billions of dollars are thrown down the toilet every year over such fleeting concepts as style and design. One could argue that this is symptomatic of a systemic failure of American culture.

      The fact that I'm a software engineer has nothing to do with the fact that I can recognize shallow, trite behavior when I see it. And that's irrelevant to my original point which was only meant to apply to computers. All the important action takes place on the screen: all the box does is lie there, and all the fancy lighting and molded plastic in the world won't change that.

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  42. Re:SHUT UP NERD! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > Hmm. In the 17th century, they put madmen and beggars and criminals to work for no pay in some manufacture or workshop, putting other people (who got paid for working) out of work. History repeating?

    Uh, no... that's actually the current state of affairs even in the good old USA even as I type this.

    In a word? UNICOR - your friendly federal employer of the imprisoned. Now we can't have federal inmates just sitting around all day masturbating to porn and trying to but fsck eachother, can we? No. All they need is a good lesson in a fair days work for a fair (under the federal definition of "fair") days pay.

    You know... I'm not really worried about jobs being outsourced to India. As long as we have good supply of Drug Criminals and Terrorists, we'll always have good supply of American speaking tech support.

    Of course we've never had a problem with giving christmas presents to our kids made by political prisoners in China, have we?

  43. Safely by kalislashdot · · Score: 0, Troll

    I was looking at the pictures of the assembly line an noticed something. No safety equipment, primarly no safety glass. They work next to heavy machinery and where no gallses to protect there eyes. Also no guards on equipment no handrails, no painting masks. I am surprised they have gloves. Just shows how far behind China is, probally 100 years behind the US. Probally why it is so cheap to build stuff there. No OSHA like rules, no labor laws about pay. I do commend China for building up there economy by manufacturing but I did not realize how much more advanced the US was.

    1. Re:Safely by Loosewire · · Score: 1

      RTFA
      You will notice in some of the pictures the employees are not wearing proper protective equipment. This is most evident in the paint booths and in spot/projection welding processes. This was the employees' choice, as they wanted to be "seen" in our pictures without their masks or goggles. Once my camera appeared, everyone wanted to be included in the photos for this article, and my presence generated a lot of attention and excitement. Chenbro does provide proper safety equipment for their employees and they are required to wear it -- except when an American with a camera is snapping their photos. We were all over the factory with a camera for two days, so the "word" spread that it was a photo op. As you can see, the Chenbro employees loved having their picture taken
      Though weather you beleive this is up to you...

      --
      Slashdot - The one stop shop for procrastination
    2. Re:Safely by kalislashdot · · Score: 1

      Ya I just skimmed the article, I hate reading pages and pages of boring text. Thanks for pointing out that tidbit of text. It kinda makes sense. If I worked next to machinery I would go buy my own saftly googles if they did not provide then.

      I hate the US goverment hatred for the "commies" in China. I wish China the best of luck over these tough times to make their country better.

    3. Re:Safely by IM6100 · · Score: 1

      It's pretty obvious that this 'journalist' is following along in the lines of the 'journalists' who visited the Soviet Union in the 1930's, getting pampered treatment and blue-ribbon factory tours.

      The history of what really went on in factories and villages in the USSR is now becoming well known. Let's not repeat history.

      --
      A Good Intro to NetBS
    4. Re:Safely by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The problem is, you can say the same thing about any capitalist concern. This pipe dumping PCBs in the Hudson? Why, they're perfectly safe! Our workers? (Psst - make sure Security escorts Bob down the back hallway after he clears out his desk!) Happy and content!

      Capitalism with strong civil rights (Bill of Rights) does decouple the watchdogs from the corporate masters from the state and its ability to influence, which can be an improvement if you play the cards right.

    5. Re:Safely by pelgv · · Score: 1

      Yes, they are so far beghind US, but they are stealing the jobs. Did you see the number of laboreers? Working in the same factory living there? It is astonishing how we can buy somethin made in China, and dont ask our selfs in how much risk we have put life of humans that do not have any safety precautions. Also I cant belive how fast companies are moving China. Lower costs? Ok, but you are taking jobs from here, and you are puting Chinese to work, some times under infra-human conditions... Not fair...

    6. Re:Safely by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Just shows how far behind China is, probally 100 years behind the US. Probally why it is so cheap to build stuff there. No OSHA like rules, no labor laws about pay. I do commend China for building up there economy by manufacturing but I did not realize how much more advanced the US was.

      Funny isn't it? The US manufacturing industry was growing just as fast as China's when they didn't have all these silly OSHA rules. I think we have proof that safety == loss of American jobs. Think about that next time you vote for the democrat union workers. Democrats constantly push for a "safer" environment for union workers yet they are doing nothing but screwing you in the long run by causing these jobs to be moved to China and other more enlightened countries where these stupid rules don't apply.

    7. Re:Safely by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      I think we have proof that safety == loss of American jobs. Think about that next time you vote for the democrat union workers. Democrats constantly push for a "safer" environment for union workers yet they are doing nothing but screwing you in the long run by causing these jobs to be moved to China and other more enlightened countries where these stupid rules don't apply.

      Sometimes in the US, safety laws indeed do go overboard. For example, the company still has to pay you injury compensation even if it was CLEARLY the employee's stupidity or blatant disregard for safety rules that got them hurt. This is ridiculous. Our legal system and labor laws reward idiots too easily.

    8. Re:Safely by Mr.+Droopy+Drawers · · Score: 1
      In your haste to wish China well, you would do well to remember the tiananmen square massacre.

      Sending this kind of work to countries that commit attrocities against their people are not countries that we should be praising.

      Tom's HW article is drivel and FUD akin to Red Cross visits to German and Japanese prison camps during WWII.

      --

      To Copy from One is Plagiarism; To Copy from Many is Research.

  44. Riiiiiiiight. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "As you can see, these small children live Nike and Kathie Lee Gifford so very much, they insist on working 12-hour days making sneakers and sportswear, and even refuse to stop to eat!"

  45. But if everyone bought middle-of-the road parts... by MadAnthony02 · · Score: 1

    Nobody would read Tom's. It's geared towards gamers with more money than common sense, who are convinced they need to spend as much as possible, and want to impress all their lamer, I mean gamer, friends, with their big shiny bright green case.

  46. CowboyNeal And Bob by newshooze · · Score: 0

    I, for one, welcome the new 'Gaming Bomb' overlords

  47. What child workers? by b-baggins · · Score: 1

    Finally had a chance to see the pictures. What are you talking about?

    There were no child workers at all. The youngest girl I saw was probably 18. Asians look younger than Europeans at the same age.

    The shirts they were wearing were company uniforms.

    --
    You can tell a great deal about the character of a man by observing those who hate him.
  48. Re:SHUT UP NERD! by bj8rn · · Score: 1

    Well, I guess they do this to prisoners everywhere. But I don't think there's any big problems with prison workshops putting 'ordinary decent people' out of work. I mean, there aren't too many things you can produce using quite low-tech tools and not too skilled workforce (though they can make weapons out of nothing).

    --
    Hell is not other people; it is yourself. - Ludwig Wittgenstein
  49. my impressions by asr_man · · Score: 1

    There were a couple of funny details in the article -- like how it reads like Engrish in some places, and how task manager was displayed on a PC to make it look important.

    I was facinated with the manufacturing process but I wouldn't want to spend more than a few hours in the place. It is hard to imagine those employees to spending the majority of their time in such an ugly factory "being extremely proud of their work". But it just means that the security of such jobs is far better for them than their alternatives. So if you have a better job, be grateful!

  50. Wanker by Chuck+Chunder · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How would "all literate people know how something simple like this is designed, tested, and constructed" if articles such as this didn't exist to tell them?

    --
    Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
    1. Re:Wanker by InfiniteWisdom · · Score: 1

      So you've asked for a refund on your education, then?

    2. Re:Wanker by C10H14N2 · · Score: 1

      Maybe he meant all literate people know how to make something approximating the first Apple computer, which could have just as effectively been constructed out of macaroni shells and Elmer's glue on construction paper over the "look 'ma, I can hammer on plywood" process chosen for the prototype.

      On the contrary, I think most literate people are aware that they are unable to fabricate resin models with frickin' laser beams in their garage and don't fault their 7th grade science teacher for that ignorance.

    3. Re:Wanker by treat · · Score: 1

      Luckily this is about how to build a case in a well-equipped facility designed for doing such things. Not in your garage, where you lack the appropriate tools and raw materials.

      Every informed person knows about those rapid prototyping machines. They have been mentioned on Slashdot several times.

      Really, which part of this is news to you? That it's designed using CAD? That metal is made to the right shapes and attached together using rivets and welding? That it happens on an assembly line? That it is done in a country where labor is cheap?

    4. Re:Wanker by C10H14N2 · · Score: 1

      Modern manufacturing processes are not news to me - I've done my share of time in MQC/QA in biologics and aerospace companies. However, personal tours of Chinese manufacturing plants that highlight the working conditions beyond racism, xenophobia and 'they work cheap' are indeed rare, so by /. standards, this qualifies as interesting enough.

  51. How a computer is built. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Gee. How IS a computer built?

  52. A good article to show complexity by Shivetya · · Score: 1

    Its a good article in that is shows that even the simplest parts of our computers have a lot of time invested in their design and manufacturer. Too many people see some elements of their PCs are "overpriced" when compared to others. As in "why should this piece cost so much when it doesn't do as much as this other one"

    There are some interesting points in the article, provided you ignore the overbearing emphasis on quality assurances. I think the heavy focus on QA in this article is an attempt to show the readers that they //China// do take manufacturing seriously. It is only logical for them to invest in QA as it is will provide the basis for a lasting economy. You can go only so far many "cheap third world" items, and China obviously has ambitions beyond that status.

    At least they were upfront about the fact that windowed cases can't pass an RF test. Sometimes this had side effects the buyers don't realize, to include inteference of cordless phones, radios, tvs, cell phones, monitors, and even dsl modems. Let alone what all that RF does to you (would be interesting to see how much exposure does do to some of these users - I have seen cases right on desktop with the windowed side facing the owner)

    Informercial aspects aside its still interesting. I have 3 cases here, and its evident which ones are produced with more care. That care isn't done for just our benefit, it does come back to their bottom line.

    --
    * Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
    1. Re:A good article to show complexity by Reziac · · Score: 1

      I've noticed the same thing -- the early stuff from China was complete crap, very obviously not well made, but over the past 3-4 years has become much better; I no longer cringe at "Made in China", at least for the midrange and better stuff.

      As to quality and the bottom line, when I find a case (or other component) that I like, I stick with it, for myself and my clients. So they sell me more units than if their only motivation was upfront cost-cutting.

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  53. Housing is unfair competition for US companies by StandardCell · · Score: 1

    As far as I'm concerned, Western companies can't compete against China not just because of the low salaries, but because the government provides benefits beyond what most people receive here. It's an artificial government boost that should IMO be compensated for with trade sanctions. When will people realize that this is part and parcel of why tech is dying in the US, Canada and Europe?

    1. Re:Housing is unfair competition for US companies by leozc · · Score: 1

      It is different, western ppl won't die without the work, however China needs to feed 1/4 of the population in the world with super limited resource. What can they do? Oh, boy , when you are worrying about the meals of tomorrow then you can understand this point.

    2. Re:Housing is unfair competition for US companies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The vast majority of large-sized and even middle-sized companies here in Japan also provide dorm-style housing for company employees, typically on a single-sex basis. This is in addition to frequent company-funded or company-subsidized housing. Remember that the latter practice is also common in America for high-level employees. In Japan, the employees must still pay "rent", but at an extremely reduced rate (sometimes about 15% the cost of a "studio"-style apartment). The tradeoffs are often restrictions on personal freedom, however. Think of American college single-sex dorm rules in the 1950's, and you get a good idea (i.e. no females beyond the lounge, a curfew, etc...). Regardless of what you're thinking, the financial costs these companies bear to provide this "benefit" to employees is quite substantial. There are few financial benefits for the company besides long-term employee retention (which creates reduced hiring costs), and a group-solidarity mindset ("your company is your family").

      If you believe for even one second that providing employee housing in a hugely-overpriced real estate market like Japan is "unfair competition" for the US, you are sorely mistaken. After all, it was only years ago that the price of the land the imperial palace sits on in the middle of Tokyo (a few dozen hectares) was valued to be worth more money than the all of the land in the entire state of California. And yet, may I remind you that despite all of the doom-and-gloom that you hear on the news, America still has the largest economy in the entire world. There are *plenty* of companies in the US who provide company-funded or company-subsidized housing for their high-level employees. It's morally unfair for country "A" to force trade sanctions on country "B" simply because B's culture holds more value in a company-employee support relationship. The issue that "tech is dying in the US" because people can't find an apartment is a paltry complaint to the fact that in the San Francisco Bay Area, the vast majority of *police officers* and *fire fighters* do not even earn enough money to live within a 30 minute drive of their station. If San Francisco goes up in flames during the next big earthquake, the "dire needs" of the tech workforce will look trivial indeed.

    3. Re:Housing is unfair competition for US companies by C10H14N2 · · Score: 1

      The San Francisco Fire Department employs 1901 FTEs with a salary and fringe budget of $184M. With 95% of those salaries devoted to the uniformed service and an average salary and benefit package worth $96,000, the SFFD is hardly impoverishing their employees. Where did you get your information, you anonymous coward? Besides, the "dire needs" of the tech workforce are dire when you define "tech workforce" not just as "$80k per year engineer with $125k in student loans to repay" but also as "$14k per year electronics assembler with a GED."

    4. Re:Housing is unfair competition for US companies by C10H14N2 · · Score: 1

      Last I checked, in Canada and most of Europe the government provides significantly more benefits than what most people receive here and certainly more than in China. o/~ Blame Canada! Blame Canada! o/~

  54. Despite what they say... by CharlieG · · Score: 1

    I was looking at the stamping/folding gear - No company in the US would be allowed stamping/folding gear like that! It is possible for someone to get a limb in the press, and get it folded or stamped, or to put fingers ABOVE the working area where things are moving

    OSHA would throw a fit - which is why the cases are made in China

    I remember a factory that had a die press. It had a metal cage around it, and full safeties - the operator had to close the door, and use a 2 button (one for each hand) activation, as is standard. OSHA still giged them. You see, there was a 3 inch gap at the floor. They said it was possible for a person with really long arms to lay down on the floor, slip their arm under the gates, rotate their arm up, and JUST get their fingertips on the die surface. Then another person could trip the press, crushing their fingers (Like the other person isn't going to see the person laying there?)

    Yes, you have to protect workers from ACTIVELY trying to hurt themselves - protection against passive errors or stupidity is not enough. Heck, OSHA would gig the factory for the guy taking of the goggles for the photos! There was recently a case where a subcontractor's employee didn't wear eye proctection eye thought both the subcontractor AND the prime contractor supplied eye proctection and ORDERED the guy not to take them off, and in fact, the prime had suspended the worker a few times for taking them off. Guy gets injured - the sun and the prime's insurance Co's had to pay

    --
    -- 73 de KG2V For the Children - RKBA! "You are what you do when it counts" - the Masso
    1. Re:Despite what they say... by Trollificus · · Score: 2, Informative
      "Yes, you have to protect workers from ACTIVELY trying to hurt themselves"

      If you don't, then they WILL hurt themselves. Earlier this year, a friend of mine worked at some plant where they cut and package tickets, and one of the maintenance workers decided that he was going to fix a damaged machine while it was still running. He got down on the floor and reached his hand under an opening in the machine and proceeded to tinker.
      Well, suffice it to say, he lost his arm that day.. The thing shredded his arm to ribbons. I think he got it caught in some large gears.

      Despite strict rules, the company was responsible for his act of idiocy. So I suppose these companies are wise to be so anal about safety in the workplace. If you give someone three inches, they'll give you their entire arm. ;p

      --

      "People should be allowed to keep midgets as pets."
      - Gov. Jesse Ventura

    2. Re:Despite what they say... by dokebi · · Score: 2, Insightful

      No wonder all the manufacturing is moving out of the US. If the company is responsible for such an obvious neglect on part of the worker, I won't want to do manufacturing in the US either. Maybe the cause is our neglected public education system.

      On the other hand, it's interesting that while GM and Ford are moving manufacturing out of the US, the Japanese and German auto manufacturerers are opening more auto plants in the US. Which leads me to think that it's not the workers that's the blame, but wasteful management.

      --
      In Soviet Russia, articles before post read *you*!
    3. Re:Despite what they say... by evil_one · · Score: 1

      The article claims that the stamping equipment CAN'T engage if hands etc. are in the way - sensors detect it & turn the equipment off.

      --
      Desperation is a stinky cologne
    4. Re:Despite what they say... by Safety+Cap · · Score: 1
      I notice that the workers in the pictures aren't wearing goggles, ear-protection or respirators, like when they blow the dust off the cases prior to painting. Nothin' like breathing in fine metal dust over 20 years to give you that (wo)manly cough...
      It is possible for someone to get a limb in the press, and get it folded or stamped ~.
      Hey, if getting one's hand stamped is good enough for Darth (er, Anikin), then it should be good enough for them!
      --
      Yeah, right.
    5. Re:Despite what they say... by seanadams.com · · Score: 1

      A friend of mine is an industrial designer who works with lots of plastic shops in the far east. He said that every molding shop has had at least one incident of somebody losing an appendage... in fact, the larger machines which make plastic car bumpers and such have been known to liquefy an entire person who happened to be standing inside working on the tool.

    6. Re:Despite what they say... by CharlieG · · Score: 1

      Despite what the article SAYS - look at the picture

      http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20031006/imag es /img_3517.jpg

      Notice the rams ABOVE the tool - that it a potential pinch point, and it has NO guards around it! That would be an OSHA violation

      --
      -- 73 de KG2V For the Children - RKBA! "You are what you do when it counts" - the Masso
    7. Re:Despite what they say... by SoupIsGoodFood_42 · · Score: 1

      If you read the text more carefully, you'd have read the part where it says that a lot of the workers took their safty gear off for the camera. So they do accutally wear saftey gear.

    8. Re:Despite what they say... by jafuser · · Score: 1

      The more bases of operation your corporation has, the more tax writeoffs you can get when you use the private jet.

      --
      Please consider making an automatic monthly recurring donation to the EFF
  55. [OT] Slashdot Moderators? by FTL · · Score: 1
    This story has been on the /. front page for three hours and there isn't a single comment rated at 3 or more. And not just on this story, all of today's stories have very few articles which have been modded up.

    Is there a shortage of moderators today?

    --
    Slashdot monitor for your Mozilla sidebar or Active Desktop.
  56. RTFA!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    employees chose to remove gear for the photo op

  57. Slashdotted? by Viceice · · Score: 1

    Is it just me or did we just slashdot tom? I can't seem to load pages beyond the intro.

    --
    Sometimes I wish I was a plumber, then I'd know how to deal with other people's shit.
    1. Re:Slashdotted? by Reziac · · Score: 1

      It cycled me back to a random previous page every time I tried to load images. ???

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  58. question & answer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Question: "Ever wondered how that pretty case on your desk came to be? "

    Answer: Nope.

    StatiK76

  59. oh my god its an ad by treat · · Score: 1

    Here, one of the Chenbro employees is re-working the die to implement an engineering change required to improve product quality. Chenbro is continually looking for ways to improve the quality and consistency of their products.

    1. Re:oh my god its an ad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah,

      I could tell Tom's Hardware started the article, then the company finished the last 3/4 of the article with, our company has the highest standard, attention to detail, consistency quality, ... blah blah blah .... look at how this employee enjoys attention to detail ... now we will do something we normally never do because the cameras are here on the tour ... other companies should learn from us because we are so great!

      The shameless plugs go on and on...

      -Dave

  60. Less is more... by mesach · · Score: 1

    Give me a nondescript case that sits off in the corner, doesnt make a sound, and has everything I need in a small container, and I will be happy, I don't like these ugly cases.

    I want my desk to only contain my KB, Mouse, and my 3 head LCD setup. it speaks volumes, and is alot sexier that some hideously designed case whirring like a jet engine, taking up space and not matching anything.

    --
    moo.
  61. nice designed case ... ?? by Ogger · · Score: 2

    No matter how hard you work nor the time that it takes to build one if the end product is just ugly! I mean look at the case design of apple products (i.e. G5), and you'll see what i mean by that. Design plays equal role as does engineering. G5 for example uses state of the art anodizing process called Microplasmic anodizing that coats material (i.e. of G5 -- Aluminum alloy) and makes it as twice as harder than steel. You can read more about this process at http://www.microplasmic.com One more thing that this article ignores is design part. The Innovation and education of Design team is not something that has to be ignored, look at the Apple design team lead by Jonathan Ive.

  62. AnandTech did the same thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    AnandTech wrote a similar article about an ECS factory. IMHO, motherboard production is MUCH more interesting than case production. Anand isn't as blatent about how much he got paid for the article either.

  63. Re:Ever wonder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Somebody please explain exactly how the parent is off-topic. It would help me mod in the future if I knew what the criteria were (other than just plain old whimsy). I'm serious.

    Posting as AC because I'm at WORK.

  64. cases by delphipoweredgeek · · Score: 1

    if u really dont like ur case why dont u mod it. its great fun. see www.casemods.com

    --
    end;
    1. Re:cases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      lrn 2 wrte proprlee, or ppl w1ll lok @ u lk ure a moron. seriously.

  65. no by rehabdoll · · Score: 1

    "Ever wondered how that pretty case on your desk came to be?"

    not really, no.

  66. BULLSHIT! by HughJampton · · Score: 1

    "You will notice in some of the pictures the employees are not wearing proper protective equipment. This is most evident in the paint booths and in spot/projection welding processes. This was the employees' choice, as they wanted to be "seen" in our pictures without their masks or goggles. Once my camera appeared, everyone wanted to be included in the photos for this article, and my presence generated a lot of attention and excitement. Chenbro does provide proper safety equipment for their employees and they are required to wear it -- except when an American with a camera is snapping their photos. We were all over the factory with a camera for two days, so the "word" spread that it was a photo op. As you can see, the Chenbro employees loved having their picture taken." I can almost hear the briefcases full of money clicking open.

    --
    In Soviet Russia, beowulf clusters imagine YOU!
  67. Meh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is it me, or do these look like every other overpriced, plastic-tacked-on-as-afterthought, doors-and-flaps-soon-to-break, superfluous-opening-front-panel, colors-aped-from-Dell, POS?

    My god, do I hate a case with a door on the front that opens. That just comes right out and says "We can't design a case, so we'll hide it behind this sexy plastic door that you'll eventually break off..."

    Hope you're all happy - Johnathan Ive is somewhere crying in his espresso.

  68. Ugly by Zed2K · · Score: 1

    I think just about all the latest cases are so damn ugly. Stupid window panels, layered on plastic to make it "look" hi-tech. Stupid full front doors. Ughh.

    Give me back the days of the normal mini-tower cases. There was nothing wrong with the old cases except the materials they were made out of, sharp edges steel, not very good circulation, hard to remove drive bay and pci slot covers, no front access USB/firewire/sound connectors, and all the same color. But the overall look of the minitower cases was just fine. My new pc will be a basic black case made out of aluminum. It is so hard to find basic black cases that are built well though.

    1. Re:Ugly by TheOnlyCoolTim · · Score: 1

      Look for an Antec Sonata. Shiny black, well-built, not overdesigned.

      Tim

      --
      Omnia vestra castrorum habetur nobis.
    2. Re:Ugly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I second the antec vote, I have been using them exclusively for a few years now and they are top notch cases.
      High quality power supplies too.
      Paired with an Intel CPU, Intel Desktop Board, and Quality Ram you get a rock solid system.

      www.antec-inc.com

  69. Like Car Manufacturing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    This is amazingly similar to car manufacturing plants. I toured one in southern Ukraine that was partially operational at the time, and the processess used on forming/joining the steel and painting were very much like what they're doing here.


    This is remarkable, I'm very impressed. I never would have thought making a PC case is almost as involved as making a car (obviously, there are many less sub-processes, but the core manufacturing is very similar). I wouldn't be surprised if the "model" for this plant came from an automobile plant. Props to Henry Ford!

  70. beef with toms hardware by TheHawke · · Score: 1

    I'm sorry guys, but after the disaster that [H]ardOCP had with THG regarding the rollout of the Amthlon64 processor during quakecon 2003, I wont be viewing that site for some time.. Maybe never!

    --
    First rule of holes; When in one, stop digging.
  71. Article? by rsm00th · · Score: 1

    Wow, I just finished reading that "article" and it seemed to be more of an advertisement than an objective analysys.

  72. so you are saying Americans are bloody idiots? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    America: raise the costs for everyone because you have to spend $$$ protecting people from being idiots. If someone is an idiot, that idiot can sue the company.

    China: if people are idiots, they can get hurt. And not sue the company. Things are cheaper.

    hmm...

  73. chang by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    wong dong wang chang chong. Dong wang wing wong fong foo wang. Foo dong chow wang fong.

  74. You Asked for It. by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 1
    Many of our readers have written us with the same request: "Can you please explain how computer cases are created?"

    Remember that TV show? I could sure enjoy seeing it's return given today's trash television programming. It could have Temptation Island's timeslot IMHO.

    --
    "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
  75. PowerMac by ModernGeek · · Score: 1

    I'd like to see the process of creating a PowerMac G5 case, or somthing from IBM, since they create most of the stuff that they use, unlike Sony, Toshiba, etc.

    --
    Sig: I stole this sig.
  76. You people are blinded by your own BULLSHIT. by jbottero · · Score: 1

    It's one thing to bandy about lines like "child labor" and "forced to work 12 hour days" and such, but the pictures don't lie. It may very well be that there are many many sweat shops in China, but how can you say this is one? I think some people have an ax to grind and will avoid the facts at all costs to make their point. For Christ's sake, look at the pictures: Any 12 year olds working there? Please. There are many factories in the US that are far worse then this.

  77. Interesting names by jrockway · · Score: 1

    Where did these Chinese people get names like Jerry, Johnny, Kevin, Ken, Jim, etc? Don't they have _real_ names? Why does everyone think English is so cool?

    --
    My other car is first.
    1. Re:Interesting names by swankypimp · · Score: 1

      I work at a computer company with a number of Chinese who have "Americanized" their names; there's Ray, Johnny, Jane, etc. It reminds me of a stand up comic I saw years ago who said, "Black people are naming their kids Sheniqua and DeShawn. White people are naming their kids Britney and Dakotah. The only Americans with normal names like Theresa and James are Asian."

      --

      --All your stolen base are belong to Rickey Henderson
    2. Re:Interesting names by deke_kun · · Score: 1

      Because to be honest, chances are you couldnt pronounce their chinese names if your life depended on it.

      And clearly theyre sick of people trying to, and failing miserably, so they pick anglocized names that most people can pronounce.

    3. Re:Interesting names by jpatokal · · Score: 1

      Chinese Christians -- and there are quite a few in Singapore and Taiwan, esp. in the higher classes of society -- usually have "English" Christian names in addition to their Chinese names.

  78. "Only 299 More Steps To Go..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's kind of a redundant title - every Tom's Hardware article is like that. Do yourself a favor, just skip to page 300 and read the summary.

  79. Tom's Thousand Pages by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I used to visit and read Tom's Hardware page pretty often. Now you have to scroll through dozens of pages to read a one page story. I don't visit Tom's anymore.

    If I've missed the printer friendly link, please tell me!

    1. Re:Tom's Thousand Pages by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dozens of pages when fewer would suffice means more times we have to view the ads.

      That's what it's all about, Charlie Brown.

  80. But a window with a grid... by Nicolay77 · · Score: 1

    Like the ones in microwave ovens should be able to pass the test. That would be a new market too.

    --
    We are Turing O-Machines. The Oracle is out there.
  81. FIX THE LINK by losycompresion · · Score: 1

    For those that actually want to follow the link above remove the space between the zero and the comma.

  82. MODERATORS! WHERE ARE YOU? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This guy is speaking of a girlfriend. It's been dire times in-deed, when we ALWAYS assumed a poster DID NOT have a GIRLFRIEND. Somebody mod this cootie-chaser down to king Herod; as it was assumed the poster had a girlfriend! Evil talk: MOD IT DOWN!

  83. Not BULLSHIT! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You realy need to hold your tongue. Chenbro has a verry rickety past in its employee history. As you see in the picture, the employees are certainly operating dangerous heavy-metal, milling, and aerated equipment that can cause serious health problems. Given that the article provided that Chenbro has its workers hearded into living dormitories, it is obvious that the workers would be fearful of criticizing company safety policies due to fear of being expelled out of company living quarters. Chenbro is a verry sad place where everyone who doesn't smile is obviously adament about their work ethic not interfering with photos from an American that earn more money in one day than what the Chanbro employees earn in two weeks. The skill needed to manufacture these computer accessories is exceptional, yet the Chenbro employees earn no more than $0.35 USD per day, while the Quality Assurance employees earn no less than $2.00 USD per day. Do you see how such a horrible secret can be kept? QA Employees are receiving great money, and QA do not live in the Chebro company's living quarters. If anything left Chenbro about how they hired children under the age of 15 or made faint use of proper safety equipment to operate equipment that releases caustic fumes and propellants into the breathing area of the worker, then Chenbro would receive lower appeal to its more wealthy American and European customers. China itself doesn't care about worker safety. China is making a change from a Military Dictatorship neo-Fascist Communist country into a more Capitalistic neo-Fascist Socialism, yet too many people are in its economy to provide imminant demand for their social and economic evolution that the transition is too slow. China doesn't care, they need less people and more land so they can share the same real-estate dreams the wealthy landowners and banks of America and Europe enjoy. In China, nobody owns land; it is all owned by the government. With too many people, the land is valued too high, and by having less people they can accustom to a more progressive approach to socialism. I should know, I'm chinese. There will be a war, and with the blood of our patriots spilled we will have a more comfortable population and enjoy our populace that you pig Americans and Europeans steal from us. And when America dies, we will conquer Japan for the harsh treatment they gave us 50 years ago and you will not be around to protect the empiralist capitalists!

    -Chang Ling

    1. Re:Not BULLSHIT! by jayrtfm · · Score: 1

      cold you please supply some url's documenting the problems with Chenbro?

  84. Mmmmm.... by pyrrhonist · · Score: 1
    Young Asian women putting cases together with their dainty, dainty hands.
    Mmmmmm...

    Sorry, couldn't resist. I'll leave now.

    --
    Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
  85. Inquiring minds wanna know by loosewing · · Score: 0

    "Since Chenbro requested that we not disclose the names of their OEM customers due to certain contractual restrictions, we can't name these OEMs."

    I would sure like to know who those are. Dell? HP? MicronPC? Compaq or Alienware?

    Inquiring minds wanna know...anyone?

  86. Infomercial by Profane+Motherfucker · · Score: 1

    Fuck me, could this shit have been a more blatant commercial for some fucking case manufacturer? Was the THG schmuck assigned a full time fluffer to make sure he had a raging hardon the entire fucking time?

    And for christ's sake, who the fuck is the fifth grader that writes the captions? How many of the things start out with "As you can see" or "As with this", "as with that"? Well thank you very fucking little as I don't need to be told that I can see something. If it's so fucking Obvious, then why the fuck does the fifth grader need to tell me that I can see it? Logic would hold that it isn't too fucking obvious, as you can clearly see, if someone has to tell you you can see it. Good god, that drove me up the fucking wall.

    Here's the sentence to end all sentences, and proof that some people just don't know a fucking thing about writing. WHERE'S THE FUCKING EDITOR?

    "The hot melting process is used to secure and join the plastic together. As the name implies, heat is used to melt and secure the parts into place. "

    THE FUCKING NAME IMPLIES IT? IT JUST DON'T FUCKING IMPLY IT! IT IS IS IS IS IT. WHAT THE FUCK WILL HOT MELT MEAN OTHER THAN HOT FUCKING MELT?

    "The hot melting process is used ..... As the name implies, gravy is used to join folds of meat together and create a beautiful fur fucking rug." Good thing someone mentioned exactly what "hot melting" means. I thought cold melting. Then I thought that maybe it had something to do with Republicans and naked pictures of the Baby Jesus. No! It has to do with hot melting. That god for people to tell me EVERYTHING.

    I could send a monkey to China with a note: "Dear China, rub shit on this monkey and send him home with a computer case" and get a more coherent objective view of some metal-fab place with political prisioner housing on site.

  87. Owned. by Perianwyr+Stormcrow · · Score: 1

    Wow.

    --

    What we call folk wisdom is often no more than a kind of expedient stupidity.-Edward Abbey

  88. Re:MODERATORS! WHERE ARE YOU? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    OMG SLASHDOT READERS HAVE GIRLFRIENDS?!?!?!?!

    Yeah, that's an original 'joke'.

    Mod this amazing comedian all the way up.. such incisive, quick-witted humour. Well done.

  89. moron by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    waa waa waa! boo hiss! fuck fuck fuck! i be angry!

    now cry like a little girl.

    (couldn't do caps, courtesy of lameness filter)

    1. Re:moron by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fag. What are you, the author?

  90. Tom's was Invited to Chenbro by The+Raven · · Score: 1

    This was not an objective article. THG was invited to goto the factory. They talk about how many people ask them how cases are made... you know what? I think that's bull. I think nobody asked them, they just bit the shiny hook that Chenbro dangled, and we're now eating fish.

    This is an advertisement, disguised as an article, with very little content.

    --
    "I will trust Google to 'do no evil' until the founders no longer run it." Hello Alphabet.
  91. adverticle by dopeghost · · Score: 1

    the whole article, interesting as it was, seemed like an infomercial or something, similiar to the one that appeared on slashdot the other day about data recovery

    every sentence seemed to have been penned to cast Chenbro in the purest possible light, with continued empathsis as to the superior quality and commitment of the workers.

    if tom's hardware started to show this kind of bias in it's reviews it would quickly turn heads.

    it almost seemed like the journalist didn't bother with writing the article himself and just got one of Chenbro's copywriters to do it for him.

    --
    This UID is 7651 digits too high to subjectively infer IQ from.
  92. How difficult is it to build a case? by technoch · · Score: 1

    From prototyping to manufacturing I fail to see how difficult is it to build a metal box

  93. Pretty case - Case below the desk by jdeking1 · · Score: 1

    The ambient temperature is slightly lower under the desk (at least it is under my desk at home - 6 foot conference table, tubular legs) because of the marginally lower altitude within the indoor environment, also because of the greater distance from the ambient heat from the monitor. During most of the year, particularly the winter months, the temperature is significantly lower at floor level, at least at my house (slab foundation, ceramic tile floor, no carpet or rug).

    The downside to this situation, of course, is an increased level of dust and/or pet dander. Regular maintenance can control these problems.

    While this might seem to minimize the aesthetic benefit of a "pretty case," that isn't necessarily so; what's really unattractive (in my room at least) are the numerous stacks of O'Reilly books, VHS tapes, DVDs and Dr. Dobb's Journal magazines, plus the 20 or so speakers, 4 subwoofers and the three 19" monitors. Oh, and the whiteboard on the wall, covered with multicolored scrawlings. Did I mention the old bedsheets used as window curtains? Those velcro cable ties from CaseLogic make great curtain tiebacks!

    A nice-looking PC tower might help to distract (albeit only slightly) from the rest of the unholy mess.

    Thank goodness for OpenGL screensavers! A bit of psychedelic culture in my hopelessly geeky life!

    --
    "A generation which ignores history has no past and no future." -- Robert Heinlein