High-End Aluminum PC Cases Make A Comeback

An anonymous reader writes ""Lian Li's V1200 Plus represents the apex of enclosure technology to date. Lian Li is a long time favorite of computer builders, especially those who are willing to spend more so that they will get the features and design benefits of a high end product. This case has a formidable price tag, but with its great looks, innovative layout, and brand reputation it has more that a few things going for it. At 210 x 490 x 625mm this case has the depth of a full-tower, but not the height. This makes it perfect for extensive systems and for people who need to tinker inside the case.""

Comments

Magnesium Cubes

[AKAImBatman]

Aluminum? How Space Age. Ultra-modern, Information Age technology demands the return of the Magnesium Alloy cases. And if you douse them in lighter fluid and place them on top of a natural gas burner, they burh quite nicely. ;-)

Re:Magnesium Cubes

[w98]

I dunno, I'll never feel the same about PC cases after witnessing half life case mod that I believe was covered on /. a number of months ago.

Personally, I'm willing to buy a case made out of any kind of material if it'll be quiet enough... my regular steel case is too loud at night.

Re:Magnesium Cubes

[Snarfangel]

Magnesium? Blah, that's sooo 20th century. Titanium cases with anodized colors are where it's at.

Re:Magnesium Cubes

[Nermal6693]

I knew you were talking about a NeXT cube before I even clicked the link :)

Re:Magnesium Cubes

[Shano]

Indeed, several numbers of months ago...

Re:Magnesium Cubes

[moonbender]

Stick to steel. Aluminum looks snazzy, but steel cases are typically less prone to vibration noise (because they're way more heavy). And I say that having bought a Lian Li case - I still think it looks great, but I shouldn't have bought it anyway.

What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[bigwavejas]

Another thing to consider, which this article didn't specifically point out is... Aluminum cases keep your system cooler than standard steel cases. With PC temperatures rising (through overclocked CPU's and the latest pixel-pushing video cards), it's one more reason to consider a Aluminum.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[Anonymous Coward]

Technically you're correct, aluminum will keep your system cooler than steel, but very little. The difference would be .1-.3 Celcius. So, I guess if you want to squeeze every piece of heat from your system, you might consider aluminum. Mostly the temperature improvement is due to improved case design.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[dmbrun]

Aluminum cases keep your system cooler than standard steel cases

Well no.

See http://www.systemcooling.com/alum_steel-01.html

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[Jeff DeMaagd]

Pick the case metal based on what you like and are willing to pay for. I love the look of aluminum as a case metal but they aren't necessarily better functioning than steel.

That and, most computer case heat transfer is through air flow, any other claim is hype or a radically different design, which ATX and BTX aren't it, more like custom case and circuit design. Unless you actually have heat sinks that transfer heat directly to the shell, the shell material doesn't make much of a difference.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[bigwavejas]

Interesting read. I noticed there was still a bit of an edge to aluminum.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[Lisandro]

Not really - your computer heats the air inside the case, and not the case itself. Unless the parts generating more heat are attached directly to it (like the CPU), it won't really make much of a difference.
    Even stuff like hard disk (which are bolted to the case) will be cooled pretty much the same if the case is made of Al, steel or whatever, as there's enough mass to deal with it. Aluminium will move the heat quicker, giving you a couple of degrees less, and that's it.

    It will also irradiate poorly (being metal gray in color, instead of black).

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[bigwavejas]

Good point. With the thermal conductivity of aluminum vs steel I would have thought differently. Thanks for the correction.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[badasscat]

Another thing to consider, which this article didn't specifically point out is... Aluminum cases keep your system cooler than standard steel cases.

I'm guessing the article didn't point it out because it's not true. It's an old urban legend among PC builders that's been thoroughly debunked repeatedly, to the point where most people actually don't believe it anymore. (This is a good thing - most urban myths just keep on going forever... witness the Bill Gates 640k quote myth.)

Aluminum is a superior thermal conductor to steel but that's meaningless when you're talking about open air. Your PC's components are not actually in contact with the aluminum so it doesn't do them any good to be in an aluminum case. The vast majority of a PC's heat (around 99.9%) is removed by the PC's fans, not by conduction through the case, and you can easily verify this yourself just by feeling the top of your PC when it's on. It's likely that it's barely even warm to the touch - if it is, then you've got bigger problems that aren't going to be solved just by an aluminum case.

It's far more important that a PC case be built for good airflow than what material it's made out of. A well-designed steel case will outperform a poorly-designed aluminum case in terms of heat removal any day of the week.

It's another myth that aluminum cases are lighter - that may be true by a half pound or so, but when you're talking about 40 lbs. vs. 39.5 lbs. in a fully loaded PC, I don't think that much matters either. Your PC's innards don't magically get lighter just because you bought an aluminum case.

Buy an aluminum case because you like the way it looks and you like the way it's designed, not for any other reason.

(btw, I have two PC's in aluminum cases - I just like the look.)

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[Anonymous Coward]

Well if you would read the thing, it says "The charts show a very small advantage going to the aluminum case, but that advantage is well within the realm of test error". Right there, under the chart, after the sentence you're referring to.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously disagree about the weight. My old Antec SOHO case was about 30 pounds, but my new Antec P160 is about 13-14. Even fully loaded, thats still a 16-17 pounds difference, which is rather large.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[ozmanjusri]

Aluminum cases keep your system cooler than standard steel cases.

Perhaps, but silver, gold and platinum have much better thermal conductivity than aluminium, and diamonds are best of all.

Any case modder worth their salt should be building silver cases inlaid with gold and platinum heatsinks, encrusted with diamonds for those thermally sensitive areas.

It would be a good way to encourage recycling as well.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[WhatAmIDoingHere]

The front panel of my Thermaltake is thick aluminum and quite cool to the touch. It has slits in it for air to pass through. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to think that it's helping cool the air that the pair of 120mm fans are blowing through there.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[mjh49746]

Personally, I just want a case where I don't have to worry about cutting my hand all to hell and gone when I'm working inside of it. Another pet peeve I have is those slot blanks in the back that you have to break off just to insert PCI cards. Last time I put a PC together, I cut my finger so badly that I considered going to the hospital for stitches. Meanwhile, I had blood all over the new motherboard, all over the floor, and clear up to the bathroom where I went and tended to my wound. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll have to spend over $100 these days just so that I don't have to worry about injuring myself.

I think I'll check out the Lian Li in the article once the /. effect dies down. I can't say I'm necessarily willing to go with a high-end enclosure, but I'm definately done with the El Cheapo cases.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[DakotaSandstone]

It's another myth that aluminum cases are lighter - that may be true by a half pound or so...

Actually, metallic iron has a density of about 7 g/cc, and aluminum is 2.6 g/cc -- an aluminum case will weigh less than half an iron one made of the same thickness of material.

I can vouch for the lightness of my aluminum case. This isn't 40.0 vs 39.5 lbs, it's more like 40 vs 20.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[dbIII]

not by conduction through the case, and you can easily verify this yourself just by feeling the top of your PC when it's on

It's hot, paticularly near the hard drives and power supply.

A well-designed steel case will outperform a poorly-designed aluminum case

But if you compare well designed cases with each other there is a difference.

Heat flows by convection, conduction and radiation - (we can ignore radiation unless the CPU is a lot hotter than the case), but the hot air in the case will warm the case, heating up the inner surface where it will be conducted to the outer surface where it will be in contact with cooler air - so conduction is a factor. Also those drive bays get hot, so there is certainly some conduction of heat going on. Improve the conduction and you can move the heat more effectively that is already moving that way.

A case made from a big pipe with a big fan at the end and the drives near the axis of the pipe could ignore everything but conduction, but with other cases improving it has some effect - whether it is worth it comes down to the design.

It's another myth that aluminum cases are lighter

How can it be a myth? The more you put in the case the less significant the weight difference will appear (twelve hard drives will always be heavy) and it may not be worth it - but if weight is a factor you probably don't have a lot of extra stuff in there adding weight.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[HD Webdev]

I'm guessing the article didn't point it out because it's not true. It's an old urban legend among PC builders that's been thoroughly debunked repeatedly, to the point where most people actually don't believe it anymore.
{SNIP excellent explanation}

People can also go and grab a 6-pack of beer in cans (noooo!) to experient with and see that aluminum is not all it's cracked up to be.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[Anonymous Coward]

...and if you would think about the thing you'd note that aluminium transmits heat better than steel and will definitely be cooler. All the test proves is that the difference is bugger all in practical terms.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[ionpro]

Wrong on both counts.

A large amount of the heat an average PC produces today is made by the power supply. The power supply is a tough nut to crack -- the best are only 80% efficient, and they're so small that it's hard to get airflow through them. Even the new models with a 90mm and 120mm fan don't actually blow that many CFMs because all the equipment inside. And when you realize that in a 350W computer, at least 70W of pure heat have to be disipated, every little bit (conduction or convection) helps.

And why is aluminum lighter? Well, you're right, the material itself is not that much lighter. But usually cases need to be made out of 1cm thick steel, while aluminum can be much thinner (0.7cm) while maintaining structural integrity. Why do you think all those soda cans are made out of aluminum? I know that aluminum cases are lighter, because I have two Antec SX1000 cases beside me. They have equivilant components, except one has a heftier video card and 5 hard drives, while the other has 2 hard drives and a light, passively-cooled card. Guess which one is lighter?

The 5 drive computer with the heftier video card is about half the weight -- perhaps more, I haven't weighed it. It's *quite* obvious when lifting the computers, however.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[Anonymous Coward]

Ah, but if they have to use thicker material and more support structure? It takes a good deal of engineering to make an aluminum structure as strong as a steel one, and make it much lighter at the same time.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[archen]

Well if you want a case just not to cut yourself, then a Lian Li case is vast overkill. I need to build the computers at work and I've settled on the Antec SLK1650. A good case with a decent power supply at like ~$60.

At home I have an uber full tower Lian Li case. I've tried to skimp on cases over and over and over but always had problems. Stuff ended up mounted wrong, couldn't cool the hard drives, metal was so thin it vibrated because of the fan, on and on. The Lian Li case will definatly be the last case I buy while I can stuff parts that fit in it. The case is built much more solid which reduces vibration. Good attention to detail in almost every aspect. You pay too much for it, but what the hell. If you want a nice elegent case that doesn't look like it needs Type-R stickers all over it and is well built, you don't have many options to choose from.

I'd say it goes something like the code mantra: You can have a case that is: well built, looks nice, is cheap - pick any two... but you're lucky if you even get one.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[modecx]

1cm thick steel case? No way! Well, maybe on an SGI or something (them suckers are massive), but still that's about 10 times overkill. Maybe you have a case that thick if you want to make it bullet resistant. Heh. Most cases I've seen were made of 16 or 14 gauge (which translates to about 1.5mm), with some parts going as thick as 12 gauge for the backplates and certain structural pieces--like on older SGI and SUN computers, and on some heavier power supplies. I mean, my '64 Ford truck is old iron, but there's not a piece of sheet metal over 1/8 inch on it, aside from the frame rails.

Aluminum alloys are generally about half as dense as steel, and are inferior in strength in many respects. The benefit of aluminum is that it's light enough to allow one to beef the structure up well enough to make up for it's comparative lack of strength, and it's very malleable--you can bend it into shapes that would cause steel to break. And as with all things it's the shape that counts. All things being equal I'd expect that the aluminum case to be significantly thicker than the steel one. I have a micrometer, but no aluminum case to test that out on :D It's really quite a complicated science comparing materials (I would like to know more about myself, if I ever go PhD that will likely be my direction) but both materials have their advantages and disadvantages.

Soda cans are aluminum for a few reasons, and none of them are because aluminum is especially strong. For one, it's much easier to punch out into the shape we know soda cans for today. Like I said, steel could break under some circumstances. This is one. The machine that forms them is a giant drop punch, and in one step the can is pressed into its shape, it happens in a few hundred milliseconds. Steel would likely tear because of its stiffness, and it would wear out the tooling faster, but that's probably not signifigant. That's why "tin" cans, which are actually steel, are rolled and seamed. Secondly, if you're shipping out hundreds of millions of cans of product yearly, it would be wise to make the container as light as possible, not only because it costs more in materials, but it costs more in packaging and transportation--which surprisingly is supposed to cost more than the can, and more than the drink within. Aluminum cans used to be much thicker before they figured out the hyperbolic style tops and bottoms, and I heard long ago that the primary reason for the change was indeed shipping costs! Maybe it's true, maybe not, but it's a funny story anyhow.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[mjh49746]

I forget the brand name of this damned case, but I can attest that I'm not very satisfied with it. I chucked the PSU that came with it by default. The front USB ports don't work right. The left side access panel is a pita to remove. The AGP video card is a real whore to install and remove because it will hit the back of the case and I really have to mess with it just to be able to slide it into the slot. The right side access panel is loose nearest the front faceplate. The faceplate doesn't correctly align with the rest of the case, leaving sharp edges on the front. The screwless drive bays are pretty screwy. Once I trying to insert a floppy drive, and I went too far in. It was so jammed up that I ended up fighting with it for over an hour just to get the drive out. And let's not forget the bloodletting I did all over the place because of this muttfuck design. Alas, I'll have to break down, actually open my wallet, and take up your suggestion for my health and sanity.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[Malc]

I would imagine that steel soda cans would also have to be coated (galvanised?) with something to prevent corrosion.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[ErikZ]

Yeah, I move a lot. My expensive Aluminum case weighs about half as much as my free steel case.

Once I upgrade the steel one, I'm going for an Aluminum case.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[Malc]

You have two Al cases, eh? I'm curious, how quickly do they oxidise and gain that dull white look?

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[moonbender]

Ah, but if they have to use thicker material and more support structure?

Well, they just don't. That is, some do, but many just use thin aluminum sheets and let the user deal with the reduces "structural integrity". It's really not much of a problem, except that it might not be a good idea to sit or stand on an all-Aluminum case. I'm not sure what the actual weight tolerance is, this is just what I've read (on Dan's Data IIRC).

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[moonbender]

And when you realize that in a 350W computer, at least 70W of pure heat have to be disipated, every little bit (conduction or convection) helps.

Well, yes and no. Very few computers actually draw 350W even under load. 250W under load is a good guess for a fairly high-end PC, occasional peaks nonwithstanding. Less than 200W idling.
That said, maybe every little bit helps, but as far as I know, the bit convection cooling adds in a standard case is really so little that it simply is irrelevant, and laughable if used a reason for buying an aluminum case. (Hey, everybody knows you do it for the looks.)

Well, you're right, the material itself is not that much lighter. But usually cases need to be made out of 1cm thick steel, while aluminum can be much thinner (0.7cm) while maintaining structural integrity.

Eh. You got it all backwards. Aluminum IS much lighter than steel. But it's also way easier to bend, which means that given an otherwise exactly equal design, the steel case will be more robust and way heavier than the aluminum one. It's not much of an issue, though, a computer enclosure doesn't need to be all that robust to work, anyway. Some manufacturers have opted for thicker aluminum sheets all the same. But yeah, aluminum cases are a lot lighter than steel cases of the same size, no doubt about it.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[eelke_klein]

It's another myth that aluminum cases are lighter - that may be true by a half pound or so, but when you're talking about 40 lbs. vs. 39.5 lbs. in a fully loaded PC, I don't think that much matters either. Your PC's innards don't magically get lighter just because you bought an aluminum case.

The difference is a bit more that half a pound. I have an aluminium AOpen A600A case and my father has the H600B which is very similar in build quality, size, features and is made from steel. Both include the same PSU. The A600 is 15.28 lbs. / 6.93 kg against 20.0 lbs. /9.1 kg for the B600. Thats allmost a 5 pound difference.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[Anonymous Coward]

Your PC's components are not actually in contact with the aluminum so it doesn't do them any good to be in an aluminum case.

Maybe yours aren't, but I haven't bothered with any of those silly motherboard "stand-offs" and just tape the motherboard right to the case to get the best possible heat transfer. I haven't yet got the system operational due to some sparking caused by bad memory or possibly a shorting hard drive, but I'm working on it.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[modecx]

Indeed, but aluminum needs it just the same, especially considering that because of the carbonation and citric acids most sodas are slightly acidic. The metal they stamp the ends out of is pre-coated with a vinyl compound. If it weren't for that, the soda would taste terrible very shortly!

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[NeoThermic]

Wow. There's a bit wrong here that I think I need to step in and make a few points.

First, new power supplies in PC's are actually *very* efficent. Sure, you'll have to pay a bit extra (a QTec will *not* do), but for example a Tagan TG480-U01 has been measured to 99% efficency, while still being a 480W PSU. That's hard to beat!

Secondly, a PSU isn't the hottest compoment for *all* PC's. If you're [lucky|unlucky] enough to have a P4 with a prescott core, you'll be looking at a good 130W heat dissipation under full load. Even if you're lucky to have a northwood core, thats still 110W under load. You're talking more if you dare venture into dual core territory with Intel.

NeoThermic

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[e2d2]

Buy an aluminum case because you like the way it looks and you like the way it's designed, not for any other reason.

Definitely, I bought my Lian-Li aluminum case because of the quality. The quality of the Lian-Li is the best I've seen. No sharp edges, same size thumb screws for all pieces, extra thumb screws included, 4 decent fans included, etc.

It's a bit more expensive, but how often do you change form factors? I've had it for about 5 years and have replaced the innards 3 times so far.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[Anonymous Coward]

It's another myth that aluminum cases are lighter - that may be true by a half pound or so, but when you're talking about 40 lbs. vs. 39.5 lbs. in a fully loaded PC, I don't think that much matters either. Your PC's innards don't magically get lighter just because you bought an aluminum case.

How about if you just took your gold to the bank like everyone else?

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[Savantissimo]

At least in Coke it's phosphoric acid, (not citric acid) which gives it a pH of 2.5 - by comparison vinegar is 2.9 and gastric acid is 2.0. Orthodontists use phoshoric acid to etch teeth before attaching braces. Nasty stuff.

Vinyl is not something you really want to ingest much either, but it's better than aluminum.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[zippthorne]

How many componants are you cramming in there that the case isn't the vast majority of the weight? even the transformers in most (inexpensive) power supplies aren't going to weigh in enough to be THAT heavy.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[modecx]

I think Coke contains both phosphoric acid and citric acid. Most colas have a citrusy taste to me. But you're right, it's not especially good for one's health in many ways.

I understand that the vinyl is electronically transfered, and it's so smooth that not much of it can go into the solution, though I'm sure there is some. Let's just say that you won't catch me using a teflon pan. Or drinking coke.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[mp3phish]

This article didn't take into account the cooling advantage with different speed fans. This reviewer did not use the scientific method. He simply set up 2 cases under ONE specific scenerio and took his data points. Since he does not have multiple data points with different configurations then this article is simply useless.

There is one thing I can gather from this article: That is that the reviewer used sufficiently fast (and loud) fans that the aluminum panneling did not have much of a chance to cool. Because the fans were simply pushing the air out as fast as would be needed even inside a plastic casee.

On top of all this, the review did not mention anything about hard drive cooling, something that has already been agreed upon in the community, using scientific testing methods, that aluminum cases cool hard drives significantly better (especially 10K rpm and up)

To sum it up, saying "um no" and pointing to a website which doesn't really know how to test a case using any accepted methodology is just a silly thing to do.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[mp3phish]

Aluminum actually transmitts heat very much better in practical terms. It is just that the article he referred to uses high speed fans sufficiently fast (and loud) that the aluminum had almost no effect.

Now, use slower fans which produce bearable noise levels, and you will see that the aluminum case keeps the system noticably cooler than steel.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[mp3phish]

Actually, hard drive cooling is one of the biggest advantages of aluminum cases. You are simply wrong on this point. without active cooling, on average 80% of the heat leaves the hard drive through the drive rails. This is a significant amount of heat expecially on 7200RPM and 10K rpm drives. And aluminum definately does a better job of it.

XYZ...

[Anonymous Coward]

XYZ Computing is a blog.

Why is it on Slashdot?

Re:XYZ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Slashdot is a blog.

Why is it on Slashdot?

Wait . . .

Re:XYZ...

[Nermal6693]

Why not? The link to to a case review, the format of that review is largely irrelevant.

Re:XYZ...

[Johnboi Waltune]

The link is to a case review written by an employee of the manufacturer!

By: Sal Cangeloso
Lian-Li.com

I'd say that's fairly relevant, and makes the 'article' not worth reading.

Re:XYZ...

[Nermal6693]

OK, that's a very good reason. I stand corrected :)

Advertisement

[medeii]

Lian Li's V1200 Plus represents the apex of enclosure technology to date. Lian Li is a long time favorite of computer builders, especially those who are willing to spend more so that they will get the features and design benefits of a high end product.

Can it get any more blatant than this?

Re:Advertisement

[Skellington]

Indeed, felt like a wee bit too much.

Re:Advertisement

[Craptastic Weasel]

seriously, at least link multple sites so we don't set the one linked on fire... wait... click away, we'll burn down their server!! o_0

Re:Advertisement

[FreakyGeeky]

Yeah, it's getting annoying. That's why I've been spending more time on digg.com. Sure you'll get the occasional ad, but it's rare if they make it to the main page.

Re:Advertisement

[Lisandro]

Touche. Nothing wrong with Lian-Li cases (they look quite nice), but this was a bit too much.

Re:Advertisement

[slavemowgli]

Sure makes you wonder just who that oh-so-anonymous reader is... or, for that matter, how much they paid Taco.

Re:Advertisement

[_Sprocket_]

Can it get any more blatant than this?

Of course, all computer builders understand the need for the cool power. That's why they reach for the extreme refreshment of Mountain Dew Artic Megablast. Now available with the Taco Bell OverCrunch Cheesemelt Ultimate Burrito Fries meal.

Re:Advertisement

[EnsilZah]

At first glance it seemed like that link is 80% ads but now that you point it out, looks like it's 100%. =\

Re:Advertisement

[Anonymous Coward]

Taco gets none, but the owner of Slashdot - OSTG - gets some, which is channeled to the parent company, namely VA Software. Good business idea, folks!

Re:Advertisement

[Baloo Ursidae]

And when I get a headache from too much caffiene, I reach for Nuprin. Little, yellow, different.

Re:Advertisement

[Anonymous Coward]

Shut up.

Re:Advertisement

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh, I thought they were talking about Apple.

"especially those who are willing to spend more so that they will get the features and design benefits of a high end product"

Re:Advertisement

[Malyven]

Nah, it's in a nice lovely non-flammable Aluminum Case....

Re:Advertisement

[Analog Squirrel]

You just had to ask, didn't you?

Re:Advertisement

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm just waiting for /.'s readership to figure out that duped articles are duped on purpose because it increases ad-revenue. Taco's not forgetting he already posted it. He's making money.

Re:Advertisement

[rajafarian]

Apex of enclosure technology to date?

Not bad but I think this Antec is more so: Antec P180

Re:Advertisement

[The Bubble]

Now available with the Taco Bell OverCrunch Cheesemelt Ultimate Burrito Fries meal.

And remember, read CmdrTaco, eat Taco Bell. Always open late.

Re:Advertisement

[legirons]

High-End Aluminum PC Cases Make A Comeback

Suits make a corporate comeback

Re:Advertisement

[pNutz]

Blatant? Hardly.

I don't think you realize what Lian-Li has done for some people. My computer was a wreck before Lian-Li, both functionally and cosmetically. After an easy setup with my new Lian-Li case, I was cooling better than I ever had. And what a difference aluminum makes, let me tell you. No more hernias or severed arteries for me.

And the look, man the look. Smooth. Cool. Sleek. I guess you could say it's a hit with the ladies. I don't mean to brag, but lets just say that I've received more oral sex from my co-workers since I set up my Lian-Li case than I've received in my entire life.

And Lian-Li is a company with morals and genuine care for things small and helpless. When a community needs a new animal shelter, Lian-Li is proud to put up the initial funds. When my house was burning down and my baby was still inside, Lian-Li said, "To hell with the danger!" and rushed inside. Two minutes later he emerged, scorched flesh and hair ablaze, and handed me my sooty but safe gene-bearer.

If there ever were a company that deserved one of your kidneys, much less your money, it would be Lian-Li. God bless you Lian-Li, and God bless the America that imports you.

Welcome to addot.org

[Anonymous Coward]

I hope Slashdot is at least getting a cut on the referral money from these sites. I'm going to go put up a "review" of some hot new hardware and submit it to Slashdot. With any luck, they'll post it... twice!

Re:Welcome to addot.org

[Usquebaugh]

I wonder if the /. adverticals like this one have ever been duped?

How about adverticals by editor by date?

Or are they more prevalent just before the pay check is due?

My guess is that the eds are making a nice sideline.

Re:Welcome to addot.org

[Anonymous Coward]

but they'll misspell it one of those times at least

I've been looking for a good case.

[johndierks]

When I was builing a gaming machine I wanted a high quality G5-like case for it, but couldn't find one. I think this might be it.

Re:I've been looking for a good case.

[Jeff DeMaagd]

You can buy the G5 shell on ebay for a cheap price but you'll need to make adapters to make it work.

I really haven't liked Lian-Li cases when I got a good close-up look.

Re:I've been looking for a good case.

[Winkhorst]

That's funny, I've had a PC68 for a few years now and have found it to be a really stylish and flexible piece of hardware. My only complaint is the screws that stick out the bottom that will scratch your desk if you don't slide it off completely horizontally. I guess the wheels solve that problem.

There's no accounting for taste, I suppose.

Re:I've been looking for a good case.

[Alystair]

Hey, or you could do like me and actually purchase a G5-Case, gut it out and put in some standard hardware. Sooner or later you won't even need to do the gutting bit! I'm almost finished too, and it will look fantastic. Just waiting on a new PSU because even though it's sponsored I can't trust the Ultra PSU: Link to my almost finished case Trippy G5 case mod (Go AMD!)

Looks like a G5

[hyeh]

This is not a new case, and it looks like a G5.

What a waste of money!!!

[Average_Joe_Sixpack]

For God's sake, Aluminum is too damned weak for a good case kicking. I mean when I'm pissed, I like the nice recoil of a heavy gage steel panel against my boot when I punt my case in rage.

Re:What a waste of money!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

boot.. and reboot.

*Drums & Snare*

Re:What a waste of money!!!

[TeknoHog]

I like the nice recoil of a heavy gage steel panel against my boot when I punt my case in rage.

I think you should try another operating system... I've found that Linux is pretty compatible with aluminum cases ;)

Re:What a waste of money!!!

[chevyorange]

I'd wager you'd break a toe unless you were wearing steel-tipped boots if you kicked a G5 PowerMac - 1/8" sides - it is heavy too. It saved my Cinema Display last weekend when a book case fell on it. Not a scratch on either!

Re:What a waste of money!!!

[Nermal6693]

Bah! Heavy gauge steel indeed. You need a nice thick reinforced titanium alloy instead :)

Re:What a waste of money!!!

[PhunkySchtuff]

You've never tried kicking an Apple G5 have you?
Their aluminium cases are made from 3-4mm thick plate Aluminium - a coworker dropped one from waist height and it fell and hit the feet of an office chair - the chair was damaged but there was not a dent on the case
(OK, so both the CPUs and their massive watercooling system were wrentched from the logic board, but the case was OK =)

Re:What a waste of money!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

I suggest you buy an old Compaq 386/20 DeskPro. Those systems were tanks!

Blatent Slashvertisement?

[rdwald]

I mean, the review is written by a Lian-Li employee, and the story was submitted here by an "anonymous reader." Seems like a blatent plug to me.

Re:Blatent Slashvertisement?

[rdwald]

I'll correct my own comment that Sal Cangeloso works for Lian-Li; however, when the byline of the article reads thusly:

By: Sal Cangeloso
Lian-Li.com

I think my mistake is at least understandable.

Re:Blatent Slashvertisement?

[Anonymous Coward]

It could be, or it might just be a blatant spelling error.

But it doesn't sound like one

[Space cowboy]

Indeed, it looks very nice (different, but nice) next to my G5. It's a lot louder though :-(

Simon

Re:But it doesn't sound like one

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe you should put water cooling in there, like your G5. Or slower, cooler running CPUs. Like youe G5 ;)

Oh what?

[Fussen]

Ivory is too expensive?? geeze.

Not impressed

[KingSkippus]

First of all, I think this thing is ugly as sin. It's not sleek and stylish, it looks like something you'd find in a manufacturing plant making pieces of some sort of industrial equipment. Okay, that's just my personal taste, maybe you think it's beautiful.

That being said, it definitely has non-aesthetic drawbacks as well. From one of the reviews on Newegg's site:

Overall I'm satisfied, though I'll post my minor complaints here because that's what this is for, right? (1) No reset button. (2) The power light "bleeds" into the hard drive light. (3) Case doesn't do much to deaden sound. While not an issue for me, don't buy this case if you are looking to build a quiet computer. (4) Though the location and installation of the hard drives is unique, it would make connecting a full load of SCSI drives difficult. This can probably mostly be overcome with a round cable. (5) The power LED connector is a three pin while my MB, and all I've used to now, require a 2 pin connector. I had to remove the individual pins from the connector to plug into the board. (6) Not too familiar with Firewire connections, but the front panel firewire array connector does not fit on my MB. You would have to extract the individual pins like I did with the power connector. (7) I'm suspicious that airflow through the case is as good as it appears it should be. CPUs run about 4-5 degrees C warmer with the sides mounted in place.

He may be satisifed, but I'm definitely steering away from it. That's just too many weirdities.

Re:Not impressed

[value_added]

First of all, I think this thing is ugly as sin.

In its favor, this particular case does admittedly go well with certain decors.

Depends on your version of ugly. Personally, I think all computer equipment should strive to emulate the look of audio equipment, but if that's not possible or desired, sticking a 4U rackmount system into a wooden cabinet offers a look that's infinitely preferrable to the goofiness for sale on store shelves.

Re:Not impressed

[solive1]

The power LED connector is a three pin while my MB, and all I've used to now, require a 2 pin connector. I had to remove the individual pins from the connector to plug into the board.

Many motherboards have a separate set of pins for the three-pin power LED connector to plug into (at least every board I've owned does). It's usually near the power/reset/power & HDD LED header. Should be a non-issue for most people.

Re:Not impressed

[xornor]

Ugly? Take off your members only jacket and join the party.

waste of money

[TheSloth2001ca]

Just buy a cheapo case, and take the side panels off as a cool case mod.

Nothing is sexier than a naked computer

They SAY it looks like the G5 case...

[Nova Express]

...right there on page 2. Unfortunately, they fail to mention that they took a G5, and then bashed it with the Ugly Stick.

Re:They SAY it looks like the G5 case...

[Anonymous Coward]

Dear Nova Express:

It has come to the attention of the Microsoft Legal Team that you have made an unauthorized use of a process defined in the patent entitled "emphasizing words through capitalization." Your work entitled "They SAY it looks like the G5 case..." infringes on claims 1-5 given:

1. A method for emphasizing words in an electronic document, the method comprising: determining if a word should be emphasized; and in responce to receiving the request, locating all words to be emphasized within the electronic document and emphasizing the located words.
2. The method of claim 1, wherin the electronic document comprises text and wherin the request comprises a request to emphasize text.
3. The method of claim 2, wherin the text can be in any language
4. The method of claim 3, wherin the text to be emphasized is capitalized uniformily or on a per-character basis.
5. The method of claim 4, wherin the vaugely defined text in an electronic document is produced in response to something

Clearly you are infringing on our patent and we demand that you immediately cease the practices given in the patent "empasizing words through capitalization" or legal measures will be taken in order to defend our intellectual property.

Very truly yours,
Microsoft Legal Team

Real techies make cases out of driftwood

[WillAffleckUW]

which we find on the beach, dry out, and hand carve.

FP!

[Anonymous Coward]

Frosty Piss!

Mirror

[AKAImBatman]

P.S. The site seems to be completely dead. If you have problems, use this mirror courtesy of Coral Cache.

Re:Mirror

[anagama]

Why not just link to lian li directly? http://www.lian-li.com/Product/Chassis/M_V_C_PC-V1 200.htm. Is it me or have these been around for a while -- seems I saw an identical looking case for $190 at the local compucare last winter. Maybe just a prior incarnation.

Re:Mirror

[Basehart]

Jeez, those cases totally suck. Give me a G5 any day.

DISCLAIMER: This post is not Flamebait.

Re:Mirror

[Anonymous Coward]

Looks almost exactly like a G5... Will be perfect for apple's os-x86!

(enjoys the feeling as apple users discover that they're really not special after all...)

DISCLAIMER: This post is not Flamebait.

Re:Mirror

[PsiPsiStar]

P.S. The site seems to be completely dead.

Then it fits right in with Slashdot.

Re:Mirror

[Wyatt Earp]

It's a nice case, the photos don't do it justice in regards to how the mess looks from the front. I have one right here next to my G5.

Lian-Li makes the G5 case from what I've read and the V-1200 makes a nice match for my G5

I always worry about aluminum.

[Sheetrock]

True, it's got some simple advantages for casebuilding. It's lightweight, shiny, and probably the best metal for heat dissipation (assuming a room cooler than your system, of course). No corrosion either.

But let's take a look at the chemistry. Anybody in plumbing or wiring will tell you to avoid connecting two different metals -- and I don't think it's a coincidence that computer cases until now have either been plastic or largely built from the same metals as your ICs.

Iron has four energy levels, but aluminum only has three; this would suggest to the average person that aluminum would shield components better from electrical interference, but that's not the case at all. Additionally, iron has four known stable isotopes while aluminum only has one, and most computer builders prefer to build as much stability into their systems as possible.

I prefer plastic above the rest, as while it is more synthetic and prone to generating static electricity if rubbed with a wool cloth it generally works well and offers a greater degree of artistic freedom to the case designer.

Re:I always worry about aluminum.

[Winkhorst]

Pure twaddle. I have had a PC68 for years and none of your bizarre energy level problems. The only reason anyone uses steal and plastic is cheap and cheaper. Isotopes? What, are you nuts or something? Do you even know what an isotope is?

Re:I always worry about aluminum.

[grozzie2]

Anybody who knows chemistry knows, corrosion is the biggest problem when dissimilar metals come in contact. The edge connectors on most expansion cards are gold plated to provide a better electrical connection. Therefore, it goes without saying, if chemical reactions are your main concern, it's a no brainer, just make the case out of gold, problem solved. It has benefits of being shiny, you dont want it to be lightweight (to easy for somebody to walk away with), and it'll have PLENTY of awe factor, assuming you keep it properly polished.

Re:I always worry about aluminum.

[Baloo Ursidae]

I prefer plastic above the rest, as while it is more synthetic and prone to generating static electricity if rubbed with a wool cloth it generally works well and offers a greater degree of artistic freedom to the case designer.

And no case ground or RF shielding. Plastic is almost always a very poor choice for electronic equipment, particularly anything that might be near RF equipment (ie, your neighbor with a high-power HF rig; your stereo; etc.). I'd rather have aluminum than plastic, at least aluminum is closer to what you're looking for, as poor of an RF sheild and conductor as it may be.

Re:I always worry about aluminum.

[Anonymous Coward]

Your average person knows what an 'energy level' means in this context? I'm amazed, the average person here can barely eat a pretzel without choking.

Re:I always worry about aluminum.

[MustardMan]

Man, that must be some good crack. More stable isotopes makes for a more stable system? Huh?

Re:I always worry about aluminum.

[capt.Hij]

additionally, iron has four known stable isotopes while aluminum only has one, and most computer builders prefer to build as much stability into their systems as possible.

I see some people want to spill their derision and venom on this comment in true /. fashion, but I just want to share my experience with this. I too once thought al would be a great case, but then one day a group of Iranian nuclear scientists busted in my door and trashed my house. They took all of the al out of the house. When they finally left they laughed as they talked about how they were going to isolate all those unstable isotopes for their neferious purposes. And you know what... one of those guys looked suspiciously like their new prime minister!

bastards...

Re:I always worry about aluminum.

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean like this computer case? http://www.silverpcs.com/product/CS_PC7D_MOD

Re:I always worry about aluminum.

[TeknoHog]

I once had a case made of Plutonium-186, but the parallel universe threesome guys kept bluescreening it all the time.

Re:I always worry about aluminum.

[Scooter]

LOL Treeshock - I always wonder for a second whether you're serious. Then I read your sig :D

Isotope Feng Shui - could catch on among the hard of thinking. I'm always amazed at what people will believe in, and then I'm disgusted with myself for not selling it to them in a shiny packet for large sums of money :P

"I'm afraid so sir, the energy levels in the isotopes in your case material are out of alignment, but you're in luck! Not only is Jupiter in ascendance with your power supply, but we have a special on CPU/chassis chi alignment this week!"

Hmmm...

Re:I always worry about aluminum.

[Winkhorst]

Have you considered switching to depleted uranium? I hear there's lots of it lying around Iraq you could get for a song. You might want to avoid Yankee Doodle, though....

Re:I always worry about aluminum.

[cvtan]

Energy levels are related to shielding capability? What two different metals are being connected? ICs are made of Silicon; try making a case out of that! Your post is full of "fake" science...

Re:I always worry about aluminum.

[CaptainPinko]

Man, I wish there was a "Missed the Joke -1" mod.

Re:I always worry about aluminum.

[bar-agent]

...

Is that a sticker on the side?

Why?

[cascino]

This case has been around for a long time. And it's ugly as sin.
Why again is this front-page worthy?

Re:Why?

[slavemowgli]

Taco probably got paid a nice sum for posting this.

Re:Why?

[British]

Or maybe Taco was hungry, and he got paid entirely in dim sum.

crashproof

[Doc Ruby]

what about a really tough outer film, like Kevlar (or maybe not quite so tough/expensive) over a neoprene (skindiver suit) case? Better for my notebook to bounce than just take a punch.

Re:crashproof

[Anonymous Coward]

Doesn't seem to be the topic of the article, but I like their product so much I'll just mention: Waterfield Design makes a terrific laptop sleeve in ballistic nylon with a neoprene inner lining. The construction is great, and they custom-size them to a range of laptops. It's not cheap, but I like the look a lot and it does feel like it can take a fall.

Re:crashproof

[Baloo Ursidae]

Get on it, man. Get yourself some sewing skills, a lot of neoprene in a bunch of different colors, some thick thread, a commercial sewing machine and a cart down at the mall and start sellin!

Re:crashproof

[Doc Ruby]

Kevlar sewing skills are hard-won. But thanks for the encouragement :).

Gee, how innovative!

[2nd Post!]

I love this quote:

Once again Lian Li has managed to impress us with not only the quality of their case, but the innovation of their design. The PC V1200 Plus has the features, size, and attention to detail to make it a great choice for anyone's "dream machine". The price is steep but taking into consideration what you are getting the V1200 is tough to beat.

Or to put it another way:

Lian Li has managed to impress us with not only the quality of their reproduction, but the accuracy as well. The PC V1200 Plus has the features, size, and attention to detail to make it a great choice for anyone who wants a G5 case. The price is steep, but taking into consideration what you are getting, the V1200 is still cheaper than buying a PowerMac.

Okay so it is different; it's upside down. Instead of placing the drives and power supply on top of the case, they put them on the bottom. Woo!

Watch out, it's metric

[vadius]

I have been using the non-Plus model of this case for many months now and I love it (we also have a few of the Plus models around in the office now, and they are even better). The biggest annoyance with the case comes into play when installing dual Xeons: the Lian-Li case is threaded for metric M3 screws, but stock Xeon heatsinks (as well as the Supermicro sink that I prefer) use English units, which don't fit in the M3 sockets. In order to use dual Xeon heasinks, it is necessary to drill out the threading on the heatsink and use 25mm M3 screws. Annoying as this is, we still use this case exclusively.

This is not a great case...

[deep44]

Anybody reading this because they're looking to buy a great case- check out the CoolerMaster Stacker. I picked one up for my 2x Opteron system, and I've been extremely pleased. In fact, I can't think of a single thing that I dislike about it.

Re:This is not a great case...

[Anonymous Coward]

have you even looked at the Stacker?

supports BTX, has two power supply mount points (top and bottom), can fit 6 HDs & 4 CD/DVD ROMs & floppy & front USB etc & two front 120mm fans, top fan is supposed to be an intake - only 80mm fan, all others are 120 - did I miss anything?

Re:This is not a great case...

[LurkerXXX]

Dear Anonymous troll, THIS is the CoolerMaster Stacker. I have one.

The Lian Li case allows you to fit 5 hard drives, a floppy and 4 CD/DVD drives all at the same time and doesn't make you give up one of your 120 MM fans to do it. The Coolermaster case allows you to fit 2 hard drives and a floppy IF you give up one 120 MM fan and turn your case into a component cooker.

The Coolermaster allows you to fit up to *12* hard drives plus a floppy, plus a CD/DVD. That's with ALL fans, including the optional ones, in place.

The Lian Li case has better ventilation. Coolermaster gives you the option to install more noise generating 80MM fans.

The Lian Li case does not have better airflow than the Stacker. Impossible. I bought the optional fans for up front. They are nice slow quiet 120mm fans, not 20mm fans. That's 3 120mm fans up front. A wall of air moves through the case. It keeps everything cool. Plus one more 120 fan in the back, plus optional ones for the top and side. Plus there is even a optional fan you can buy that blows along the entire length of the motherboard. You pretty much can't find a case that can get more air flowing through it.

The Lian LI case is BTX and sectioned into three thermal zones. Coolermaster uses outdated ATX standard and is one giant component cooker.

The Stacker comes with all the parts to allow you to set up your case in either ATX or BTX format. You can switch back and forth between configurations if you buy a new motherboard of the other type.

Lian Li places the power supply at the bottom with its own separate cool air supply. Cooler Master places the power supply at the top where it will suck in heated processor air garunteeing worse power efficiency and more noise due to the fan having to spin up to cope with increased heat. ATX sucks

The Stacker allows you to put the power supply at the bottom of the case, or the top, or install two power supplies, one in each location, so that you can run two quieter power supplies rather than one large noisy one.

Basically, you don't know what the hell your talking about.

Re:This is not a great case...

[hirschma]

Troll is stupid, doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

I have a CM Stacker. It has 11 free 5.25" bays. I put 3->5 drive cages in it, and now have 10 hard drives in 6 bays of space. That, plus a DVD, and I have five full size bays left to go.

Others have answered his other stupid points, but the Stacker is a great case, and a cheap way to build a storage server.

jh

Re:This is not a great case...

[mcslappy]

The coolermaster cavalier series is also an excellent set of cases. While not constructed of 100% aluminum, it's a great case for $60-80 (newegg)

Re:This is not a great case...

[Mycroft_VIII]

I'll second this. I got one cheap a while back.
    It killed a LOT of noise I wasn't even aware of till I moved everything over to it, expecially with the door closed.
    It's quite a bit cooler than the old tower was as well.

Mycroft

Server has been Slashed

[MufasaZX]

Cearly a sexy case does not a fast web server make. Coral Cache: http://www.xyzcomputing.com.nyud.net:8090/index.ph p?option=content&task=view&id=396&Itemid=2

Thinks he's the Pope of computer town

[pigwiggle]

They say he carved it from a bigger case.

Can we end that commercial break?

[jopet]

The article (both the ./ and the original one) are nothing more than an ad.

Who actually wants this here?

Re:Can we end that commercial break?

[advocate_one]

people looking for a G5'ish case to run their OSX on x86???

Thermal Performance isn'y that great...

[Sargeant Slaughter]

We tested these a few months ago in our lab. Their thermal performance was only mediocre. All the little holes in the aluminium allow back flow into the chassis. That means that hot air just sits inside while the fans circulate air around in a little loop in the back of the chassis. The good ole chenbro gaming bomb did better thermally.

These are definitely not worth the money, when we got 'enm they were like $200 without a power supply!

bullshit

[Anonymous Coward]

an underhanded way of selling a rip off of a g5 case. innovative my ass.

Re:bullshit

[Winkhorst]

Lian Li makes many many cases. You want innovative, try the conch shell design: http://www.lian-li.com/Product/Chassis/M_M_PC-777. htm. You want quiet, try the V Silent: http://www.lian-li.com/Product/Chassis/M_V_S_PC-V1 100plus.htm.
You want no holes, try the PC-6X series: http://www.lian-li.com/Product/Chassis/M_C_PC-6X_S _PC-6077.htm.

Re:bullshit

[IAmMaxHarris]

The conch shell design is an innovative way to display extremely bad taste. There's nothing subjective about it being ugly - it's easy to see why the bad design hampers its functionality (and increases its price) while offering nothing but useless bulk in return.

The 8-series cases are wonderful, though.

I really like some of their stuff (I have a PC60 myself).

Overpriced and questionable air flow.

[the eric conspiracy]

It looks gimmicky and overpriced. The business of inverting the power supply / motherboard looks highly questionable since now your pci cards are in the hot zone (top rear) trapping the heat in this area with no airflow. It is also very questionable since most motherboard thermal designs are based on mounting in the reverse position so you are running outside the designers intended use.

In addition the aesthetics are bad - cheese grater anyone?

I think cases like the Thermaltake Tsunami Dream and the Antec PB-160/180 are much better, and at lower cost to boot.

Re:Overpriced and questionable air flow.

[Winkhorst]

Overpriced? You obviously haven't compared Lian Li with other aluminum cases. Hands down, they give you the best value for your buck. You wanna buy plastic junk and hide it in the bedroom, that's your decision. My computer sits in the living room next to my stereo/surround/DVD/LCD system, and it looks as good as any of the other components, better in fact than some.

Re:Overpriced and questionable air flow.

[hurfy]

Don't know about this case but i modded one with a reverse board and haven't seen any problems with heat simply due to turning it upside down. A video card with a fan seems enough to push the air around and avoid a stagnent spot.

( 1 clear case on each side of table, i reversed one during building for symetry and to see all the pretty lights from my seat :) )

All the vents do seem like it might be prone too pulling in air before it cools much tho.

Would be nice for my car simulator especially with casters builtin but too pricey. I didnt pay that much for my plexiglass when they were only sold by one company!

Re:Overpriced and questionable air flow.

[JRock911]

Im using the black version of this case. I really like it. Ive bounced around over the years to different manufacturers and I always seem to end up back with Lian Li. Why? Because they just do things better than everyone else. Things are localed in logical places and everything just fits.. not to mention there is plenty of room to work inside the case. You can work with a lot of different cases but you'll never work with a Lian Li and question the quality and workmanship. They really are that much better than everyone else. Coolermaster used to be right on par with them but IMO Coolermaster has gone a little more "budget" in the last few years.

Re:Overpriced and questionable air flow.

[the eric conspiracy]

You obviously haven't compared Lian Li with other aluminum cases.

Nonsense. I own two aluminum cases, a Thermaltake and a Lian-Li. The Thermaltake was half the price and has better build quality, air flow and styling, and the layout is just as good if not better. Plus I am not sold on aluminum cases in general - what does aluminum get you anyway over steel? A bigger price tag and that is about it. They also tend to be noisier than steel cases because of the thinner construction. Case manufacturers try selling aluminum based on its higher thermal conductivity, but that is BS. Cooling in a modern PC is by air flow, not conducting heat along the case panels LOL.

The only reason to buy an aluminum case is because you like it for other features - layout, etc. In my book all aluminum does is drive up the price without adding actual utility.

Re:Overpriced and questionable air flow.

[Anonymous Coward]

You wanna buy plastic junk and hide it in the bedroom, that's your decision.

That doesn't work either, because as you know, most Slashdotters use their computers to pick up chicks. It starts in bar...

"Here to see the band?" she says.
"Yeah, but I'm really looking forward to downloading their MP3 to my uber-cool Linux box. It has an Aluminum case!" brags our hero.
"Oh my god, that's so sexy! Debian?" she asks, breathing a bit heavily.
"Gentoo."
Her neck and ears are flushed with red. "Gnome or KDE?"
"XFCE." the Slashdotter says with a confident smirk.
She licks her lips.
The hero closes the deal. "After I download it, I'm going to transcode the band's MP3 to Ogg Vorbis."
"I want you," she whispers, and gulps the rest of her drink, "Take me to your studly pad, right now!" she begs.

Then, at home in the bedroom, while things are getting crazy, she glances over at your bedroom PC. You want it to be plastic junk? I think not!

ATX is out-of date, not cutting edge

[Jaborandy]

BTX cases are what we buy today. This old ATX design should be shelved.

--Jaborandy

Re:ATX is out-of date, not cutting edge

[Wiz]

This is a rather silly statement given the number of ATX motherboards out there. Whilst ATX has it's problems and BTX had some advantages, just remember one thing - there are no BTX motherboards available for AMD based systems.

With the layout of the BTX boards, it makes it very difficult for AMD to use it as their onboard memory controller is too far from the memory IIRC. Of course for Intel, they only have to route to the northbridge which then has to route to the memory so they can get it to work.

As AMD's processors run cooler, there is less need for a BTX design also currently.

It is official

[Anonymous Coward]

Netcraft confirms it. Slashdot is dying "This site has ceased to be amusing," says one time Slashdot fanatic Walter Smith. "Something that used to be fun is now about as lively as a funeral. In the past, one could come here for sometimes informative articles, and always amusing mirth-filled comments in the discussion section. Now, anything remotely funny just gets modded down as troll, and one of the world's best venues for amateur comedy is gone." "The sometimes off-color an angry banter back and forth between trolls and the newbies who fed them was a great source of amusement," he went on to add, "but has up and died, much like Stephen King or Marlon Wayans, and what a shame! Now, it is too dull to even hold my attention for two minutes. Slashdot will be sorely missed." It is official. Slashdot it dead.

Re:It is official

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm posting this anonymously for reasons which will soon become obvious.

I work for OSDN, in an undisclosed position. Yesterday, I recieved the following memo in my Inbox in Outlook Express:

From: "Larry Augustin"
To: "Company - all"
Subject: Acquisition of latest OSDN holding

As you may be aware, our stock certificates are now unfit to even wipe our own asses in the restrooms. However, soon this will all change with our latest opensource acquisition. This is such a revolutionary paradigm shift that we have decided to coin a new term for it: "WideOpensource". The following letter was recently sent to the management of our prospect:

From: "Larry Augustin"
To: contrib@goatse.cx
Subject: Open source business opportunity

Mr. Levine,

We at OSDN are continually looking to expand our growing network of opensource-related web real estate. Through intense analysis of comment traffic on our premier site, SlashDot.org, we have determined that your site holds considerable value to the community at large. As recent IDC surveys have shown, your site is one of the 10 most popular on the Internet. That, combined with its decidedly opensource bent, makes it a prime target for OSDN banner ads, our flagship product. We would like to acquire your site and employ you as a member of our OSDN team. Please consider this carefully, you aren't likely to see an opportunity like this every day!

Love,
    Larry

Nice case, but why bother?

[Avast Yee]

After spending money on several different computer cases, I came to an important realization. Unless you've got money to just throw away, there really isn't much point to buy a premium case like this.

I bought a Lian-Li PC-65 USB case when the price was $200. I have also purchased a $60 Antec-style case. The Antec case, though heavier, is my favorite, hands down. It's easier to work with, cheap to replace, and I'm not worried about getting it scratched up or damaged. The fact is, a computer case doesn't matter much at all unless you overclock (which is another thing I find pointless). There are far more important components to spend your money on, like a higher quality power supply, more memory, and virtually anything else that actually affects how your computer will be.

Re:Nice case, but why bother?

[Stapled]

"It's easier to work with, cheap to replace, and I'm not worried about getting it scratched up or damaged"

I totally agree with you. I own a Lian-Li PC-65, and while I loved it at first, I prefer Antec now. Lian-Li cases are easy to work with, but Antec is even easier, and cheaper.

One thing that has worried me to no end is the scratches these brushed aluminum cases get! They are very easy to scratch, and it seriously mars their appearance. It is terrible taking this thing to LANs, even though it's sturdy it have to wrap it in a blanket like a baby to avoid scratches in transit.

This advertisement brought to you by...?

[Anonymous Coward]

How much does Slashdot get paid to run infomercials like this?

Don't call it a comeback...

[chaotixx]

...it's been here for years!

Seriously, my brother has had one of these for over a year.

AC? My ass

[Maxwell'sSilverLART]

Anonymous coward? But TFA said it was by Sal Cangeloso, and since it's taken verbatim, I'd say it's probably reasonable to ascribe this to him.

Hey, you know what'd be really cool? If we had somebody who could read the stories, and decide which ones are valid news stories, and which are just advertisements. We could call the process "editing," or somesuch.

If we really wanted to go overboard, we could make him check the spelling and grammar of submissions, and possibly even see if the same story was reported the previous day. But that's probably just crazy talk.

that case isn't even close to the apex

[Anonymous Coward]

The Lian-li in the original post is just a g5 wannabe, and has been out for a looooong time.

Try the antec p180 if you want a case that "represents the apex of enclosure technology"

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID= 81800

Re:that case isn't even close to the apex

[Anonymous Coward]

Looks like a very good case But I have a stigma for cases with doors on the front. I don't want anything getting between me and my ability to open the DVD drive. What do you do when an application tries to automatically eject a disc? No front door is the first thing I look for when selecting a case but I'd consider giving one a try if someone can tell me what benefit is derived from a front door.

Re:that case isn't even close to the apex

[MexicanMenace]

I'm almost ready to build an AMD64 X2 rig. I'd been considering a Lian Li 2000 series case (and wouldn't that be closer to an apex than a 1000 series?). The easy access to the HD cage was the big seller on the Lian Li case. Looks like Antec figured out an alternative that works and at half the price (via NewEgg). Thanks for the link.

Re:that case isn't even close to the apex

[Bilestoad]

The P180 has no trouble with this - the door is closed with a magnetic catch that has just enough force to keep it closed but will allow a CD drive to push it open. It's really a well designed case, way ahead of any I have ever owned (and I've owned the Lian-Li PC-V1000, which is just a G5 wannabe and nothing special).

I can't tell you why a front door is better but at least this one isn't horrible. It also folds back flat agains the case side because it has a double hinge.

Re:that case isn't even close to the apex

[Mycroft_VIII]

As the sibling post points out, cases with doors set up with proper strength magnets (and free enough hinges) pop open easily from the tray pushing into them from inside.
    The benifits are likely acoustic (my cooler master is pretty quite, moreso with the door shut) and perhaps airflow if designed that way.
    The only other benifit I can see to a door is locking it, not much of one in most cases, but some phb types migh get warm fuzzies from it.

Mycroft

where did they get the idea from?

[justforaday]

The site is slashdotted, so I headed over to newegg to see what it looks like. Basically, they've taken a G5 and stretched the thing by about 50%. It now has the dimensions of a trolley. That's all that comes to mind when I look at the third newegg picture -- trolley...

Re:where did they get the idea from?

[tweek]

This is the case I bought my wife when I built her computer at Christmas. She has the black model and I have to say it's the single most pleasant case I've EVER worked in. That goes for some of the IBM rack mounts too. It is VERY spacious and the hard drive mounts are the coolest this side of the planet.

I actually have to crack it open again soon and put in the floppy/flash card reader and I'm actually looking forward to getting in there.

My case, however, is not as pleasant since it's basically a tower to rack convertable. It weighs a ton and there is VERY shitty airflow. Then again mine is a dual opteron and her's is just an athlon socket 939 ;)

If you've not drooled over the stuff on the Lian-Li website, I suggest you go. It's a hella cool set of gear.

To xyzcomputing:

[arhines]

If you are going to submit an article from your own website, at least have the balls to say it like it is and submit it as yourself. There's a reason it says "Anonymous Coward". To slashdot editors: Please stop accepting every article submitted by this and other small sites. If they come up with something innovative or have an exclusive review of something new, post it. Otherwise, let the RSS newsfeeds at anandtech/hardocp/etc handle this crap.

I prefer Antec's p180

[Toxygen]

*ahem* http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID= 81800

This case shares a lot of design features from the lian li model (except Antec did a good job on them), plus it's nice and quiet and pretty damned stylish if you ask me.

Also, it's not 250 fricken dollars.

Downside: it's 36 pounds before you even put anything inside it.

Re:I prefer Antec's p180

[tweek]

That case looks ALOT like the Microway Whisper Station:

Microway

I seriously considered buying that box when I built my computer a few months back. I ended up going with this:

Micronux

because it was the best cost with the stuff I wanted at the time. I'd buy from them again but I'm going to investigate other cases for the system. This one runs hot and loud. While it's under my desk off to the side, it still drives me nuts sometimes.

In the eye of the beholder

[bender647]

I do a lot of metalworking and this is just the sort of case I would like. I can imagine machining matching aluminum cases for other things. But I do wince at the thought of spending over $200 on just the box for your computer.

Boycott misleading sites

[obarthelemy]

Shouldn't we boycott sites that have those "false windows error message"-type ads ?

Re:Boycott misleading sites

[TeknoHog]

Shouldn't we boycott sites that have those "false windows error message"-type ads ?

They're especially "misleading" (funny in that pathetic kind of way) when you haven't used Windows in a long time :)

Re:Boycott misleading sites

[Russellkhan]

No, we should boycott viewing the ads. I find Firefox's adblock extension to be very effective for this.

Not to mention...

[Apotsy]

He's got a pube sitting on top of it in this picture. Guy needs to lay off the porn.

Re:Not to mention...

[swatoa]

It's called an eyelash.

Re:Not to mention...

[boomerny]

but eyelash isn't as funny(or gross, whichever)

Heatsinks mount on the motherboard

[Anonymous Coward]

At least they do with the one I have. My gripe is they changed the motherboard mounting standoffs to metric. They used to take #6 screws. I've been using torx screws with the Wiha MagicSpring torx driver which lets you use one hand to screw them in and leaves your other hand free to align the motherboard. I haven't found a source for metric torx screws yet. Not a big deal unless you're constantly rebuilding your pc.

Seven Pages ... and nearly slashdotted to hell

[Kozz]

I was curious to take a look at it, though I'm not in the market for a new case.

Obviously a big advertisement, I thought perhaps if we slashdot it into oblivion, it would cost the site-owner a bunch of bandwidth cash. However, I wonder if he makes it back in ad views. Anyone know if we'd pay him, or make him pay by slashdotting the server? ;)

Shhh.....

[gmby]

I see dead people...

I own a Lian Li V1200

[Junior J. Junior III]

And, frankly, I wish I would have waited a month. Had I done so, I could have bought a very nice Antec P160 for a good bit less money, and just as good quality.

Lian Li cases are nice, but they're not so nice that they justify the premium markup.

Aluminum case cooling myth

[Junior J. Junior III]

They do not.

Unless the Aluminum is in direct contact with the hot parts of your PC, it is contributing negligibly to heat dissipation. Airflow and good heat sinks are much more important. Case material is almost irrelevant for cooling purposes.

The advantage of aluminum is lightweight. And anodized aluminum kindof looks cool. That's it.

I'd rather have a good, heavy, sturdy steel case of the same design as some of these aluminum cases that are just a tad too flimsy for my tastes. My InWin Q500 is built like a tank, and aside from looking like a nondescript beige box, it rules. In fact, I kindof like that it looks like an old PC that no one would look twice at.

Re:Aluminum case cooling myth

[Txiasaeia]

Just when I used up all my mod points...

I've used the In-Win S500, V500T, and am ordering the S500T. These are fantastic cases with amazing build quality and excellent thermal & acoustic dynamics as well. Why anybody would bother with anything else, I have no idea.

Screw the case

[bernywork]

I have the V1200B as it stands, great case mind you but not the point of this post...

The Lian Li F1 desk

I am normally not a man to go gaga over furniture, but come on you have to agree, this would have to be the best tech desk I have seen in AGES!

At 3000 pound it's a little steep...

Nice case, but why bother?-Downloading User.

[Anonymous Coward]

"There are far more important components to spend your money on, like a higher quality power supply, more memory, and virtually anything else that actually affects how your computer will be."

Upgrade the user.

Pagination

[iamdrscience]

Many people don't realize the advantages of aluminum case over their steel...

<< Start < Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next > End >>

V1200 vs V1200+

[John.P.Jones]

Quote: One thing to keep in mind when making your purchase to to look for the V1200 Plus, not the V1200. This update was made recently without much publicity so the distinction between the two models is not widely known. This difference is often not made overly clear by retailers so just keep an eye out when you are choosing your product.

Notice they don't even explain the difference. How helpfull of them...

Roland Piquepaille says...

[Anonymous Coward]

"Read my adblog for the most up-to-date news out there!"

Still waiting for a Transparent Aluminum Case...

[hanshotfirst]

... for my uber-tricked-out gaming PC!

(or not)

I have a Mac you insensitive clod

[johnny cashed]

OS 9 (uggh) no less.

It's Right

[tirefire]

This article is right; high-end cases are making a comeback

The difference is the profit margin

[Anonymous Coward]

The difference is the profit margin is higher on the V1200+ of course!

Geeze some people as so slow.

It's all well and good having a fancy case but....

[freshtonic]

... does it come with drivers for Linux?

eww

[akhomerun]

ugly, WAY overpriced G5 knockoff.

thanks for the advertisment slashdot!

Re:eww

[NeoBeans]

ugly, WAY overpriced G5 knockoff.

EXACTLY what I was thinking!!!

Re:eww

[dirkstoop]

me too 1!!1!!eleven!! (sorry, morning coffee hasn't had it's effects yet)

That's very nice, but I want a wood case

[interstellar_donkey]

This reminds me of an idea I had some time ago. There are many out there (myself included) who don't see a problem in spending a good chunk of change for a computer case that looks nice. The problem is, pretty much every design out there is suited for modern looking decor.

My home office is largely decorated in rich, dark woods, while my computer case (currently silver) sticks out like a sore thumb. My idea is to use something I've never seen in computer case design before: wood. Now, I understand you'd still have to have a metal enclosure to shield against EM interference, but I don't see why you couldn't affix nice polished cherry or walnut panels to the outside (in a similar way that wood accents are attached to otherwise plastic dashboards in modern cars). I'm sure you have to have quite a few openings in the wood to allow for ventilation. Personally, I'd be pleased if I could transform the computer case to look more something like a vintage appliance, like an old radio or television set.

Has anyone done anything like this, or are there inherent problems with wood which prevent it from being attached to a metal case?

Re:That's very nice, but I want a wood case

[Pop69]

I thought everybody had a wooden PC case ?

My mate is on his second one now

http://www.alienonline.plus.com/id86.htm

Re:That's very nice, but I want a wood case

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't see any reason why you physically couldn't just *bolt* the thing to a plain metal case inside. In fact, this might be the best bet if you intend upgrading your computer (e.g. if you want to upgrade to one with a different form-factor mobo, you'll have to replace the metal case). Might require drilling some holes in the metal case and some clever planning.

I think you're right about the cooling; isn't most of it done by airflow anyway? So the increased insulation shouldn't be a problem if you have sufficient airflow.

Disclaimer: Those are just some thoughts. I am not really a case modder, and I might be talking out of my backside.

Re:Still waiting for a Transparent Aluminum Case..

[angrist]

"Helllllooooo Computer"

bounce

[Anonymous Coward]

Nah. Bouncing is bad - think about it, the velocity changes by more than if it'd just come to a halt. So that's more total acceleration, more force on the components. Ideally you want something big that'll deform inelastically, which is scientese for non-bouncy. The size gives the laptop more time to decelerate, reducing the peak force.

So, basically what I'm saying is get out there and start selling pillows as laptop protectors.

Re:bounce

[Doc Ruby]

It depends on how slowly the springy stuff oscillates. If it merely deforms, it usually heats up - and we know these little buggers can take only so much heat.

When did aluminum cases die?

[Ars-Gonzo]

Disclaimer: I am the editor in chief of Maximum PC magazine, so my opinion on things like this isn't unbiased.

The aluminum case is not, and has never been dead.

We've reviewed a steady stream of aluminum cases at Maximum PC over the last four years.

To even suggest that is idiotic. I could almost see posting this if it was a roundup of a bunch of the new aluminum cases, but we reviewed this case in the magazine last year.

Re:When did aluminum cases die?

[Dogtanian]

The aluminum case is not, and has never been dead.

It's just pining for the fjords.

Copper

[Anonymous Coward]

I would take copper over any other case material. Only drawback would be the $1000+ price tag :(

That's forward thinking design, all right.

[arloguthrie]

I mean, it's got a floppy drive. We're talking about the FUTURE, people!

Hey, I just drilled a mesh of holes into this Red Bull can sitting next to me. It's the future of Red Bull cans!

Holes on bottom: Poor Airflow

[HockeyPuck]

Ok, so the case has fan on the front and the back, so you have a tunnel or horizontal chimney effect for the airflow. One full pulls air (say from the front) of the case, and the other blows it out the back.

For outlet fan (the rear one) to be effective, the case should be airtight with the exception of the inlet fan. This way the air moves in one direction only.

Having holes on the bottom poses a problem for the outlet fan, it can actually pull air from the holes in the bottom of the case and blow it out the back. The air may not even go over the intended equipment. Since the air can be pulled from the bottom, the hotter air from the inlet fan (front) may circulate in the case, be pushed out the bottom or go out the back.

The whole system would not be as effective if you plugged up the bottom holes and had a high volume of air going in the front and out the back.

-Puck=> .

better check your thermodynamics

[Anonymous Coward]

I hate to rain on your rant, but in fact, aluminum cases DO conduct heat MUCH better from the interior of the case to the outside. True the Al case is not in physical contact with any hot parts, but yes your case is full of hot air, which IS in complete contact with the case.

But don't take my word for it. It is fairly easy to set up a test. Take an empty steel case and an empty Al case, sealed with no fans, and put a 60W light bulb in each. Keep checking the air temp every few minutes and see what happens.

Bottom line: you can't argue with thermodynamics. Al is a better conductor of heat than steel. Air is almost the only medium by which heat is leaving your components. Unless you have hurricane-force fans inside your box which don't allow any hot air to build up, the Al is going to make a big difference. Personally, I noticed about a 8-10C drop in temp when I switched to aluminum.

Re:better check your thermodynamics

[Anonymous Coward]

Bottom line: you can't argue with thermodynamics. Al is a better conductor of heat than steel. Air is almost the only medium by which heat is leaving your components. Unless you have hurricane-force fans inside your box which don't allow any hot air to build up, the Al is going to make a big difference. Personally, I noticed about a 8-10C drop in temp when I switched to aluminum.

Next week on slashdot... the bronze case.

Re:better check your thermodynamics

[Sloppy]

True the Aluminum case is not in physical contact with any hot parts

Not true. Hard drives connect directly to it. That's probably why my array of 4 Maxtors have been able to run continuously for nearly 5 years.

Maxtors! 4 of them crammed into one case!! Not failing!!! Aluminum.

Not enough disk

[elronxenu]

My next case will be the Coolermaster Stacker so I have plenty of capacity for disk drives.

My major gripe with cases is: most don't provide enough 3.5" expansion bays. And many case makers put in lots of 5.25" (external) bays before they put in 3.5" bays. Nobody sells a 5.25" disk drive anymore, and I'm tired of screwing in 3.5" brackets.

Note that the stacker actually has 5.25" bays but they sell a cage to fit 4 x 3.5" drives in 3 x 5.25" bays, and the cage comes with its own fan. I don't know how many 3.5" drives the case can support at maximum, it might be 12.

Great Looks?

[ThePuceGuardian]

Aesthetically, I prefer wood. The whole industrial steel-and-blue-LED's thing is just too cold. But realistically, it doesn't matter. My case is always open. The minute I button it up, I know I'll just have to go in there and change something. So it could be made out of FedEx boxes; all anyone would ever see of it would be the front.

also, price??

[Anonymous Coward]

Aluminum is far cheaper to fab and ship than steel, yet we pay through the nose for them? what is up with that? /seinfeld

V1200

[Sarin]

I have the V1200 case for a year now. (not the plus version)

I bought it at that time to keep my dual opteron system in. due to the size of the extended atx motherboard it was hard to find a case, after some searching I got this one. Yes it was expensive, but the computer parts were expensive as well.
It's a really great case, it opens up easily and I don't regret buying it.

Remember the article about PR as journalism?

[Dogtanian]

Can it get any more blatant than this?

Oh I agree... on reading the words "High-End Aluminum PC Cases Make A Comeback", I was reminded of the article /. had on the front page a few months back regarding the insiduous effects of PR on journalism. I've lost the link, but the gist was... Write a PR piece in a style that is easily reusable by lazy/busy journalists, and it's shockingly easy to get your PR fluff passed off as "news".

In that case, the example given was that "suits are making a comeback". Well, says who? Says the people who make suits and want to play to people's paranoia about appearing out-of-date; but of course, this isn't a "fact" or "news"; it is (if successful) a self-fulfilling prophecy. Everyone *will* be wearing suits because they *think* everyone else is.

Anyway, who the heck said Aluminium cases had ever gone away, and more importantly, who is the "anonymous reader" who submitted it?

Now; I'm not saying that everyone involved was in the pay of Lian-Li (they don't need to be, just the original source of the information), or even with 100% certainty that this *is* just a passed-on PR piece. But it certainly has the feel of something that is at most two or three generations away from a PR writer's "journalistic" hand.

i have that case!

[Anonymous Coward]

neat-o case!
a bit pricy, but great for a server!
noisy, true, but that's not the cases fault.
ALOT of airflow and strangly very dust repellent.
[pics]
http://emptyempty2.tripod.com/case1.JPG
http://emptyempty2.tripod.com/case2.JPG
http://emptyempty2.tripod.com/case3.JPG

I have the silent version of thise case.

[rygoody]

All trolls saying your "not impressed" to try and seem cool and rebellious are just retarded. Pictures don't do this case justice. The attention to detail on this case is amazing, it is the most well constructed case I've ever seen and seeing all this in person also makes it look way better. Not to mention the silent version of this case is one of the quietest versions you can buy. This is the best case you can buy if you can afford it.

There are some advantages to Aluminum

[Kamiza Ikioi]

Aluminum doesn't rust like steel. Won't matter if you water log your cpu, however for manufacturing cases, aluminum doesn't need to be immediately covered with a coating.

Aluminum's lower weight also lowers overall costs, primarily shipping/receiving/handling. Shipping a 20K lb roll of steel will make far fewer cases than a 20k lb roll of aluminum.

Heat conductivity matters if there is heat generated at the time of construction as well. Cheaper, less coolant running molds/presses can press aluminum.

Aluminum is also much safer to work with. I've worked with both materials, and can tell you that handling aluminum sheets with bare hands is not that big of a problem. Handling steel without Kevlar gloves is extremely foolish!

The manufacturing and handling (both manufacturer and middle man supplier, like Dell) costs are much lower with Aluminum. Cheap products swear by Aluminum. That's why you don't see steel coke cans. Steel is a more expensive material and more expensive to work with. Food containers that use steel are for the most part by necessity, not preference.

i have the v1200

[Aradorn]

I have the v1200 and love it. Its easy to work with, sturdy, cool, and nice looking. My next comp case will definately be another lian li

Inverted ATX?

[Anonymous Coward]

What's the reasoning?

"because it uses an inverted ATX design so the heat from the CPU has more of an effect on the video card."

So the heat from the cpu rises to the video card?

The lack of a reset switch

[Squigley]

"The lack of a reset switch is not that important but some users may see it as a minor annoyance."

Like people who use windows. Sorry, couldn't resist, I'll add the -1 troll for you :-)

"Apex" is a strong word

[HalfFlat]

If one is seeking innovation and style in an aluminium case, visit Soldam and have a look at their Alcadia-X cases for micro ATX, ATX. and extended ATX cases.

I've never used one, I don't know how well they work. But they certainly differ substantially from the run of the mill (*cough*) aluminium case in terms of airflow design, and look much smarter than most.

Anonymous?

[eander315]

"An anonymous reader writes..."

I think this line from the article explains who sent in this article: "By: Sal Cangeloso"

Re:AC? My ass

[Anonymous Coward]

Someone could take Slashdot's RSS feed and make their own site from it, sans ads...

easy-access front ports

[Chazmati]

Why do they put the front audio/USB/Firewire ports on the bottom of most every tower case I see? Don't most people put these on the floor? Aren't the casters on the bottom a hint that this is going to go on the floor? Why would I want to reach down to the floor to plug in my USB memory drive, headphones, camera cable, etc?

I've bought a couple Lian-Li cases, and the build quality is excellent, but I wish they'd think about the front port placement a little more. Or maybe everyone else wants a huge tower sitting on top of their desk, I don't know.

I think Antec has a case with front ports at the top. Some other manufacturers are putting them centered on the top, which seems odd.

What does the rest of Slashdot think?

Why aluminum?

[ConceptJunkie]

I think porcelain would work much better if you are going to...

Oh, wait... it said tinker in your case.

Never mind.

sure, pal.

[Anonymous Coward]

"Lian Li's V1200 Plus represents the apex of enclosure technology to date." Sure it is. For an aftermarket case, that is.

It's still a rat's nest PC inside. It's not a Powermac case.

I thought I paid for no ads!

[Savantissimo]

Is it just me or is this story the most blatant ad yet on Slashdot? Why was this story even accepted? Who cares about this story other than the people trying to sell this POS? This isn't even a particularly good case, and there is nothing news-worthy about it at all. Wake me when I can fit 8 HDDs in the thing, or when it shaves 20dB off the noise or does anything other than look half as cool as a 10 year-old NeXT box.

[Excellent Karma -> Ex-karma // oh, well - it's worth it]

What tipped me in the direction of steel

[Savantissimo]

If you have thick steel like my Enermax tower, the difference is even greater. My case alone with no PS is about 45 lbs. It should stop unjacketed small-caliber handgun fire, though.

Just Anodize the Case, and you can be satisfied.

[tempest69]

With the temperature of CPU's rising, and the use of aluminum casing. the only good way to be satisfied, is to Anodise the case, and fry up an omelet and some crispy hash browns and bacon.. mmm bacon.

Now if that isnt a case that can satisfy you, I dont know what is.

Quote from 2045: (to grandkids) I remember the time when cases were so cold you could cook an egg on them, and we didnt need fancy concrete cooling towers in the back yard )( .

Storm

"Lian Li was putting some thought into..."

[bar-agent]

The rear of the inside does not have any major surprises, just the exhaust fan, expansion slots, and I/O shield. The 120mm fan does havea 3-pin motherboard connector, whereas the intake fan uses a 4-pin molex connector so you can tell than Lian Li was putting some thought into their choices.

Why is this significant?

Re:CM stacker good, but read these caveats

[Anomalyst]

I have two of the puppies holding tyan dual Opteron boards.
Avoid the annoying Flash home page: http://www.coolermaster.com/index.php?LT=english&L anguage_s=2&url_place=product&p_serial=RC-820&othe r_title=RC-820CM-Stacker%20820

• Cons

1. no PC speaker included, tough to find. Here's 1 source for $1.20 http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi ?category=580&type=store
2. BTX adaptation extra cost on base model
3. "Cross-flow" fan extra cost
4. make sure you have 36" IDE/SCSI cables or make sure to install drives from the bottom.
5. Needs more holes for cable ties, get a package of adhesive tie mounts from Radio Shack.

• Pros

1. Includes Casters.
2. Includes 4 into 3 drive module.
3. reasonabale price under $200
4. As parent mentions: 2nd P/S mount to power additional drives.

Re:CM stacker good, but read these caveats

[LurkerXXX]

What's the extra cost for the BTX??? Mine came with everything needed. The only 'extra' I ordered were two extra 4/3 modules. I didn't get the "cross-flow"