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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.""
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.
"Simplify, simplify, simplify!" Thoreau
Can it get any more blatant than this?
got standards? --- http://www.w3.org/
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!
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.
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.
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.
Indeed, it looks very nice (different, but nice) next to my G5. It's a lot louder though :-(
Simon
Physicists get Hadrons!
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:
He may be satisifed, but I'm definitely steering away from it. That's just too many weirdities.
Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)
http://www.lawrenceperson.com/
P.S. The site seems to be completely dead. If you have problems, use this mirror courtesy of Coral Cache.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
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.
Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.
-- Dr. Spock, stardate 2822-3.
This case has been around for a long time. And it's ugly as sin.
Why again is this front-page worthy?
The article (both the ./ and the original one) are nothing more than an ad.
Who actually wants this here?
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!
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. -Confucius
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.
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.
Moderate drunk! It's more fun that way!
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.
Shouldn't we boycott sites that have those "false windows error message"-type ads ?
The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
He's got a pube sitting on top of it in this picture. Guy needs to lay off the porn.
Free Hans!
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.
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
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.
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=> .
By: Sal Cangeloso
Lian-Li.com
I'd say that's fairly relevant, and makes the 'article' not worth reading.
"The advanced societies of the future will be driven by competing systems of psychopathology." -JG Ballard
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.
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