Slashdot Mirror
Treasures or Trash, 5 PC Cases for Gamers
An anonymous reader writes "Tom's Hardware has a look at 5 different customized PC cases and a few peripheral devices that may be of some interest to gamers. From the article: 'Those who believe it is impossible to make any missteps when buying a gaming case are sadly mistaken. In most cases, you get too much plastic for your hard-earned money. Case components, covers and door panels break off far too easily, and are hard to use besides. That's why we advise savvy buyers to spend a few more dollars on their cases, and make sure they're getting quality components - especially where plastic covers or door panels are present.'"
They have flashy lights and windows! That's all that matters, right, guys?
29 pages? No printer-formatted single page? I'd rather not give my wrist an RSI by all that clicking or waste my allotted amount of bandwidth downloading all those ads.
I would think the hardware in the case is more important for a gamer. A case doesn't provide power and storage, it just provides a place to put it. Go buy a metal slide on case with a a plastic face plate, perferably a decently large one, and cram all your hardware in that. I never really understood why to pay $100 or more for a case with a window and lights. Even @ LAN parties...the hardware is more important.
That which does not kill me only postpones the inevitable.
my god, thats a lot of pages to scroll through... I'm inclined to be a little lazy when buying a case; I only put my feet on it so it doesn't really matter what it looks like. Inside they are all pretty much the same so long as they have enough room, and a construction which will allow you to put your feet on it safely.
I've had a friend who had a case with really bright blue lights on his computer; all that that meant was we had to stick post-it notes over them when we wanted to watch something to avoid blinding us. I wouldn't want lights on my case...
*''I can't believe it's not a hyperlink.''
Those little touches are incredibly easy to do, but no one ever adds them. I'd much rather be able to swing out my power supply so I don't have to disassemble my computer to add RAM or whatnot, rather than have my case look like it's got eyes on.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
It'd be the one I just picked up, the Antec P180. Actually I opted for the P180B, the black version (the normal 180 is silver) but either way same case, different finish. It's a case that has it all, if you asked me. It's got the setup for extremely effective cooling, yet runs very quiet for all that. Plenty of interior room, good design, etc. The only real gripe I have is it takes a long time to properly install all your components what with the special mounts and such. However, you do that once and you've got a great case.
Of course it also looks stellar. It's extremely sleek and clean the whole way around. It's the kinds of subdued good looks that make you want to leave it alone, rather than put stickers on it and rice it out.
These cases I'd liken to a riced out Civic. You are going for flash to try and distract and wow people. The P180 is more like an Audi sedan, it looks so good it needs no modification.
Either way if you are willing to spend the cash on cases like this (the $100+ market) give these overly flashy jobs a miss and have a look at a P180. It will look good in just about any room and they really put some thought in the engineering of it. It's the first case I've seen that really seemed to think someone might want to have a system that's quiet AND high performance, but not want to screw with water cooling.
Why get a Civic with a spoiler and fart pipe if you could get an S4 without for the same price?
Drum roll please. On May 29, 2003, I entered a new phase of PC ownership. That was the day that my Chenbro SR101 21 bay server case arrived. Perhaps you didn't hear me. I said it was a 21 bay case! It's 14.5" wide and 25" tall! (The 25" includes the caster wheels.) It's a monster and unless you're one of the lucky few who own a case like this, it would most likely eat your case for an after dinner snack!
It's a masterpiece of case design! There are holders for wires in it to reduce clutter. It's like running a network inside the PC.
It has spaces for up to 15 fans.
It has caster wheels.
The motherboard is on a removable platter so I was able to just take the platter out and put the motherboard on it instead of having to put it into the case directly.
It has 12 external 5.25" bays and 8 internal 3.5" bays and 1 external 3.5" bay for the floppy drive.
The floppy drive bay has a removable platter so you can attach the drive to it and then attach the platter to the case.
The case comes with rails for the 5.25" bays. You attach the rails to each 5.25" device (CDROM, removable hard drive, etc.) and you can just slide the device into the bay and it snaps in place. You just squeeze the sides to pull them back out. There's no need to have to screw each one in and out when you want to move them around!
There's room in the back for 3 power supplies (I have 2 installed right now) and it's possible attach power supplies into the 5.25" bays if desired which theoretically means you could have 7 power supplies in it, but you wouldn't have much room left over for anything else.
The back, sides, top, and front panels are all removable, so if I want to I can remove them and have them painted or even paint them myself! (I was thinking of maybe having the entire thing painted shiny dark black with 1 big yellow pacman on each side.) I wonder if they sell spoilers for PC cases... Actually, I think I may have no choice but to add neon lights to it.
Cow Cube
What are you people doing to your computers that you're breaking the plastic bay covers? I've been working on computers for at least 12 years and have never had one break on me. Sure, the occassional one pops off, but even though it's plastic it's pretty heavy plastic.
:)
As for the doors, I can't stand them to begin with. I guess if you're going for looks and can't trouble yourself to paint the faceplates of your components it's one thing, but wouldn't you aim to buy the proper color to begin with?
As for everything else when it comes to cases, the main difference I've found is that the high quality ones bend the inner edges an extra time to prevent cuts, have heavier metal drive racks, and better air flow. That's it.
People who spend insane amounts of money on cases are the same as people that modify their cars to gain 5 extra HP... it just doesn't make much sense. The one exception is server cases, but this article is about gaming cases, so that's not applicable.
You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. --Winston Churchill
According to (a 30 page bonanza of mostly pictures) TFA, I own a something that could qualify as a 'gaming' case. And my vote for the "Treasures or Trash?" conundrum is: trash. Why?
LEDs on the front of the case
Yeah, they look cool. For about 5 minutes. They are dim enough not to illuminate, but bright enough to catch your eye. Hardware equivalent of a flash ad. Also, if you keep your PC in your bedroom, you'd better find something to put in front of the LEDs.
"Cheap plastic USB port covers"
Yup, cheap is right. I snapped mine off literally about half an hour before reading the article. How's that for irony? To be fair, the cover was fine until now, just a bit superfluous. I won't miss it.
Side panels
I have seen about 3 PCs in my lifetime that get sidepanels right: easy to take off, but fit snugly and stay on well in spite of semifrequent access. For my last few boxes, I hav mostly kept my sidepanel off, but laying up against the case. Well, it helps cooling...
Sliding front / moving bits
I said the cheap plastic USB port covers were superfluous? My mistake. Any moving parts such as the case front are entirely superfluous and downright annoying. My last case had a sliding front. Up, it blocked the optical drives. Down, it blocked the USB ports. Argh...
Power supplies
Gaming cases tend to get these right, assuming they include a PSU with the case. No real complaints here in my experience.
----
I'd say that unless you are shallow and/or a showoff at LAN parties you'd be better off with a standard case. The money you save on the case can go on a bit of better quality RAM, or at the very worst, a round of beers. So if you have a big budget to blow on a computer you are going to be showing to a lot a people, then sure, get a cool-looking case. But make sure it's cool looking 'features' don't compromise its rather more important 'functions'.
If all you have is a grenade, pretty soon every problem looks like a foxhole -- MightyYar
29 pages for five cases? You've got to be kidding!
I hate to be the token apple fanboy, but these cases are amazingly ugly. all of them are significantly uglier than anything apple's produced, dating all the way back to the blue and white G3s.
that's not to say that OEM PC cases have to be ugly. IBM's produced some slick-looking cases, and so has Dell (for their small-form factor business stuff at least).
Lian-li's cases are also reasonably attractive, even if they somewhat appear to be knockoffs of the G5.
Industrial design seems to be an art lost to many theese days, which is a real shame... the G5's case was beautiful, functional, and able to cool several ridiculously hot G5 processors silently.
-- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
Want to know why I love Tom's Hardware?
Click here to read more.
Page: Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Next
Yeesh! Those are some fucking ugly, pre-riced cases. All they're missing is the oversized superflous fin, a coffee can-sized exhaust and gratuitous "Type R" and similar stickers, and they could be props in "The Fast and the Furious: Friday Night LAN Party."
Unless your case looks like this, I'm not going to be impressed.
"I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
I was going to post the full text of the article, but there's no real point. Most of the "pages" just have three or four photos of parts of the case. The meat of the article is on page 26 for those who are actually interested. Ignore the last 2 pages, they're basically ads for "input devices that light up". Two entire PAGES with no relevance to the article topic at all. Man, what the hell happened to Tom's Hardware? You guys used to be good.
Attractive design holds some merit with the gaming crowd but most however don't want to lug these overdone designs around to lans. Want to sell a good gaming case? Make it small, portable, easy to work with using standard parts, and cooling a big consideration. Even if it looks somewhat bland, it will be a guaranteed sell. They will mod it.
Join the Slashcott! Feb 10 thru Feb 17!
Needs a VTEC sticker.
It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
29 Pages?!?
An article like this calls for Anti-Pagination!
Well, there's conspicuous consumption, but then there's plain old bad taste. Pink Flamingos and Polyester.
It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
The only thing I need access to is a DVD/CD rw and a USB connection. So all I need is an external enclosure with 2 USB connection. That I put on my desk and all the rest I stuff away out of sight as far as possible.
Enclusures enough, just not one with extra USB connections.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
No, they're the same people who buy old Civics and Neons, put giant spoilers, racing stripes, and "fart can" mufflers on them because they think it makes the car go faster. These are the same people who pay extra for flashing LCD's, clear side panels and lighted fans in their cases - they think it makes it compute faster.
Let's call them "Rice Nerds."
Stupid sexy Flanders.
I am unfortunately unable to utilize any of these terrific looking cases, especially the Dragon case, as my application to become a ninja was sadly declined last week.
Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
Put a paper bag in one of those and you have just built your first vacuum cleaner...
Zere vere zwei peanuts valking down der Straße, and von vas assaulted...peanut
Too much plastic ... that about sums it up. Some came with power supplies but I'm not sure the manufacture is trustworthy, I am not familiar with the ones included. Alternatively you could get an aluminum Lian Li http://www.lian-li.com/main.htmcase like I did five years ago, it still looks like the day I bought it. I won't have to get another case unless form factor changes radically. And the big knurled nuts and sliding modular construction makes installing hard drives, power supplies or motherboards a snap. They cost a little more but they last a long time and don't break.
Many a long talk since then I have had with the man in the moon; he had my confidence on the voyage. Joshua Slocum
Oy. I'll leave the car thing alone, but as far as the computers go, most people do it because they a) like how it looks and b) enjoy doing it.
I built my cousin a computer once and he wanted to mod it out. He spent 10 hours custom carving a biohazard logo in the side of it. I think he enjoyed making little tweaks to the appearance over the next few months as much as he liked playing WoW on it once he turned it back on.
So what is wrong with that?
I have purchased probably 15+ cases over the years. I have found two that almost meet my expectations. 1. Enermax - CS10181 Pros: Affordable
Cons: Fan air flow paths not well thought out(requires mods to get good airflow) Cheapo ass front door(I hate doors, especially plastic) No front panel anything connections
2. Antec - Lanboy Pros: Affordable
Cons: Cheap ass front door(god I hate this) Not very sturdy(100% aluminum) No inlet fan filter
I dislike ----> Spaz cases, HUGE cases, tiny cases! Make the damn things functional, clean lines, solid construction and good airflow.
Note to case makers: Doors suck, doors that break really suck! AIRFLOW via 27 fans all just randomly blowing air around is not GOOD AIRFLOW! I want a computer case, not a freaking white noise generator. NO tools Front Panel Connections
Nothing, but that's exactly the point. Your case (or car, for that matter) can look as dull or as flashy as you want it to. It's how it preforms that makes it what it is. Even if I mod my case to have neon lights and a slurpee machine, all that won't matter unless it keeps everything inside working well.
It's always confirmation bias!
Seriously. Who ever had the idea of lumping together several components that dissipate heat poorly inside a big box made of metal or worse, heat-insulating plastic? Computers aren't appliances. You don't have to buy them in a single cute little box. Why hasn't anyone thoght, yet, of lumping the motherboard and assorted off-board peripherals in one small case tucked away somewhere with a large fan and placing the parts you actually need access to - power button, USB ports, peripheral devices and optical disk drives - on your desk?
You can talk about portability, but my computer isn't going anywhere, and I dispute the notion that a huge gaming case with a handle on top is "portable". It's as portable as an Osbourne. If I want something to carry around with me, I'll get a largish laptop and an USB mouse, problem solved, even for gaming.
I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: "O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And God granted it.
Ive been using IBM server cases from a IBM repair shop. Most IBM repair shops have heaps of partially/fully gutted cases, they will happily give you one for a few nickel and dimes or in my case I got 3 of them for nothing.
The things are built like sherman tanks and everything is easy to replace or move or modify.
Oh shit! The fans I bought have red LEDs!
Whenever I build a computer, there are a few things that I always look for in a case. Fancy blinkenlights and windows are not among them.
Here are the things I always look for when I buy a case:
Is the case a Full Tower?
I have fairly small hands, and even I find that it's really painful trying to get into a mid-tower, let alone a mini tower. Especially with Video Cards getting bigger, people more likely having multiple hard drives/optical drives, etc. I think a full tower is the only way to go. It helps with airflow, it helps getting everything into the case in the first place, and it makes it easier to get inside and work on the machine later.
Good Side Pannels
Some people don't like them, but good cases with good sidepannels make working on machines much easier. My case, for example, has a latch that locks into place when you snap the sidepannel on. It's sturdy enough that even when transporting the computer to lan parties or similar, I've never had a problem with it comming loose. When I want to get into the case, just pulling on the door latch and sliding it out and I'm into the case. The only problem I've ever had is that it's a slight pain trying to get the side pannel to line back up to snap back into place. I'd much rather mess with that than screws though.
Removable Drive Holder..thingy
I'm not sure what you'd call these, but my case - and a few others that I've worked on, has a little thing that slides in and out of the case from the front where the optical drives and hard drives go. The nice thing about this is that it makes it easier to actually get these things stablilzed well. I don't know how many computers I've worked in where the hard drive was held in by a single screw, because it was too hard to get any of the other screws in because of the case design.
Those are the big things I look at when getting a case. I'm particularly fond of the Antec cases, which aren't necessarily the most stylish looking cases, but in my experience are well built and have the right features.
Famous Last Words: "hmm...wikipedia says it's edible"
Well, I don't really know, but it may have something to do with this:
Editor In Chief and CEO of Tom's Hardware Both Step Down
IMO, tomshardware.com "jumped the shark" several years prior to this (2001?). Seemed like Tom stopped writing articles to focus on starting a corporate empire. Once all of the so called "editors" started putting their hands in the pie, the quality suffered quite a bit. Now it seems like everything on the site is targeted at the clueless newbie and paginated to maximize advertising revenue.
Has it occured to you guys that a lot of these people just don't know any better? That they don't know that a metal case with spaces for more fans is better than a case with space for one fan and a plexiglass window? Go ask people and you'll fidn out that a lot of them don't know. And why not? Because when they shop for them it says nothing about how one fan isn't such a good idea for a high-powered computer or that plexiglass windows can scratch up. Hell, even the metal cases with space for four fans don't even say that -- go look over cases at newegg.com and you'll see. The reviews are one of the best ways to learn but not everyone shops there and even a lot of those who do don't read reviews beyond those on the item's description page.
Give me an ugly old solid case with space for three or four fans any day over those with the plexiglass windows, but the fact is most of them have that now. I don't even look at the cheap plastic cases myself.
I dream of a better world... one in which chickens can cross roads without their motives being questioned.
Two biggest problems with computer cases for me are that I have physical disabilitles and heat control.
e rs.txt
:)
:)
I have problems moving computers (even minitowers), and opening and closing cases, using screwdrivers (even electronic ones), removing case covers (sliding types still fail for me). Are there any out there work for me so I don't have to get someone to do it for me?
Second, heat!! I have problems keeping my computers stable for every upgrades. My room can go aboev 85 degrees(F) in the heat wave. A/C won't do well since my room is upstair so all heat rises. I don't even overlock.
Here's a sampler of my Web surfing temperatures:
-Athlon 64 754 CPU (3200+) Windows XP Pro. SP2 box: 113F
-ASUS K8V SE Deluxe (1007 firmware): 132F
Note: Have seen CPU go up to 150F during stress like gaming in 85+F room (don't remember the peak temperatures for motherboard).
Idled system in my Linux/Debian box:
-MSI KT4AV-L (Socket A/Socket 462; VIA KT400A) motherboard: 151F
-Athlon XP 2200+: 122F
You can see my system specifications here: http://alpha.zimage.com/~ant/antfarm/about/comput
No, I am not getting water cooling. Too much work, and my disabilities will not work with that setup.
I am planning to do redo my hardwarwe setups when I get my Athlon 64 x2 in autumn (much hotter than now).
I don't care about the look of the case as long as it is not pink color.
Any suggestions? Thank you in advance.
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
This article is lame, All hail the beige box with higher shipping and handling than price!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!
So the Cray X1 runs Windows now? Look at the reflection on the second (or is it the third?) cabinet from the left.
-- It only takes 20 minutes for a liberal to become a conservative thanks to our new outpatient surgical procedure!
"It's how it preforms that makes it what it is. Even if I mod my case to have neon lights and a slurpee machine, all that won't matter unless it keeps everything inside working well"
and putting a picture up on a wall won't help the wall keep the outside out (infact it may weaken it) but there is a pretty large market in after market mods for walls, some people spend millions on them...
Yeah, they are the same people that hang pictures on the walls. It doesn't make the wall perform better.
Now when it's time to make compromise and manage a budget, that's when the buyer shows 'savvyness' or not.
These days, I'm quite impressed with my Powermac G4 case (my first mac ever, got it used on ebay). The day I decide to get rid of it, I just might keep the case for something else because it is really well thought and built:
- the IDE cables are not hanging from the drives, they are inside "tunnels" from the drive to the motherboard;
- the way the side panel opens is very convenient, no loose screws there;
- the power supply seems standard enough to replace one of these days;
- the hard drive bays can be stacked at the bottom of the case
- it's attractive with a professional look, not some kid fantasy kind of attractive
yep, that's some great technology from the year 2000.So what is wrong with that?
We simply disapprove. By our standards, your cousin is worthless.
Defining Statistics and Social Research
Honestly, why is it that someone who makes their computer flashy, is considered an idiot. Mine is a plain case, but I have to admit that some cases out there look pretty cool, and I have to give credit to the time and effort that those people put into their cases.
And people that do up their cars, that looks pretty damn cool too. It just means that they happen to be more visual than those that don't.
Just because it's not your view, doesn't mean it's stupid.