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Translucent PC Cases

webslacker sent us linkage to a place selling translucent PC cases for those of you who are seeking something different, or are jealous of the iMac. These actually look pretty excellent.

247 comments

  1. Re:Children of the 80's by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What do you mean "were"?

  2. PC-fishtank cases suck. SGI cases rule. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    SGI has always made cool cases. Even their ancient R3000 cases look better than the PC-fishtank crapola apple and the like are cranking out.

    I wish SGI would make PC cases.

    1. Re:PC-fishtank cases suck. SGI cases rule. by CoderDevo · · Score: 1

      You mean besides the cases that they make for their own PCs.

  3. Matrix by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    who cares if the matrix 'wasnt believeable' ? just because it can't be 'real' means the movie sucks? your a hard audiance

    1. Re:Matrix by matt[0] · · Score: 1

      If we evaluated all movies based on how beleivable they were, George Lucas would not be still milking Star Wars, and there wouldn't be 4 diffrent Star Trek series'.

      --
      --------- Matt
  4. Black cases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A black case is as close as the spraypaint aisle of your local hardware store. You could even go for the stove-enamel black if you want it really durable...

  5. Mac zealots just don't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you are buying a computer because of the "smooth, flowing curves" of its case, then maybe you really do deserve a mac.

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

    Now that you mention it, I can't seem to find the cover for my computer.

    Hmm.. I personally don't like translucent cases. I prefer the plain ol' metal colored computer beige. Now THAT's a computer case.

  7. Right on! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A black case would be nice. I could also really go for dark blue. Some people might appreciate dark red, green, etc., too.

  8. Re:Apple said we don't need floppies anymore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And Win98 has one too. So?

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

    NeXT made good black equipment, a little overpriced maybe, but it looked good.

    BTW, I got my NeXT Sony Trinitron monitor working on my PC, discovered how to do it without a Sync-On_Green adapter too. You can pick these up for not much now, but they're fixed frequency so not much good for games.

  10. shielding by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If a case is translucent (to visible light), then it obviously can't be metal, and if it isn't metal, how can it shield the computer components within from potentially harmful electromagnetic interference? *Not* a good situation for anyone who expects their computer to be behave reliably and predictably.

    Oh well, I'm sure it's just another *dumb* trend. They'll learn eventually.

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

      Why a computer without a case works flaulessly is probably only chance. Physics is scientific proof that magnetic fields induce current flow through wires. High frequency apparatus such as those found inside integrated circuits are especially vunerable to interference. If you want to perform your own experiment, take a solering gun (not a soldering iron) and turn it on. Then wave it close to your brand new processor (or any mission critical IC for that matter) and turn on your computer. You should see immediate and permanent results. Reason: soldering guns emit strong magnetic fields which induce eddy flows (unwanted current) inside your (now dead) processor.

    2. Re:shielding by dbullock · · Score: 2

      >If a case is translucent (to visible light), then it obviously can't be metal, and if it isn't metal, how can it shield the computer components within from potentially harmful electromagnetic interference? *Not* a good situation for anyone who expects their computer to be behave reliably and predictably.
      >Oh well, I'm sure it's just another *dumb* trend. They'll learn eventually.

      Er that statement makes no sense. The only devices that would suffer would be devices that pick up radiated RF (radios and non-cable TV's for example).

      First of all, the computer isn't shielded from itself, so removing the shielding will have NO effect on the computer's reliability.

      Second, MANY of us run caseless constantly with no ill effects from RF (or anything else). A bigger concern would be cooling, and you don't need metal cases to cool properly. Translucent plastic will do just fine.

      --
      http://www.bullnet.com
  11. Re:Good Black Equipt.? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ummm....did you see Apple's profits for the last five quarters? If you don't consider that a killing, I want your job. Apple bought NeXT lock, stock, and barrel.

  12. Price? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Anyone notice that there were no prices listed? How much are they going to charge for these ugly things?

    Personally, I've been decorating my computer cases myself. A couple cans of spray paint, and suddenly you are the coolest geek in town. And the edge around monitors is great for stickers.

    ps - the stickers at http://www.unamerican.com are great for computers.

  13. I'll stick with boring beige boxes, thank you. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That way I don't have to try and find matching monitors, speakers, switchboxes, mice, etc. I despise hardware that comes in funky colors, with rounded, windswept, or otherwise non rectcubular (my word) cases. I constantly swap faceplates, case covers and stuff from all sorts of machines, and there's a lot to be said for standard designs.

    1. Re:I'll stick with boring beige boxes, thank you. by rbf · · Score: 1

      Yeah.. I like the cases made by www.calpc.com. I guess I'm the odd duck, but I think those ugly colored cases like the icrap err imac would make a better flower pot or maybe a paper weight for the kids. For me it's gotta be 100% steel and "built for WWII" as we say around here...

      "rbf"

      --
      ALPHA LINUX POWERED and loving it!

  14. Re:is it easy to open? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Have you even looked at the Apple cases everybody's talking about here? If you can't get stuff out of the new G3's, it must be because you don't have arms. NOTHING is occluded by ANYTHING in the new cases. I'd give a big pile of money to any PC case manufacturer who could replicate that functionality...preferably in matte black with brushed aluminum accents.

  15. Simple cases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why can't we just have a nice, simple featureless (i.e. a door over the drive bays) solid-colored case design? Or maybe with thin horizontal or vertical slit stripes. Just a solid color, like black, blue, green, or purple,

  16. Re:Apple said we don't need floppies *wise up* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just so all can finally 'get it".. Floppies really aren't necessary for the macintosh OS. On the mac file sizes tend to be larger. For windows and Linux?, sure. I couldn't imagine going for more than a day without a floppy drive on my Linux box. I keep seeing an attitude towards Apple that really isn't warrented, the reason being? The threat isn't in Cupertino, it's in Redmond. So wise up.

  17. What *I* want to see . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    . . . are metallic red / blue / aqua cases with fins and chrome trim, like old 50s automobiles.

    And ART DECO cases with brushed aluminum and wood panels and polished chrome wire wrap-around bands.

    Think: The better, and more expensive, a case is, the less likely it will be to be tossed out and forgotten. You'll want to hang on to it upgrade after upgrade.

    Stefan

    1. Re:What *I* want to see . . . by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

      You know those connectix quick cams? I want a round case with it's own pedistal.. But that's me..
      "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

      --
      I ate my tag line.
      -=Ellis (D)25=-
  18. Butane? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What happens when they run out of butane, or when the flint wears out? Do you just throw 'em in the trash?

  19. re: model with 8 5 1/2" bays by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I dated a with model with 8 5 1/2" bays once... Ended badly though, she was too into herself.

  20. I just want dual power supplies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All this talk about pretty cases. But what I want is dual (redundant) power supplies, and adequate airflow so that I can fill the drive bays with Barracudas. And I want it at a reasonable cost. Is that possible?

    1. Re:I just want dual power supplies by Eric+Green · · Score: 1

      Dual power supplies? Cheap? I want a billion dollars too, but it's unlikely I'll get it :-(.

      I just pulled down my California PC Products catalog and it looks like they'll sell you a case with dual power supplies -- but it'll cost. They have one that'll fit a standard ATX case, but it looks like the price on that thing is well over $350 (retail in my catalog is $408). Pretty pricey just for a power supply :-(.

      You might want to check them out at http://www.calpc.com, by the way. Some serious sh*t there. Only folks I've ever encountered who have a case that'll hold more than 30 drives (but check the shipping weight and dimensions on that thing -- it's HUGE!).

      --
      Send mail here if you want to reach me.
  21. Re:is it easy to open? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't limit yourself to PC hardware. Some workstation manufacturers were making good cases long before Apple. I have an Axil 245 (it's a Sparcstation clone) which is held closed by two large bolts (for lack of a better word), which are big enough to manipulate with your fingers and have slots big enough to use a dime in AND are held in by springy things so they loosen enough to open the case, but don't come out completely. Much nicer than most of the irritating PC cases I've had to deal with.

  22. More proof... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...that the Wintel industry just doesn't get it.

    I mean, here they have a chance to actually learn something from apple and make a computer case asthetically pleasing to live with.

    What do they do?

    A simple substituiton of steel and baige plastic for translucent plastic. ...and before it happened, I bet some bean counter sat down and cruched numbers to make sure translucent plastic was actually cheaper than steel.

    fscking amazing...

  23. Yuck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That milky-white is gross.

    They look like something you'd put your toothbrush in at the hospital.

  24. mmmmm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    mmmmm....blackish green flavor....

  25. Re:PC makers just don't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    >Even the names of half the colors are the same!

    And damn all that fruit that stole the color names from the iMac too! Excuse me, but what ELSE are you going to call "Orange"? "Lime Green" is a very apt description of the shade of green they are using.

    Using existing examples of things to name colors was done long before the iMac.

    Sometimes the revisionist history spewn by Mac zealots is just over the top in it's lunacy...

  26. Yeah, you're ranting, but about *what*?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    I'm not even sure.

    Nice little rant, though. I enjoyed it.

  27. That's Wintel creativity for you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Of course they have the same flavor names as the iMac. Since when has the Wintel world been known to innovate?

    1. Re:That's Wintel creativity for you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Since when has Apple been innovative? Translucent stuff is NOTHING new. Its on our phones, its on our everything these days, it doesnt take a genius to go "duh, maybe we can do this with a computer".

      Apple stole the GUI from Xerox, and built itself on it. Then they cancled all the clone licenses, putting thousands of people out of work. Then the apple zealots act like they are victims of Bill Gates. No, if apple marketed itself better and didnt fire jobs from the beginning, apple could be in microsofts place right now. But the world didnt work that way, so perhaps you should just make the best of it.

      Wow, yeh, we love apple, rah rah rah.

      Personally, I think the whole "I'm more innovative then you debate" has been going on way too long. Good ideas are good ideas, and they should be shared.

    2. Re:That's Wintel creativity for you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wintel? It almost sounds as if you are trying to exclude linux from this mix. It seems to me that linux runs on these same boxes, but I guess linux is just a ripoff of unix anyways...

  28. Examples please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your wishy-washy statements are not gonna cut it. Point us to some examples of PC cases that are as easy to open as the B&W G3. Or shut up.

    1. Re:Examples please by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 1
      Awful big talking for an AC.

      Anyway, I'd say anything with a slide-out motherboard tray is as easy to open as the G3, and requires much less workspace as well. Compaq's server cases are an excellent example of this; a pair of thumbscrews is usually all that's required to get into the machine, which is usually very well laid-out. For the do-it-yourselfer, lots of options are available, including my personal favorite, the In-Win Q500. While it doesn't "open up", the sides are simple to remove and the motherboard is on rails and slides out easily. Makes getting to the RAM simple; often the case doesn't even need to be opened to replace or add RAM. I'm sure other case examples exist. These are just the ones I could think of off the top of my head.

      - A.P.
      --


      "One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft Promotional Ad

      --
      "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
    2. Re:Examples please by marshall · · Score: 1

      Let's get one thing straight, I LOVE my Mac and the OSX servers that we run on B&W G3's. IBM's Netfinity (stupid name) PC servers are pretty cool. Swap out mother boards and other devices real easy. Take a look at them sometime....

      The only thing I don't like about the BW G3's is the fact that ribbon cables run under a pannel and are a pain to remove. We stripped all of our BW G3's for the hell of it before we put them into action and that was the only bad thing we could find

  29. Blah... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The translucent iMac and G3 cases are ugly to begin with. Why copy them? If you're tired of beige then just do what I did: buy some spray enamel and paint your case/monitor. Mine's now glossy black with glossy red front. And, should I get tired of that, any color can of enamel is only around $3.00. Just unplug your computer and monitor, then grab a screw driver and take the cases off and paint away -- just be careful of the bare monitor. Don't touch the flyback. That would be BAD.

  30. Art Deco, Prairie Style, Mucha . . . mmmmm . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    ART DECO cases with brushed aluminum and wood panels and polished chrome wire wrap-around bands.

    Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the Jugenstil . . .

    Yeah. Or just stick with the Art Deco, transfer the soul of the Chrysler Building into a computer case, and I will be a very happy boy.

    Oh, baby, yeah.

    Yum yum.


    Think: The better, and more expensive, a case is, the less likely it will be to be tossed out and forgotten. You'll want to hang on to it upgrade after upgrade.

    Have you read Visible Light by William Gibson? The near-total absence of a plot is kind of a bummer (then again, that's just Gibson :), but there are some wonderful ideas in there, not least being a post-neo-hippie computer-building commune called Stonebenders, where they build cases much like you're describing: Objets d'art that people keep for years, just upgrading the components inside.

  31. Typical dumbass brand-fetishist flamer kiddie. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    Grow up.

  32. Uh, Beavis? Electrons are like, tiny. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    You can't see them anyway. Heh heh. Heh heh heh.

    Heh heh.

  33. Re:Cases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hmm.. NOT a bad idea! I wonder about "insulation" factors of industrial grade steel.
    Personally, I was thinking of doing like Audi did with one of their show cars a few years ago: Solid Aluminum, polished and curved, bright shiney silver. and use some sense in redesigning a good case. I like the G3 design, maybe try and do something like that with an aluminum, custom case... I'm going to have to go take a metal working class or two at the local tech college. Or maybe I could get an art student to do it for food.

    Later

  34. Re:You, don't, really by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow, when your hard drive crashes you are really
    going to be hosed. You may not need a floppy
    on a normal basis, but I am glad to have some
    type of backup -- after all hard drives crash!

  35. my letter to A-top by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dear A-top,

    I have a brand new Mac G3 blue and white, and it's gorgeous. I would love to get a cool box for the Linux PC next to it, something better looking than the el cheapo beige AT case it lives in.

    But I think your boxes try too hard to mimic the Apple design rather than use transparency in a new and meaningful way. For instance, why not alter your approach a bit to reflect the differences between the Mac and the PC?

    The Mac is integrated, elegant, and does not require much tinkering. The translucent materials are a great effect but do not let the viewer inspect the machine's internals--that's not the point of the Mac.

    The PC, on the other hand, actually requires futzing with the inside of it to make it work. Indeed, you sell cases, and that implies that your customers will be assembling machines from components, like I did with my Linux box. I'm proud of my handiwork and many other PC builders (I think) feel the same way.

    So... how about a totally transparent case, with as little metal skeleton as possible (maybe none?) without compromising the load-bearing structure. The plastics should not be colored or frosted or textured, just flat. Totally clear panels looking in on the wires etc. Also, the cliche molded plastic styling features like the ridges at the bottom and the big u-shaped groove, these should also disappear in favor of flat, revealing vistas.

    I would buy such a case, but not a spin-off of an original Apple idea that was done better by them in the first place.

    I don't mean to sound nasty, I'm not some Mac freak spouting off. I'd just like to see a product that has a bit more depth to it than what seems to be a knee-jerk reaction to another company's successful product.

    Jason

    cc: Slashdot (since that's where I saw your link)

  36. Re:Movies, and cases for Laptops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who sez da Matrix wasn't believable? It'll happen. Maybe. You can prove me wrong in 2099 or so. If you can find me. I'll even bet $1 on it. Ok? ;-)

  37. I knew it was just a matter of time.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    now pc's have learned how to manufacture clear plastic and mac's once again have nothing going for them, expect a decreased market share.

  38. Re:Apple said we don't need floppies *wise up* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > Floppies really aren't necessary for the macintosh OS.

    Yah, right. Go get an iMac or a G3 tower. Now try to install Quark XPress on it. You'll do great, right up to the point where the install asks you for the license diskette.

    D'OH!

    Gee, we've got these great new desktop publishing machines and the latest/greatest desktop publishing software. Too bad we can't install it, huh?

  39. Re:is it easy to open? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My decstation is a dream to open up. Thumbscrews are held on with small springs (no risk of dropping them into the case). The drive bays swing up on a hinge to give easy access to the memory. The cpu is on a daughterboard that is easily removable. Now that's a real case.

    --Eric

  40. Bourgeois by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ugh, so bourgeois ... Utter lack of taste. Looks like the only people with good taste work at Apple. Wot no creativity?

    As an old ad said, 'Often imitated, never ..."

  41. ScReW Dat! Beige is da B0MB! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Give me a beige computer case anyday over
    this trendy translucent crap. Next thing
    you know they'll be making wood veneer
    cases. Lame, lame lame!

  42. Star Trek Realism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Actually, NASA physisists are claiming the propulsion system is feasable. But of course we probably won't see anything like it in our lifetime. And I would have made such a good starship creator/programmer too.

  43. Re:PC makers just don't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    actually SGI beats Apple any day
    and you might consider them a PeeCee manufacturer these days.

    IMHO the beige apple cases were better looking than those now. SGI cases have always been even better
    I like simpler and cooler designs not gimmickry.
    The case is indeed very accessible, but i believe the recent apple cases were also accessible. Don't account everything to the newer changes at apple. They had somethings back when jobs wasn't around too. Don't forget/deny everything

  44. Re:Cases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    IIRC this was from William Gibson, not Neal Stephenson...I believe it was Idoru, but I might be wrong.

  45. Chicken Wire cases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I waiting for them to come out for the chicken wire mesh cases for the year 2000. Post apocalyptic man!

    1. Re:Chicken Wire cases by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

      Eh, you would have to have something a bit stronger than the material used in common chicken wire...
      "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

      --
      I ate my tag line.
      -=Ellis (D)25=-
  46. Re:Cases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Before i get too off topic, translucent stuff sucks now, because its too mainstream, now we have to do something REALLY different,something to differentiate a student such as myself from the rest of the Geek crown in my school.

    Easy. Get a translucent case, and put some lights inside it. Take the picture of it in a dark room.

  47. Re:Cases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Twas indeed Idoru, now if only the innards of those laptops wasnt so damn propriatety.

  48. Damn. PropriateRy...i think by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    mumble mumble

  49. Re:Cases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I just had another thought. I'm considering calling up some local chrome platers and maybe having my case plated, and get some silver spray paint for the plastic face... Hmm.. shiny.. :) It doesn't really matter, either way, The damn thing sits under my desk. I just want to weld/bolt/whatever some big lug handles like the G3 has on it. It really would make lugging it to my workspace a lot easier.

    The plastic G3 case is a peice of crap, IMHO. The design is great, but the plastic has got to go. The front "fascia" is totally cheap feeling/looking. Have you seen the little blue CD ROM "cover?" With any usage, you'll have it worn out in no time. They could've engineered that part a bit better.

    At this junction, the only "plastic" cases I would consider would be ones made of industrial/military grade ABS plastic (has to be olive green, too), or acrylic/plexiglass. I like acrylic, reall nice, smooth lines, totally transparent (if you want it that way), etc.

    Anyway, enough of my ramble.

  50. Color? I Just Want a Silent Box!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I can't believe that I'm the only one, but the
    noise of my machine is killing me and is
    especially embarrassing when I have visitors.
    Where the heck can a find a case that will
    reduce the noise and with an absolutely silent
    power supply. Only THEN will I start wondring
    about looks.

    /Tommy

    1. Re:Color? I Just Want a Silent Box!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ah, finally somebody who thinks like me!

      There are ways to make your case more quiet, but i warn you, your visitors will not think better of you, oh no! they will think you are completly crazy, but the silence is worth it.

      First find a phillips srewdriver and screw that case open. Take the lid of and throw it away, where youre going you wont need it.

      Now if there is a fan at the front of your case, find the power-wire of that little sucker and disconnect it.

      Look at the fan in your power supply, does it have any kind of filter of protecting grid? If it does these have to go, they make so much noise u are not going to belive it.
      Now of course, to remove these you have to screw loose the power supply box and open it, screw loose the fan and remove the thingies.
      If your geekness knows no limits youll screw your power supply back in place without putting the lid(of the power supply, not the case)back on, and also you just might cut the power-wire to the power supply fan itself. To keep the power supply from overheating, attatch a small quiet CPU fan as close to the heatsinks in the power supply box wich you now are running 'naked'.

      In any case, from now on youre running your computer with the lid of to help keep it cool.

      And last but not least, that hard drive is a little noisy, isnt it. You need to rip it out there, once its free reconnect the wires (duh!) and put the drive between to reasonable big and thick pillows. To help keep it from overheating it needs to have a pocket of air between it and either pillow, use whatever you have at hand, but keep checking up on it to see if it overheats, if it gets a little hot then work some more on that whole setup between those pillows.


      Phew!

      'They saw my computer and said I was mad, but I said 'Shh! Listen, youve never heard a monitor before have you?'
      And they listened and they heard that it was good'

      Peace ever after...


    2. Re:Color? I Just Want a Silent Box!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I do that all the time. It never does anything.
      I know...its because im not runnig linux isnt it.

    3. Re:Color? I Just Want a Silent Box!! by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

      Oh you can just do the ultimate.. Hit the power button....
      "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

      --
      I ate my tag line.
      -=Ellis (D)25=-
    4. Re:Color? I Just Want a Silent Box!! by Uart · · Score: 1

      i bought a PC from Atipa and it runs near-silent. Its the quietest pc i've ever owned.

      --

      Opinionated Law Student Strikes Again!
  51. Re:You, don't, really *wise up* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Look, think outside of the box for a minute OK? Shit, you're all starting to emulate windows users... Hard drive crash? No, problem... Macs can boot up off a CDROM (The cdrom drivers are built into the internal ROM not the hard drive)

  52. Re:RF interference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    On the iMac, all you can really see is a sheet metal chassis inside, not the circuit boards. The chassis isn't flush against the plastic case, so there's room for light to bounce around inside.

  53. Re:Apple said we don't need floppies *wise up* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes, K2/InDesign looks poised to kick major bootay in the DTP market.

    All three of your solutions either cost $ or require you to have an older Mac around.

    Why should I have to buy a $100 USB superdisk floppy drive to install software? An OEM floppy drive can't drive the total cost of a Macintosh up by any more that $10-$20 dollars (probably less because of the volume of drives Apple would need to order).

    The machines should've come with a drive.

  54. Re:Cases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    it was accually William Gibson that mentioned "Sanbenders" computers. It was from Idoru. A very cool book (but no Nuuromancer!)

  55. Re:RF interference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Radio signals for HAMers (or FM/AM/LW/SW) are too small to interfere with the kind of things inside a typical PC. The metal shielding on computers is used to keep out electromagnetic fields like those emitted from a CRT (monitor). See the other comment someone posted (title "shielding").

  56. Re:PC makers just don't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Although SGI does produce PCs today, I think the designers of the cases are still the same team of people before.

    So when talking about talent, PCs still nurture SUCKING designers. Period.

  57. Re:Children of the 80's by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Trancelusent tech gear is and will always be the supreme coolness.
    There is a limited edition Trancelusent Dreamcast out in Japan. Nough said.

    And a trancelusent laser-printer would be real cool: 'Hey look at that pice of paper move, its coming up to the ,ZAP!, laser ,arrrgh'

  58. Whoa! ENIAC! Cool. Cool. That *rules*. Heh heh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    He has a minuture ENIAC.. With tiny people running around..hehehe..

    Cool. Cool. That like, rules. Whoa. Tiny people. Cool.

  59. ENIAC-on-a-chip at Penn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    A few years ago the EE kids at Penn duplicated ENIAC on a little scrap of silicon. I think it was for ENIAC's anniversary or something. It was cool.

  60. REALLY SMALL CASES? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sorry for the shouting, but does anyone know where one might be able to pick up a really small case. Basically I need one to hold a motherboard, a single hard hard drive and a power supply. Other than that the smaller/lighter the better.

    Any ideas?

    Thanks.

  61. Re:Natural shielding by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I do weak signal VHF Ham Radio, and one of the best cases I found was an old Compaq Presario 850 I wanted to use as a Satellite Tracker. Unfortunatly, the 486 MB had problems after a while, but that case was well shielded and sadly, proprietary, otherwise I would have built a K6-2 400 into it. It was one of the "quietest cases I have run across.

  62. Gee, they even have Mac Flavors/Colors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Its bad enough to want a case that looks like that, but to give them flavor names just like the iMac? Thought the names were stupid enough as they were on the iMac.

    Wanna shine my shoes? Make Zebra ztripped cases, or black light ones. Dont give me this single color scheme named after stupid mac systems.

    1. Re:Gee, they even have Mac Flavors/Colors by Pascal+Q.+Porcupine · · Score: 1
      Make Zebra ztripped cases,

      I love you.
      ---
      "'Is not a quine' is not a quine" is a quine.

      --
      "'Is not a quine' is not a quine" is a quine.
      Quine "quine?
    2. Re:Gee, they even have Mac Flavors/Colors by 23skiddoo · · Score: 1
      Just get some masking tape and airbrush/spray paint! That's something I've always threatened to do.

      A nicely tagged box would be pretty cool, too...


      Cheers!

      --

      [ insert your own witty .sig here ]

    3. Re:Gee, they even have Mac Flavors/Colors by 23skiddoo · · Score: 1
      On Rigel 7, of course!


      Actually, I was commenting on how he wanted zebra stripes...

      --

      [ insert your own witty .sig here ]

    4. Re:Gee, they even have Mac Flavors/Colors by komet · · Score: 1

      Where do you get spray paint that converts beige metal into translucent plastic on contact?

      --
      Any technology which is distinguishable from magic is not sufficiently advanced.
  63. Spraypainting thread by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1
    Last year, there was a thread on Ask Slashdot
    which turned up some excellent suggestions about
    spraypainting cases and keyboards. Unfortunately,
    all the comments seem to be gone:

    http://slash dot.org/article.pl?sid=98/11/07/0116225&mode=threa d&threshold=0



    Does anyone have a cached/saved copy?

    --ac

  64. You're all wrong! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You need to understand that Apple started into transparency with the iMac. Why? Because the iMac is a fully contained unit that goes on TOP of the table. It cannot be hidden. As for the G3... it's beauty lies with its functionality. It is only transparent because it follows Apple's line of products. IMO that's the only reason. The G3 goes under the table. Apple didn't need the G3-looks to be trend-setting.

    On these new organic pc cases... designers are so off. Most people don't have the desk space for these type of units. Units go on the floor, and when units go on the floor, people don't care as much about how they look... just that they're functional. In the meantime, even if they did go on top of the desk, it still needs to look good with the monitor. These units will just make your desktop look like crap. If you want to concentrate on aesthetics, concentrate on things that people will see... things that go on top of the desk like monitors, speakers. Otherwise improve on the usability.

  65. Translucent overkill by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3

    I happen to be a fan of the design roads that Apple is taking, in regards to the translucency of their computers. However, every other company, whether they are making USB mice or knock-off cases as this, are just making something that was ugly in beige even uglier in pale color.

    The reason the iMac and the G3 look good is because they were designed with the idea in mind that you would be seeing some of the internals, while these fools are just slapping cheap plastic on existing designs.

    What's so attractive about seeing the green print board of a mouse, even if it's through a blue tinted cover?

    Apple did this out of originality, and as usual, are being copied poorly.

  66. Re:Interesting by Christopher+Bibbs · · Score: 1

    Suddenly I have a really strange feeling on the back of my neck because I had been debating between more RAM for my server or a new windscreen for my bike.

    Didn't ever think the two passions had anything in common.

  67. Re:Floppy? by Octal · · Score: 1

    You just put a normal floppy drive behind the slit, and since 3.5" drive are pretty much standard design, it should fit.

  68. Drives? by Octal · · Score: 1

    Do you realize how hard it is to get internal CD-ROMs, tape drives and Zip drives in transparent iWhack colors? I mean, thre are about 20 different shades of beige already, and that idiot Steves Jobs goes out and makes things EVEN WORSE for anyone who wants to upgrade. If this keeps up, I might have to use Legos for a case.

  69. Form following function.... by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 1
    I have an In-win Q-500A. Plenty of room to toss whatever I want in it. Right now, I've got 4 SCSI drives, a CD-Rom and a CD-R, and an old IDE drive, and I still have room for other stuff. These cases would be cramped beyond belief for me.

    They also bring up another issue: Where are you gonna find CD-Roms (and other peripherals) with translucent faces? It'd totally ruin the effect if you were forced to use beige peripherals on a translucent white case.

    Not for me, unless I build up (yet) another system.

    - A.P.
    --


    "One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft Promotional Ad

    --
    "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
  70. iMac? Easy to open? by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 1
    From what I've heard, it's anything but.

    I'm sick of people claiming Apple Computer is the be-all, end-all of computer products. Do people actually believe easy-to-open cases weren't around before the Mac? Others have already pointed out counterexamples that existed earlier, and it's pretty easy to get a hold of well-designed PC cases nowadays too.

    What's Apple done, again?

    - A.P.
    --


    "One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft Promotional Ad

    --
    "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
  71. Typical Apple moron. by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 1
    Thank you for enlightening us to the fact that everything Apple does is perfect, and everything the rest of the world does is shite.

    I'm sure we'll all keep it in mind while our PCs are busy outperforming your puny G3.

    - A.P.
    --


    "One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft Promotional Ad

    --
    "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
  72. Not innovative. Derivative. by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 1
    Sun Sparc IPCs and IPXs had a similar, possibly simpler design, back in 1990. SGIs are also incredibly easy to open and work on too. I'd go so far as to say *every* workstation manufacturer's cases have been incredibly easy to field-service. All Apple did was take that design and add a couple of rounded corners.

    - A.P.
    --


    "One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft Promotional Ad

    --
    "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
  73. Re:NLX motherboards by Eric+Green · · Score: 1

    Intel has one that works with the California PC Products NLX chassis. Unfortunately, according to our guy who researched the NLX formfactor, Intel has decided not to offer that motherboard in a "boxed" formfactor, they are only offering it to OEM's.

    We also looked at ASUS's NLX board, but we couldn't find a NLX chassis that would fit its daughterboard format. Perhaps Elan Vital (ASUS's case-making arm) has such a chassis? in any event we're past the point of researching such things at LHS, for obvious reasons (busily morphing into an east coast sales & support center for VA).

    -E

    --
    Send mail here if you want to reach me.
  74. Ventilation by Eric+Green · · Score: 2

    A properly designed case will cool your computer's components much better with the case on than with it off. This is especially important for 10,000RPM hard drives, which tend to run hot. You can cook one of those guys by running with the case off. Bay coolers help, but they too depend upon fans drawing hot air out the back in order to properly cool the drives. On some systems I've had to do some pretty strange airflow modifications to get things to cool right (amazing what you can do with clear tape and extra fans), all of which depend upon the case being on.

    In other words: if you're leaving your case off, CHECK THE TEMPERATURE OF YOUR DRIVES! If they're hot, make sure your case ventilates properly (i.e. that there's air holes where the air will naturally flow over the top of the drive), and put the cover backon your case.

    This isn't as important with modern IDE drives as it is with 36gb SCSI drives, which make enough heat to barbecue a pig, but it's still better to be safe than to shorten the life of your drive due to poor cooling.

    --
    Send mail here if you want to reach me.
    1. Re:Ventilation by SalsaDoom · · Score: 1

      I'm thinking that might not be such a bad thing, I mean, my microwave busted a few days ago, if i just whiped the case of my computer and tossed a couple of sausages rolls in it wouldnt have been so bad.

      --
      "Computers will never truly be free until the last windows user is strangled with the entrails of the last mac user."
  75. Re:Children of the 80's by Riktov · · Score: 1

    Heck, it should be obvious to anyone who grew up in Japan in the 1970's that this is the origin of this whole iMac translucent colored plastic trend.

  76. You, don't, really by gavinhall · · Score: 1

    Posted by hyperman:

    I have seriously not used a floppy disk with either of my macs at home in nearly three years. There is nothing that a floppy can do that a CDROM or a network can't do better.

    To be totally honest, I'm beginning to feel that removable storage in general is headed for extinction. I can just pop my hard drive out and move it elsewhere- why mess with a Jaz?

    1. Re:You, don't, really by Gorbash · · Score: 1

      Indeed they do, especially if you haul it around places. Magnetic drives aren't that fond of movement.

      I had to replace the HD in my laptop after about a year just because of the way I lugged it around with me just about everywhere.

  77. Ug-ly! by gavinhall · · Score: 1

    Posted by invisix:

    I've haven't seen a decent PC case in years... Apple has some good cases now, and SGI has always been in the zone. Doh!

  78. Re:Smooth, flowing curves by gavinhall · · Score: 1

    Posted by The Incredible Mr. Limpett:

    Maybe someone should make a "smooth, flowing curve" computer case with a built-in cup holder! I'm thinking like you see in cars nowadays, especially mini-vans. That would be cool!

    BTW I like the cases, especially if I had a B&W G3 mac, I could get one of these for my PC and have a matching set. Of course as other posters have said, good luck finding matchin monitors, mice, etc...
    ----
    "Wars, conflict, it's all business. One murder makes a
    villain. Millions a hero. Numbers sanctify."

  79. Re:is it easy to open? by gavinhall · · Score: 1

    Posted by The Incredible Mr. Limpett:

    Well, it's no worse than these Compaq boxes here at work. freakin daugtherbords on daughterbords on fatherboards stuck in the middle of the motherboard. And the memory of course is under it all so you have to dissasemble the damn thing to get to something.


    ----
    "Wars, conflict, it's all business. One murder makes a
    villain. Millions a hero. Numbers sanctify."

  80. Re:Good Black Equipt.? by Matt+Blevins · · Score: 2

    Well, good, easily-manufacturable black equipment. If I recall correctly, the original NeXT cubes were made of magnesium, which the black paint wouldn't stick to very well. The angles of the cube also had to be *exact* right angles, making it nigh-impossible to build easily--in fact, new machines had to be developed just to put the case together.

    Thank God Jobs has stopped being *quite* so picky/megalomaniacal. ;)

  81. jaded old bastard by Suydam · · Score: 0
    Am I already a jaded old bastard? I hate some of these translucent cases.

    I was just at COMDEX last week and it seemed like half the case-people there were peddling translucent Fisher-Price cases.

    I for one don't like them. I think they'd make my computer look cheap (and it needs all the help it can get....piece'o'crap).

    --


    Werd.
  82. A design idea by Eccles · · Score: 1

    Black, but with neon lighting strips, perhaps one above the top-most drive and one below the bottom-most.

    --
    Ooh, a sarcasm detector. Oh, that's a real useful invention.
    1. Re:A design idea by SalsaDoom · · Score: 1

      Oh great,
      and we can call it the "DiscoBox".
      er wait, Disco isnt popular anymore. dammit!

      Oh well =(

      --
      "Computers will never truly be free until the last windows user is strangled with the entrails of the last mac user."
    2. Re:A design idea by Bobo+Kaput · · Score: 1

      I've seen I-ROCs fitting this description.

      --
      The music is not in the piano -Clement Mok
  83. Re:Where's yellow????? by Eccles · · Score: 1

    Yellow could be called "banana", to keep the flavor analogy going.

    I think I want a bunch of blinking LEDs on the front of my next machine, that blink randomly most of the time but occasionally show short random messages.

    --
    Ooh, a sarcasm detector. Oh, that's a real useful invention.
  84. They look like crap! by RatBastard · · Score: 1

    Cheap, milky plastic over a cheap metal case. Bah!

    Now what I want is a keyboard with lighted letters. I don't mean that Star Trek Wrath of Kahn transulect blue keys. What I want is a regular looking keyboard with lit letters on the keys. That way I could see the keys while playing Quake with the lights off. :)

    --
    Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
  85. Re:Cases by John+Allsup · · Score: 1

    Or just that after all the opening and closing of the case, you'd lost the screws :-)

    --
    John_Chalisque
  86. ots not just the colors by PHroD · · Score: 0

    its the FLOW and the DESIGN, and excuse me, but i have yet to see an AT or ATX case that FLOWS or is designed intelligently (like the way the new Mac towers - the Yosemite's - open...that was brilliant, really)

    my.cents = 2;


    "There is no spoon" - Neo, The Matrix

  87. Floppy? by Craig+Maloney · · Score: 1

    Where does the floppy go on these beasties? I know there's a slit for the drive, and a button too, but are you going to have to get a special drive to fit in there, much like the drives in the Dell "molded case" machines? I wonder if it'll match a 17" Apple monitor. :)

    1. Re:Floppy? by jwriney · · Score: 1

      Most of the cases I've seen with the molded floppy slot use regular 3.5 drives. You just have to rip the bezel(faceplate, whatever) off the front of the drive. Then it bolts in like normal.

      These look pretty cool, assuming the quality dosen't suck like other alternative cases I've seen.

      --John Riney
      jwriney@awod.com

  88. Hate to say it but... by tak* · · Score: 1

    They actually look pretty cool! This is my personal opinion.
    It's far easier to forgive your enemy after you get even with him.

    --
    It's far easier to forgive your enemy after you get even with him.
    1. Re:Hate to say it but... by Brian+G. · · Score: 1
      Just for reference, the cases are going to cost 60-70$ and will be available in June according to the company.

      Our company colors are orange, white and black - so the orange case would be just dandy for presentation machines/etc. Since we're designers, we take that whole identity thing pretty seriously. We even have an orange recliner in our office. *laugh*

  89. Be's BeBox case is the king! by jonr · · Score: 1

    Now that's a well designed case! 2 thumbscrews, the cover slides *front* off the case, so you don't have to unplug all those cables just to open then damn thing. Drives are mounted sideways, so you have easy access to power and data cables. (Less blood inside the case) And of course cpu activity leds on the front. None of this Mattel-like translucent stuff... :)
    Jón

    1. Re:Be's BeBox case is the king! by PinheadX · · Score: 2

      You said it bro! If I could get a case like that, I would pay a large chunk of change for it.

      Unfortunately, I'm forced to build one. Me and a friend, with the help of my dad (who used to work on IBM mainframes for the greater part of my life) and an artist who mostly works with metal are going to attempt to make new BeBox-like cases complete with the CPU load meter LEDs on the front.



      - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
      I run BeOS. The rules don't apply.

      --

      - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
      I run BeOS. The rules don't apply.
  90. Ahhh!! Back in my day.... by zonker · · Score: 0

    Ahh! You had a case for your computer?!?! In my day we didn't even HAVE cases! We had to hold the components in our bare hands! It made for difficult typing and all, but you didn't hear us complain! Oh, no! Sometimes a component would fry because of static, but we loved it anyway. Cases?!?! You had a case!?!?! We didn't even know what a case was! Beige, you say? That color didn't even exist in my day! Beige cases... Damn kids... I thought my Dad had it bad! He had to count on his hands!

  91. Movies, and cases for Laptops by BadlandZ · · Score: 1
    Yes, there have been some cool cases for Lap Top's in the movies, and I saw one on "VIP" or whatever with that Pam Anderson chick.. ya know.. the bay watch one. But, I'm not holding my breath to actually see someone selling them.

    Now, as far as HACKERS goes, ARGH!!! You know what, I am SICK of hearing how LAME HACKERS WAS!! IMHO, Hackers was great. The movie may not have been "perfect" but I sure haven't seen ANY other movies do it much better. Hackers sucked, in your opinion, ok, so then name a few movies that were actually better, and weren't "pure fiction." The Matrix SUCKS in my opinion, because it may be interesting to watch the affects, but thre was NO way you can believe "that could happen." Hackers actually retained at least some ground in the real world..... Well, maybe it wouldn't happen, but it's not impossable. I would love to see more movies like Hackers. I would love to see better movies like Hackers. For that matter, I would rather see a movie that was HALF as good as Hackers than to see another "total science fiction, there is no way at all ANY of this could happen, but we got great special effects" movie.

    1. Re:Movies, and cases for Laptops by GrenDel+Fuego · · Score: 1

      Hey!
      I liked Hackers myself.
      I laughed at how unreal it was.
      The "secure" system with just a password, no username (or the reverse depending on how you want to think about it).
      The completley graphical systems.
      The psycadelic worm program.
      THe large amounts of viruses unleased on the seemingly Unix systems.

      But i still liked the movie itself.

      Then again, I got a kick out of Blacula.

    2. Re:Movies, and cases for Laptops by Samhailt · · Score: 1

      Did you watch the same movie I did? last time I checked very few viruses were graphical. hell last I checked running ls doesn't fly me through a virtual landscape of data towers either.Now that's realisim a p6 power mac...heheh

      --
      "We want to take over the world, but we don't want to do it tomorrow, it's OK if it's next week"-- Linus Torvalds
    3. Re:Movies, and cases for Laptops by Stace · · Score: 1

      Dude!

      You *liked* to computing towers with data displayed on them guarded by Penn Gillette?

      You *liked* the PowerMac with the P6 RISC processor and the screen that could project images on your face?

      You *liked* the battling hackers at the TV station?

      Wow.

      You're a rare breed.

    4. Re:Movies, and cases for Laptops by SalsaDoom · · Score: 0

      hell yeah, sucka. I'll be there and i'll be waiting for muh dollar.

      why not, i'll be able to a coke or something with it. =)

      --
      "Computers will never truly be free until the last windows user is strangled with the entrails of the last mac user."
    5. Re:Movies, and cases for Laptops by Rombuu · · Score: 1

      Man, did you sit through ET and go "well, the odds of extraterristal life are very small, even if you assume very high values for many of the values of Drake's equation. Futhermore, I find the whole telekensis aspect of this alien life completely without merit"

      Or did you wonder why they knew Charles Foster Kane's last word when he died alone?

      --

      DrLunch.com The site that tells you what's for lunch!
    6. Re:Movies, and cases for Laptops by Uart · · Score: 1

      Yes, there have been some cool cases for Lap Top's in the movies, and I saw one on "VIP"

      You mean that one with a Tai Chi symbol (yin yang, for the less culturally aware) covering the manufacturer's logo? That was pretty neat! If not, then which are you taking about? BTW, they also use a 25th aniversary Mac on VIP, in case you noticed (i did).

      --

      Opinionated Law Student Strikes Again!
  92. PC makers just don't get it by timur · · Score: 3
    Face it - no industrial design team for a PC manufacturer will ever come close to Apple's products. They just don't have the talent.

    These ugly cases are a pathetic attempt at mimicing the iMac. Even the names of half the colors are the same! Butt he colors are not enough, because the cases are still boxy. They have the same square edges that all PC's do, instead of smooth, flowing curves that hallmark the Mac.

    --
    Timur Tabi
    Remove "nospam_" from email address

    1. Re:PC makers just don't get it by svmatt · · Score: 1

      Ahh, I think you may be wrong there.....whatever happened to the Panda Project???? Now those were some cool cases....didn't make a good beer stand though......

  93. NLX motherboards by algae · · Score: 1

    What I'd like to know is, where can one buy an NLX motherboard? Any who's had the opportunity to open up a Dell Optiplex knows that they're the way to go! On an NLX mobo, the PCI/ISA bus is on a daughterboard that can be easily pulled out of the machine without disturbing anything else. Also, at least on the Optiplex, the case opens with a single button in a similar way as the G3 mac, and the power supply and HD bays are on hinges to make removal simple. Definitely the easiest PC hardware I've ever worked with.

    --Alex

    --
    Causation can cause correlation
  94. Go on floor. by suprax · · Score: 0

    I would have to agree(for the first time) with an anonymous coward on the issue of putting PC's on the floor or hidden out of the way. My computer could be pink and brown, and not many people would notice. Now if I had one of those clear cases, I might heft it up to the desk next to me, and fear it's loud noises'.
    /me goes to open a pink and brown computer case company.
    --
    Scott Miga

  95. Case designs by Phoenix · · Score: 1

    I got tired at looking at my full tower case one day. Grabbed some blue paint (my favorite color). Removed the cover and the front plate and painted it. Then someone pointed out to me that from the side, it's the right shape and color to have the markings of the Tardis painted on the side.

    Gets me thinking

    Now all I have to do is find a 12v blinking light for the top

    But seriously. If one has just a bit of creativity or atleast some of the kits out there...do it yourself and save the money for SDRAM. They have stone textured paint out there, Marble kits, you name it. Besides, You have a better chance of convincing your SO to let you keep a computer in every room of the house if you can convince her that it will match the decor

    --
    -- Wiccan Army, 13th Airborne Division "We will not fly silently into the night"
  96. Re:is it easy to open? by goon · · Score: 1

    yep your're onto a good idea there. about the only thing i like about the new macs is the way u can get access to the mb. having to open my pc to replace boards and hard drives, change cables etc makes my eyes wince when i drop a screw inside.

    what i would do for nice layout and access. but lets face it is there a market for these kind of cases? if there is a market someone will produce it.

    --
    peterrenshaw ~ Another Scrappy Startup
  97. Re:is it easy to open? by Plutor · · Score: 1
    Of course! There were never any "easy to open" cases until Apple! I mean, you can't include the old IBM PS/2 cases which had only two thumbscrews keeping the side on. Or the Aptiva on my desk with the case that just slides off.

    Sorry both of the examples are IBMs, but its all I've ever owned. the point is, there have always been some great cases out there. Apple just took it the next step..

    Log

  98. iMac no - Blue and White G3s Yes! by Lamont · · Score: 1

    Yup, the imac is a nightmare to open. I've installed enough memory upgrades in those babies to last me a lifetime. However, like the original Mac, it's not really designed to be opened by it's target audience: the regular consumer.

    Folks like Mom and Dad, who are either going to get the memory installed when they buy it, or get their son or daughter to come over and do it for 'em. ;)

    The blue and white G3 on the other hand, is the "professional" Mac, and thus is designed for extremely easy access for upgrades.

    Did Apple invent the easy to open case? Of course not...but they are bringing it to the masses wrapped around some pretty impressive hardware.

  99. Black cases by Lamont · · Score: 1

    I picked up a black cube server case when I built my PC a few months ago. It's a Yeong-Yang BYY-0210. Picked it up from a place in Southern California, Kri Computer.
    Here's a pic: http://www.kricomputer.com/yy0210.htm

    The pictures don't do it justice. Nice case, mobo/PCI section is separate from drive area, with a crapload of drive bays. Connectors for eight lights on the front. Spots for 3 fans to keep those drives cool!

    Plus, a little door to cover all your drives that don't have matching bezels. :) A wee bit expensive, but I think it's worth it.

  100. Legos...great idea but it's been done by Lamont · · Score: 1

    Sorry, somebody beat you to it. I remember a post a few months back about someone who had clad a old Powerbook in Legos....

    1. Re:Legos...great idea but it's been done by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

      Hmm.. Lego server.. Damned that would take alot of legos.. =P But It would be the ultimate customizable case...
      "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

      --
      I ate my tag line.
      -=Ellis (D)25=-
    2. Re:Legos...great idea but it's been done by Uart · · Score: 1

      This is interesting...
      Start with a desktop, when you get tired of i change the config to be a tower... Need another drive bay? Go buy some more lego and build it on!

      Plus you could attatch one of those star wars lego sets to the top of it... hehehe....

      --

      Opinionated Law Student Strikes Again!
  101. Re:Yet more unsolicited opinion. by Lamont · · Score: 1

    with the exception of those funky crate-handles... good god, what was Apple thinking when they said, "Hey, let's put 4 spoilers on it! That'll make people think it's fast!"

    Ummm.....no, I don't think they were thinking that. More likely thinking that those handles might make it easier to lug the beast around. You may not like the look, but let's not be ridiculous here.

  102. "brackish green" & wood cases by Lamont · · Score: 2

    Have to agree about those cases. God forbid we actually put some style in the case. Just hideous. I want a transparent case, not translucent. :)

    Now, if I could get a nice mahogany cabinet... that might be nice.

    You can. There's at least one company out there making hardwood cases for PCs. The URL was posted here the last time this discussion came up.

  103. Yuck. by Tumbleweed · · Score: 3

    These cases look like dull rip-offs of the Apple
    iMac & G3 cases. I don't even much like the looks
    of the new Apple cases (and they're hardly all
    _that_ original looking - they look like they
    came straight out of an Anime movie). The great
    design that is present in the new G3 box is how
    dead-simple it is to open them up and work on
    them - THAT is truly innovative. And it's quite
    obvious that they did _no_ usability testing on
    that new hockey puck they call a mouse. And the
    keyboard feels pretty flimsy, too.

    All in all, I'd rather have the same easy-to-
    work-on case, but in flat black.

    And why doesn't anyone make a really _nice_
    black monitor (or mouse)?! Good black keyboards
    can be found, and there are some okay black
    cases, but good black monitors seems to be
    completely non-existent!

    I can't help but think the first manufacturers
    who start making _good_ black equipment are
    gonna make a killing...

    1. Re:Yuck. by cpt+kangarooski · · Score: 1

      they look like they came straight out of an Anime movie

      Yeah, well, the tentacles (optional, incld. with dvd) are a pain in the ass.

      --
      -- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
    2. Re:Yuck. by cpt+kangarooski · · Score: 1

      Heh.

      I find this really funny because I am a huge anime fan - Escaflowne, Nadesico, Porco Rosso... I really don't like H anime at all.

      OTOH, I thought it was a pretty funny joke.

      Anyway, I've got one of the new G3 minitowers. It's nice, I like it... but I really don't think that it looks like something out of an anime, or any sf made in the past couple of decades. If they had thought of the idea of microcomputers back in the 70's, then I could see the development of a similar design....

      --
      -- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
    3. Re:Yuck. by Shadow+Knight · · Score: 1

      >they look like they came straight out of an Anime movie

      > Yeah, well, the tentacles (optional, incld. with dvd) are a pain in the ass.

      Dufus. Not all anime is tentacle porn. In fact, tentacles are a definite minority... actually, porn is a definite minority. but anyway, just to stay on topic, I agree that the Apple cases look like they're from some kind of sci-fi movie, but that just makes them cooler, right? Not less cool, not suck, but rule!

      --

  104. Re:Yet more unsolicited opinion. by cpt+kangarooski · · Score: 1

    I'll say. I've got one. It weighs something like 20kg. I like having a couple of well-placed handles for something that heavy. (it is NOT flimsy. it's putting a dent in my desk!) If a sharp metal edge or something is more to your liking, glue on a razor blade.

    Anyway, what I'd really like to see: shocks. It would kick ass to have a low-rider cpu bouncing all over my desk. Would probably have to be a hd-less machine. And I think we'll skip the low-rider vdu.

    --
    -- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
  105. Re:"brackish green" & wood cases by cpt+kangarooski · · Score: 1

    Honestly, I'd love a nice cherrywood case. With a lot of brass hardware attached.

    what about a mix of nice wood, leather, and textured black plastic -- something like the inside of a Lexus? That would be cool.

    Why not just use a Lexus? Toss the cpu in the trunk, heads up display, keyboard on the steering wheel (horn == ^G). Makes parking a bit tricky, but it's probably better than a cubicle. I dare you to try it.

    --
    -- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
  106. Re:Apple said we don't need floppies *wise up* by cpt+kangarooski · · Score: 1

    I've done this. You've got three options.

    1. Call up Quark and bug them for the version of Quark that doesn't require a keydisk. They'll bitch and groan, charge you money, spank you and call you chester, but they'll do it.

    2. Use existing floppied Macs to create a disk image of the keydisks, with Apple's DiskCopy utility. It's stashed on just about all of their installer CDs and you can dl it too. Then mount the image from each floppyless Mac and Quark doesn't know the difference.

    3. Get a floppy drive and share it between the various Macs whenever you need it, like the Grey Sisters did with their eyeball. It's a USB device, so you can hot-swap it, etc.

    I also suggest looking into Adobe's new dtp program, which is called InDesign or something like that. It's supposed to read Quark files with a high degree of accuracy, accept native Illustrator and Photoshop files and generally run Quark's ass outta town. Given that those morons (Quark) took years to put out v4, which has maybe three improvements, I would not be averse to this.

    --
    -- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
  107. Re:Apple said we don't need floppies *wise up* by cpt+kangarooski · · Score: 1

    I suspect that the cost is a bit higher because of the auto ejection... we already lost auto injection a number of years back, because it would drop the cost. (too bad - it was cool)

    More relevantly, Quark is the only program I know of that still uses a keydisk. There may be a couple of others, but by and large everyone uses cds if they have installer disks at all.

    And if you're ever going to bring out a floppyless machine, it's best to make a clean break. When the original Mac came along, IIRC, there were no arrow keys on the keyboard. If there were, who would bother using the mouse? They were put on later, after the mouse was established, and could survive on it's own.

    If Apple had floppies as an option, Quark would always require them (why not) and you'd still be spending money. But as it stands, Quark will soon have to put boxes on the shelves with no floppies at all, or lose money because of people who don't want to go through any hassle.

    Me, other than Quark, I haven't used a floppy of my own free will (sometimes at work, which is prepress, but we also have a SyQuest, Zips, Jaz, Bernoulli, MO, DAT, etc. to be able to take anything that comes in the door) for years and years. I would have been pissed off if Quark made me buy a floppy for that one program. Instead I made an Image, and I put Quark on 'the list.'

    --
    -- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
  108. geez, Mac sites are scooping you guys like mad! by ferret · · Score: 1

    I saw this story on a Mac site days ago!
    /. is becoming ?.
    I like how Mac users are scooping PC users
    on cool PC cases...
    Not only do they get the cool cases first
    but now they're inspirirng and spotting them
    first. Gee, maybe Mac users aren't all clueles after all :->

  109. the talent is there, they don't have the balls by cthonious · · Score: 1
    These are obviously a weak rip off of the iMac. Pathetic. Pc companies don't have any panache. That is the real problem.

    Custom cases NEED a "door" to cover the beige 5.25" drives. They also need a little style.

    At least my home computer is one of those MASSIVE 80's AT cases that I rescued from work. It's kinda cool, but only because it so big. AFAIK, the best pc cases are still at California PC Products.

    We should make our own cases.

    --

    support gun control: take guns from cops
  110. Re:Same here... by Ares · · Score: 1

    Amen to that. I've got a pair of the huge In-Win 11-disk towers. However, I must say that the translucency is kinda cool.

  111. macs suck. pc's suck by arielb · · Score: 0

    Can somebody say...SGI? Blows away those marshmallows any day of the week

    --
    ---
  112. Re:The iWin? :) by unitron · · Score: 1

    If it's running MS you could call it the iLose.
    Lose your work, lose your temper, lose your spare time...

    --

    I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.

  113. (Insert Target Here) just don't get it by Booker · · Score: 1

    Can we stop with the "just don't get it" thing? It makes me wince every time I see it... it's at once condescending and horribly ambiguous. :D

    /rant off

  114. My Neighbour... by TimeHorse · · Score: 1

    Hey, this company's East Coast office is right around the corner from here! Anybody want me to walk around the corner and check them out? :)

    Now, if they only had a model with 8 5 1/2" bays. :)

    --
    Time Lord, Dark Horse: The Techno Mage of Gallifrey
  115. RF interference by Adrian+Harvey · · Score: 1

    Somthing that has always bothered me with this sort of case: What about RF interference. A conventional metal case sheilds quite well against both emission and absorbtion of RF interference. Most of the opaque plastic cases are metal or foil lined. Do these see-thru cases make the grade? Or are these cases going to make my TV go on the blink?

    Adrian

    1. Re:RF interference by Ice+Station+Zebra · · Score: 1

      Maybe not your TV. But you sure will be pissed when the local Ham causes your computer to crash. Don't blame the Ham though, blame Apple and there "pretty" imac's.

  116. Children of the 80's by Qeyser · · Score: 3


    Wow, remember when see-through plastic telephones were THE coolest thing on the planet?

    Now what *I'm* waitng for are the Transformers, Thundercats, and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cases.

  117. El Cheapo Cases (Comment from Taipei) by Mr.+Shadow · · Score: 1

    Every Taiwanese case maker here has been knocking these things out for months. Cases, mice, keyboards, scanners, you name it. They've been out in the street markets for some time.

    Trust me, they look like shite.

    1. Re:El Cheapo Cases (Comment from Taipei) by matt[0] · · Score: 1

      ..I even saw iMac-alike CD racks, and other related accessories.

      --
      --------- Matt
  118. These cases look insanely great! by Gary+Franczyk · · Score: 1

    Very cool.

    Gary

  119. what no keyboard? by fishbowl · · Score: 0

    hmph. ugly.

    --
    -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
    1. Re:what no keyboard? by ui · · Score: 1

      Well stated. Woof.

  120. Re:is it easy to open? by fishbowl · · Score: 1

    Apple cases are easy to open?
    Maybe, but getting the components out
    is another matter entirely. I've seen
    downright silly arrangements of things
    in Apple boxes. It's like a puzzle.

    --
    -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
  121. Re:Apple said we don't need floppies *wise up* by Maserati · · Score: 1
    Actually, in my limited NT admin experience, NT has to have floppies. WinNT requires 3 floppies on installation (it's actuially optional, but you'll want 'em if something goes wrong) for the emergency rescue disks. On a Mac, the emergency rescue disk is the system CD that came with the computer (or any more recent system CD). That's why Macs can get away without a floppy. And since the drivers for the, well everything... are on said same CD, Macs don't need a floppy for drivers.

    Of course, any Lotus Notes shop probably makes great use of floppies for moving user.id files between machines. It's networkable, sure, but a floppy works out handy sometimes. Other than that (and the occaisonal Quark installation), Macs don't need floppies. They're just an occaisonal convenience.

    --
    Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1992-1951
  122. Re:IBM offers black monitors, mice, yadda, yadda.. by Maserati · · Score: 1
    One of the supervisors in my office got his hands on a set of IBM black monitor, mouse and keyboard.

    Gorgeous, simply gorgeous. I've got a G3 at home (and yes, I did just replace the keyboard and mouse today; the Macally keyboard is a nice unit, and the Contour UniMouse has a very nice, solid feel, plus three buttons; both are USB only)

    I like the IBM matte black look better, translucent blue and white is nice, but mate black... man... Do they make a USB version ?

    --
    Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1992-1951
  123. its still justa box by dwhall · · Score: 1

    ookay the colors are acceptable,
    but the form factor still lacks.
    It's justa big friggin box taking up space.
    With PC104 available,
    I'd rather mount my pc under my desk
    out of sight; rf mouse & keyboard,
    flat panel display.

    1. Re:its still justa box by smatthew · · Score: 1

      Hell, if you'r going to go to PC104, might as well go wearable. Little box strapped to you, with an optional lcd panel, a twiddler input device, festival speech synthesis, and a ricochet wireless modem. Just imagine, walking down the street, "You have one new message from ...". Or hearing all of the /. news while walking around town. Now thats the life

      --
      slashdot username - at - email.domain.name
  124. Good Black Equipt.? by Anarchitect · · Score: 1

    I can't help but think the first manufacturers who start making _good_ black equipment are gonna make a killing...

    Yeah, NeXT is making a killing alright.

    --
    QA implies some kind of quality to begin with.
  125. Excuse me, *what* was that last flavor? by kzinti · · Score: 1

    Let's see, we have Lime, Strawberry, Grape, Orange... and what's that? Blackish green? Or is that brackish green? Yuck.

    Folks, these things are just plain butt-ugly. Let's face it: PCs are just not going to be sexy no matter how much plastic you wrap around one. You can put a bikini on your great Aunt Selma, but that won't get her in Sports Illustrated.

    Just run your PC with the case off like I do. Now, if I could get a nice mahogany cabinet... that might be nice.

    --JT

    1. Re:Excuse me, *what* was that last flavor? by matt[0] · · Score: 1

      I would like a semi-transparent, all black case. That would be spiffish.

      --
      --------- Matt
  126. Re:"brackish green" & wood cases by kzinti · · Score: 1

    A nice mahogany cabinet. I saw the wood cases, and didn't much care for them. Say -- what about a mix of nice wood, leather, and textured black plastic -- something like the inside of a Lexus? That would be cool.

    --JT

  127. Floppies are better than CD rom drives or networks by shadowdancer · · Score: 1

    After all, how else are you going to load the drivers for either device if they're not included with your OS?

    There's a real advantage to having a removable media drive that doesn't require any assistance from software to work :)

  128. It's a start.... by marshall · · Score: 1

    but thay are still shitty ATX cases covered in neato plastic. ONLY the new G3's and iMac's have truly inovative case designs when it comes to form factor and accesabilty. NO PC case even comes close to the ease of use of the B&W G3 case.

    You know what, it wouldn't take much more then someone other then a coke bottle geek to design a good a case. Apple did it.... again. You can not argue with the sales figures.

  129. Re:"brackish green" & wood cases by nebby · · Score: 1

    Oh my. The wood case thing was a scam :)

    I hope you wouldn't want to run your computer
    in a wooden case.. that'd be just silly :)

    --
    --
  130. Switch the dang colors! by nebby · · Score: 1

    The cases would be a bit more appealing if they
    switched the colored part with the translucent
    white part. Too much dark cyan for my eyes.
    Makes me sick to my stomach even.

    --
    --
  131. the nature of reality by ethereal · · Score: 1

    The Matrix SUCKS in my opinion, because it may be interesting to watch the affects, but thre was NO way you can believe "that could happen."

    I think the question is more along the lines of "If the Matrix really existed, would we even realize it?". The answer is probably not. The whole movie was a comment on how tenuous our perception of reality really is. And hardware, lots of military hardware. It was really a live-action comic book more than anything.

    --

    Your right to not believe: Americans United for Separation of Church and

  132. Re:The iWin? :) by SalsaDoom · · Score: 0

    Oh please no, if i ever see a linux machine selling in a goddam plastic case in goddam compusmart and giving up computers and returning to my previous job as a p1mp.

    --
    "Computers will never truly be free until the last windows user is strangled with the entrails of the last mac user."
  133. Why don't YOU wise up? by SalsaDoom · · Score: 1

    Redmond is the threat RIGHT NOW.
    Cupertino is the NeXT threat after Redmond.
    Deal with Redmond now
    Deal with Cupterino NeXT.

    --
    "Computers will never truly be free until the last windows user is strangled with the entrails of the last mac user."
  134. Re:Cases by SalsaDoom · · Score: 1

    Man, i don't want WEAKER PLASTIC cases...
    I want HUGE THICK TOWER cases
    made of thick grey non-refective bulletproof metals to protect by boxen. Big inch thick cases, thats what we need. I want a case that would be as tough as Mr.T!!

    Hell yeah, I wanna put one of those car flame throwers on it to.

    --
    "Computers will never truly be free until the last windows user is strangled with the entrails of the last mac user."
  135. Neither of you get it! by SalsaDoom · · Score: 1

    And neither do I!

    Hell yeah! =)

    No one gets it!

    And if i had it, i think i would sell it and upgrade my computer to some kinda big alpha box.

    --
    "Computers will never truly be free until the last windows user is strangled with the entrails of the last mac user."
  136. Micronauts (was Re:Children of the 80's) by Photon+Ghoul · · Score: 1

    These were also known as the Micronauts in the United States. They spawned many toys and a marvel comic. God I loved them....

  137. These days, most OS Zealots are found at /. by Bobo+Kaput · · Score: 1

    As far as your aversion to smooth, flowing curves is concerned, perhaps you're the one who isn't (ahem) "getting it".

    --
    The music is not in the piano -Clement Mok
  138. Re:is it easy to open? by nkwate · · Score: 1

    SGI machine share this type of ingenuity (or so I've heard, I couldn't afford one).

  139. Cases by Agnomen · · Score: 1

    Of course, you could always just leave the case off ;)

    1. Re:Cases by Delta-9 · · Score: 1

      I believe the poll a little while back asked how many screws you have in your case, one answer was none, which could imply that the case cover was off.

      My status depends on my recent/future purchase plans.

    2. Re:Cases by Alan+Baker · · Score: 1

      That's what I'm looking for too!! Where do I sign up?

      E-mail me if you come up with a design or any ideas and what you had to do it get someone to produce it.

    3. Re:Cases by Uart · · Score: 1

      Right On!!! I put so much crap on top of my case, i t would really suck if it broke, but anyway... This might be a nice friendly case for grandma's new PC.

      --

      Opinionated Law Student Strikes Again!
    4. Re:Cases by Uart · · Score: 1

      Hmm, this is interesting. BigBillG's box prob. has a solid gold case and runs Xenix. (how much you wanna bet even HE doesn't run Windows?) In case you didn't know, Xenix is MS's Unix (they licenced it to other vendors, it never got the "Microsoft" brand). Before i get too off topic, translucent stuff sucks now, because its too mainstream, now we have to do something REALLY different,something to differentiate a student such as myself from the rest of the Geek crown in my school. (i'd put pictures of it in my locker!)

      --

      Opinionated Law Student Strikes Again!
    5. Re:Cases by starman97 · · Score: 1

      The one problem I have with leaving PC cases open is that the RF emissions will kill my radio and TV reception. I also wonder what the FCC thinks about these cases?

      I have a DSS for most of my TV, but the local stuff, especially StarTrek and the other shows on UPN are not on the DSS.

      I like the idea of 'Sandbenders' mentioned in one of Neal Shephenson's books. They took laptops and put them in fancy wood and metal cases. When the machine became obsolete, they'd take it back and update the innards as the case was more valuable than the electronics. Every machine was a unique piece of art custom made for the owner.

      --
      Starman97@Gmail.com (bring it on spammers)
    6. Re:Cases by EvilMerlin · · Score: 1

      Don't we all do that anyways? Hey how about a poll about how many people leave there case off...


    7. Re:Cases by Nocturna · · Score: 1

      The G3 cases have a thin metal housing around the inside of the case that prevents EMI/RFI leakage.

  140. Same here... by X-Type · · Score: 1

    Personaly, I am quite fond of my nice In-Win
    case. With a slide out Droor for the motherboard
    and all steel. I do not think that they make
    translucent cases like that yet.

    Though, I do think that a well built clear (not
    translucent) case would be nifty to look at.


    --
    010110000010110101010100011110010111000001100101
    1. Re:Same here... by Uart · · Score: 1

      Yup In-Win cases are pretty cool, I use one at home, and at school.

      --

      Opinionated Law Student Strikes Again!
  141. Heheh, by webslacker · · Score: 0

    Yeah, quite honestly these new cases can't hold a candle to the Apple cases. Still, as far as PC cases go they're the best Apple knock-offs I've seen, and I'm probably gonna get one for my PC just so it'll match my G3. =)

  142. I gave up on the black PC thing by webslacker · · Score: 2

    I came to the conclusion that it was too much work and much more expensive. Finding a black ATX case to begin with was a task, and then you have the nightmare of finding all the drives and peripherals in black. Black floppy? No way. Black CD-ROM? Maybe from IBM or Compaq at inflated prices. Black mouse? The only decent quality one was by Logitech, and it was $40. Oh, and monitors... again only by IBM and Compaq at higher prices. (I'm sure there's other black hardware manufacturers, but it's a chore to find them and as I said, they usually cost more)



    Another option would be to buy an stealth system from IBM, but I want to same money by using my current hard drives, my Voodoo2 card and all my other old hardware. So scratch that.



    At least with the translucent casing, you can install all your off-white peripherals and CD-ROMs, removable harddrives and they'll match reasonably to the translucent white. It doesn't even look too bad with a beige monitor.

    1. Re:I gave up on the black PC thing by Dark+Wind · · Score: 1

      Most CD-ROM & floppy faceplates snap off fairly easily. It was no problem when I was painting my PC, got the floppy plate, the door, and button painted. Same deal with the CD-ROM.

      Even the front of the tray [on the CD-ROM] snapped off from the tray itself. There's also a lever (underneath) inside the CD-ROM to release the tray so you can pull it all the way out. (you may need to poke around with a screwdriver to find it)

      I don't know about a mouse, you could probably take off the plastic cover and paint that. All you need to do for a monitor is mask off the screen and paint it.

  143. if there is no apple .... by ihxo · · Score: 1

    can anybody think what computer will look like now !? ...

  144. jeez... by blaine · · Score: 1

    I'm still looking for good quality, flat-black cases... every time I see a post about new "cool looking cases", they are always the brightest damn colors. I don't need my case to be neon green and teal, I just want a simple black case. A little stylization might be nice too (as opposed to the typical square look), but not necessary. Dammit where are they?

    --

    -[Blaine]- "'Oh dear,' says God, 'I hadn't thought of that,' and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic."
    1. Re:jeez... by D_Nice · · Score: 1

      I don't think that the cases should only be in black. I think that any very dark color would produce the same effect. A nice dark forest green would go well. Plus with a dark green case then all of you beige peripherals would match relativily well. But then again where the hell are you going to find a decently priced good quality monitor to match the color that you feel your computer should express.

      There is one way that you are Guaranteed to have a top quality black case at the price that you want. Just take your average good quality case and leave it in a particularly dust corner of your house. And in about 2 months. *Presto!!!* black monitor. Actually dark gray, but hey it is close enough.


      *Technology is a constand battle between manutfactorers bigger and more indiot-proof systems and nature producing bigger and better indiots.*

      --
      Technology's a battle between companies producing more idiot-proof systems and nature producing bigger and better idiots
    2. Re:jeez... by Rimebuster · · Score: 1

      I just bought the following black ATX case: http://www.a-pro.com/ATX860.htm
      Click the "See inside" icon to see pics of the black version of the case.
      It's not too expensive ($110-125), and has a sliding door to cover your non-black peripherals.
      I'm quite happy with it.

  145. IBM offers black monitors, mice, yadda, yadda... by Anonymous+Shepherd · · Score: 2

    Check out IBM's website. They definitely offer black PCS, as well as black monitors, keyboards, mice, LCDs, and black printers.

    Their Aptiva line comes in black as well...

    Of course, there is the premium that comes with IBM...

    AS

    --

    -AS
    *Pikachu*
  146. These cases aren't all that impressive. by Mr.+Piccolo · · Score: 1

    I've looked at these cases, and they still look too, well, ordinary. What I can't believe is that they claim that their cases will "*Drastically increase the overall quality & value of the entire system." Erhm... quality and value depends on what's _inside_ the case, not the case itself.

    Meanwhile, I have one of those plain beige cases... but I hope to rectify that as soon as the K7 is released and I get to upgrade. Then I'll make my case look like either graffiti or a Pollock painting, depending on if the art gods are with me :-)


    AND I intend to use PINK, along with as many other colors as possible over a field of solid navy blue :-P


    Oh well, despite my best efforts, it will still be a rectangular parallelpied (sp?), unlike certain boxen from SGI or Apple.

    --
    Glückwünsche, haben Sie Slashdot ermordet, indem Sie zum korporativen Druck beugten und Subskriptionen einlei
  147. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? by mplex · · Score: 1

    Those are some of the ugliest peices of plastic I have ever seen. They are just a case with a clear shell, and they didn't make them from nice cases either. Why can no one get it right?

  148. Re:The iWoody? :) by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

    What about a woden box?
    "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

    --
    I ate my tag line.
    -=Ellis (D)25=-
  149. wood cases by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

    That's easy to do.. Did my own, with a built in amp and speaker system..=>
    "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

    --
    I ate my tag line.
    -=Ellis (D)25=-
  150. wood cases by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

    To, late, I did it!!
    "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

    --
    I ate my tag line.
    -=Ellis (D)25=-
  151. Re:"brackish green" & wood cases by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

    And a wireless network connection.. Hell, hook up a coffe machine in the passager seat.. Heads up displaye would be a touch interface..hehe.. Srew the air bags..
    "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

    --
    I ate my tag line.
    -=Ellis (D)25=-
  152. PC-fishtank ..Hmmmm..Idea!! by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

    A pc fish tank.. Make a complete case, it would be a bit big.. But it would be all glass, and surround it with a second wall for a fish tank enviroment..hehe.. Hmm.. I think it would keep thinks a bitt cooler that way.. Hmm.. Or you can build a hold one peice unit, like the imac into a fish tank.. Screw the fish tank screen saver when you have the real thing..hehe..
    That would make a new qoute
    'People with glass computers shouldn't kick'

    "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

    --
    I ate my tag line.
    -=Ellis (D)25=-
  153. RF interference semi-solution. by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

    Small chicken wire concept... It would block some of it out.. But see my idea for the a real PC Fishtank.. I think the water would proved a good shield it self..
    "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

    --
    I ate my tag line.
    -=Ellis (D)25=-
  154. 8 5 1/2" bays by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

    Um ok..heh..
    Hmm.. I want a case that allows me to use my old 8" floppies.....
    "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

    --
    I ate my tag line.
    -=Ellis (D)25=-
  155. Silent Box-solution. by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

    Wood.. Great for killing sound.. Powersupply, you might have to replace the fan w/ something more expensive, you can put a mesh filter over it, that should kill some of the sound.. Foam is a good sound deadener(sp?).
    "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

    --
    I ate my tag line.
    -=Ellis (D)25=-
  156. Natural shielding by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

    I still go along w/ the water idea.. Every tried listening to the radio, like a collage station while it's raining..... Radar is effected by heavy rain and so cops can't use it.. So see the post on PC Fish tank idea.
    "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

    --
    I ate my tag line.
    -=Ellis (D)25=-
  157. We don't need floppies anymore. Use new technology by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

    Well, new technology lets us boot up off of CD-Roms now.. But if you want to have something complete remove the floppy, use a CD-RW......
    That's my take..
    "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

    --
    I ate my tag line.
    -=Ellis (D)25=-
  158. Yeah Butthead? by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

    He has a minuture ENIAC.. With tiny people running around..hehehe..
    "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

    --
    I ate my tag line.
    -=Ellis (D)25=-
  159. No comments? by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

    What no comments about my idea.. Boy I was hoping that someone was going to say I was out of my mind!!! Oh well.. It would be a cool college project..
    "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

    --
    I ate my tag line.
    -=Ellis (D)25=-
  160. ENIAC II by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

    Hmm.. I wonder if someone is working on an ENIAC II, using all trasistors instead of tube.. Not micro transistor like on a cpu.. The ones with metal covers and stuff like that.. That would be cool to see something like that.

    "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

    --
    I ate my tag line.
    -=Ellis (D)25=-
  161. Tech support line for quieting your machine... by Ellis-D · · Score: 0

    What OS are you running:
    Dos 2.1[ ]
    GEM[ ]
    OS/2[ ]
    APM[ ]
    Does your computer have the following:
    8" floppy [ ]
    Punch Cards [ ]
    12" Laser Disk [ ]
    Daisy Wheel Printer [ ]
    Tubes [ ]


    "The pen is mighter than the sword... But what if you can't write?"

    --
    I ate my tag line.
    -=Ellis (D)25=-
  162. Cool cases are hard to find by fLaSc · · Score: 1

    I'm looking for a new case for my PC, and one for a PC I'm building for my girlfriend. This time I'd like something other than boring old grey metal, but I can't find any decent looking curvy cases.

    I don't want my computer to look like a PC, I want it to look a bit... different. Does anyone know where I could get a funky looking ATX case?

    I'd be really happy if someone could find me a black-and-white-cow patterned one :)

  163. Good case design. by Cowards+Anonymous · · Score: 1

    If you're complaining about a lack of good cases, it's pretty safe to say you've never worked with the SuperMicro 750. It's a dream case. Everything is accessible, everything is done with common sense, and it's actually fairly attractive as the typical klunky eastern-bloc design of cases go.

  164. Yet more unsolicited opinion. by Cowards+Anonymous · · Score: 3

    I think they're unattractive. But it's not for me to say what people might enjoy. I simply have some minor criticisms:

    They look cheap. Really cheap. Like bargain basement $29 at the corner-OEM-shop cheap. Maybe it's the dirt-poor quality of the images (or the site in general), but I get a general sense of flimsiness from looking at them. Then again, I get the same feeling from iMacs and iLoaf boxes.

    Bad marketing. People who care about their case are going to go out and drop the $200 for a SuperMicro 750 and a few cans of Krylon. Everyone else will pretty much take whatever is on the shelf at Sears. VARs are going to stay away from these things in droves.

    Poor I.D. What is with that swoopy neckline bit? Why does it look like something clipped on to an existing plain sheetmetal case? It seems like in ripping off the iLoaf and the iMac, these guys have snapped up only the things that are annoying about its design (with the exception of those funky crate-handles... good god, what was Apple thinking when they said, "Hey, let's put 4 spoilers on it! That'll make people think it's fast!")

    Color selection. What's it going to take to get a *good* case in black? It seems like black hardware is always of the extremely flimsy variety.

    And as a general aside to all of the folks ranting about the genius of the Apple iLoaf case: "Go look at a SM 750."

  165. State Your Case by Darth+Hubris · · Score: 1

    Owey, Stingy. I liked the cases from the article of about a month ago better.

    Personally, I'd like to get three [just about the right height] machines into a flat-black, featureless case where the ratios of the dimensions are 1x4x9. I'd plant that in the center of my living room and hire some chimpanzees to run around bashing things with Peccary femurs. NO mimes, please; didn't work for Kubrick, but what the hell can one do?

    Actually, I'd like to refurbish the 286 full tower case in my closet [that thing would shield from gamma rays!], paint it black, put a large red LED in the center of a chrome bezel, and place a plaque below it that reads HAL 9000. Now, what to do for a processor?

    --
    The party's over ... the drink ... and the luck ... ran out
    1. Re:State Your Case by MetallicBurgundy · · Score: 1

      Good Idea.

      But what I really want is an acrylic box, filled with Christmas lights that blink at different intervalss, and wierd sliding switches on the outside (also made from colorless acrylic).

      I would call it "ORAC".

      --
      MetallicBurgundy
  166. Re:is it easy to open? by Leden · · Score: 1

    If you're so keen on the Apple case, do yourself a favour: buy a nice new (super fast) G3 and just install one of the Linux's on it (LinuxPPC, Yellow Dog etc). Not only will you get the chance to marvel at some really sweet industrial design, not withstanding the mouse and keyboard, but you'll also get the chance to appreciate an amazingly upgradable (look out for G4 ZIF slot upgrades later this year) and reliable computer. Apple has a rep for building computers that last. Plus you get Firewire while you're at it!

    --
    Leden Corp. - Mind Games our speciality... -
  167. is it easy to open? by fixe · · Score: 4

    if they are going to copy apple, then they should copy the way the case opens. the apple cases are the first intelligent case design i have ever seen. all this ingenuity designing sophisticated hardware and no one until apple could design a stinking case. i dont care what the damn thing looks like just give me a case that i can install memory in without cutting my hands or taking the @#$%^&@ MB out! anyone else feel this way?! who cares about color. i would buy a freakin' pink case if it opened like an apple case!

    1. Re:is it easy to open? by Melbert · · Score: 1

      Let's not forget the Apple heritage, though.

      Steve Jobs boasted (it seemed like gloating to me, at the time) in a speech on the radio about how the original Macintosh was was unopenable. The exact word he used was "hacker-proof." That was the day (back in '84) when I knew I'd never own a Mac. (though the original Mac case does* make a nice front-loading wastebasket once it's cored of hardware)

  168. Where's yellow????? by Cptn+Proton · · Score: 1

    This is an obvious color that seems to be missing from all these pretty transluscent cases around.

    I wonder if it's because they would call it a lemon?????

    It's really good to see variety in case design, even if its a copy of apple's idea. But if they are going to do it they should not discriminate against a certain color. The could call yellow 'sunflower'.

  169. Front panel With LEDs? by starman97 · · Score: 1

    I've always wanted a front panel for my PC, like my Altair's With the address bus and maybe the IRQ's and other status signals brought out to one of the 5 1/4 drive bays. Maybe put a few switches up there, reset, run/stop, NMI come to mind..

    One cool thing I did see once, someone built a resistor ladder D/A converter with the address bus, put the top 1/2 to Horz and the bottom 1/2 to Vert on an old monitor deflection yoke, the patterns while executing code were pretty neat. You could see subroutines and OS calls run when different areas of the CRT lit up.

    --
    Starman97@Gmail.com (bring it on spammers)
  170. Re:The iWin? :) by mayoff · · Score: 1

    iNux.

  171. the best feature of these cases by mayoff · · Score: 1

    I especially love this feature mentioned on the web page:

    "Drastically increases overall quality & value of the entire system."

  172. easy open and speed by spiffy_guy · · Score: 1

    Apple's case's on the G3s are bringing apple back at the University. The campus InfoTech had decided to phase apple products out of everything but journalism/art. Now the new G3s are making them reconsider. How long it takes to upgrade ram may not matter to an individual user, but when you do 50-200 ram upgrades at a time this case pays for itself in saved labor. Also the G3s are just fast, and the price/performance curve has come down to about the same level of the PCs. The colored case matters on the imac, it sells the imac. However for real informed users the color is the least important feature.

    --
    Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human.
  173. Ugly! by mdreier · · Score: 1

    How ugly!

    The iMac was designed by professionals. It is easy to see that these machines are not...

    --
    mdreier@dreier.no
  174. You just don't get it. by DonkPunch · · Score: 1

    Sorry. I couldn't help it. :P

    --

    Save the whales. Feed the hungry. Free the mallocs.
  175. Beige? by DonkPunch · · Score: 1

    Yours is painted beige? In my day we just had unpainted sheet metal and we were darn happy to have THAT.

    And I could tell you some stories of my days as a young programmer when we would hand-carve keycaps out of hickory from trees we had chopped down ourselves. Back in those days, keyboards weren't disposable chunks of plastic you could buy for $20. You made your keyboard yourself and it lasted you for LIFE. And if the keys gave you splinters, you GOT USED TO IT.

    Whoops, time for my medication.

    --

    Save the whales. Feed the hungry. Free the mallocs.
  176. Smooth, flowing curves by DonkPunch · · Score: 2

    Um, I think the new Macs are cool and everything but --

    Have you ever tried to set a CD jewel case or a cup of coffee on top of a computer with, "smooth, flowing curves"? I HATE smooth, flowing curves. I want "flat, usable space".

    BTW -- don't take this too seriously. :)

    --

    Save the whales. Feed the hungry. Free the mallocs.
    1. Re:Smooth, flowing curves by Melbert · · Score: 1

      The only way I'm gonna ever accept a computer with 'smooth flowing curves' is if it contains real screaming hardware. I.e. one of the newer SGI case designs. Perhaps an Octane or O2.

      But I've always been proud to not have an answer when somebody asked me what "brand" computer I have. There are so many answers to give when you pick the best hardware piece by piece.

      I do want one of those cases that were mentioned here a few weeks ago, the ones that house up to 8 motherboards...

  177. It Needs a light! by The_Great_Danbino · · Score: 1

    You got to admit, a glowing case would rock.

    But you really can't beat a black case.
    (much more incognito)

  178. Ewww! by SpankNut · · Score: 0

    They even have the cheesy 'flavor' names! Except 'Blackish Green' which looks alot like Apple's bondy iMac.

  179. Apple said we don't need floppies anymore by Future+Linux-Guru · · Score: 1


    strange...there are diskettes in my new copy of Open Linux 2.2

  180. Computers should be invisible, not transparent by iwoj · · Score: 1

    I want my computer case to disappear completely. PC manufacturers should make hardware that can be hidden in my closet or in my furniture, leaving only a wireless keyboard and mouse on my desk. (My monitor would also disappear, replaced by wall projection or wireless flat panel displays.)

  181. geek fashion... by merc_sa · · Score: 1

    I'd never thought I live to see the day *sigh*

    the best selling computer's best characteristics
    is the "fruity colors" and everyone else is trying
    to rip off this lame idea. I can comfort myself
    thinking that much in the behavior of fashion,
    this madness will pass and go the way of the
    dodos.

    --
    -- I have enough stupid gadgets to know that I can do without -- http://www.modestneeds.org
  182. *very* ugly, but practical ;) by l2b · · Score: 1

    At least now I don't have to take the cover off to see how deep the dust is piled up inside!

    Too bad that its so ugly, that I have to cover it up!

  183. Customizing your case by Crimson+Midget · · Score: 1

    I've been thinking of painting my case, what types of paints should I use for the case? the face plates? Are there any good web sites that have some tips perhaps? Or heck, even some good stencil designs? :)

    --

  184. No Cuts! by distant-relativity · · Score: 0

    Saluton! Wow! I've been buying Apple's since the IIc (The first portable --1977--), and I never was cut! But I'm sure these state-of-the-art cases will revolutionize the technology market.

    And what a rip-off! I expected fruit flavors, they are all yummy, well, except for Blackish-Green, tastes like compost. Yeck. Mmmmm, copy cat, great flavor!

    Wow! Choose your own color, kind of like Burger King ads, but I can't say I wanna "collect all five!", cause there are more than five, isn't that craaazzzyyy???

    I was looking for firewire in these A-jects, but it seems $1 a unit is expensive. Wow. I'm ranting, huh?

    _______________
    Learn something!

    --
    ---------------- Learn Something! www.esperanto.org
  185. The iWin? :) by funaho · · Score: 1

    Hmm so if I build a computer in one of these can I call it an iWin?

    (Ok well I actually run Linux...but iLin sounds weird. Anyone got any better ideas?)

  186. Interesting by Snoobs · · Score: 2

    This sort of thing parallels what my Dad used to do to his motorcycle back in the days. The way that I mess around and tweak out my computer, he used to do to his motorcycle.

    Getting a case like this is similar to getting a nice paint job, chrome plating or ground effects. It's not necessary, but if you have the cash for that sort of thing, it makes you look like a pimp. And who doesn't want to be tH3 g33k p!Mp?

    -peace

  187. Laptops by LoudChris · · Score: 1

    I want one for my laptop.
    Like the one in that lame movie hackers...

  188. Transparent drives? by CrackerJackz · · Score: 1

    Looking at those cases got me thinking... What would my case look like with it were semi-transparent? In no small terms it would look like *crap* much like the all black IBM tower, it suffers from one fatal flaw, its nearly impossible to find black cd-rom drives, mice, etc. Ever think how hard it would be to find transparent blue/white? Without those, the case loses any of its "wow" appeal.

  189. I want a glass case by Winkel · · Score: 1

    I want a case that I can accually see what is going on inside the 'puter.