Computer Case Poll

[Hammy]

What is the value beyond specification in PC cases today?

[Dead...Again]

Even if no one else but me is gonna see it, I want a case that looks cool in addition to having good functionality.

[Trooper110]

Long as it has the functionality and design I'm looking for I honestly don't care what it looks like.

[Duke{CLR}]

I put because it's leet!

This is a bit simplistic so I will explain. I love to tinker with my rig therefore I always am trying to find a way to hide a wire or add something. With my Lian Li case everything fits together perfectly and it is a pleasure to work on.

I also like to have a nice looking rig because of the way it's placed in my office. All my friends, family and neighbors that come to visit have no clue what's inside a PC and they think it's a strange hobby. When they see the nice case they can appreciate it somewhat.

The case for my stepdaughters rig will be the same thing. I could put $3000.00 worth of the best hardware in there but that doesn't mean squat to her and her friends. The pepto pink and UV lights will be to cool part.

[juneau]

I put because it's leet!

This is a bit simplistic so I will explain. I love to tinker with my rig therefore I always am trying to find a way to hide a wire or add something. With my Lian Li case everything fits together perfectly and it is a pleasure to work on.

I also like to have a nice looking rig because of the way it's placed in my office. All my friends, family and neighbors that come to visit have no clue what's inside a PC and they think it's a strange hobby. When they see the nice case they can appreciate it somewhat.

The case for my stepdaughters rig will be the same thing. I could put $3000.00 worth of the best hardware in there but that doesn't mean squat to her and her friends. The pepto pink and UV lights will be to cool part.

QFTW!

A lot more of these 'expensive' cases are all generally better all round. Better and more robust design, more detail given to the little things such as external port options.

Giving your case the Wow Factor is also impressive imo. It shows that you've taken a lot of time and care building your PC and feel that it's worthy of showing off.

I'd pick a case like this anyday of the week over a boring beige box.

[WalkinTarget]

I assume l33t can be construed as exceptionally practical ?? Thats why I buy ... I find the case that does the best at what I want to use the PC for, based on these criteria:

1) Large enough to accommodate its intended use
2) Lots of airflow (see below)
3) But not a lot of noise (see above)
4) Clean layout, optimal ext., jack placement.

My workbench rig is a monster Chieftec Dragon, with 7 ext. drive bays, so whatever I want to put in there, it fits and its easy to work on due to the gaping spaces found inside.

I need a case that offers a hidden power/reset button for both me and my wife, so an Antec P180B and a CoolerMaster Mystique fill that bill. (2 y.o. son loves to push the 'magic button' on both PCs ... if you have young kids, you can empathize).

Last but not least, the case has to adequately cover all of those criteria that I listed, or at least meet most of the requirements. I have a Tt Swing case that is loud as a nest of hornets, but it does everything else very well, so I sacrificed on the noise requirements in that case.

[Hammy]

This is going WAY better than expected. KEEP THE ANSWERS FLOWING!!!
Despite there being no value, I am torn.

I am like Duke. It's like I'm 10 years old again screwing around in my grandfathers woodshop or building a model airplane again- (does anyone ever do THAT anymore??)

I am a tinker at heart....So no value, but I'll still go for the pride factor.

[Trooper110]

I think the things I look for most are size to accomodate what I want to add in to it, good construction as I have used cheap cases and you get what you pay for usually, external features such as front panel connectors that I want, ease of routing wires, I like my case to at least have the appearance of being neat...again with the cheap cases you get what you pay for and they tend to look and be messy. Color can make it look nicer, or a side panel, I really don't care how noisy the case gets as long as it cools effieciently. Currently using a ThermalTake Armor+. Thing is a monstrous beast but it had everything I was looking for and it kicks ass imo!

[WalkinTarget]

It's funny how my tastes change as time goes by. I used to do my rigs in black with silver accents (optical drives, buttons, floppy door painted silver), no windows and all full towers. Lately, I've been on a color matching bling kick, with a silver case and green accents, then a black case with all chrome trim.
There are sacrifices made in exchange for the perfect color match, so I would never have done that even 3 years ago, but now I just want to find that perfect modular power supply to complete a build.

If you haven't bought a quality case, you can't comprehend what you are missing, but after I bought my first 'good' case, I couldn't go back to a $39.99 special if I had to. I've been spending more for each one, but luckily still managed to keep all buys under $100.

[darth_nevus]

i didn't have an option that suited my thoughts to vote with, so i chose l33t.

Prior to my latest build i sided on the edge of "a case is a case". however, there are some benefits that are worth the extra cost. my P180 for instace, the sound deadening material has become more of a must. with the advent jetengine cooled video cards, noise is a big factor. my old pc, based on a Raidtek case is obnoxiously loud but, it also uses only 90mm fans, and has no real quiet punch. bringing it to lan parties(wink wink nudge nudge pigworthy) proved to be a deafening experience. cheap cases usually allow limited fan options. os i'll break it out this way.

Pros:
Can have More fan options. - i like having the option to choose a wide variety of internal fan options to either improve airflow, or decrease ambient sound. also, some cases come with fans, and/or fan controllers/ways to alter the fan speed.
Can be quieter. - sound dedading material in the more expensive cases is VERY nice in a heavy computing area. the sound from fans doesn't go far, but the pc is close enough that i'd have to turn the volume up to hear it, and at that point those sounds travel further, and would disturbe the rest of the household.
ESA support(future thinking here) - as this is starting to pick up, common place will be the ability to monitor more things with your pc. esa is currently considered to be an Enthusiast product. its only available on the more expensive cases.
ease of use and accessability. its the small things that matter. swapping hard drives, adding hardware, upgrading hardware, the inital installtion times and ease, compartmentalized sections for both cooling & sound, reduced cable clutter. most of all, custom cases are often built with the future in mind. try sticking a pair of 9800 GX2's inside of that dell case. cushioned drive bay holders.
Quality - I can't stress this enough. the "soliditiy" of the case. quality components, heavy gauge aluminum, steel or plastic, or what have you. i don't want something that'll flex, bend or break. weight. a cheap heavy case does not trump an expensive aluminum case. good solid hinges, solid mounting areas, VIBRATION! the ultimate component killer! ports that don't die, functions that don't cease to work. a temp gauge is cool, but if it has a tendancy to fail, what good is it? i don't want to be swapping video cards to find out the backplane has gotten bent because of cheap aluminum. Quality that goes into the more expensive cases is usually far superior. i hate doors that break off
Thought - this one is far harder to define. however, its important. if a case is well thought out, not like cheap ones, certain things are tought of and taken care of. Airflow, cabling, upgradeability, a manual and wiring diagram YOU CAN ACTUALLY READ AND UNDERSTAND. will it fit the motherboard AND be capable of accepting a future upgrade? can you plug in a video card AND a hard drive? expensive cases are usually well thought out. covered power buttons are a plus, especially when you have kids.
the l33t factor - this least influences my buying factor. but its there. does the rig accent the rest of the area? or does it stick out like a sore thumb? Can you "mod" it easily, by adding lights? a good exmaple is the VX2000B(? i think) by coming with a water cooler and a case built & designed to support water coolers, if your planning on going this route, its nice to have a case already designed for just that purpose.
Use & Function- while a $30 case is cheap, its does not provide the Function not asthetics of a case designed specifically for a HTPC purpose. i don't want a tower or a mid tower for my car pc. nor do i want to try(as WT said) to cram a boatload of drives into a midtower thats going to be used as a server. use defines function. a case with the ability to cram a bunch o drives into will serve its purpose. a $30 special has its place. but form and function can be more important.

Cases are defined by purpose. depending on your purpose, defines the case you need. just because someone slapped a shiney coat of paint on it does not make it "l33t" nor a best buy. the function of the case, and what i noted above does. cost of the case does NOT scale with the definition of a "good" case. a good case needs to have what i listed above. specification is a broad term. if i find a case that suits my needs and tastes, i will take it over a cheaper one, or a more expensive "flashier" one.


besides. a nice flashy case is one of those things that like a good car, you want to show off. on here or IRL people like to brag. and bragging rights will always trump costs. thats why companies like falcon northwest and alienware are still in business!

[CarbonFire]

I fall more along the lines of "a case is a case", but it needs to perform well and generally allow me to do what I want with my rig (overclocking, cram it full of goodies or near silent operation).

That said, who could turn down a few kick ass pony stickers

[-IRC-MIKE]

As long as I can fit a motherboard, DVD, PSU, and a fan or two in it securely, I don't care if it has been dragged down the highway. My customers want the fancy stuff so as long as they have the money....

[BenKenobi]

l33t.

bells and whistles plz.

[jeffro74]

i like to tinker to,but its on cars usaully.engine swaps painting...ect

[Donziboy2]

I pretty much know what im looking for like lots of 120mm fan slots instead of thos whimpy 80mm slots. side venting for cpu/gpu. and a good airflow layout.