Why the heck are computer cases so damn expensive? Quality low-end starts at least $70, and mid-range goes all the way up to $200.
And usually the main difference between a mid-end and a low-end case is just the exterior styling, its not like they’re using much more material either. The interior build layout and airflow tend to be practically the same.
And why does going from a mid-tower case to a full-tower case incur so much more? A 30% increase in size seems to double your price.
Wait, where are you buying cases? I’ve never paid more than $30 for one…newegg has over 180 cases for under $50.
Cases in big box stores ARE expensive. As are all atypical components.
And are they just cases or cases + power supply?
Cheap cases often have crappy PSs, thin metal, sharp edges and are poorly finished. If you are investing 1000 - 2000 dollars in bleeding edge hardware putting it in a nicer case with all the details attended to can save you cut fingers and hours of frustration dealing with component’s that won’t seat or fit correctly in a cheaply made case.
Cheap cases bring you garbage power supplies that you’ll need to chuck out immediately and replace, loads of sharp edges, and some really annoying designs such as needing to unplug all of the drives and remove the entire drive “cage” to get at the screws so you can add or remove drives.
Better cases will have grommeted or rolled edges so your blood stays inside your fingers, good power supplies that can actually run something more than a 486DX, and drive rails so you can pop drives in and out like slices of toast without bothering the other installed drives.
I just put a machine together a few months ago, and I went with the often recommended Antec P182 for $150. The two big advantages of the case are the lack of noise and the cable routing options.
For noise, you can adjust the speed of all the fans. Set them to the slowest setting that still keeps the system temperature low enough, and they’re pretty quiet. There’s also a crazy setup where the hard drives are held against silicon gromits to absorb vibration and minimize noise.
For cables, it actually sticks the PSU at the bottom of the case and gives you the option of routing cables behind the motherboard. It’s a little odd at first, but once it clicks, it’s amazing how much more convenient it becomes.
Anyway, there’s nothing that’s an absolute “must have” feature (especially if you’re on a budget for the system), but if you’re willing to spend money, you get more than just eye candy for your cash. I bought it without really looking into case options (as I spent most of my time worrying about all the choices for internal components), and I’m pretty happy with it.
As stated, the cheaper cases come with inferior power supplies, and shotty internal design. I’d recommend ANY Antec case that comes with a PSU. Even the $99 ones. Antec has great starter PSU’s, and are easy to work with on the inside.
I bought a cooler master cosmos for the same reasons everyone’s listing. The higher-end cases are worth much more in terms of mitigating your assembly time and frustration.
I’m looking on Newegg. I’m talking about quality cases from Antec, Cooler Master, ABS, etc.
I’ve dealt with budget cases, flimsy metal, sharp edges, cheap plastic, etc. I’ve learned my lesson… a solid case is necessary.
The Antec P series I’ve looked at. But $150 seems a lot of money to spend on a case. It’s well designed, but I don’t see how a case jumps from $30 for a budget case to $100+ for a solid one.
Generally with the Cooler Master cases, it’s the following:
[ul]
[li]Steel instead of aluminum[/li][li]Better power supply/motherboard arrangements[/li][li]more/quieter fans[/li][li]better drive mounts[/li][/ul]
The last point is particularly important–if you’re paying more than $100 for a case, every 3.5" bay should have individual vibration-dampening carriers, and the 5.25" bays should be toolless while still feeling solid.
This. I bought the P182 for my core i7 rig, and it was very nice - plenty of room for everything including the full size nVidia GTX 260 (it’s a MONSTER). I will say however that the cable setup ended up being a little bit of a bother since the main cable from the PSU is too big to run behind it, plus the smaller cables had forking cable ends that also were a tad on the big side.
Pretty much the only cables that went behind the mobo first time out were the small wires. Although I will say that I may consider tearing it back down to see if I can find another alternative cable layout to increase airflow.
Is steel supposed to be better than aluminum for a case? From my biking experience… aluminum is stiffer than steel?
The argument I heard is that steel is better at soaking up heat.
Nein. If that was the case, they’d make heatsinks out of steel, but they’re still made with Al, Cu, or a mix of both, the paired with a fan.
I’m going to wager it has something to do with sound dampening and general heftiness. You could give a swift kick to the side of a steel-encased PC and not see a dent (depending on how hard you kick :)). I don’t think I could see the same with an aluminium case.
Heftiness is right–my case is a lanparty case, with steel sides and built-in handles and whatnot, it’s solid as fuck.
About eight years ago, I bought a Lian Li PC-60 case for about $100. Still have it to this day. Compared to bargain cases, it’s far easier to switch hard drives, motherboards, power supplies and so on, but today’s higher-end cases are even better at the task. It also has a very elegant, sleek and timeless appearance, compared to bargain cases that are usually adorned with plastic X-TREEM doo-dads.
Another thing with more expensive cases: holes for mounting components are usually drilled in precisely the right locations. With bargain cases, screw holes can be misaligned. It’s a bummer having only two or three screws securing your motherboard, because the other motherboard post support holes won’t line up.
FWIW, aluminum cases generally cost more than steel. In my experience, they dissipate heat better, and they’re much lighter yet just as sturdy as steel. My Lian Li PC-60 always feels cool to the touch compared to steel cases, even though I don’t have a bevy of droning cooling fans.
Slight hijack: now, you want to know what’s a rip-off? iPhone cases. $40 for a piece of plastic, and one made in a Chinese sweatshop to boot? Fuck you. I should get a case hand-carved out of stainless steel by union labor in Youngstown, Ohio for that money.
You can always tell when I’m repeating something I heard from someone I don’t fully trust. The sturdiness argument makes much better sense.
I just bought the Antec NSK6580 and put it together just last night. It weighs 30 pounds and I feel like I was wrestling an alligator. link
I chose this one over a $50 mini case becase it had more room for better airflow & cooling. It has a powerful fan and a 430W power supply (you want at least 400W). It also has room for 2 front intake fans and a side mount fan. The fifty dollar case had one small fan. This one also has a removable hard drive bay. This was a huge help in positioning the drives for airflow + wiring + graphics card. It also made plugging things in a little easier. Finally, the wiring is tidy with plentiful power plugs and labeled front panel leads. It started up without any trouble and the fans are almost silent. It’s eerily quiet. Oh and like Elmwood said, the motherboard holes were exactly where I needed them and labeled clearly.
It was a little pricey but I definitely feel I got my money’s worth. The case is for protecting the components and helping them function properly. There’s no point in spending $$$ to upgrade the components and then skimp on maintaining them.
Yeah this is the biggest thing. Building a computer requires putting lots of tiny little connectors onto tiny little pins and I have big fat fingers.
High end cases are designed for customization and flexibility, and have a lot more room for me connect everything correctly the first time, rather than blindly put the +5v connector somewhere it sticks on the board and hope I got it right so I dont spend 12 hours diagnosing why the hell it wont boot only to find out I burned the damn motherboard out bending two pins into contact and then being forced to beat the hell out of a Corvette with a golf club.
That’s why I bought this fricken monster of a case. Sure it’s heavier than my desk, but there is lots of room for what ever I want without skinning my knuckles.