Does type of case make a difference

[Yewen]

Alu_ATC got it in one, you cant compare the build quality, also a more expensive case is likely to have same cooling performance, at less noise and vibration than a cheaper model, also the internals are usually superior, and the overall build and feel.

If you can afford it a higher end case is worth it.

Look at the Coolermaster ATCS range, still able to cope with high end computers today, but the £30 alternatives of the time bar the £60 Cheiftec dragons have all died a outdated death.

 

[Hatake]

I get what you’re all saying but I’m still not really convinced that all the qualities in a high-end case can’t be found in some of the lower-end cases. I’m definitely not claiming that I’m right and anyone who disagrees is wrong and wasting their money, I just want to see what other people’s opinions are and maybe get a debate going (part of the reason why forums are made).

Just to comment on Alu_ATC’s first post, I did say I agreed that a quality PSU is worth the money, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to swap them out with cheaper cases or that I intended to.

If I bought the Antec SLK3000B, which is a good case without a PSU, it only costs £30 and I can choose my quality PSU. With the mentioned Antec Sonata, I wouldn’t say it was totally high-end price-wise. Although a touch pricey compared to others, it does come with a quality PSU unlike others.

Cases like the Lian-Li V1000, £140 and there isn’t a PSU. Okay, they are a little different in type, but are the features available soo different from others that it merits such a large difference in price?

Fair enough, I didn’t consider the fact that you can sell the case on again for a similar price, but if it were that good a case, I wouldn’t expect to sell it for years to come, if at all. If I were going to change it, there would be some reason that meant my case is redundant or insufficient, thus little re-sale value.

And to comment on Yewen’s post, an expensive case doesn’t guarantee less noise. Yes, it is less likely, as the real cheap cases tend to have more resonance in them, but you’ll find that some high-end cases aren’t without their own vibrating parts.

Such as the Antec P180, there were many complaints that the plastic bracket that held the rear fan on vibrated badly (not to mention the numerous complaints of the door getting warped, not something you expect in a high-end case).

The amount of noise generally depends on type of components. A 60mm fan is going to make much more noise than a 120mm fan. A 5400rpm laptop HDD is going to be quieter than a 10,000rpm Raptor. A loud HDD can be sorted by buying real cheap grommets or suspended with elastic, and I've heard people using cable ties to attach fans instead of screws to reduce the noise.

So I still believe that brand name plays a large part in cases and cheap ones can be more than suffice. And I back this up by the fact that Alu_ATC said, “with a name like X-Blade, do I need say anymore?”

That just implies it is a bad case due to a bad choice of name. The X-blade is not as bad as he made out; it is an excellent case for the price, it takes 3 120mm fans(possibly tacky but you already own fans that you can use), has ample room for expansion, cost him less than £40, made of steel so sturdy, little or no resonance, and has a 400W PSU. The first link that came up on google (http://www.overclockercafe.com/Reviews/cases/X-Blade/index.htm) rated it highly, complimented the "cheap" paint job, and recommended the case. And unlike the P180, the door maintains its shape and closes.

If X-Blade had the name Antec or Silverstone slapped on it, I recon he wouldn’t have slated it so badly, probably would even have said it was good.

 

[Dennisthemenace]

My point exactly. There are dud cases in the high end market as there are in the cheap low end market, and some excellent ones in both markets. One point that i found when buying cases is the extortionate prices paid for some of them. The cost of making a steel box the size of a computer case is probably less than £10 a hit, yet some sell for over a £100. The small volume produced by some unheard of case maker at lower prices does not always equate to to a pile of junk, and a few can be classed as high end in their own right.

Just like a pair of trainers, i buy the best, and the best doesn't have to have a silly tick on them.

 

[Alu_ATC]

I get what you’re all saying but I’m still not really convinced that all the qualities in a high-end case can’t be found in some of the lower-end cases. I’m definitely not claiming that I’m right and anyone who disagrees is wrong and wasting their money, I just want to see what other people’s opinions are and maybe get a debate going (part of the reason why forums are made).

And this is a debate, so dont worry and to quote myself I said:

There is nothing wrong with cases below £100, infact, if you want a budget case like your X-Blade, then go for it! The arguement here isnt whether or not cheap cases are good, but I can't believe you actually think a Jeantech Phong is going to be as good as a Silverstone TJ05 - they are a different range of cases - its like cars on a smaller scale, and some are going to want something that is just fuctional, like yourself.

As I said, there is nothing wrong with buying budget if thats what you want. The argument is about the merits of high end over budget, and that reminds me, you didnt answer my question - how many high end 'dud' cases have you owned, or even high end to make this comparison? From what you've said I doubt you'd buy an expensive case, so your not likely to have owned one and experienced one.

Just to comment on Alu_ATC’s first post, I did say I agreed that a quality PSU is worth the money, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to swap them out with cheaper cases or that I intended to.

If I bought the Antec SLK3000B, which is a good case without a PSU, it only costs £30 and I can choose my quality PSU. With the mentioned Antec Sonata, I wouldn’t say it was totally high-end price-wise. Although a touch pricey compared to others, it does come with a quality PSU unlike others.

Its a touch pricey because it comes with a decent PSU, that makes sense right? If you went for the Antec Sonata, that is a good case - and Antec is a brand name. Some will buy it just because they are an Antec fan, which is fine if thats what they like. But its not an 'unknown' brand like the other cases you are comparing the high end to.

Cases like the Lian-Li V1000, £140 and there isn’t a PSU. Okay, they are a little different in type, but are the features available soo different from others that it merits such a large difference in price?

Bit of an understatement there, 'a little different in type'. First of all, design wise, yes it is very different, take a peak inside one. Its made of quality materials, and is built superbly well. Dont believe me - fine, go find one and have a look for yourself, then tell me that a £10 - £30 has anything close to the quaility of the Lian Li.

Fair enough, I didn’t consider the fact that you can sell the case on again for a similar price, but if it were that good a case, I wouldn’t expect to sell it for years to come, if at all. If I were going to change it, there would be some reason that meant my case is redundant or insufficient, thus little re-sale value.

Ok, so you wouldnt sell it for years to come, thats your choice, but in years to come, it will still keep its worth (most likely). Just because you wouldnt sell it on doesnt mean it wouldnt have any re-sale value! It does have re-sale value, it you choosing not to sell it on. Thats a personal choice again, and no refelction on the case.

And to comment on Yewen’s post, an expensive case doesn’t guarantee less noise. Yes, it is less likely, as the real cheap cases tend to have more resonance in them, but you’ll find that some high-end cases aren’t without their own vibrating parts.

We all know that the high end vibrates as well, most of the time because the cases are made out of aluminium. There are ways to get around this and its the type of material that is used that causes this to happen. Its like having a car, no matter how well made and 'luxury' your still going to hear a bit of engine noise.

Such as the Antec P180, there were many complaints that the plastic bracket that held the rear fan on vibrated badly (not to mention the numerous complaints of the door getting warped, not something you expect in a high-end case).

Yes, your right. I dont partically like the P180 and these are manufacturing faults that need to be address. But these are the only 2 niggles I have heard of in this case - if you really dont like it, you could sell it anyway

The amount of noise generally depends on type of components. A 60mm fan is going to make much more noise than a 120mm fan. A 5400rpm laptop HDD is going to be quieter than a 10,000rpm Raptor. A loud HDD can be sorted by buying real cheap grommets or suspended with elastic, and I've heard people using cable ties to attach fans instead of screws to reduce the noise.

Yes, and most cases that are sold with fans that are high end have decent quality fans. They are mostly changed out either when they get old, or when people want something like LED fans. The fans that come with the cheap cases also have to be factored into the cost, so once you taken into acount the PSU, fans, overheads etc... that case isnt going to be made of a material that can be much cop can it?

So I still believe that brand name plays a large part in cases and cheap ones can be more than suffice. And I back this up by the fact that Alu_ATC said, “with a name like X-Blade, do I need say anymore?”

That just implies it is a bad case due to a bad choice of name. The X-blade is not as bad as he made out; it is an excellent case for the price, it takes 3 120mm fans(possibly tacky but you already own fans that you can use), has ample room for expansion, cost him less than £40, made of steel so sturdy, little or no resonance, and has a 400W PSU. The first link that came up on google (http://www.overclockercafe.com/Reviews/cases/X-Blade/index.htm) rated it highly, complimented the "cheap" paint job, and recommended the case. And unlike the P180, the door maintains its shape and closes.

If you believe that the only reason I didnt like the X-Blade is because of its name, then you misunderstood me I'm afraid. Previous to this I stated my arguements as to why it is not a terribly good case. Who are you trying to convice that the case isnt as bad as I made out? Like you, I have seen this case and used it before, and having owned some high end cases myself, I know and can tell the difference.

As for the fans it comes with (which by the way, is a 120mm fan and two 80mm fans, not 3 120's)- just becuase you have fans laying around that doesnt mean that everyone does, and this again something that has to be bought ontop of the basic price. Ample room for expansion? In what way? Your temps are going to get a lot higher if you've got more than 2 Hdd's. This is just an example, but there is no room for eATX if you wanted it. The steel is of a lower quality than you would find in a lot of the higher end cases. It also has a lot of sharp edges on the inside.

You are showing one review, which takes into account things such as the price in comparison to the quality. They have done thier job, its a 'good case for the price'. For £40 its not bad, but if it was anymore expensive it would be overpriced, as other more expensive cases are better.

If X-Blade had the name Antec or Silverstone slapped on it, I recon he wouldn’t have slated it so badly, probably would even have said it was good.

If you really believe that then you are again mistaken. You believe my only arguement is its brand name? If Antec or Silverstone was slapped on it, i'd wonder what the hell they had done to their designs and why they had produced such a case. If you think I only rate case on brand, perhaps you should read some of my other posts . I bought a CM 530 this Xmas for a friend, and it seems a pretty good case. As for Silverstone, I think some of their designs could be much improved, and I dont like every high end case I see. For example, Im not a big fan of the 3D Aurora (sp?) or the Antec P180.

I honestly dont know why you are still talking about brand name, lets get this straight - Antec etc is a brand name, a case that you were praising earlier. Are you talking about no name budget brands, because that is different. Remember, you can still get cheap cases from large high end manufacturers.

I can see the benfits of a expensive high end case, as well as that of a budget. Where we disagree, is that you think a cheap £10 - £40 case can compare to likes of a V1000, TJ03 and 110-SX1.

My point exactly. There are dud cases in the high end market as there are in the cheap low end market, and some excellent ones in both markets. One point that i found when buying cases is the extortionate prices paid for some of them. The cost of making a steel box the size of a computer case is probably less than £10 a hit, yet some sell for over a £100. The small volume produced by some unheard of case maker at lower prices does not always equate to to a pile of junk, and a few can be classed as high end in their own right.

Just like a pair of trainers, i buy the best, and the best doesn't have to have a silly tick on them.

Your right that there are some good cheap cases, and some overpriced cases that arnt so good. Your also right that there are some excellent cases in both markets. But please name some 'dud' high end cases. Also, instead of guessing, maybe find out how much it cost to manufacuter a case such as the Lian Li V1000 and then how much it cost to produce the X-Blade. Both have to make a profit to stay in business, but are you telling me that they both cost THE SAME amount of money to prduce, and one is jacked up a lot higher?! The X-Blade probably did cost about £10 to produce, but I think the V1000 will be more. A smaller generic or no name brand wont work in the same way as companies such as Antec, Coolermaster, Lian Li etc...

Which generic case have you heard of that is high end in its own right? I want to see it! Please post it here and we can all have a look.

You dont like Nike, nor do I at all, but cases arnt the same as trainers unfortuantly, and you get what you pay for.

*Yawn*, wow, a lot of typing, I need some lunch!

 

[Yewen]

On the brand name front, can I just add in the Coolermaster ATCS cases, and now they are not as good, so I dont buy them, but I still rate the Coolermaster old cases but at the moment would not buy what they consider high end from them.

Great Post Alu_ATC it covers me feelings perfectly.

The Lian Li costs a lot more to make than £10. Have a look at the price of thick aluminum.

 

[Alu_ATC]

On the brand name front, can I just add in the Coolermaster ATCS cases, and now they are not as good, so I dont buy them, but I still rate the Coolermaster old cases but at the moment would not buy what they consider high end from them.

Great Post Alu_ATC it covers me feelings perfectly.

The Lian Li costs a lot more to make than £10. Have a look at the price of thick aluminum.

Yup, TJ03, V1000 and 110 are my three fravourite cases, so thats why I stuck them in

Hope my last post made some sense, I was trying to quote things quickly!

 

[Alu_ATC]

NO! Forums went down and we lost a few essays, this did get resolved people! Anyone got the posts and can re-post them?

 

[Dennisthemenace]

The last post i got was the thread starter saying he was going to get a X-Blade. Can anyone help in the rebuild?

In case your still with us mate a word of warning about the X-Blade case. There are X-Blade cases made by two companies, A-Top from America, and Advance from France. The A-top version is the one getting the raves. The Advance version is to all intents and perposes the one you should run a mile from. Apart from being french, the case comes in wafer thin alloy, and hasn't got the removable sideways facing hard drive cage, and is closer to a french version of a vomit box. The visual difference is the front drive bays, five optical and one floppy for the american A-Top, and only four optical and two floppy for the flowerpot men's version. Having said that, A-Top no longer make them, so finding one will be fun.

 

[Hatake]

Disaster! Sod's law, it had to be the essay posts that got lost lol. I've got of the final 2 posts (i think - not sure if they're even in the right order) from dennisthemennis and alu_atc as well as my two responses, I'll post them next

In case your still with us mate a word of warning about the X-Blade case. There are X-Blade cases made by two companies, A-Top from America, and Advance from France. The A-top version is the one getting the raves. The Advance version is to all intents and perposes the one you should run a mile from. Apart from being french, the case comes in wafer thin alloy, and hasn't got the removable sideways facing hard drive cage, and is closer to a french version of a vomit box. The visual difference is the front drive bays, five optical and one floppy for the american A-Top, and only four optical and two floppy for the flowerpot men's version. Having said that, A-Top no longer make them, so finding one will be fun..

lol, got a little confused when a different case came up when I typed in x-blade in google, only found one site with it though, and a cheap and nasty case the Advance one is indeed.

I don't know is it me you're referring to about getting the X-Blade case, but I said I was interested in trying it in a build, dunno would I buy it though cause I'm not a fan of the door and I imagine the lights would really annoy me as my computer is on overnight.

 

[Hatake]

My next is system is being made in a high end Tescos cardboard box. Outstandingly good for overclocked celerons, and massive inside, it was even tested by a wino of great repute. This system will outshine everything, including the Gandalf and Stacker.

Now where's the sellotape.......................

Lol, I guess functionality, performance, and aesthetics are not an issue here. This actually reminded me, I once saw a thread in the SPCR forums where a guy built his own case out of wood. It looked, well, like a wooden box, but it performed well and was silent-ish.

That is a LOT of cases you’ve went through Yewen, indeed a little problem there. You must like moving your rig lol

Actually, I think you might be right on the GFX card front. There are a lot more crazy modders out there that demand maximum graphical performance whenever possible (like Yewan but with gfx cards instead ), but if you’re one of the normal ones, I think the example I put forward would apply. (Plus, I think ATi are superior but that’s a different argument all together lol.)

I guess using the computer for games, movies, work, and just general all round use, kind of demands usability over looks, so for me performance would be the main focus.

With the x-blade, I’ll settle with that. I like it and think it’s very useable, but I’ll agree that the looks are definitely not for everyone.

Yeah, I think every decent case (barring the cheap nasty ones) will have similar performance and it just boils down to looks at the end of the day. Aesthetics has been left out so the other factors could be argued more in the limelight but the difference is pretty minimal so aesthetics has found itself sneaking back in. I think the same in that everyone is superficial, if you see something you like, you’ll be willing to pay more for it and not settle for something less.

My idea of an upgrade is a part that increases performance of the computer or a part that enhances my enjoyment out of it. This can only be achieved when using the computer, not by looking at it, so for me, the case is not as important a part.

I could spend all my money on a case and mods, having it looking like the best computer in the world but only have enough money for a Pentium II rig. It will look the part but if you turn it on and monochromatic colours come on the screen after the long start-up wait, the effect of the look is somewhat diminished. Spending large amounts on a case will usually give you all the qualities you want the majority of the time, but all the attributes (albeit not as good but still more than enough) can be found on cheaper cases – just not as easy to find – so I guess it’s just where you decide to draw the line between performance, cost, and looks.

So it does indeed come down to the individual person’s preference and idea of what would make their computer better. There is no undeniable answer to what is right or wrong on this, it depends to the individual person and how far they’re willing to go.

So there we have it. I had fun on this debate, thanks for taking the time to join in, especially the people who had a differing opinion from mine. I found it very interesting, but you’ve still not swayed me to go for a high end case :d

 

[Hatake]

Like I said, the case is reviewed acording to its price and features. Its not a high end case, so they are not comparing it to one, that would be unfair as Im sure it was never in the design brief! The case I used was the exact X-blade you have mentioned, and it was used when my friend was doing a build (he'd bought it before I could pursuade him otherwise). I don'y know why you are claiming I dont know what case I did and did not use, but I assure you for the last time it was the X-Blade, Im a big fan of cases just like Yewen.

I dont know how my opinion is 'clearly biased', I dont work for Silverstone, Coolermaster, Lian Li or the anti X-Blade corporation (joke by the way). I dont feel that it was a good case, and Ive already argued why. Im not determined to believe any case that isnt a 'high end' brand isnt good - but whether you believe that or not is up to you. I dont like the X-Blade due to its flimsy door, cheap paint job (and yes, I do believe its a cheap paint job) and overall design. Id rather spend a little more on a better case. At the end of the day, you prefer a lower end case and then you can go and have a good night out - I wont worry knowing I paid more for what is a better quality case. And I honestly couldnt care less how many more FPS you get becuase of the money you saved, a case is a better investment

bah, you posted just after I left and watched derren brown's hiest before I finished writing mine lol. So I apologise for the double post - if it is that is. I just finished watching lost and now the forums aren’t responding .

lol, I’m just saying you’re biased as in that you think its going to be bad because its cheap and not branded (subconscious or not, I admit that I am usually wary of cheaper things). “Clearly” is an overstatement in hindsight, I apologise.

I’ll also agree that a case is reviewed with price in consideration, but only to a certain extent because I have still to see a review to say something like “this high-end case is overpriced and the same can be found in cheaper cases” for I am sure that there are some as we know all high-end cases are not winners.

All I said was that I didn’t know what case you used or what you used it for, I wasn’t claiming anything so you misunderstood. It could have been a different x-blade case but it appears not.

I think the paint job on the black and silver x-blade cases are excellent (the green they used is indeed a horrible one for a case) and the design to be good. I don’t think it’s the best-looking case ever and I’m not a fan of the door either (don’t think its flimsy but just weird looking).

It depends how much you think is a little. It might be me but I wouldn’t call prices sometimes double, “a little more”. Like mentioned, a cheap case can and will house your components well and safe, just not always looking as nice.

Okay, a graphics card won’t be worth as much in 6 months, but how often do you change your graphics card every six months when something better comes out? Not very to say the least. An expensive graphics card will run everything out now and later for years to come. I know people still running GeForce MX440’s and ATI Radeon 9600’s and they handle all modern games well and they’re a few years old.

If I never intend to sell my case on, it’s not an investment, as I won’t get my money back let alone a profit. So as it’s not an investment, I’d rather spend the money on something that I use a lot more and make my computer look better when running, because, lets be honest, who looks at the case when you’re using the computer? Also, better graphics will increase the comfort of using computers, which is more important than looks IMO.