Aluminum vs Steel Case - heat release and cooling

[Morph]

I've in the market for a new case and I noticed that Chieftec is now coming out with aluminum versions of their cases. In this ad at Directron they claim that it releases heat 3x faster than a steel case. The aluminum case costs $84 vs $59 for a steel one (both use the same plastic front bezel, so looks ar not a consideration here). So I'm wondering, is it worth it to go for an aluminum case? What exactly does the faster heat release mean in practice? Will my CPU run cooler in an aluminum case than a steel one?

 

[adamfelker]

In the real world, the faster heat dissipation of aluminum doesn't mean much. Your CPU will likely run at the same temperature as with a traditional steel case. However, for only a $25 difference it's definitely worth moving to aluminum, if only for the difference in weight.

 

[rondeemc]

IMHO go for aluminum only for the weight. There are several excellent steel cases that perform as well as the aluminum (I have two by the way) and when I switched my temps actually went up. If you want to know why I switched then if was purely on the features such as number of bays, case size, motherboard tray, etc in a combination I could not find in a steel.

Good luck

PS
Also it doesn't hurt as much when you get the dremel out

 

[CubicZirconia]

Don't expect any cooler temps with aluminum.

 

[KouklatheCat]

I did not get any cooler temps with aluminum over steel. However my Lian-Li is the sweetest case I have worked on. Now I need to convince my wife she needs one too. HA HA

 

[Howard]

I can't believe this BS.

Oh, look, my motherboard standoffs are glowing with heat! Better get me an aluminum case!

 

[KouklatheCat]

My standoffs were glowing with heat until I got some made out of recycled space shuttle tiles...................

 

[Morph]

Do any of you guys have P4's though? I mean, with a P4 the whole CPU heatsink assembly is connected to the case, right? Seems like with a P4 it might make some difference in heat transferred from CPU heatsink to case, but then again probably not enough to really notice like you've all said. Just speculating.

 

[Derango]

Originally posted by: Morph
Do any of you guys have P4's though? I mean, with a P4 the whole CPU heatsink assembly is connected to the case, right? Seems like with a P4 it might make some difference in heat transferred from CPU heatsink to case, but then again probably not enough to really notice like you've all said. Just speculating.

Actualy, on the newer P4's and P4 mobo's they connect to brackets on the motherboard, and don't touch the case at all.

 

[Morph]

Actualy, on the newer P4's and P4 mobo's they connect to brackets on the motherboard, and don't touch the case at all.

So you're saying that the 4 screw holes in the motherboard tray on a P4-ready case aren't used at all then? Just curious because that's one of the reasons I was planning on getting a new case, just for those screw holes so my new P4 could be nice and secure. And I like the idea of the whole heatsink assembly being attached to the case for stability.

 

[Derango]

So you're saying that the 4 screw holes in the motherboard tray on a P4-ready case aren't used at all then? Just curious because that's one of the reasons I was planning on getting a new case, just for those screw holes so my new P4 could be nice and secure. And I like the idea of the whole heatsink assembly being attached to the case for stability.

Most of the Socket 478 Mobo's have plastic supports on the motherboard around the socket that the heatsink clamps onto. Its still pretty stable, and its still better than the AMD's Socket A solution to this, IMHO. Even if the P4 didn't have the heat spreader, it would be very,very hard to accidently crack the core of the CPU due to the way the heatsink goes on. Its a nice system.

If you want an example, check out the pics up at newegg of any socket 478 motherboard. The older P4s that used the larger socket still use the case method to secure the heatsink.

 

[Zap]

I suppose an aluminum case can help hard drive temperatures, but that's only a concern if the case doesn't have good ventilation to begin with. I wouldn't buy an aluminum case on any supposed cooling benefits. However, I would purchase one because of weight and the "coolness" of an aluminum case.

FYI, I have yet to buy one, can't justify the price yet.

 

[GiZzO]

Also consider case vibrations, steel cases are stiffer and heavier, they don't jiggle and resontate noise as much from your fans and HD's and such. You'll mostly find a higher build quality and better airflow in steel cases (can be opened up more stifffer material, more selection) .

GiZzO's Fan Database Page