Case Expense

[pcslookout]

What is the most you ever spent on a computer case? Is it worth spending a lot on a computer case ?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

What is the most you ever spent on a computer case? Is it worth spending a lot on a computer case ?

It's worth spending what's necessary to provide you with the features you want. Your choice of features would depend on the rest of the hardware and a cooling strategy.

The most I ever spent on a computer case was $130, for a CoolerMaster Stacker 830 available 9 years ago and retailing for $200+. I've recycled that case for current use with Skylake after it had been in storage and out of commission for two years.

The least I'd ever spent on a case was the price of Coolermaster Centurion purchased for a family member who simply needed a simple midtower and a computer without more than adequate attention to cooling.

My CoolerMaster HAF 922's may also get use in a future build, but they cost me less than $100, were made of SECC steel, and I could probably junk them if I find something I'd like to buy.

Consider that it depends on one's aesthetic preferences, which are "wants." You could build a good computer from an old case resurrected from a 1998 computer graveyard. You'd like have sore wrists from the metal-work needed to bring it into the present day. It can be fun. You don't spend a lot of money. But it's better to conceive of your next project in its entirety and carefully shop the options for a case that fits your conception. You might find a good combination with a case for less than $100. You might prefer a case that costs $200. Then again, you might not.

 

[Crono]

The most I've spent was on a case I'm using currently, a Thermaltake Core P3 ($115). I'd spend more if I needed to, but nearly all the cases I look at happen to be around $100 or less. Between $40 and $90 is usually what my cases have cost in the past.

I've been looking at more expensive cases lately from Lian-Li, In Win, and a few boutique ITX cases, but some of the limited-run cases aren't a good value, even accounting for how long one can potentially use a case.

The max I personally would spend on a case right now is about $170 and still feel I got my money's worth. I would be willing to spend more if it was custom, though (e.g. Protocase).

 

[Insomniator]

I spent 100 bucks on my Temjin TJ08-E ~6 years ago. Its been so long that 100 bucks has gone from a lot of money to not that much money to me.

Either way... once you get the system built, if you dont upgrade it often or move it around a lot the case could be a cardboard box and it doesn't really matter. Pick whatever size and looks you like best.

 

[XavierMace]

~$320 for a Mountain Mods U2 UFO back when they were new. Would never do that again. I've had a variety of Silverstone cases in the $180-$220 range, never been unhappy with them.

 

[aigomorla]

600... for a Custom MM + Pedistool.

at the time it was the only thing that could fit all my LCS gear.

 

[you2]

I tend to be cheap on cases - the lian-li pc-a75x was $120. I think I spent $140 on a case in the way distant past but can't recall. I mostly stick with asus and lian-li - though after a brief visit to coolermaster and corsair I think i'll stick with lian-li. The bottom line is I frequently have to make slight changes and I find the lian-li much easier to work with after the fact. I've been tempted by the M1 and Dan's case but just can't bring myself to spend $200 on a shoebox.

 

[fleshconsumed]

The most expensive case I bought was SilverStone Temjin TJ-03 case 13 years ago, I'm ashamed to admit it cost me $200+. It was a gorgeous case, it still is, beautifully sculpted, but it also was the loudest piece of crap ever, the whole case resonated from HDD and fan vibrations. I managed to quiet down vibrations by generously applying dynamat around the panels, but it was still louder than I would have liked. That was my one and only aluminum case that I purchased.

Nowadays I like to buy cases with sound deadening features built in. These cases are more expensive than bottom of the barrel, I like to spend no more than $100, but I feel it's worth it to have quiet computer. My favorites over the past decade have been Antec P18x series. P280 was decent, but a bit of a disappointment with vibrating side panels, I had to put vinyl flooring tiles on side panels to stop them from vibrating. The latest case I just got was Fractal Design XL R2 for $70 off of ebay.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

The most expensive case I bought was SilverStone Temjin TJ-03 case 13 years ago, I'm ashamed to admit it cost me $200+. It was a gorgeous case, it still is, beautifully sculpted, but it also was the loudest piece of crap ever, the whole case resonated from HDD and fan vibrations. I managed to quiet down vibrations by generously applying dynamat around the panels, but it was still louder than I would have liked. That was my one and only aluminum case that I purchased.

Nowadays I like to buy cases with sound deadening features built in. These cases are more expensive than bottom of the barrel, I like to spend no more than $100, but I feel it's worth it to have quiet computer. My favorites over the past decade have been Antec P18x series. P280 was decent, but a bit of a disappointment with vibrating side panels, I had to put vinyl flooring tiles on side panels to stop them from vibrating. The latest case I just got was Fractal Design XL R2 for $70 off of ebay.

How do you mount your fans? I don't care what sort of case -- Mountain Mods, CM, Silverstone -- they're all made of metal as a rule. Rubber mounts, rubber triangles on the corner-mounts of fans, silicon-rubber donuts, even wrapping metal or nylon machine screws in rubber radiator hose bandage and combinations of all these aspects -- can completely isolate a fan from the metal. It is that contact with the metal that transmits the noise. Same with HDD mounts, although I might have thought that Silverstone would have designed the case with noise-isolating features that you didn't have to add.

The Temjin was a great case, as I remember.

On a more general level, I observe that computer cases have a long life-cycle -- if you want them to last. I'd even converted a '95 ProLiant full-tower server case to use when the motherboard mounting points didn't match current-day ATX specs, tapped and threaded my own holes for brass standoffs.

But if you "invest" in an expensive case, you would hope you could use it for two or more systems over time. That's always been an issue with me about spending over $150 on any particular case: Do I, or do I not -- want to commit for a longer period of time? And what ventilation or other features does the pricey case offer? Can I find room for it in my room or in my house?

With a scrap case chassis as a base, if I wanted to invest in a brake-press for my crowded shop, I could build my own, and I've seen a few projects like that in these forums over the years. Somehow, the metal-work for either modding an old case or building one of unique design is less popular here these days as a pastime.

But -- for sure -- the usefulness of a case to an enthusiast extends beyond the value of dated electronic components over time. Consider the postage a seller of used parts would spend on a mobo, a graphics card -- a memory kit(!) or SSD -- as opposed to shipping a case. The same regime of costs might fit the resale of a large monitor.

 

[Rifter]

My Current Fractal Design Define S is my most expensive case($150 CDN). And its very well made and quiet, i love it, best case ive owned for sure, would buy again.

 

[fleshconsumed]

How do you mount your fans? I don't care what sort of case -- Mountain Mods, CM, Silverstone -- they're all made of metal as a rule. Rubber mounts, rubber triangles on the corner-mounts of fans, silicon-rubber donuts, even wrapping metal or nylon machine screws in rubber radiator hose bandage and combinations of all these aspects -- can completely isolate a fan from the metal. It is that contact with the metal that transmits the noise. Same with HDD mounts, although I might have thought that Silverstone would have designed the case with noise-isolating features that you didn't have to add.

That was an early Temjin (TJ-03 specifically) from 13 years ago. There was no way to soft mount HDDs (unless I used 5.25 bays for that), and although I did use rubber mounts for all of my case fans, the top panel in that case still vibrated. That was also the year when I got the original Zalman CU 7000 and thought to myself so the CPU cooler doesn't have to sound like a turbine? Good times. I still miss the aesthetics of the case, it was a thing of beauty, but I sure do not miss the vibrating aluminum (not to mention common to that era 80mm fans). My latest Fractal Design XL R2 is really nice to work inside, has plenty of sound deadening features, perfectly sized 4 hard drive HDD cages, I just wish it had better looking/designed front panel.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

My CM Stacker 830 Resurrection project got a lot of attention with Spire foam-rubber cutouts, the rubber adhesive bandage and the silly-cone-rubber donuts.

It is truly quiet, considering that the CM CrossFlow barrel fan has metal screws in metal mounts. The screws are tiny; it was tedious to isolate that fan. I could tell that it was the source of most noise in the case by applying a car-mechanic's stethoscope before and after the tedium.

Now I discover that I have a noisier-than-usual Akasa Viper front-panel fan. It's almost nothing in dBA. Should I apply some Spire to the fixed fan hub and a case-panel surface facing the rotating hub? Or simply replace the Vipers? It is such a minor source of noise that I will procrastinate either solution. For being costless, I may try the "Bozo Nose" option of stacking 2" circles of Spire and sticking them in place.

Maybe . . . tomorrow . . . next week . . . sooner or later . . .

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

The most I've paid was $400+ total for two Silverstone TJ09s (black, silver) and the USB3 upgrades.
Probably bought the very last two available in North America.

Cases are like furniture - cost a lot new, worth almost jack sh*t used.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

The most I've paid was $400+ for two Silverstone TJ09s (black, silver) and the USB3 upgrades.
Probably bought the very last two available in North America.

Cases are like furniture - cost a lot new, worth almost jack sh*t used.

That is a very good parallel! In "bidnis" jargon, we're saying that used cases have little but salvage value even if buyers could recycle them into new computer builds. On the other hand, a lot of sensible people are glad when they find a used leather sofa in good shape for chump-change, and "good shape" may not reflect age. Or-- they may enjoy the "weathered" look, purchasing some liquid rejuvenator for the leather surfaces. Computer cases may be useable for new projects regardless of age, but the older they are, the more likely the new owner will apply his dremel, hole-saw and drill, purchase some primer and paint, and devote some time. Most folks don't want to do that. Sheet-metal work takes time away from your C++ programming exploits.

This and expenses like that for a high-end graphics card (or worse -- two!) keep my pie-in-the-sky computer building dreams grounded in penny-pinching common sense. But cases aren't so sensitive to the advances of Moore's Law. A new computer case is usually the last priority in my projects, unless I don't have an older one to fix up.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Whatever an Antec P280 cost at Newegg 5 years ago ... $200?

A good case can be reused for many upgrades over the years, so it's worth spending extra on.

 

[EliteRetard]

$30 for a new Antec 300 (back then that was a common price and they were by far the best budget cases)
Still housing my primary rig, and after adding a few salvaged fans (just needed cleaning/oil) it keeps everything cool/quiet.

Even with the hundred+ PC's I've built for myself/friends/family the most expensive was an SG05 including 450w PSU for $65 shipped.
Almost all the other cases were under $30 shipped.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

$30 for a new Antec 300 (back then that was a common price and they were by far the best budget cases)
Still housing my primary rig, and after adding a few salvaged fans (just needed cleaning/oil) it keeps everything cool/quiet.

Even with the hundred+ PC's I've built for myself/friends/family the most expensive was an SG05 including 450w PSU for $65 shipped.
Almost all the other cases were under $30 shipped.

Well, I'm still gratified that I got my Stacker 830 nine years ago for a measly $130. I'm happier the way my STacker mods turned out, than I am about the hardware inside. But for the fact that I'm having some trouble getting solid settings for 4.7 Ghz under Win 10, I'm still happier than a pig in shit about that hardware . . . too . . .

[Which makes me wonder when I should change my sig specs, when I thought I had 4.7 in my back pocket three months ago. But even then, it appears that I didn't. See "Something Hinky about Windows 10 . etc." in the OC forum.]

 

[ScottAD]

$130 is the most. Buy what you need. Sure you can go an get a Cosmos II but honestly, how many people use that?

 

[dlerious]

The most I've spent was around $800 for a Caselabs S8 with pedestal. Just bought another without pedestal for my new build and thinking about going with one of their Bullet cases in the future, I have a mid-tower and full tower Lian Li (forget model numbers). The cheapest was probably an Antec Lanboy. Fell in love with aluminum cases after my first Lian LI.

 

[Ajay]

I think my Corsair 800D was over $250 when I bought it (2009). Was planning to go full custom water. Switched to a Gulftown CPU (from a 4.2 GHz i7 920 D0) and decided to just go with AIO. Overkill now.

 

[SZLiao214]

I spend 200 on a FT02 by Silverstone in 2011 i believe. Just upgraded my motherboard/cpu/ram and ended up just using the same case. I haven't found anything that felt worth going to yet.

 

[EliteRetard]

Why doesn't anybody make a radiator case? Obviously that would cost money...but with all these people willing to spend hundreds on a case, I wonder why this has never been done.

With the top, front, bottom, and rear side all lined with 1/2" tube (for good flow) and fins that would be like 18x 120mm rads. It should be able to passively cool a moderate system...and with a few silent fans it would be enough to cool a high end gaming rig.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

^ Didn't Zalman make a totally passive case awhile back?

 

[Capt Caveman]

My last case I bought was an Antec P180 like more than 10 years ago. Thinking of replacing it with a Phanteks Enthoo Evolv for $189. Never spent that much on a case but based on how long I kept my other one.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811854039

 

[Crono]

My last case I bought was an Antec P180 like more than 10 years ago. Thinking of replacing it with a Phanteks Enthoo Evolv for $189. Never spent that much on a case but based on how long I kept my other one.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811854039

I just ordered the tempered glass version of the Enthoo Pro M yesterday. $99 on Amazon and Newegg, and worth looking at if you don't have specific requirements that the Evolv meets.