chieftec case - aluminum vs steel

[UCDznutz]

i'm probably going to get one of these popular cases but noticed they have them in a different design in aluminum.

I want to get it in silver and with the window so after all that + shipping its about a 15-20 price difference. Does having it in aluminum reduce the overall heat inside? the case i'm running right now is pretty warm and my room is so much warmer than the others. I probably won't be moving it around much it'll just sit on my desk aside from installing components, so the weight doesn't really matter. But if the aluminum would reduce heat output by my system then i could think about spending the extra cash. Just wondering what your guys' thoughts were.

 

[dxkj]

The metal in the case doesnt cause your system to output more heat its partially weight, and partially because aluminum cases are thinner and conduct heat out through the metal easier...



this is why acrylia cases need mucho fans, acrylia doesnt conduct heat out well

 

[UCDznutz]

so there really is no advantage of getting aluminum over steel other than weight?

 

[BSEagle1]

1. Air Flow (Assuming you dont use water cooling) is the primary thing when it comes to how cool things are. The aluminum MIGHT make a difference of couple degrees fairenheit in some of your temperatures, but I haven't tested that theory and the extra cash for the aluminum would be better spent on other cooling products that would give you lower temps. However, if you move your rig a lot, the aluminum is good because it *is* lighter, but save some $$$ and just get a more useful LAN caddy instead.
2. buyxtremegear is okay, but newegg.com has a better reputation

 

[Phunktion]

The cages in the Al version are much less secure in my experience.. it's a shame I can't trust them enough to leave them alone on car trips like my steel one however there are places on the cage holders that allow you to screw them in place and problem solved but you would need to unscrew the cage to use it making it less convenient :frown:
Otherwise I didn't find the weight a factor and I would take the steel version if it had the same features because it's built stronger and doesn't bend or damage as easy... when fully loaded with components there is little difference in weight, or at least not a whole lot to notice when you lug it to and from a LAN and the steel one is a better candidate for adding a set of handles and even fully loaded it's own weight wouldn't be likely to bend it at all.. can't say with confidence that the aluminum one would not bend when fully loaded..
No difference in ambient temps has been seen between steel and Al... so I think it's mostly BS.. or very minor a difference..

 

[Egrimm]

There is a definite weight difference between alu and steel, my fulltower PC70 is noticably lighter than my old midtower steel case.

The alu doesn't make the system cooler though, the only difference is due to alu cases being costlier and thus most often better thought out than cheaper steel ones. As the Chieftecs are identical this shouldn't mean a thing.

 

[deerslayer]

I don't think the aluminum is going to make much difference in your temps. Go for the steel case. If you aren't going to be moving it around a whole lot, it's not worth the extra cash for aluminum.

 

[maxSe]

As many guys here posted, I don't think there's much difference in heat reduction between aluminum and steel... I had an Antec 1030B and now I have the aluminum silver Chieftec with window (exact one that you're looking to get). Other than the weight, I really don't foresee much difference in performance.

One thing to consider though.. To me at least, it feels like the aluminum one doesn't "feel" as sturdy as the steel one (for obvious reasons...). For example, the drive cage and its support are also made of aluminum, and again, it doesn't "feel" like it's sturdy enough to hold 3 HD's in it, as I could see some flex in the cage support... I mainly went with this case to use it as my server and planned to use 1 HD for OS & 2 HD's for data, and I'm just not comfortable filling up the cage with 3 HD's... Might not be a big deal to many, but just another opinion from someone who owns the case...

 

[WA261]

do not buy from that place...they suck ass....serious....go to newegg and get one...i did the black one with window/fan and 450w psu for $100

 

[VISCH1]

Solid and dependable and solid feeling aluminum, spell LIAN-LI
EXPENSIVE.

 

[TheRoot]

Originally posted by: WA261
do not buy from that place...they suck ass....serious....go to newegg and get one...i did the black one with window/fan and 450w psu for $100

Hmmm...I don't know about that. They have a pretty decent resellerrating. I just ordered a case from them and it went pretty smoothly. I agree that newegg is awesome, but sometimes better deals can be had elsewhere...

 

[mcurphy]

For those who replied that have experience with this case...how would you rate the fans that are included.
As far as noise and cooling go?? Any recommendations for a fifth fan for the hdd cage?

I have been eyeing these cases on svc, but this is a much better price. The ones over at svc include a 420watt power supply that I don't need since I bought an Antec 480watt from newegg. So it was nice to see this post, just in time to save me a few bucks.

They also have a decent price on the ATI AIW 9700 pro.

I think I may have to place an order here this weekend.

 

[SpeedTester]

Originally posted by: WA261
do not buy from that place...they suck ass....serious....go to newegg and get one...i did the black one with window/fan and 450w psu for $100

Hmm, Ive ordered dozens of these cases from Xtreme and never had a problem.

 

[TheRoot]

I don't have my new system in the case yet, so the only sound I can hear are the PS fans and the case fans. I can't even hear the case fans over my PS fans. I'm not too sure on the CFM for the fans. The ones that came on my case were "Turbo Cool" 3 LED 80mm fans. I couldn't seem to find any info on these anywhere. I guess all I can say is they are very quiet.

 

[jumpmanx]

so, far we have concluded that aluminum is lighter, less sturdy, and (maybe) runs a tiny bit cooler. So steel cases are heavier, built 'ford' tough and maybe runs a tiny bit higher in temp. But what about noise reduction? I would think the steel case would be a lot more quieter since it would be much thicker and thus have better noise reduction compared to the thin aluminum side pieces? anyone have opinions on this?

 

[mrman3k]

The running a bit cooler part is true but VERY negligable. I think at most it might lower case temps by 1C under best circumstances. Aluminum is much better as far as weight is concerned.

 

[UCDznutz]

good question jumpmanx. is noise reduction any better in one than the other, given the same components? the vibration factor of the less-sturdy aluminum might make a difference

 

[yhelothar]

yep aluminum would not make your case cooler...
i moved from a steel to lian li case, my lian li was actually hotter because it had less airflow than my steel case...

yeah and side fans effective way to lower your case temp.. my case temp stays 2-3C over my ambient, without the side fan, it stays like 10C higher than ambient.. stick a nice and quiet 120mm fan on the side.. only casefan you'll need..

the steel cheiftec cases are pretty damn heavy.. around 40lbs. though you said weight is not an issue so i wouldn't spend the extra money for aluminum
though aluminum could be as strong as steel once it's hard anodized.

 

[wetcat007]

If you plan on moving ur PC much go with aluminum it'll take about 15-20 lbs off your computer and is well worth it ive seen and lifted both cases first (steel and aluminum) and there is a very big difference, other than that I couldnt tell a difference between the 2.

-Mark