Is Steel or Aluminum better for Cases

[Mysteriouskk]

Which type of case material is better: Steel or Aluminum? Which is cooler and makes less noise?

 

[Operandi]

Theoretically an AL case will be cooler but the difference is so small it's probably not measurable. As far as noise if you have a very quiet system AL is less dense so it resonates more then steel. It picks up fan and hard drive vibrations better then steel and you might be able to hear the differences in an already very quiet machine.

The biggest difference is the look and feel; steel is heavy and ugly in comparison to an anodized AL case.

 

[Bob Anderson]

Originally posted by: Mysteriouskk
Which type of case material is better: Steel or Aluminum? Which is cooler and makes less noise?

-----------------

Heh heh. Your question is just begging for a ton of uninformed opinions.

I'll jump back in after a dozen or so.

-Bob

 

[Kromis]

Aluminum for the win!

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

This will become a worn out argument of 50 posts

Just buy what flotes your boat


...Galvanized

 

[pkme2]

I remember when I had "towers of Steel". I thought they were the best thing ever.

They were 'tough' but you could pull your groin when trying to transport them.

The steel tower prices were very high so the cheaper Asian cases were a better substitute at that time.

Steel is steel, right! Imagine when these flimsy built cases started falling apart. The plastic innards and outside panels were a joke.

Imagine when I saw my first aluminum case. It happened to be a Lian-Li. From then, All my cases are LL. My new builds are LLs and since I do a few modifying, the Aluminum is easier to work with.

Nevertheless there will be a few detractors that will disagree with me, but IMO the design and construction makes the LL one of the finest built computer cases I have worked with. My success with LL's cool computer interior temperatures has stayed with all my custom builds.

I see the results everyday with my rigs. The best results are with the LL PC-7B +2. I swap out all fans with YL 120mm and add an extra side intake and top exhaust. This seems to keep the insides cool.

I cannot in all good conscience go back to steel. Aluminum is definitely the winner.

 

[Zepper]

If you build identical cases out of the two materials (say like the Tt Armor Jr where the black is steel and the silver is Al.), there won't be enough diff to write home about unless you mount some hot components right up against the case metal with heatsink grease.

The only real advantages to Al are that it's lighter so the case may be cheaper to ship, and it sometimes looks better. On the above examples, the bezels of both are Al, so most of the looks are the same.

.bh.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: pkme2
IMO the design and construction makes the LL one of the finest built computer cases I have worked with...

I cannot in all good conscience go back to steel. Aluminum is definitely the winner.

No, aluminum is not the winner. You said it yourself, "design and construction." Would you use one of the cheaper Skyhawk cases? Why not? They are aluminum (some even have aluminum bezels).

Aluminum is lighter and easier to work with, though there have been some aluminum cases that are heavier than cheap steel cases (example, those old Cooler Master ATC-series).

 

[atom]

I like aluminum not because of the material but because most higher end cases are aluminum so build quality tends to be better. If my lian-li were built with steel but up to the same quality as the aluminum verison I wouldn't mind really. As for the weight, if a steel case is really straining you, I suggest you use the price difference between a steel and aluminum case and get yourself a gym membership............

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: Zepper
...there won't be enough diff to write home about unless you mount some hot components right up against the case metal with heatsink grease.

The only real advantages to Al are that it's lighter...

Yepper, Zepper!

That's exactly what I was going to say, and I own a $400 aluminum case.

That aside, I'll take an aluminum bezel over a plastic one, any day!!! :thumbsup:

 

[pkme2]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: pkme2
IMO the design and construction makes the LL one of the finest built computer cases I have worked with...

I cannot in all good conscience go back to steel. Aluminum is definitely the winner.

No, aluminum is not the winner. You said it yourself, "design and construction." Would you use one of the cheaper Skyhawk cases? Why not? They are aluminum (some even have aluminum bezels).

Aluminum is lighter and easier to work with, though there have been some aluminum cases that are heavier than cheap steel cases (example, those old Cooler Master ATC-series).

My opinion is worth as much as anyone else's, IMO (means: In my opinion)
Let others decide what's best for them. If you like steel, buy steel. I like Aluminum and LL has the best.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
This will become a worn out argument of 50 posts

Just buy what flotes your boat


...Galvanized

Glad you're following this, GY!

Speaking of aluminum cases, I took mine apart today and cleaned it up. Since I had my vid card out, I weighed the 'squirrel cage blower' on my Sytrin Kuformula VGA Cooler -- you were asking about it a while back...

The fan assembly (fan, bracket, controller) weighed 226.796185 grams. Assuming the bracket and controller weighs around 50 grams, that would mean the rotary blower weighs about the same as a good 120mm axial fan.

So, see, this thread wasn't a total waste!

 

[you2]

I've been happier with my alumnium cases than the steel ones but as to which cools better - beats me - they've just been easier to work with - mostly due to being lighter - the steel cases are antec - but i think i'll try either (high end) Yankee case next time (if they ever sell it in the usa) or (low end) zeppar's case or maybe the stacker. Then again I'm getting in the mood to recycle rather than buy new cases.

 

[Baked]

Steel + Dynamat.

 

[Bob Anderson]

Originally posted by: Mysteriouskk
Which type of case material is better: Steel or Aluminum? Which is cooler and makes less noise?

Well, my wonderfully handsome Antec 1050B has never felt even warm to the touch. I like to pat it on the head every once in a while.

It is made out of 1 mm cold-rolled steel and is painted black. It weighs about 36 pounds with everything installed. There are no vibrations of any sort. I can put a glass of water on it when things are really whirling, and the water shows no ripples. I don't recommend placing a glass of water on top of a case, but it is the best way to detect minute vibrations.

There are two side vents, so what little noise I can detect come from these vents.

It is a thing of beauty sitting next to my steel, black Tripp-Lite UPS tower.

-Bob

 

[Dethfrumbelo]

As a general rule, I don't like handling aluminum (aluminium) simply because it's a heavy metal, and would handle it as carefully as I would handle lead. I don't eat any baked products with sodium aluminium phosphate (aluminium salt baking powder) or even use aluminium foil - use cooking parchment instead. By the way, they also put mercury in viral shots (methyl mercury) and tattoo ink.

 

[Bobthelost]

No real difference for cooling but steel is easier to quieten as it's heavier and so doesn't vibrate as much as Al will.

 

[imported_Seer]

++ on steel for the lack of vibrations, ++ on Al for being light, easier to work with, usually better looking.

 

[jiffylube1024]

I prefer Adamantium myself.

*snikt* !!

 

[VinDSL]

I gotta help the ol' guy out here...

So, what's better? Aluminum? Steel?

Anybody know for sure

 

[SparkyJJO]

Originally posted by: VinDSL
I gotta help the ol' guy out here...

So, what's better? Aluminum? Steel?

Anybody know for sure

Neither is best. They both have their pros and cons.

STEEL
Pros:
+sturdy
+doesn't vibrate as much
Cons:
-heavy
-harder to work with (if modding anything)

ALUMINUM
Pros:
+lightweight
+easy to work with (if modding) however see the first con
Cons:
-flimsier, though easy to work with it can dent easier
-vibrates easier

There are probably a bunch of other pros and cons for each but this is just off the top of my head.

 

[Kwint Sommer]

A cheap case is a cheap case and a high end case is a high end case no matter what you make them out of. For the middle class cases Steal will give you a little more durability while Aluminum will make the case a little lighter and probably look a little nicer. Differences in specific heat are negligible; good fan placement is far more important.

 

[RaiderJ]

Originally posted by: Dethfrumbelo
As a general rule, I don't like handling aluminum (aluminium) simply because it's a heavy metal, and would handle it as carefully as I would handle lead. I don't eat any baked products with sodium aluminium phosphate (aluminium salt baking powder) or even use aluminium foil - use cooking parchment instead. By the way, they also put mercury in viral shots (methyl mercury) and tattoo ink.

So I take it your vote is for a steel case?

 

[Kwint Sommer]

Originally posted by: Dethfrumbelo
As a general rule, I don't like handling aluminum (aluminium) simply because it's a heavy metal, and would handle it as carefully as I would handle lead. I don't eat any baked products with sodium aluminium phosphate (aluminium salt baking powder) or even use aluminium foil - use cooking parchment instead. By the way, they also put mercury in viral shots (methyl mercury) and tattoo ink.

WTF?!?
Heavy Metal - A metal whose specific gravity is approximately 5.0 or higher. Examples are mercury, lead, silver, gold, and uranium.
Specific Gravity of Aluminum: (solid) 2.64 (oxide) 1.52
Specific Gravity of Steel: (cast) 7.85 (rolled) 7.93

Which is a heavy metal? Steel!!!!!!

 

[parker0522]

I've got a lian li that I love. Mine does not vibrate or anything else. My main problem is that my fingerprints show up more on the Aluminum cases than my steel cases that I have had in the past.