Steel vs. Aluminum

[Bona Fide]

Well I'm looking at two cases right now, the CM Centurion 530 and the Tt Tsunami. One is steel and one is aluminum. Apart from that, they're quite similar. The Tsunami has a window and an LED rear fan, and the Centurion has top-mounted I/O and side intakes. Those are the parts that I like about one case that the other doesn't have. Anyway...

The difference in temperatures between steel and aluminum, in our tests, has shown to be less than 5C. Steel also has the advantage of being a much sturdier material, and dampens vibrations a lot better.

Aluminum is the only way to go nowadays, owing to its lightweight structure and better heat-disappating qualities. Steel is a thing of the past.

Does it really make that much of a difference if I go with aluminum? I'd prefer the sturdiness of steel, but not if it means huge heat increases.

 

[domoMKIV]

i dont know how valid a comparison this is but....HERE YOU GO ANYWAY.

i have a CoolerMaster ATC-210 that is aluminum - i could feel heavy vibration through it and into my desk (in my hands/arms when on the desk)...it was awful.
my CM Stacker has none of those vibrations - at least not enough that i can feel it.
of course there are always ways of dampening vibration, but i prefer not having to bother with that.

as far as heat increases....they will be negligible - whats more important is the airflow through the case.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Thats a personal decission.

I prefer a clear anodized(silver), 2mm thick, aluminum case. At 2mm it is very stiff and much easyer to modify, light duty holes can even
be taped into it. I ran my wiring behind the right panel because on my Lian-Li that rt. cover slides off just as the left side does.
There are a number of brands that come in 2mm aluminum.

Just my $.02. Don't get a pink case

EDIT: At shut down the heat left in the internal componets will result in"heat soak", the same term is used for car engines at shutdown. An alloy case will disipate this heat a little better.
But not enough to make any real world difference.

I love looking at natural alloy, satin or polished. Thats my preference. ENJOY

 

[JBDan]

Hard to achieve a silent pc w/ Al. Steel is much quieter in my experince. Al is much lighter. How often do you move your case? After building with both and now having a Tsunami, my future builds will lean towards steel cases. Vibrations in my Tsunami from my raptor are on the loud side. It is a nice case though w/ great airflow IMO. There are exceptions, as always, to Al being louder than steel. The p180 is a hybrid Al/Plastic/Al, but has steel inards. The LianLi V1100B/A are Al w/ dampening insulation on the inside walls. As far as heat and case material, I have never seen any valid findings on Al cases being cooler than steel cases.

 

[Bona Fide]

Well I was set on the P180, but I might have to make price cuts to even out my budget. I won't be moving my case at ALL, unless it's a few feet to vacuum the carpet underneath my desk. So weight is of little concern. If that's the only major difference, the Centurion will be the one I go with.

// Yankee...the thickest aluminum I've seen is 1.2mm, and it's still more malleable than 0.8mm SECC. :Q

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Lian-Li and Kingwin 424 series are 2mm alloy.......ENJOY

 

[LT4CAMSS]

Bona Fide - I have the Tsunami. I searched quite a while for a good case and don't have much allegiance to any...so I don't really think I'm biased. However, I think the Tsunami is a great case. It stays madd cool and provides good flow. I don't feel much vibration at all like that being described by domoMKIV CM ATC-210 (vibration in your arm when it's on the desk? damn...). You also shouldn't feel those vibrations much b/c the Tsunami has these four (adjustable) legs that (even if the case was to be transferring that much vibration to the desk) pretty much absorb/drown out that vibration. It also has a removable fan filter that you can clean in the front. The side panel fan doesn't have that unfortunately. It just has a cage that you'll have to clean w/ a towel or if you're picky, remove it and spray it with compressed air occasionally. The build quality is amazing and it has good room to hide wires under the HD (removable) cage and behind the right side panel. Oh and there's these great dampening screws w/ rubber rings that you can use when installing your HD. They help a lot! It also has these phat, screwless mobo expansion slots; they're very quick & easy to open. Additionally, it has great build quality. I will say that the case is kinda loud though. My mission is to quiet this thing down when I get the chance. I'll just get some good fans or somethin. Other than those performance issues...I don't really think other cases look better and the sound is not that big of a deal for me.

I do not have the CM Centurion 530 so I cannot comment on it. I do know that I did not regret getting this case though. Hope that helps.

 

[Bona Fide]

I have a steel case right now (OEM) and I can feel very little vibration. It doesn't even travel to the floor around it. I absolutely love that. And I can only hear it enough to know that it's on. Two things I really love. If I could, I'd get the P180 without a doubt. But the Centurion will have to suffice. Thanks for the review LT4, but I think I'm set on steel for now.

 

[LT4CAMSS]

N/P

 

[domoMKIV]

Originally posted by: LT4CAMSS
(vibration in your arm when it's on the desk? damn...)

yeah, it was awful.

 

[Shadowknight]

Aluminum cases cooling better is a myth. Except for the hard drives, non of the heat producing components are in direct contact with the case, VGA card, CPU, northbridge, varioud other PCI card. The PSU is only slighly touching the case, and except for passive ones, relies on a fan to blow the heat out. The case cooling is based on the exhaust fan and the airflow it and other fans produce in cooling the case.

The hard drive might be 1 or 2C cooler in an aluiminum case, but you'll have much worse resonance overall, from the drives being attached as well as the fans direct mounted to the case.

Aluminum works well as a heatsink, but it doesn't help at ALL if it's not in direct contact. Unless you have a solid aluminum case with heatpipes connected to everything, such as the Zalman TNN case ($1000!), I would stick with normal steel for a quiet computer.

 

[Bona Fide]

Thanks a lot guys...now, can anyone find these "grommets" for me? The Centurion doesn't come with them standard, but I'd like to have them. The Samsung runs quietly as it is, but maybe less vibration will help stability or something.

 

[JBDan]

http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/antivibration.html
Here is a complete kit, but I know that somewhere they sell these HD grommets seperately just can't remember where. Someone will chime in and let you know I'm sure. Njoy that case!

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Aluminium will do nothing for cooling, steel will be quieter because it is denser.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Here ya go!

The grommets can be had at www.directron.com/grommet.html.
Be sure and read what 7volts.com has to say on rubber mounting
hard drives. It is linked at directron's grommet page. 7volts states it is
a wise move to use a seperate ground wire for each hard drive when
rubber mounting. Check all the links in the text at 7volts to know WHY
this should be done.


I'm not a single brand fan-boy. I hope you are as pleased w/your new case as I am with my old one.

Enjoy

 

[imported_Kensai]

Personally preference..

Lian Li v2000 series cases are made of Aluminum but have the strength of steel..

 

[imported_Kiwi]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
Lian-Li and Kingwin 424 series are 2mm alloy.

I have a Kingwin 424 box, which I like very much. It is plenty quiet, despite four system fans (two intake, two exhaust). The Hdd's are mounted with isolation mounts (rubber grommets between the screws and the bracket), the optical drives mount with toolless rails, and the comparatively thick aluminum seems to absorb vibration without a problem.

 

[Susquehannock]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler
Aluminium will do nothing for cooling, steel will be quieter because it is denser.

That would make it transmit sonic vibrations more efficiently, not the other way around.

 

[Zepper]

. About the only consistent negative I see about the Tsunami is that it seems flimsy. As to the Al/Fe question, the others have pretty much covered the bases already. Generally you will have to expend a bit more effort on noise abatement with aluminum cases unless you buy the thick heavy ones mentioned above, but then you are losing the main advantage of Al over Fe. I have a couple of the Skyhawk cases that have been mentioned here frequently. They are amazingly light for their size (12 lb. net) and (except for the side panels which are simple flat sheets) they seem quite sturdy. They use 1.2 mm Al, while the Tsunami has no listed value for the Al thickness, but I'm sure it is 1.0 mm or less - very thin for Al case material.
. McMaster-Carr.com sells anti-vibe grommets in various shapes/sizes/densities. I just got a CoolerMaster 4-in-3 HD chassis (a Stacker accessory). It is made of very heavy steel and has huge elastomer bushings that should fully isolate the drive cage from my case. It can be made to work in any case not just the stacker, but it is probably gross overkill for most users. I will be posting a full review of it on TechIMO.com as soon as I finish modding and installing it, as the way it comes from CM will not fully satisfy any but perhaps Stacker owners.

.bh.

 

[Arcanedeath]

I have a TT tsunami and have been very happy with it, its made from .8 mm thick alu, I would agree that my only complaint is that it seems a bit flimsy, but it cools extremly well and I don't notice any vibrations or excessive noise (in fact its quieter than my old antec 1040BII) I don't rec. the one w/ the window though it doesn't improve the cooling by much and makes the case much louder.

 

[Mickey21]

Aluminum cases are not noticeably louder than steel cases due to density differences imo. They are however quite a bit lighter (which doesnt matter if you are not going to move it around at all), oxidize much less when left untreated, and incredibly much easier to modify (ie cut up). I find them a much better treat to modify and cut holes into. Steel just doesnt give way as easy. And I dont know how many of you are standing on your cases, but in general aluminum strength is very adequate for computer purposes. I have seen cheaply made thin steel cases buckle under stress just as much as cheaply made aluminum ones. The cases in question are quite strong enough for most any user. I have stood on my case (without the casters of course) and can tell you it is rock solid being made of aluminum (and I am 250 pounds big). It all depends on the build quality. The whole cooling thing is not a big issue. But then again 2-5C is nothing to sneeze at either just in material differences. I guess every little bit does help. Not likely to make your computer last longer though.

(ShadowKnight) Quite simply air to aluminum transfer is there and direct contact is NOT needed. I dont know where you are getting that from. Direct contact is more EFFICIENT, but air to metal transfer is very consistent, especially when the temperatures are fairly constant. Want proof? Hold up a piece of aluminum, put your hand behind it, and blow a heat gun over the top. You'll feel it soon enough. The hotter air blowing through the case does transfer some of it's heat to the aluminum around it, and the aluminum (however little) transfers that heat to the cooler air outside. Same principles as heatsinks, only heatsinks work better because of the direct contact and incredibly larger surface area. The transfer IS there, to say it is not, however small in difference, is still wrong (ie "but it doesn't help at ALL if it's not in direct contact") ...

 

[Shadowknight]

Dude... the material DOESN'T make a difference in cooling the case. Maybe 1C. It's the AIRFLOW that's important. You would have to have EXTREMELY low airflow, to the point where the components are NOT being adequately cooled for any real heat transfer... and your components would probably overheat. Hitting a piece of metal with a heatgun vs. having air blow through a metal case will NOT give you the same effect. You're talking about heat being directly applied to the piece of metal, not components several inches away that is having the heat actively moved away by fans.

Aluminum resonants more than steel. The lower weight provides less resistance to vibrations. You'd have to have an aluminum case approaching steel weights to decrease the resonance.

 

[Bluefront]

IMHO....it's not the type of metal in the case. It's the construction techniques, it's the weight of the panels, it's the attention to details, etc.

The type of metal doesn't make cases noisy......a cheap, flimsy steel case, with poor construction, poor fittings....is still a P.O.S.

Find a case with 2.0mm aluminum construction, and it'll probably be a good, quiet case, and it might even run cooler than a similar steel model. But there are many other, more important things to consider than the aluminum/steel thing.

 

[Susquehannock]

"Aluminum resonants more than steel. The lower weight provides less resistance to vibrations. You'd have to have an aluminum case approaching steel weights to decrease the resonance."

"IMHO....it's not the type of metal in the case. It's the construction techniques, it's the weight of the panels, it's the attention to details, etc."

My vote goes for both.

 

[domoMKIV]

i dont think the thickness of the aluminum has MUCH to do with it because my ATC210 is far from thin aluminum....yet it resonated like a champ.
its gotta be something else going on.

then again ive never owned another aluminum case, it was all steel before that, all steel after.