High-End Aluminum PC Cases Make A Comeback

An anonymous reader writes ""Lian Li's V1200 Plus represents the apex of enclosure technology to date. Lian Li is a long time favorite of computer builders, especially those who are willing to spend more so that they will get the features and design benefits of a high end product. This case has a formidable price tag, but with its great looks, innovative layout, and brand reputation it has more that a few things going for it. At 210 x 490 x 625mm this case has the depth of a full-tower, but not the height. This makes it perfect for extensive systems and for people who need to tinker inside the case.""

I've been looking for a good case.

[johndierks]

When I was builing a gaming machine I wanted a high quality G5-like case for it, but couldn't find one. I think this might be it.

Not impressed

[KingSkippus]

First of all, I think this thing is ugly as sin. It's not sleek and stylish, it looks like something you'd find in a manufacturing plant making pieces of some sort of industrial equipment. Okay, that's just my personal taste, maybe you think it's beautiful.

That being said, it definitely has non-aesthetic drawbacks as well. From one of the reviews on Newegg's site:

Overall I'm satisfied, though I'll post my minor complaints here because that's what this is for, right? (1) No reset button. (2) The power light "bleeds" into the hard drive light. (3) Case doesn't do much to deaden sound. While not an issue for me, don't buy this case if you are looking to build a quiet computer. (4) Though the location and installation of the hard drives is unique, it would make connecting a full load of SCSI drives difficult. This can probably mostly be overcome with a round cable. (5) The power LED connector is a three pin while my MB, and all I've used to now, require a 2 pin connector. I had to remove the individual pins from the connector to plug into the board. (6) Not too familiar with Firewire connections, but the front panel firewire array connector does not fit on my MB. You would have to extract the individual pins like I did with the power connector. (7) I'm suspicious that airflow through the case is as good as it appears it should be. CPUs run about 4-5 degrees C warmer with the sides mounted in place.

He may be satisifed, but I'm definitely steering away from it. That's just too many weirdities.

Re:I always worry about aluminum.

[Baloo Ursidae]

I prefer plastic above the rest, as while it is more synthetic and prone to generating static electricity if rubbed with a wool cloth it generally works well and offers a greater degree of artistic freedom to the case designer.

And no case ground or RF shielding. Plastic is almost always a very poor choice for electronic equipment, particularly anything that might be near RF equipment (ie, your neighbor with a high-power HF rig; your stereo; etc.). I'd rather have aluminum than plastic, at least aluminum is closer to what you're looking for, as poor of an RF sheild and conductor as it may be.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[DakotaSandstone]

It's another myth that aluminum cases are lighter - that may be true by a half pound or so...

Actually, metallic iron has a density of about 7 g/cc, and aluminum is 2.6 g/cc -- an aluminum case will weigh less than half an iron one made of the same thickness of material.

I can vouch for the lightness of my aluminum case. This isn't 40.0 vs 39.5 lbs, it's more like 40 vs 20.

Re:What tipped me in the direction of Aluminum

[ionpro]

Wrong on both counts.

A large amount of the heat an average PC produces today is made by the power supply. The power supply is a tough nut to crack -- the best are only 80% efficient, and they're so small that it's hard to get airflow through them. Even the new models with a 90mm and 120mm fan don't actually blow that many CFMs because all the equipment inside. And when you realize that in a 350W computer, at least 70W of pure heat have to be disipated, every little bit (conduction or convection) helps.

And why is aluminum lighter? Well, you're right, the material itself is not that much lighter. But usually cases need to be made out of 1cm thick steel, while aluminum can be much thinner (0.7cm) while maintaining structural integrity. Why do you think all those soda cans are made out of aluminum? I know that aluminum cases are lighter, because I have two Antec SX1000 cases beside me. They have equivilant components, except one has a heftier video card and 5 hard drives, while the other has 2 hard drives and a light, passively-cooled card. Guess which one is lighter?

The 5 drive computer with the heftier video card is about half the weight -- perhaps more, I haven't weighed it. It's *quite* obvious when lifting the computers, however.

Holes on bottom: Poor Airflow

[HockeyPuck]

Ok, so the case has fan on the front and the back, so you have a tunnel or horizontal chimney effect for the airflow. One full pulls air (say from the front) of the case, and the other blows it out the back.

For outlet fan (the rear one) to be effective, the case should be airtight with the exception of the inlet fan. This way the air moves in one direction only.

Having holes on the bottom poses a problem for the outlet fan, it can actually pull air from the holes in the bottom of the case and blow it out the back. The air may not even go over the intended equipment. Since the air can be pulled from the bottom, the hotter air from the inlet fan (front) may circulate in the case, be pushed out the bottom or go out the back.

The whole system would not be as effective if you plugged up the bottom holes and had a high volume of air going in the front and out the back.

-Puck=> .