SpaceGhost writes "The Houston Chronicle has a story on a Grad student at the University of Houston who has designed a cardboard case for a computer. This is not a new concept, but this one is meant to be used in manufacture. The idea is that it will be faster and easier to produce (no fasteners for example) and dramatically easier to recycle."
Personally I think he's slightly off but cardboard does generally have to reach a high temperature to burn. 258c, I think converts to nearly 500f. I think he's a bit too high as I've always known it to be 450 for cardboard to burn.
Unless your computer catches on fire it will never get hot enough for cardboard to burn. They put oven meals in cardboard, people reheat pizza in its box in the oven and cooking food in a oven is much hotter than a PC.
Grounding has always been via the power supply primarily, the power supply always has a ground plug for that reason. The case was just a handy secondary ground when working on the computers. I imagine that lame grounding strap will be more important for this case, but really grounding isn't a big risk unless you are in a very dry area and producing a large static buildup in your body.
What needs to be grounded? There are ground return paths in all component connections, and that is desirable over having random ground currents circulate in the case.
Having debugged a few interference problems on PCs myself, as far as RFI is concerned, radiation is primarily from external cables. The main problems with PCs are 1) Reradiation from the external power, peripheral, and network cables, 2) Pickup of stray radiation on cables inside the case itself.
Almost all of them do. In fact I am unaware of any case that doesn't.
devices(CD-Rom. hard dirve, etc) use their case for grounding, and you attach metal screws to old them onto the case, and most likely have other contact. You do not want to start having different 'ground points' in a case. That will casue drift and multiple different potentials.
This is why you should leave the computer plugged IN, but turned off at the power supply when working on them, also maintain contact with them usually via a strap.
The case is either Al or steel sheet metal, easily recyclable. The toxic sludge and heavy metals in the PCB, capacitors and solder are the problem. Call me when they invent cardboard solder.
The case is either Al or steel sheet metal, easily recyclable. The toxic sludge and heavy metals in the PCB, capacitors and solder are the problem. Call me when they invent cardboard solder.
Bingo. And what about the energy and resources involved in producing the internal components? Apparently these are very high (e.g. in terms of water, etc.)
I don't want to sound too much like I'm attacking an idea which may well have been intended as no more than an interesting concept (albeit one that's been done and reported on Slashdot on at least one previous occasion). Still, it smacks of those feelgood/sounds-good prominent but tokenistic green efforts that are all too commonly the focus of bandwagon
And I wonder how much extra ewaste is right now going into dumps because of that crap. Did the environmentalists even bother to see how bad the extra failure rate is for that stuff before forcing it down everyone's throats? Because I have seen a good 400-500% increase in dead electronics due to solder failure.
IMHO they should have demanded recycling plants for the solder we had, not force an inferior solder down everyone's throats. from talking to my engineer buds they are seeing the same thing as I am-lots of stuff that should be working but failed from the new solder giving out. I think 20 years from now we'll look back on the solder switch as another really bad idea pushed through under 'saving the planet". Whether we'll actually get a functional solder is anyone's guess, as all those failing devices means you have to buy NEW devices, which is of course planned obsolescence at its finest. IMHO the problem was NOT the solder, it was sending the stuff for "recycling" to the third world where it became an eco-disaster. It should have been recycled here and the materials then reused. That would have made more sense and helped the environment more than some faulty new solder that still gets dumped in the third world or ends up in a landfill.
cardboard does not act as a Farady cage and the computer will leak large amounts of radio frequency interference so will not be legal in most countries.
While you are at it, just a remarkably smaller volume and mass for the aluminum of the outside of the case.
This has got to be one of the DUMBEST "self-nuke" ideas to come along here in a long time.
Take a tower PC that's likely going to be mostly encased in metal to begin with. Take that very trivially recyclable component and then go out of your way to REPLACE it with something that is probably going to cause more harm to the environment when you try to recycle it.
I've used very early AT cases all the way into the socket 7 era - I even built an ultra rare P-II era system into an early AT case once. Then, when I went to ATX I kept reusing cases. Hurricane Ex Wife stealing everything followed by Hurricane Ike put a stop to that reuse chain, but I do intend to start reusing cases again.
The biggest "need" for a cardboard case comes from big name manufacturers that insist on making proprietary boards and cases instead of sticking with industry standards. I understand why, you don't want people gutting an HP, putting an ECS main board in it and reselling it as an HP at a flea market, but I'm sure there's other ways to deal with that particular issue.
I remember playing Tribes 2 on my AMD system many moons ago. It kept locking up about 12 minutes in due to overheating. Finally switched over to an AMD-approved case, and the overheating problems went away. While it would have been nice to keep an old case & keep putting better systems inside, I had no choice on that one.
I don't miss the old AT cases where to access anything inside meant having to unbolt the side-top-side u-shaped cover. The switch to individual removable sides was a good one.
There are plenty of computers out there which don't adhere to those standards. Something like the Dell gx270, for instance, which uses an odd ATX-wire-compatible cigar shaped power supply. Vendors seem to love making proprietary, difficult to service cases: seems like every generation of each vendors' products results in a different, difficult to service case design (including different-headed screws).
BTX is a bad design. It's not Athlon 64 or i7 compatible. ATX is. That's part of the reason hobbyists aren't interested. The fact that BTX power supplies and boards aren't as good, inexpensive, or available also has a lot to do with it - it's not the hobbyists who have nixed BTX, it's the producers. Hobbyists will move to whatever works well for the application, at a good price range.
Mini-ITX (which is what I assume you were referring to) does have a fairly broad hobbyist adoption. Why? It isn't a bad case design which limits adoption in multiple applications.
What are the applications for which ATX does not work well? And/or why do they not work well? What about the design sucks? "Clipping it to your belt" isn't exactly a valid (or honest) criticism. There's mini-ATX, as well as a variety of spec diversions - and from what I've seen, they're upwards- and cross- compatible (ie mini-ATX will work in a full-size ATX case). That works well for everything from "small desktop" on up through full-size low-end server.
As others have pointed out, the case is not difficult to recycle or toxic.
And who the hell throws away a case? It's the part that goes obsolete slowest, and several computers might occupy a case before it needs to be replaced.
The people most likely to throw away a case are those who don't build their own computers. Not everyone has the know how or desire to do so. It's much easier to just order already made.
I used to have up right computer cases becasue glass monitors were getting so damn big, and thus heavy. Now with LCD monitors, I would think the desktop would come back.
It saves more space then the tiny uprights Dell sell that stand next to the monitor, and makes room on the floor.
Obviously, the people on slashdot that get in and out of there case is probably a higher proportion then most people so I can see why some of you wouldn't want one.
Obviously, the people on slashdot that get in and out of there case is probably a higher proportion then most people so I can see why some of you wouldn't want one.
Out? What do you mean by out?
The case has a transparent side and ventilation for a reason.
Hell most of the $40-$50 dollar cases I find are far MORE attractive then the $300 dollar cases that get sold to the morons with more dollars then sense.
The price of computers coming down is definitely a good thing and making them easier to recycle is great. Unfortunately there is growing trend of waste due to these cheap computers. As a consumer desktop technician I would see people replacing perfectly good hardware due to software issues. They are just so cheap and labor can be be pretty expensive, that it would be stupid to do anything else. The con is that a lot of cheap computers are going to the dump. Things would be perfect if people could learn the basics. Something as basic as backing up files and reinstalling the OS is beyond the scope of most consumers.
Pretty sure a cardboard box with a modern motherboard inside doesn't quite meet the FCC Part 15 class B regulations for unintentional radio emissions needed for residential use. That's why computer cases are usually metal instead of plastic.
Now I don't design computers but I do design radios and I have put devices through FCC. What experience with FCC do you have to qualify your statement that a modern motherboard would not pass FCC?
I've seen cat carriers made of corrugated plastic (just like cardboard, but with flexible plastic sheeting, it's a good bit stronger than cardboard) and that would seem like a much better choice of material. Liquids aren't an issue and it's still fairly easy to recycle, plus the plastic can be made with different colors and opacities so it would look nicer too.
a 100% aluminum or steel case is 100% recyclable. This "cardboard" thing is a gimmick. In fact most computer cases metal components are always recycled as the metal has the highest value.
Catching on fire Getting wet Condensation Humidity Supporting other objects Stress Changing structure Changing composition Bacteria Mold Bugs getting inside, getting them back out Mites Unwashable Overheating Weight of components EM interference to internal components EM interference to external appliances (possible FCC violation) Grounding Reusability/longevity Papercuts Transportability Modification Static Security Looking stupid
Proper building is important, e.g. in most cases you will find there are metal blanks behind the plastic blanks on drive bays, theese make up part of the shielding but are often not replaced (or even can't be replaced) when moving drives arround (PC manufacturers don't really care about this, they only care about meeting the interference regulations when the machine leaves the factory).
Remember even a 10GHz (that would about the third harmonic of the clock of a 3GHz CPU) electromagnetic wave has a wavelength of a few centimeters so small slits aren't that much of a problem.
They don't build PC cases out of metal (or occasionally metal lined plastic) for fun or to make them cheap, they do it because they need the shielding to meet interference regulations.
But its probably not recyclable after it catches on fire from my overclocked processor
No worries. I think the melting point of solder is lower than ignition point of cardboard. So there's an automatic safety mechanism: solder melts, electric connections break, heating stops.
They could easily add a thin layer of foil to the cardboard for RF shielding, without it being a metal case (where the metal is also structural and thus much thicker than you need for shielding). However, I imagine this would scupper the ability to recycle the thing
Anecdotally, I have run many computers without a case (normally when I have been modifying something, or for brief periods when my existing case has insufficient ventilation for new components but I haven't been able to change it. I've not notice
I don't have a quibble with most of your post, but cardboard is a MUCH better dampener of noise and vibrations than metal, especially thin sheet metal. Metal can easily become a sounding board for vibrations. Cardboard, not so much...
Also, cardboard is pretty structurally strong. Stronger than very thin metal. The only reason cases hold any weight is the internal frame, not the thin sheet metal and plastic most "disposable computer-grade" cases are made out of. That frame could either be retained, or replaced with some triangular corner cardboard reinforcements. It doesn't really get brittle if treated properly (seal it so the humidity remains constant and it can last FAR longer than the 5-year lifespan of the computer inside.
I see your point on the fireproof thing, though. Once you start effectively fireproofing the cardboard you'll likely undo a lot of the cost savings and environmental benefits.
I don't think so. Recycling is the LAST of the three. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. This will result in MORE resources being spent and LESS reuse of components.
Computer cases are one of the most re-usable elements in a system. My first PC, an 8088 PC, used a Cosmol XT case made of steel, and that case and power supply was the centerpiece of my computer from my XT all the way until my K6-2. Along that time, processor speeds increased by a factor of 100 (4.77MHz to 550MHz), memory size increased by a factor of 50 (256kb to 128MB), storage space increased by a factor of 2000(5MB to 10GB). The important standards for case design didn't change over that period, so there was no good reason to change. Also, the case was totally bad-ass. The computer I built to finally replace the aging beast used a new case, and the standards haven't changed since. I've built Athlon 64s with cases from old Pentium IIs or Athlons.
Making the case of a PC disposable crap is going to result in more waste, not less. Suddenly I won't be able to have the same case for 20 years, I'll have to replace it with every new computer(or more!). Also, it'll lead to less reuse of components. I've built 6 computers this year from parts scavenged from here and there. All of them have found homes. The parts simply wouldn't be able to be scavenged if the machines were made of cardboard. To clean the outsides of the cases, we had to use soap and water that these cases wouldn't stand up to. Some of them were left in the rain and mud for short periods fo time, and wouldn't be functional if not for the fact that they had cases that could withstand the elements.
My current case could last me another 10-20 years easily, depending on what standards do (a PC case you bought in 1999 would have an ATX form factor and could be reused today. I could see power supply standards but not case standards changing again in that time). Under this regimen, I could end up with a new case every 1-2 years or more. As others have pointed out, there will also be greater stress on components from EMI and RFI. Making less durable paper cases may be slightly easier for recycling, but it's stupid from the perspective of reducing waste.
b) Your use case is rare. 99.9% of PC users will not be reusing the same case 5 times.
c) I am guessing it takes dramatically less energy to create and recycle a cardboard case 5 times than it costs to create a single permanent steel case.
*sniff sniff* (Score:5, Funny)
Re:*sniff sniff* (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
What happens (Score:5, Funny)
Re:What happens (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:What happens (Score:5, Funny)
Pot ... Kettle ... etc. ...
Parent
Re:What happens (Score:4, Funny)
Isn't there something about goats, yoda dolls and grits for this?
Parent
Better description and pictures (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/05/recompute-a-closer-look-at-the-sustainable-cardboard-pc/ for a better description and better pictures
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Unless your computer catches on fire it will never get hot enough for cardboard to burn. They put oven meals in cardboard, people reheat pizza in its box in the oven and cooking food in a oven is much hotter than a PC.
From this link: http://www.school-for-champions.com/scien [school-for-champions.com]
grounding? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:grounding? (Score:4, Informative)
Grounding has always been via the power supply primarily, the power supply always has a ground plug for that reason. The case was just a handy secondary ground when working on the computers. I imagine that lame grounding strap will be more important for this case, but really grounding isn't a big risk unless you are in a very dry area and producing a large static buildup in your body.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
What needs to be grounded? There are ground return paths in all component connections, and that is desirable over having random ground currents circulate in the case.
Having debugged a few interference problems on PCs myself, as far as RFI is concerned, radiation is primarily from external cables. The main problems with PCs are 1) Reradiation from the external power, peripheral, and network cables, 2) Pickup of stray radiation on cables inside the case itself.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Almost all of them do. In fact I am unaware of any case that doesn't.
devices(CD-Rom. hard dirve, etc) use their case for grounding, and you attach metal screws to old them onto the case, and most likely have other contact. You do not want to start having different 'ground points' in a case. That will casue drift and multiple different potentials.
This is why you should leave the computer plugged IN, but turned off at the power supply when working on them, also maintain contact with them usually via a strap.
T
the case is the easy part (Score:4, Informative)
The case is either Al or steel sheet metal, easily recyclable. The toxic sludge and heavy metals in the PCB, capacitors and solder are the problem. Call me when they invent cardboard solder.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
The case is either Al or steel sheet metal, easily recyclable. The toxic sludge and heavy metals in the PCB, capacitors and solder are the problem. Call me when they invent cardboard solder.
Bingo. And what about the energy and resources involved in producing the internal components? Apparently these are very high (e.g. in terms of water, etc.)
I don't want to sound too much like I'm attacking an idea which may well have been intended as no more than an interesting concept (albeit one that's been done and reported on Slashdot on at least one previous occasion). Still, it smacks of those feelgood/sounds-good prominent but tokenistic green efforts that are all too commonly the focus of bandwagon
Re:the case is the easy part (Score:5, Insightful)
And I wonder how much extra ewaste is right now going into dumps because of that crap. Did the environmentalists even bother to see how bad the extra failure rate is for that stuff before forcing it down everyone's throats? Because I have seen a good 400-500% increase in dead electronics due to solder failure.
IMHO they should have demanded recycling plants for the solder we had, not force an inferior solder down everyone's throats. from talking to my engineer buds they are seeing the same thing as I am-lots of stuff that should be working but failed from the new solder giving out. I think 20 years from now we'll look back on the solder switch as another really bad idea pushed through under 'saving the planet". Whether we'll actually get a functional solder is anyone's guess, as all those failing devices means you have to buy NEW devices, which is of course planned obsolescence at its finest. IMHO the problem was NOT the solder, it was sending the stuff for "recycling" to the third world where it became an eco-disaster. It should have been recycled here and the materials then reused. That would have made more sense and helped the environment more than some faulty new solder that still gets dumped in the third world or ends up in a landfill.
Parent
Silverfish (Score:3, Interesting)
I bet the case will be all eaten in a year or so.
EMC Nightmere (Score:4, Insightful)
Not again.
This is not the first time we have seen this idea
cardboard does not act as a Farady cage and the computer will leak large amounts of radio frequency interference so will not be legal in most countries.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Apparently you haven't opened one. There aren't many plastic cases around. There are aluminum cases with plastic molding on the outside.
Re:EMC Nightmere (Score:4, Interesting)
While you are at it, just a remarkably smaller volume and mass for the aluminum of the outside of the case.
This has got to be one of the DUMBEST "self-nuke" ideas to come along here in a long time.
Take a tower PC that's likely going to be mostly encased in metal to begin with.
Take that very trivially recyclable component and then go out of your way to
REPLACE it with something that is probably going to cause more harm to the
environment when you try to recycle it.
Replacing plastic with paper is not the answer.
This is not the grocery store.
Parent
Re: (Score:5, Funny)
They did. It's called "Duct Tape"
I've been recycling computer cases for YEARS. (Score:3, Interesting)
I've used very early AT cases all the way into the socket 7 era - I even built an ultra rare P-II era system into an early AT case once. Then, when I went to ATX I kept reusing cases. Hurricane Ex Wife stealing everything followed by Hurricane Ike put a stop to that reuse chain, but I do intend to start reusing cases again.
The biggest "need" for a cardboard case comes from big name manufacturers that insist on making proprietary boards and cases instead of sticking with industry standards. I understand why, you don't want people gutting an HP, putting an ECS main board in it and reselling it as an HP at a flea market, but I'm sure there's other ways to deal with that particular issue.
Re:I've been recycling computer cases for YEARS. (Score:4, Insightful)
I remember playing Tribes 2 on my AMD system many moons ago. It kept locking up about 12 minutes in due to overheating. Finally switched over to an AMD-approved case, and the overheating problems went away. While it would have been nice to keep an old case & keep putting better systems inside, I had no choice on that one.
I don't miss the old AT cases where to access anything inside meant having to unbolt the side-top-side u-shaped cover. The switch to individual removable sides was a good one.
Parent
Re:I've been recycling computer cases for YEARS. (Score:4, Insightful)
I miss the power button actually turning the system OFF.
I also miss my old cases I could reuse as a jack stand for my car. Of course I understand why the AT standard had to be replaced.
Parent
Re:I've been recycling computer cases for YEARS. (Score:4, Interesting)
There are plenty of computers out there which don't adhere to those standards. Something like the Dell gx270, for instance, which uses an odd ATX-wire-compatible cigar shaped power supply. Vendors seem to love making proprietary, difficult to service cases: seems like every generation of each vendors' products results in a different, difficult to service case design (including different-headed screws).
BTX is a bad design. It's not Athlon 64 or i7 compatible. ATX is. That's part of the reason hobbyists aren't interested. The fact that BTX power supplies and boards aren't as good, inexpensive, or available also has a lot to do with it - it's not the hobbyists who have nixed BTX, it's the producers. Hobbyists will move to whatever works well for the application, at a good price range.
Mini-ITX (which is what I assume you were referring to) does have a fairly broad hobbyist adoption. Why? It isn't a bad case design which limits adoption in multiple applications.
What are the applications for which ATX does not work well? And/or why do they not work well? What about the design sucks? "Clipping it to your belt" isn't exactly a valid (or honest) criticism. There's mini-ATX, as well as a variety of spec diversions - and from what I've seen, they're upwards- and cross- compatible (ie mini-ATX will work in a full-size ATX case). That works well for everything from "small desktop" on up through full-size low-end server.
Parent
I ordered one... (Score:5, Funny)
The case is least important (Score:5, Insightful)
And who the hell throws away a case? It's the part that goes obsolete slowest, and several computers might occupy a case before it needs to be replaced.
Re:The case is least important (Score:4, Insightful)
The people most likely to throw away a case are those who don't build their own computers. Not everyone has the know how or desire to do so. It's much easier to just order already made.
Parent
Here is an off topic case question (Score:4, Interesting)
why the hell are desktop cases so damn expensive?
I used to have up right computer cases becasue glass monitors were getting so damn big, and thus heavy. Now with LCD monitors, I would think the desktop would come back.
It saves more space then the tiny uprights Dell sell that stand next to the monitor, and makes room on the floor.
Obviously, the people on slashdot that get in and out of there case is probably a higher proportion then most people so I can see why some of you wouldn't want one.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Obviously, the people on slashdot that get in and out of there case is probably a higher proportion then most people so I can see why some of you wouldn't want one.
Out? What do you mean by out?
The case has a transparent side and ventilation for a reason.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Hell most of the $40-$50 dollar cases I find are far MORE attractive then the $300 dollar cases that get sold to the morons with more dollars then sense.
Once again, BeOS was ahead of its time (Score:4, Funny)
Finally a use for is_computer_on_fire()
http://www.eeggs.com/items/15121.html [eeggs.com]
The throw away computer (Score:3, Interesting)
FCC Part 15 class B (Score:4, Interesting)
Pretty sure a cardboard box with a modern motherboard inside doesn't quite meet the FCC Part 15 class B regulations for unintentional radio emissions needed for residential use. That's why computer cases are usually metal instead of plastic.
Re:FCC Part 15 class B (Score:4, Insightful)
Now I don't design computers but I do design radios and I have put devices through FCC. What experience with FCC do you have to qualify your statement that a modern motherboard would not pass FCC?
Parent
Why not corrugated plastic? (Score:3, Interesting)
Not very recycleable. (Score:3, Informative)
a 100% aluminum or steel case is 100% recyclable. This "cardboard" thing is a gimmick. In fact most computer cases metal components are always recycled as the metal has the highest value.
Such a bad idea, let me count the ways... (Score:5, Insightful)
Catching on fire
Getting wet
Condensation
Humidity
Supporting other objects
Stress
Changing structure
Changing composition
Bacteria
Mold
Bugs getting inside, getting them back out
Mites
Unwashable
Overheating
Weight of components
EM interference to internal components
EM interference to external appliances (possible FCC violation)
Grounding
Reusability/longevity
Papercuts
Transportability
Modification
Static
Security
Looking stupid
Did I miss anything?
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Not to mention the lack of Faraday cage-like effect a traditional metal case provides.
Re:Seems like a cool idea... (Score:4, Funny)
You could probably glue a thin sheet of aluminum foil to the inside of the case, so I wouldn't worry about the Faraday cage.
At least now the ultra-low-end Dells will look on the outside just as crappy as they are on the inside :)
Parent
Re:Seems like a cool idea... (Score:5, Funny)
So now my cardboard computer case needs a tinfoil hat?
Parent
Re:Seems like a cool idea... (Score:4, Interesting)
Proper building is important, e.g. in most cases you will find there are metal blanks behind the plastic blanks on drive bays, theese make up part of the shielding but are often not replaced (or even can't be replaced) when moving drives arround (PC manufacturers don't really care about this, they only care about meeting the interference regulations when the machine leaves the factory).
Remember even a 10GHz (that would about the third harmonic of the clock of a 3GHz CPU) electromagnetic wave has a wavelength of a few centimeters so small slits aren't that much of a problem.
They don't build PC cases out of metal (or occasionally metal lined plastic) for fun or to make them cheap, they do it because they need the shielding to meet interference regulations.
Parent
Re:Seems like a cool idea... (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Seems like a cool idea... (Score:4, Interesting)
LOL - I try not to shamelessly promoto myself
http://pizzaboxart.blogspot.com/ [blogspot.com]
Parent
Re:Seems like a cool idea... (Score:4, Informative)
But its probably not recyclable after it catches on fire from my overclocked processor
No worries. I think the melting point of solder is lower than ignition point of cardboard. So there's an automatic safety mechanism: solder melts, electric connections break, heating stops.
Parent
Re:Seems like a cool idea... (Score:4, Funny)
Actually, I read on the cover of a book once that paper ignites at 451 F.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
They could easily add a thin layer of foil to the cardboard for RF shielding, without it being a metal case (where the metal is also structural and thus much thicker than you need for shielding). However, I imagine this would scupper the ability to recycle the thing
Anecdotally, I have run many computers without a case (normally when I have been modifying something, or for brief periods when my existing case has insufficient ventilation for new components but I haven't been able to change it. I've not notice
Re:Not a fire risk (Score:5, Funny)
One of my favorite books is 'Centigrade 232'
Parent
Re:Let me count the ways... (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't have a quibble with most of your post, but cardboard is a MUCH better dampener of noise and vibrations than metal, especially thin sheet metal. Metal can easily become a sounding board for vibrations. Cardboard, not so much...
Also, cardboard is pretty structurally strong. Stronger than very thin metal. The only reason cases hold any weight is the internal frame, not the thin sheet metal and plastic most "disposable computer-grade" cases are made out of. That frame could either be retained, or replaced with some triangular corner cardboard reinforcements. It doesn't really get brittle if treated properly (seal it so the humidity remains constant and it can last FAR longer than the 5-year lifespan of the computer inside.
I see your point on the fireproof thing, though. Once you start effectively fireproofing the cardboard you'll likely undo a lot of the cost savings and environmental benefits.
Parent
Re:First! (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't think so. Recycling is the LAST of the three. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. This will result in MORE resources being spent and LESS reuse of components.
Computer cases are one of the most re-usable elements in a system. My first PC, an 8088 PC, used a Cosmol XT case made of steel, and that case and power supply was the centerpiece of my computer from my XT all the way until my K6-2. Along that time, processor speeds increased by a factor of 100 (4.77MHz to 550MHz), memory size increased by a factor of 50 (256kb to 128MB), storage space increased by a factor of 2000(5MB to 10GB). The important standards for case design didn't change over that period, so there was no good reason to change. Also, the case was totally bad-ass. The computer I built to finally replace the aging beast used a new case, and the standards haven't changed since. I've built Athlon 64s with cases from old Pentium IIs or Athlons.
Making the case of a PC disposable crap is going to result in more waste, not less. Suddenly I won't be able to have the same case for 20 years, I'll have to replace it with every new computer(or more!). Also, it'll lead to less reuse of components. I've built 6 computers this year from parts scavenged from here and there. All of them have found homes. The parts simply wouldn't be able to be scavenged if the machines were made of cardboard. To clean the outsides of the cases, we had to use soap and water that these cases wouldn't stand up to. Some of them were left in the rain and mud for short periods fo time, and wouldn't be functional if not for the fact that they had cases that could withstand the elements.
My current case could last me another 10-20 years easily, depending on what standards do (a PC case you bought in 1999 would have an ATX form factor and could be reused today. I could see power supply standards but not case standards changing again in that time). Under this regimen, I could end up with a new case every 1-2 years or more. As others have pointed out, there will also be greater stress on components from EMI and RFI. Making less durable paper cases may be slightly easier for recycling, but it's stupid from the perspective of reducing waste.
Parent
Re:First! (Score:4, Insightful)
a) Who's to say you can't reuse this case?
b) Your use case is rare. 99.9% of PC users will not be reusing the same case 5 times.
c) I am guessing it takes dramatically less energy to create and recycle a cardboard case 5 times than it costs to create a single permanent steel case.
Parent