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Hardware

The Quest For Cool Cases Continues 294

Posted by CmdrTaco from the check-this-one-out dept.
Ok, so I have a problem: I want my case to look cool. I have neat hardware inside, why is it always a beige box on the outside. Well jblakey pointed us to www.colorcase.com and I browsed around a bit, thinking they looked familiar. Well we actually mentioned these guys almost a full year ago but they have since significantly updated their inventory. Colored Cases, Interesting Designs, Transparent Cases, and even keyboards and mice to match. They also have that ridiculous looking penguin case ;) If this sorta stuff is your bag, check it out. I dig the C1 and the T3
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The Quest For Cool Cases Continues More

The Quest For Cool Cases Continues

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  • Oh, My floppy failed. Here's one at PC-Club for $12. Dang. It won't fit in my curved slot with the off-center bump. *My* drive has to be special ordered for $60 bucks. Huh? The PC industry is having the same problem as the automotive industry. Unnecessary recustimization of things that don't need to change (I've seen new card that have off-center oval shaped stareos. How the *hell* do you upgrade that?). Custom PC cases can't use standard power supplies, drives, etc. and often can't stack or pack next to each other without gaps. They SUCK. Unfortunately, the only solution today is to "roll your own" as most new PCs come in the lame artsy boxes.

  • Radiation (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I was reading through the recent article on clear and color cases today. I kinda like the idea of a clear case. However, some of the comments set me to wondering. These cases dont have any shielding. I work at an ISP, where many of us, run machines without case covers on for ease of work. The enviroment is clean, so dust it not a problem. However, these obviously dont have any sheilding. Is there any health risk from EMF waves. I am a HAM radio operator and know this is definite risk with antennas, etc. Any thoughts

  • Penguin case. (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward
    The penguin case cries out for a CPU cooling system. :^)

  • It's just a tool! JUST a tool? (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Seeing the penguin case made me realize that having a case that looks like something else might not be a bad idea.

    Now you know how much pride we all take in our computers, and many of us want the biggest and baddest cases that we can get. Make sure everyone knows you're looking for a full-sized tower, because you have so many drives. It's a macho geek thing.

    So why not a penis shaped case? Call it the Pink Tower of Might or something.

  • Hrm... took a look, but couldn't really tell what it was. Is this like the black version of "a polar bear in a snow storm"? :)
  • It's too huge for me. What I have now fits on my desk; that thing won't. I like the redundant power supplies and the enormous amount of room (and the bunch of LEDs on the front) though.

    - A.P.
    --


    "One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad

  • Check it out here [in-win.com]. This case fit my needs perfectly, and I've still got plenty of space inside it to add drives, peripherals, etc. It's also huge.

    -A.P.
    --


    "One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad

  • MY idea of a cool case... (Score:5)

    by Tony Shepps ( 333 ) on Friday January 07, 2000 @09:56AM (#1393695)
    My idea of a cool case:
    • It doesn't double as a deli slicer, scraping the living $h!t out of your knuckles, fingertips, wrist, arm, etc. every single goddamn time you open it.
    • If you drop a screw into the case, it rattles around like a pachinko machine and comes out in a tray at the bottom after ringing a little bell.
    • USB, joystick, mouse, keyboard ports in front; video, parallel, serial ports in back.
    • The critical side slides up like a roll-top desk to get to the slots, memory, and CPU.
    • The front bays remove to install additions -- without opening the rest of the case and without screws.
    • There's a washable dust filter, removable from the front panel, and it automatically tells you when it's dirty.
    • Cable routing -- one unit smarter than "stuff it all in there and hope it doesn't touch the CPU fan".
    I can't even get item #1 in any case I've ever owned. There's more flesh than components in some of the cases I've had. It's like the metal from computer cases comes from recycled cheese graters. These things should come with a coupon for a free tetanus shot.
  • Cool-looking cases are swell and all, but I want something functional.

    Look at the newest Mac cases (not even the G3's - a recent PowerMac will do just as well). Everything swings out very easily, there aren't 10 different ribbon cables choking each other off and pulling the soundcard-to-cd cable out of its socket. The power supply is on a hinge so the SIMMs can be accessed easily.

    Dell has started to add some of this (the hinged power supply), but it's still nowhere near as elegant as a Mac.

    Where can I buy cases like this? I'd be willing to pay extra to get one.

    --

  • I have one of these two, best keyboard I've ever owned for feel of the keys. Plus it has a lifetime warranty.

    Now I just need to paint my case (and monitor someday) black to match. :)
  • Sorry, it's Friday and I'm almost off work.

  • Yeah, I make all mine like that. (Score:4)

    by Chris Johnson ( 580 ) on Friday January 07, 2000 @07:02PM (#1393699) Homepage Journal
    Understandable seeing as I make 'em parts of a recording studio :)

    Here's what I do. I have one powermac (9500) and an old Performa 410. The powermac runs two IBM SCSI drives and has two internal fans, so it needed extra help, but the Performa is what would be running if I was sequencing MIDI parts and singing or playing an acoustic instrument on top of them to get more instruments per track. Both got similar treatments. The key parts are Mortite (a sort of caulk stuff that stays pliable and is a powerful damper, metal foil tape, and heavy felt (like 1/2" thick and fluffy- I got mine out of old Pioneer speakers. Or, alternately, acrylic fake-fur, believe it or not)

    The first thing you do is kill panel resonances. Heat doesn't dissipate much through solid panels- not much airflow through those! so you want to make them heavier and less resonant. Mortite can be separated into thin strings of material- fasten these to the inside of the case, fixing them permanently in place with a tapelike strip of metal tape over them. The 'bubble' of metal tape over mortite will keep the mortite permanently soft, and any deflection of the case sides will force either the mortite or the tape to distort. Since the metal tape is aluminum, either way you have a very mechanically lossy damping effect. Put lots of these all over the case panels. They kill hints of reverberation from undamped metal panels 'singing' along with the drives, and they help the case hold sound in, because you're making the panels heavier too. They probably really need it.

    Next, hunt down all little airspaces that do _not_ contribute to airflow. Macs are pretty safe with this, be extra careful with high-powered PCs. You'll be finding places to stick bits of the felt (or fakefur, or fibreglass- anything that's acoustic damping). The inside of a computer is not only a hell of digital noise, it's also acoustically reverberant- you'll rarely see anything even vaguely soft in there. Your job is to get something in there that will cut down on this grating morass of highpitched flutter echo ;)

    For my 9500, the case was much as you might expect for a PC, perhaps heavier gauge metal than some. Damping the panels was straightforward, and there proved to be many little nooks and corner places to tuck bits of felt in. I had to be careful to still allow airflow in crucial areas- tracking the air from vent slots at the bottom of the case to the top and the power supply exhaust fan.

    The Performa is a pizzabox case, with a flat internally ribbed lid- which also has a metal shielding layer! This was a natural for damping- it's a mass of little airspaces that don't go anywhere. I heavily damped the internal metal part with metal tape/mortite, then cut up huge amounts of the felt into tiny bits, and made the entire lid a big sound absorber unit, almost solid with felt bits :)

    This approach has produced two computers that are very pleasingly quiet. The noise that they do make is not intrusive. I once set up an old Mac II this way and ended up with a computer that sounded like the cabin of a 747 :) it's definitely worth some experimenting, just be very careful to maintain airflow- including convection in major internal airspaces to help establish an even internal temperature, without hotspots.

    If you want super quiet, look into replacing solid areas of panel with heavy solid panels- the ultimate material would be something like lead, but you can avoid poisonous materials by choosing many worthy substitutes. The materials used to damp metal panels on cars and trucks are an obvious candidate. Have fun!

  • What went wrong when they designed the penguin case? :-)
  • That won't do. It just invites "mine is bigger than yours" wars.
  • Also seems to be missing TP and hemerhhoid (sp) creme. :)
  • What's with this "pansy stuff" of art deco cases that look like something out of the Fifth Element? [fifthelement.com]

    Don't misread that; I liked the Fifth Element; while the story may have been somewhat lame, the music and visuals more than made up for that.

    But I don't want a computer made up in the colour of the Diva. [movieweb.com]

    No, what the self respecting Linux nerd actually needs is a serious Rack Mount System.

    Those that want cheaper options might want to Build A Rack Mount Case, [thetechzone.com] and check out Rack Mount Hardware at eBay. [ebay.com] Here may be the true ultimate case. [telepath.com]

  • Seriously though, it's nice to see that the editorial staff is checking for older stories. It's a waste of bandwidth and reading time for me to download a story I've already read.
  • I've never even *seen* a case that didn't have sharp edges placed in at least one easy-to-dice location.

    The place I have the hardest time on cases is the openings for the expansion cards out the back of the case. If I'm trying to pull a card out I get into the habit of bracing my hand against the back, or pushing on the card *through* the back slot. Once it pulls free, slllllllliiiiiiice.
  • I want a case that is infintely expandable. Need more space? Just add another section. Need another power supply?, just tack one on. There would be high CFM fans that just snap in, an the internals would be optimized for efficient airflow. Fans would be on a different circuit and there would be a plethora of molex connectors everywhere.

    My case at the moment is a Supermicro SC750A (which is fairly large) and I have already run out of space. I have three SCSI hard drives, a cd-rom, a burner, and about 8 different fans. Lord only knows how many Y power cables I have and the cable situation is a complete mess.

    Anyone out there that shares my interest in making a extremely customizable case (an erector set of sorts)?

  • Get UNIQUE (Score:4)

    by Effugas ( 2378 ) on Friday January 07, 2000 @10:00AM (#1393707) Homepage
    Some friends of mine just bought a Borg Cube style case--essentially something along the lines of two mid towers side by side, with some funky stuff done for mounting internally.

    Oooh. Two mid towers.

    Lots of cases I see down at Fry's are from manufacturers that got their hands on custom molded platic that looks just like Apple's new shtick.

    Oooh. iMac.

    C'mon! Granted, the Penguin Case is cool, but it's still just that: A case. Show me some real designs, something that makes my jaw drop and go "Wow, I can put an ATX motherboard in that!?!" What about stereo components--hide a CD-Rom drive under a retractable panel and voila, a computer that integrates with the entertainment system. (Yes, Gateway had a monster system like this a while back.) What about glass? Sony has a LCD monitor embedded within a classic desk photo glass enclosure. People, it's beautiful.

    We've got tens of thousands of people out there with the technical skill to render three dimensional vistas that take your breath away, or a battered soldier's rusting weapon. Sony does not have a monopoly on new case forms, and neither does Apple. I want to see what is possible and place my computers in what is obviously not a knockoff. I like beige boxes, but there's more to desktop machines. I love my Toshiba Tecra, but I'd be lying if I didn't say the sheer elegance of Sony's entire laptop line didn't blow me away.

    C'mon. We can do better. Lets try.

    Yours Truly,

    Dan Kaminsky
    DoxPara Research
    http://www.doxpara.com
  • If you happen to have a M$ OS on one of your computers, then go hit www.dialpad.com.

    Free calls to anywhere in the US via a 'net -> PSTN gateway. Works fairly well, even over a 56k modem.

    Unfortunately, thier little java applet doesnt work in linux (yet).


  • Also - as an aside, what's up with the "call for prices". Does market value really fluctuate that much from day to day?


    I saw this site the last time it was on slashdot and did a repeat of what I did last time I saw it. I looked for any of their cases via the popular computer hardware search engines I know of. The result then, as now is that nobody sells the actual cases.

    The "call for prices" is probably because they don't manufacture enough to have any constancy in prices or availability or possibly even a sane price.
  • I've found that a USB hub on your desk, like in the base of your monitor, comes close to your ideal. It's really convenient to be able to reach around the side of the monitor and plug something in, instead of crawling under my desk.

    Check out the Supermicro SC-750A, it has smooth edges, washable dust filter, and individually removable side panels. No pachinko screw return though :)
  • Color caee has focused on selling cheezey knockoffs of iMacs. A lot of companies including Compac are doing the same thing. If is further proof the the PC industry is entirely lacking in imagination. Apple's future success is assured in the presence of these sheep.
  • If you want a good black cube, check out the Yeong-Yang BYY-0210:

    http://www.kricomputer.com/yy0210.htm

    I have one of these and it rocks.

  • i don't really care what my computer looks like, but i do care how it sounds. i find the whining of the fans & disks to be quiet disturbing. one of the great things about the original mac was that it was completely silent.

    so where can i find such a beast? i have looked in vain for years.

    information is free.
    the only question is:

  • Shop around.
    3U rack case, 400W power, bays for CD, floppy, 5 HD: $350
    Hard Data Ltd. - 780-456-9771
    mailto: sales@harddata.com

  • Microwarehouse has some really great free-standing racks for only $125 - $150. I bought a 7-foot tall (two-rail) rack with a 18-inch deep foot for only about $150. I have my cluster on it - the rack supports up to 9 PCs so-far without any problems.

    www.warehouse.com - If you've ever ordered from them, you probably receive a macazine from them about twice a month.

    I'm also looking for AT and ATX rack-mount cases that are cheap! (cheap being the primary issue - I could care what color they are).

    - Steve
    --
    Steven Webb
    System Administrator II - Juneau and TECOM projects
    NCAR - Research Applications Program
  • A note on the CD's and some more geeky Martha Stewart type of stuff I've done... I've found that gluing together 4-5 AOL/other ISP CD's with the shiny side out makes a really neat coaster. I mean we call them coasters anyways... it's just nice to have a little thicker version, that way you can differentiate from your useful CD's... I wouldn't want to plop a hot cup of coffee on my Slackware disk regardless of the protective plastic. ;)

    Another sorta geek-related project I did one particularly boring Saturday afternoon was to take all my empty 12/24 pop boxes (I had about 10) and cut them up until I had all the sides seperated. Some of the panels were useless or didn't look good but for the most part they looked decent. An hour of Star Gate SG1 later, I'd stapled them together to make this really cool looking collage that's on my wall now. Maybe I'm just a frugal packrat, but all the pretty colors and "Pepsi" and "Mt. Dew" make a pretty cool 3' square decoration.

    Just a few more thoughts for geeks with lots of time and the need to flex their creative muscle. :)
  • We're all creative geeks, some of us even artistic. My recent project has been pulling the panels off my case and using some spray paint and stencils. It's a little more work, and it doesn't look quite as professional, but it is a lot more satisfying and gobs cheaper than buying a new case. I heavily encourage anyone with a little time and creativity to try it out. Most cases are surprisingly easy to paint... most of the buttons and stuff just pop right out, and after a couple coats of spray enamel you'd swear it came in that color straight out of the factory. If you feel you're not qualified, let an artsy friend at it... if you're in college there's bound to be folks who'd love to have a crack at a computer case. Personally my project cost $10 for paint and will have taken me 3-4 hours by the time I'm done, including sitting on IRC while a coat of paint dries. ;) The point is that you SHOULDN'T have to pay to have a cool case... my case is Open Source, Open Paint... as soon as I post pics on my web site. :) So my fellow geeks, take what I've said and make beautiful cases that put the beige boxes to shame.
  • I'm not the only one who can't work inside his computer case for 15 minutes without drawing blood. The damn thing has some hidden edge in it which is sharper than fresh-cut paper but hard as steel, and the thing slices through my skin so cleanly it'll be 5 minutes later before I feel any pain or notice the welling blood.

    Anyway, it's good to know it's the case's fault. I thought I was just an idiot. Every band-aid felt like a "klutz badge"...
  • I painted my case (with this cool speckly "American Accents" spray paint) last summer. It's got a stoneish texture (both visual and tactile) with blue, black, white, and grey on it now.

    The biggest things to worry about are "will the paint harm my computer?" and "will the paint stay on?"

    For the first question, the simple rule is to never have your electronic parts anywhere near the painting. I'm lucky, my case has a sheet metalish cover for the top and the sides, and a plastic faceplate covering the entire case front, so I just snapped those off and painted them, leaving the back unpainted metal. It's a good idea to sand off any paint spray that gets on the inside face of the parts you paint, too.

    For things like CD-ROM and floppy drives, you'll find that generally the plastic faceplate on the drive snaps off and can be painted away from the drive. On these you'll definitely want to sand off any paint that ends up on the inside surface of the faceplate.

    As for "will the paint stay on?" the key things are primer and clearcoat. I used a plain white spray-on primer and an acrylic sealant, and with the amount my case gets hauled around and banged up I've already got a couple chips in the paint job. Now, maybe this is just because I used a thick coat of that fancy paint and put my case through physical abuse, or maybe the guy who posted instructions for using auto paints has the right idea.
  • I forgot you asked about this too.

    Frankly, I copped out and didn't touch the monitor. I figured I'd need a new case in a year anyway and would try a different paint job then.

    Painting the monitor carefully with a non spray paint might work.

    Taking apart the monitor then spray painting the plastic might work too... but this can be quite dangerous. Your monitor has what's effectively one big freaking capacitor inside it, and can retain a dangerous static charge for a long time (at least hours) after it's even unplugged. My monitor isn't the most solidly made model out there, and you can literally hear several loud spark discharges hours after it's been turned off.
  • Amen.. I've got a sleek black and chrome case now, along with matching keyboard (and keys!) and monitor. I'm just wondering if anyone knows of anyone who has installed Mac parts into a different case, ie, a huge PC tower enclosure or something like that. I'd like to have a nice 4 drive RAID array internally, as well as my CD-R, Jazz, Zip, etc..
  • When I lived with my parents (years ago) I converted a bit of the basement into my room, I had the cieling covered with loosely draped reflective mylar emergency blankets. I put an old color wheel (the kind for the old style metallic christmas trees -- some of the old farts will remember) in the corner pointing up, along with a high powered fan that I could tilt up. Add to this that the walls were all black with some old HP3000 pizza boards nailed up, a couple black lights and the effect was amazing.

  • PVC collects static. So does plexiglass.
  • Dunno about sealant, I line my plexiglass with grounded metal screen and it seems to solve the problem. With, say, 3/4 inch PVC pipe I'd want no more than a 2 inch gap between wire. Just a gut figure.

    What's wrong with wood for framing? non-conductive, cheap, durable, commonly available and easily worked with standard tools, choice of beavers everyhere.
  • There're blood stains all over my old AST case. ~:L I ordered one of the translucent cases and built my own computer a few weeks ago and I haven't cut myself yet :)
  • All the cases at colorcase.com take a standard floppy, you just have to take the front off the floppy drive.
  • If you're looking for something to do in the meantime, why not check out The Hideous Jabbering Head Of Abraham Lincoln [hideousjabberinghead.com]?
  • If you want a cool case, you should definitely get one of Apple's new G4s. The graphite looks even better in real life than on the pictures....and the hardware in side is very impressive too....=)
  • I agree that it's better to do it yourself, unless you have the artistic ability of an accountant on ridlin. However, a few of them had nice features like easy-access doors, screw-free cases, and "Hand-Cutting Free" which I assumes means they've grinded most edges so they're not razor-like teeth. If anyone can point me to a simple beige box that has these features for a cheap price, that's where I'd want to go.
  • admittedly, they don't check their email often, but they respond via the TELEPHONE quite well. I should know, I've purchaced five different cases from them, and I always get this cute japanese woman who sets up the accounts and sends out the cases.

    oh, btw, the YURI case (the one that looks like a blue iMac) is about the best case I've ever worked with. the only way it could be better was if the mobo tray slided out to work on it. :-)

  • No project should be considered complete until the little ritual of a blood sacrifice has been completed.

    Cutting yourself on the case is not an accident. It's a requirement for completion of the job.

  • We've ordered from Colorcases in the past -- hopefully y'all can benefit from our experience.

    First of all, the cases themselves are good, generally well-designed minitower boxes. The metal cases are cut-proof and most are very easy to open. I've lost a lot of blood on computer cases in the past, and these are, by comparison, a joy to work with.

    On the other hand, they are *mini* towers, and it gets cramped in there. Two fast SCSI drives is about the limit -- pack any more in and the heat will melt down your system. We had to pack in a pound of extra fans and coolers as it was. Also, depending on your mobo design, you'll have to take half the machine apart to make any changes -- I can't remove an HD or floppy without removing all my memory chips and unplugging most of the internal cables.

    Don't count on getting your order in a timely fashion. They appear to have approximately one full-time employee, an overworked and perpetually exhausted-sounding woman who on several occasions was unable to even confirm that we had *placed* an order. As a result, we waited over a month for the 5th case of our order -- which just happened to be my penguin case.

    All in all, I'd have to say I'm fairly pleased with the product, but I'm not overenthusiastic about ordering from there again. On the other hand, that penguin case *is* pretty cool...


    --
    perl -e '$_="06fde129ae54c1b4c8152374c00";
    s/(.)/printf "%c",(10,32,65,67,69,72,
  • Probably the reason that it was completely silent is because there wasn't a fan. I'm guessing but that'd probably be it... I wish I could do that to my pII box that runs really loud, probably around talking level. (30db?) - 8Complex
  • I'm waiting for the Star Trek case where the warp engines hold speakers and the the main saucer swivels to expose a monitor. Now that would be something cool.
  • We used to do this with 12/24 beer boxes back in college. We had the whole wall and ceiling covered at one point. Who says you don't do anything useful in college?

    -B
  • Actually, talking level is 60 dB. 60 dB is approximately 8 times as loud as 30 dB. It is true that computers these days are very loud. Things you can do to alleviate the noise include wrapping your computer in sound-insulating material, or having heat sinks the size of Sri Lanka.
  • Why all this obession with appearances?
    It's just a PC! face it, it's beige through
    and through....
  • The first 'clear case' I saw was VAX 11/750
    in 1980-ish at DEC. Mildly more impressive
    I think.
  • My experience has been that shielding can become an issue in a situation like this. Sure, you can put it on a wall, but you must make sure that there are no other electronics or magnetic fields within 3 feet on either side of the wall.

  • Yeong Yang Cube. Black








    I'm buying one, and stack it on top of one of them there little beer fridges, they're like exactly perfect.
  • If you have an old Power Computing machine... Like PowerBase or what not, those were based on ATX motherboards so as to keep costs down.

    That gets you into the case you're looking for, so long as you don't mind being rather dated. Current generation macs? I don't think you'll have any luck.

  • I've had my Colorcase for four months and I'm very happy with it. The quality is good, the design still is hot and it's dead easy to get the case off. Which happens a lot. I would most definitely recommend one.

  • They oughta take some of those thar nifty lookin' boxes and make webservers out of 'em -- the site's /.'ed ater 45 comments.

  • When I was a wee tyke, in addition to legos, I had something called an Erector Set. I sure wish I knew where that ended up, because a quarter of a century later, I could use it. I was recently thinking that an erector set would make a great way to make a rigid structure or cage for mounting boards and drives, then it could just be put into a wooden (or lego?) box.

    A few months ago, I visited damn near every toy story in Albuquerque, and you know what kind of toy an erector set is nowdays? It's a piece of shit model kit now. Instead of selling you a box with a bunch of general-purpose girders and stuff, it's all funny-shaped components intended for a single specific design. They all looked damn near useless to me.

    Legos are the same. Want 1000 of the generic 2 bump by 4 bump bricks? No chance. It's all kits with weird shaped stuff.

    What has happened to these once-wonderful (and possible useful) toys?


    ---

  • 5 days later and the site is still not back up. There's no way that this can be a typical slashdotting; that usually subsides after a day or two. I wonder if the machine is sitting at a BSOD or something.


    ---

  • AT/ATX Cases for $36 with 250W UL Listed PS ...

    V-Tech 738F Semi-Transparent ATX Case [yahoo.com]

    I personally like these cases over the more fully translucent Suntek/Antec/whoever ones. Most of the Suntek ones usually come with a crappy 235W, non-UL Listed PS that is more like a 200W UL one. I couldn't power up most mainboards in it until I upgraded the PS. And they are usually $90+ with UL Listed PS.

    These little $36 babies are great. They feature extra port cut-outs (whereas the Suntek are lacking). An AT backplate (for those newer AT boards with ATX power connectors), along with the standard 2 ATX ones. And a nice, 250W ATX power supply (upgradable to 300W). Not fully tranlucent, but still cool looking with the hidden floppy drive. And you don't have to worry about matching the drives, since the drive area is beige.

    I like the reseller too, Directron [directron.com]. They do NOT charge outrageous shipping charges (they make no profit on shipping). It will cost you only $10 + $10/case to ship (quite good compared to most other on-line stores, especially most of those who rank high on Pricewatch [pricewatch.com]).

    And NO, I do NOT work for them!

    [ They also sell the Suntek case (with very crappy 235W PS) [yahoo.com], and a matching $9 KB [yahoo.com] and $8 Mouse [yahoo.com] for it too. IMHO, you'll definately need to upgrade the PS on it, and the mouse is pretty crappy too (but what do you expect for $8? ;-). ]

    -- Bryan "TheBS" Smith

  • $10 + $10/case to ship -- WRONG!

    I meant about $10 + $6/case to ship! When I one, it cost ~$16, two cost me ~$22, three ~$28 (I seem to order a couple every few months).

    -- Bryan "TheBS" Smith

  • Sure, the computer cases are neat, and less boring than the beige ones, but why do all(qualified) computer cases have to be a box?

    A friend and I were thinking along the lines of the wall mounted computer, but with a case. A metal covering. Curving, organic looking, with the wires coming out of it. The cards could not be connected directly onto the motherboard due to depth, so an alternative would have to be used. I was thinking of wireing the cards just like how you wire the drives.

    I guess the reason that cases are boxes is because everything inside in at right angles. But you don't have to have it that way. Not as efficient, but it could work.


  • I looked at them, I thought about them, I went vomiting. What is this crap? Trying to be I-Macish like? Looks like el cheapo china plastic toys to me. I guess Ill stick with my nice gray powerbox and keep understating :-) The best way to personalize a case is still to make your own little logo and stick it on the plate where the corporate logo is supposed to be if it would be a retail box.
  • It's polite to give credit.

  • My Black PC right here. [webslacker.com] Of course, I have yet to paint the drives black, but the case itself looks really nice. My only problem with it was that it was a sort of coffee color instead of gray, but oh well. Myself, I like black computers, as evidenced by my other computer, the Blackintosh. [webslacker.com] I think with all these colorful cases coming out, one color that hasn't gotten enough attention is black.
  • You have to call them. They're too lazy to check their email on a regular basis. I'd ordered brochures from them online on three occasions. Since I didn't get a response, I called and told them I wanted a catalog and that they should check their email more often. The next week, I got four copies of their brochure in separate envelopes.

    Just FYI, their cases are generally $80 with 250W power supplies, and $100 with 300W supplies.
  • Do you want to paint my truck when you get done your case? :)

    Seriously, though, we must read painting instructions from similar automotive sources.

    I've got the compressor, I just need to find a paint gun I like.

    Maybe I'll give your advice a try on my case before I paint my truck.

    GRH
  • So what is this Ovular Stereo of which you speak?
  • But, if you preview your message, they will turn back into less than and greater than marks in the submission box, so be careful..

    ---

  • Collect Stickers. (Score:3)

    by vitaflo ( 20507 ) on Friday January 07, 2000 @09:59AM (#1393765) Homepage
    Dunno about anyone else, but I found the best way to spruce up a boring beige box is to find stickers and plop them on. Your box then becomes a collection of stickers piled on top another. Any time you go to conventions and the like, you always get crap like this, on vacation you get stickers, hell, sometimes ya even buy stickers. Stick em on! After some time you'll have your own work of art, and once you have fully covered your box, and are going to put stickers over the old ones, you'll never want to give up that case, because not only does it look cool, it's YOU. To me, that's the coolest case of all.
  • I still think someone should make a generic laptop case. Mounting points for several PC/104 [controlled.com] cards and popular power supplies, floppies, hard drives, batteries, and LCD panels.

    Then if all I want is a text email box I can toss in low-performance components. If I want a high-performance box I can spend more and get the features I think are most important. If I want more batteries instead of PCMCIA slots then I can do that more easily than with the present proprietary cases. Or I could have four serial ports if I'm chatting with a lot of devices [Yes, I know I can get four serial ports on PCMCIA].

  • On that same note, is it just me, or does "All tomorrow's partys" not actually have a very satisfying ending? The major conflict of the book seems to be igored when it comes to the rounding up chapters! Or am I just missing the obvious? I suggest you read it again, and remember that Gibson has a very subtle end. and when you finally 'get it', it has a great impact. The most significant event in the book is witnessed by the most minor of characters with very mild interest.

    --
    Gonzo Granzeau


  • These cases do look kinda neat, but I gotta ask - do these work nice with standard components? For instance, my gateway Linux box is a Gateway 2000(Yes, I am aware of the irony) which has an internal IDE cdrom drive with the fancy bezel. The case looks very cool, but the only other CDROMS I can fit in that space must fit that particular bezel. I' like to get a case without that problem.

    Also - as an aside, what's up with the "call for prices". Does market value really fluctuate that much from day to day?

  • Prices (Score:5)

    by generic-man ( 33649 ) on Friday January 07, 2000 @09:35AM (#1393779) Homepage Journal
    I managed to get Colorcase.com's sales department on the phone, since they don't quote prices on the site. For all of their cases except the aluminum ones, prices generally run between $79-99. The aluminum cases are $159. Shipping can get expensive, and the rates depend on where you are relative to Southern California.
  • Try something unique
    post an on-topic Haiku
    off-topic poster!

    Aluminum case
    our most expensive product
    Innovative? NOT!

    They advertise that their "Yuri" case weighs in at only six pounds. I say "Big whoop." When you put the power supply and other components in it, it really isn't going to make that much of a difference. I doubt the type of person who'd buy one of these would be lugging it around anyways, all that fancy plastic trim scratches and dirties up quite easily.

    There seems to be too much embellishment on this site for my taste, and not in the areas where a good case can make a real difference. I prefer a manufacturer that primarily concentrates on good airflow and component placement rather than weight and looks.

    LouZiffer

  • More Color Cases Here... (Score:3)

    by sigma ( 53086 ) on Friday January 07, 2000 @09:30AM (#1393805)
    I have sold a few computers with cases that I got from www.colorfulpc.com [colorfulpc.com]. These are Sunus Suntek cases and the build quality is excellent. The outer shell is plastic, but the inner frame is all metal. My sole complaint about this case is the power supply that it comes with is generic, although usable for most people.
  • How exactly does one interview a computer?
  • I have to admit I wish I had a few artsy friends. Yesterday at work they were throwing away faceplates from an old pbx that each had 48 rj-11 jacks. I stole one and I really want to turn it into something I could put in a frame. Problem is I don't think I could make it look all that good myself.

    There is a lot of potential in tech art. I really wish I knew where to get more of it. I have some in my house, but not nearly enough. I nail all the AOL CDs and failed burns up on the top of my walls (label side to the wall) and they make an awesome border.

    I'm interested in what other people have for tech art. What is your favorite piece? Where is the best place you know of to find the stuff?

  • It also runs on herring.

    >;)

  • Can't get cases from these people (Score:3)

    by Kvort ( 73138 ) on Friday January 07, 2000 @09:19AM (#1393827)
    I put together a computer back in november, and wanted one of these cool cases to put in. I sent two or three messages to these people, asking about pricing, shipping, etc. They never replied.

    Their web site indicates that they would sell individual cases, but either they only sell bulk, or this company be defunct, which doesn't make sense since they updated their web site recently.

    I think its pretty rude to just not reply. Could it have killed them to send a friggin email that says "We don't sell cases to individuals."???
    /VENT>

    As an aside, how do you put brackets in HTML anyway? I figured out how to do an ending bracket, but a beginning bracket escapes me.

    >>>>>>>>> Kvort the Duck, Lord High Peanut of Krondor
  • Stripped Olivetti mini cases work well. I've got one fitted with 12 SCSI CDROMs, four IDE HDs and a single MFM/RLL full height 170. Granted, I had to install my own drive rails for the HDs and replace the single huge 250W supply with two small 300W'ers. I hear AS/400 cases work great too.
  • They do sell in volume. A fellow (owns a small build-to-spec company) I pointed to the site a while back ended up buying fifty-odd cases. You'd be surprised how much premium people are willing to pay to make their new Celeroff or K-sicks look like a G3.
  • I've done it too. Short on cases, short on deskspace, wanted a statement. Drywall screws and six different PC mobos. It scares people when I cycle up that powerstrip and the fans whir, the drives spin up loudly, and LEDs scattered throughout light. I ran it as a PAPERS cluster for a while, but eventually I graduated to a full 6x Beowulf style cluster. It still powers up, runs, and I still occasionally use it whan I need a few extra dumb terms.
  • haha, the "daystar", that's great. nuts, this'll get moderated down...
  • I don't see anything in these cases to keep all the RF from leaking out. Forget Tempest, I just want to be able to use my radio and TV somewhere in the same house!
    --
  • Back in college my sleek black Amiga 4000 sat next to my roommates black 486/66 DX2. His was a tower so he covered it in cool radio station sticker and what not. We did them ourselves in the dorm art room but many people believed we had bought them that way and shelled out a fortune.

    The front of the Amiga case even had indented letters "AMIGA" that I used a silver paint marker to fill in. They looked Very Cool. :)

  • HOW to Paint a Case, the right way! (Score:5)

    by Sp@mMan ( 82919 ) on Friday January 07, 2000 @10:01AM (#1393852)
    Note: these instructions are for if you want a SHINY bitchin' looking case. If you want it to be difficult to look at your case in sunlight, follow these directions :-)


    Step #1 Disassembling The Case:


    Remove the side panels, or if all three sides come off in one piece remove the one piece. Remove the
    front plastic bezel, remove all wiring, buttons, drive cages etc. We want a completely bare case.

    Now separate the metal parts to be painted from the plastic parts.

    If your front plastic bezel can be disassembled, then take it apart as well, it will be easier to sand this
    way. Don't leave the buttons in or they can get stuck from the paint build-up.


    Step #2 Trip To The Automotive Paint Store:

    We have to pick up supplies before we start to work. I use PPG brand (or DuPont) Acrylic Urethane
    base coat/ clear coat. This is Automotive paint (the best) and holds up extremely well (this answers
    the question, "how well does it hold up")


    Here's a list of supplies,


    1. Silicone carbide wet or dry sandpaper in grits 220,320 (or 360),400,600,1000,1500,2000


    2. Primer-I use PPG epoxy primer (or whatever is on the compatiblity chart for the paint you choose)
    use a quick build-up type.


    3. Flex additive- for the primer and the paint. This is used for painting plastic parts, so it will adhere to
    the plastic without chipping off.


    4. Paint- PPG Acrylic Urethane Base Coat/ Clear Coat (I also use DuPont, real good as well). That's
    right we apply a basecoat of color first (enough for 3 coats) and then 3 coats of clear. You will also
    need the appropriate thinner.


    5. Clear Coat- As mentioned above, you will need clear acrylic urethane as well as thinner.


    6. Activator- for the paint and the clear coat.


    7. Masking paper- DO NOT USE NEWSPAPER!!!


    8. Masking tape- Get it at the Automotive paint store, I always use 3M brand.


    9. Stirring sticks, strainers, extra cans, tack clothes, white rags, rubber squeegee and laquer thinner
    and aluminum trays for cleanup.


    10. Wax and Grease remover. I make this #10 because it is the MOST IMPORTANT PART. You
    must always keep your surface clean in between coats of primer and or paint. Oil from your hands
    can ruin hours of work.


    11. Rubbing compound (get a fine compound, it wont take much)

    12. Fine finishing Polishing compound.


    13. Show glaze Meguiars #7, this is the final topcoat to make it look like a show car.


    14. Meguairs carnuba wax, after about 3 months wax your case.



    Equipment You Will Need:


    Air compressor, 5hp Sears works well, Paint gun, I use Binks Model #7 with filter screen or HVLP
    (High volume low pressure, much less overspray), Oil and water extractor (place at least 25 feet from
    compressor) keeps the air clean. Airhose. I also use a separate spray gun for primer.



    Step #3 Sanding the Case Down:


    Ok now the work begins. All the pieces should be separated. Get some 220 or 360 grit wet or dry
    sandpaper ( use the 360 if your case has a nice finish on it) and wrap it around the rubber squeegee.
    Get a bucket of water with a little dishwashing soap added, now sand all the metal panels and the
    plastic front bezel, if you are going to do your buttons, sand them as well.
    Now sand it all down with 320 or 360 grit wet/dry sandpaper (if you used the 220).
    The purpose of the squeegee is to make sure all parts are flat.
    Wash it all down with cool clear water. Dry all parts and let dry thoroughly. Take your wax and
    grease remove and wipe all the parts down (always follow the manufacturers instructions on how to
    use their product). Let this dry. wipe everything with a tack cloth.


    Step #4 Applying the Primer:


    Ok mix up the primer according the the manufacturer and pour it into the spray gun, MAKE SURE
    YOU USE A STRAINER. Adjust the pressure at the gun according to the can and lets spray some
    primer, (TACK CLOTH 1ST!!) on the metal pieces only (apply a couple of practice coats on some
    cardboard first, using a 12" spray pattern), 2-3 full wet coats will be enough. Now the plastic pieces.
    You must add flex additive to your paint when priming or paint plastic, this allows the paint to flex
    with the movement of the plastic, like a plastic car bumper. MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A MASK
    WHILE SPRAYING ANY PAINT, THIS STUFF IS EXTREMELY TOXIC!!!!!!!!!

    Remember to practice spraying first, always hold gun parallel to your work surface, don't put it on too
    thick, we DON'T WANT RUNS!! Use a 1/2 overlap spraying technique (overlap each pass by 1/2)


    Step # 5 Sanding the Primer:


    Be careful sanding the edges, you can sand through them in a nanosecond!!

    Get out your 400 grit or 600 grit (read directions VERY IMPORTANT!! IT MIGHT SPECIFY 600 GRIT
    which is what I use normally) wet/dry and start to sand, we want to use the little rubber squeegee
    with the sandpaper wrapped around it (except for pieces that are not flat, like the front bezel). Again
    we want the primer to be sanded perfectly flat. If you want it to be perfect sand horizontally, vertically
    and diagonally, otherwise just sand all in one direction. Wipe it all down with cool clear clean water
    and dry with clean white rag. Let dry completely, now wipe all parts down with W/G remover and then
    the tack cloth. It is important to always tack right before you spray.


    Step #6 Applying the Base Coat Color:



    Ok this is where you find out if all the prep work paid off. Remember whatever is below the paint is
    the way the finished product will look, paint magnifies all mistakes, it doesn't hide them. Get out your
    paint and mix according to the manufacturer, strain it as you pour it into the spray gun and set the air
    pressure. Now spray a couple practice passes on a piece of cardboard, adjust the fan to about a 12"
    pattern (8-10 inches on smaller pieces), follow the same spraying techniques as with the primer
    (metal pieces first, then add flex additive for the plastic parts). Apply 3 full coats of color. Let dry
    according to the directions, lightly sand with 600 grit after it dries, remember tack cloth.


    Step #7 Applying the Clear Coat:


    Same technique as with the color base coat. Apply 3 full coats of clear coat. let this dry for 2 days
    (no longer).


    Step #8 Sanding Down the Clear Coat:


    Be careful around the edges, you can sand through in a nanosecond

    Ok get a clean bucket of cool clear water in a nice new bucket. It is extremely important to keep your
    water clean. Add some dishwahing soap into the cool water, wrap a piece of 1000 or 1200 grit
    sandpaper around the rubber squeegee, now lighly sand the flat metal parts first in one direction
    making sure you don't sand through to the color, we want to make the paint perfectly flat, sand all
    pieces this way, you will have to use the sandpaper without the squeegee for parts that are not flat.
    Repeat this process for the 1500 and 2000 grit sandpaper.
    Dry all the parts and check to make sure there is no orange peel or runs and all surfaces are flat.


    Rubbing Out The Paint:


    Now it's going to come to life. Get your rubbing compound and lots of white turkish towels, cut into
    pieces small enough to manage and make sure you don't use the seamed part of the towel. Apply
    the rubbing compound in circular motions, rubbing until the surface looks like a mirror, do this to all
    the parts, being extremely careful around sharp edges (they rub through quick). Rub out entire case
    (it will take some elbow grease) until all the parts look like a mirror. Now do the same with an
    extremely fine polishing compound, then Mequairs Show glaze #7. Always follow the manufacturers
    directions. And always use 100% cotton turkish towels without the seams!!!

    Assemble all the pieces and in about 3 months apply a nice coat of wax (I use Meguairs). This paint
    will hold up to anything in the home, it is made for the car.

    Well this is it, your case should look Greaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!
    If you are patient and take your time your project will turn out better then a professional bodyshop.

    Another warning **PLEASE ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY EQUIPMENT FOR YOUR EYES, SKIN and
    an OSHA APPROVED FRESH AIR BREATHING APPARATUS!!!

    SpamMan

  • The dell cases aren't that bad, but they need to put some sort of markings about how you are supposed to open them on the case or in the documentation. We use dell at work, and it wasn't until the third or fourth case that I managed to add a drive without breaking *any* of the plastic. (and I have no trouble working on clones, or macs, or cars, so it isn't me)

    Once you figure it out, though, it's pretty convenient.

    --Kevin

  • I bought this old computer (an Intel Intelic). The Thing has an 8080 P, ?16k of main memory, dual 8" floppy drives, a hard drive that holds about 1 Meg, a 12 or 13 inch CRT (white) with keyboard, and a dual PROM burner. The thing also came with the manuals. The machine was originally bought in 1976! I originally was going to try to get the thing up and running, but I've never been able to find any 8" floppies, or the original OS (ISIS II if anyone actually has a copy).



    Since I can't find the original OS, and since I can't run ELKS [soton.ac.uk], I'm essentially stuck with almost a quarter ton of obselete hardware. However, the cases are in good shape, I've thought of retrofitting the beast with new hardware. I should easily be able to fit a new motherboard inside the processor housing, the dual floppy case could easily hold enough hardware to completely load a couple of SCSI boards, and the HD housing should be able to hold at least two fully assembled tower cases. With some work, I could probably build enough support to put a four-node cluster inside. As for the PROM burner, since I have the schematics, I should be able to divine enough hardware specs to allow someone to write a device driver for it.


    The whole mess cost me $25US, but I think it would be awsome to make this thing into a REAL computer. Check around your local junk shops and maybe you can find some old piece of electronics just begging to become your next computer case. Maybe it might be an old shipboard radio (Oh boy... hook up all those blinkinlights!). The possibilities become much better when you stop thinking about your new cases' original use.

  • Site with a pile of cases to pick from (Score:4)

    by Endimion ( 89056 ) on Friday January 07, 2000 @09:24AM (#1393861)
    Check out the Alternate Cases Website [angryfruitsalad.com] where we review a good pile of interesting case designs.

    Also check out www.geeknews.com, at the top they have a link to some cool cases also.
    Indy
  • Why do you need candy colored cases????? Rackmount cases [antec-inc.com] are much preferred by all the computers I have interviewed!!! They say it gives them much more space to "lounge around", makes it easier for those upgraded parts to be added w/o damaging something else, not to mention the fact that the computers feel much more fashionable while wearing a rackmount case :)

  • Turn your room into a case... (Score:4)

    by jquiroga ( 94119 ) on Friday January 07, 2000 @10:15AM (#1393866)
    .. and work inside your computer. Just follow these simple steps:
    • Discard the insignificant computer cases you still have around.
    • Wallpaper the entire room with tin foil.
    • Bolt the motherboards to the table.
    • Stick a fan to the ceiling, to get some cooling.
    • Preserve the accumulating dust (and dust puppies) on the floor, your room will look like a real computer case.
    • Toss cables everywhere.
    • Print the specs of your boxes, and hang the piece of paper outside your door.
    • If you want, purchase some blinking lights, to be turned on before your friends and relatives come in.
    and you will get a big (and possibly cool) computer case :-)
  • Go check out atacom [atacom.com]. They have some great full tower cases, I bought one from them to use on my BP6, the BP6 is definatly the best Socket 370 board so far. If you have that board you may be interested in the Socket 370 Celerons @ 533 (8.0x66) are comming out soon. They will be the last 66MHz Celerons, finally, Intel will have to make a Celeron with a 100MHz FSB. info about the Celeron 533 [arstechnica.com].
  • It doesn't double as a deli slicer, scraping the living $h!t out of your knuckles, fingertips, wrist, arm, etc. every single goddamn time you open it.

    Agreed

    If you drop a screw into the case, it rattles around like a pachinko machine and comes out in a tray at the bottom after ringing a little bell.

    Screws should be banned in self-assembly cases. THey're great for speeding up assembly lines but clearly something more friendly could be used for those of us building bespoke systems (clips perhaps)

    USB, joystick, mouse, keyboard ports in front; video, parallel, serial ports in back.

    Definitely not the back. With the Rio adaptor I got for christmas and the parallel cable as well, I dont think my PC will fit where the old one was. However, I think I would prefer a removable panel on the side where the cables plug in in a similar direction as they do now but actually slightly inside the case. USB/serial and keyboard and mouse should be in recessed slots at the front (similar to the way many video recorders do audio/video in now). In fact, everything could go in the front but put the connectors at 45 degrees downwards, not sticking straight out.

    The critical side slides up like a roll-top desk to get to the slots, memory, and CPU.

    Nice idea but too many moving parts. and too much spare space inside the case required. I'd settle for a clip off panel.

    The front bays remove to install additions -- without opening the rest of the case and without screws.

    Yes, maybe with pcmcia style "eject" buttons. With the cable auto-detaching too. Some of the case people have at least realised it's better to have the mountings for the drives to be removable by a single screw so you can work on the drives away from the PC than having to undo the four screws in them

    There's a washable dust filter, removable from the front panel, and it automatically tells you when it's dirty.

    And washes it for you too? :)

    Cable routing -- one unit smarter than "stuff it all in there and hope it doesn't touch the CPU fan".

    Hmm. This is the kind of thing you can get from any electrical store worth its salt. And the case manufactures can kind-of be excused for not being able to predict what kind of cables you'll have in your system. Still, I suppose with a more intelligent design, the cabling would be intrinsic to the case, when you install the components into the case, you plug them into the case as well and bingo, no cabling required. There is no real reson why the mobo (and even expansion cards) should have any external connectors on it at all (in fact , it quite stifles the possibilities for case design)

    My ideal case? I plan to build a desk with a PC integrated. floppy/CD built into the wood at the front and the main electronics cunningly hidden behind the drawer section. Maybe a trackball built into the surface (or a graphics tablet), an LCD screen on top (not flat on the surface but maybe able to fold down) and *drool*, *drool*

    :)

    Rich

  • I have a biege box. I like my beige box. It will be a sad day in the world when you opressors force me to add color to my perfectly functional computer case. Mange
  • I hate to say this, but these boxes are still pretty lame, especially the "i wanna be an iMac and leave out everything that looks cool about an iMac" cases. The only way to get a decent box is still to do a custom paint job, which is actually easier than it sounds and a lot of fun.

    Or go out and buy a Sony Vaio laptop. :)

  • yeah, it was at http://www.rockcity.net.
  • I admit, the idea of a cool colored or translucent case is kinda neat. The problem is when you add any sort of drives to it such as an internal zip drive or a dvd and a cd burner. As far as I have found, its damn near impossible to find a translucent internal 8x cd burner. As soon as you add any drive, your computer looks like a crappy combination of Magenta and beige.

    Cases try to solve this problem by putting that snappy sliding panel that covers the drive bays, but who wants to slide a silly little panel whenever you want to access a drive? Colored cases are only cool if you don't want your machine to have any added components....like an imac, or a doorstop.

    -Chris

  • Easy Bake case (Score:3)

    by MorboNixon ( 130386 ) on Friday January 07, 2000 @09:29AM (#1393906)
    I would like to install an oven door in the side of my case so I could use it to bake small pastries and such. I think the heat generated in some older desktops could well outpace that of a 30 watt bulb.

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