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Hardware

Clear Case Roundup 207

Posted by CowboyNeal from the classy-chassis dept.
The Cheat writes "Interested in making your computer the envy of all the other computers on the block? What visitors to oooh and ahhh when they enter your room? The latest trend in computer case solutions can do just that. AnandTech took a look at three clear cases in a recent roundup, each certain to make you more popular, right? Maybe not, but at least they look cool."
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Clear Case Roundup More

Clear Case Roundup

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  • These are certain to.. (Score:4, Funny)

    by skinnydskitzo ( 624618 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @03:49PM (#5520405) Homepage Journal
    scare any and all females from ever entering my bedroom again.

  • EM problems (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    There's a reason cases are made of metal. EM SHIELDING!

    • Re:EM problems (Score:2, Informative)

      by SomeGuyFromCA ( 197979 )
      It's not an issue unless you have a lot of computers. (#include beowulf_cluster_comment.h) All the same, I won't be getting one until the day they invent transparent aluminum.
    • All consumer electronic equipment has to pass FCC regulations Part 15 Class B [digi.com] (I couldn't find this on fcc.gov, go figure.) As the page at the link says, it's not a guarantee that interference won't occur. However, I would think that having to meet said regulations makes it less likely that the non-metallic cases will make a significant difference. In fact, a lot of the modern cases are made more of plastic than they are metal. Not necessarily transparent plastic, but plastic all the same. I havn't he
      • i've never had either.

        but i've heard of stories like "my tv reception turned to **** when my neighbour used his computer without case panels", though mostly i would say that if that occurs theres something wrong with the tv cabling too(possibly with antenna too, piece of wire doesn't exactly make a fine receptor )..

        crap, i used to run for like 1,5years without any case.. and watched tv on that too(wintv card), opening / closing another computer wouldnt make any difference, heck i guess my older 'backup' m

  • Actually... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by unterderbrucke ( 628741 ) <unterderbrucke@yahoo.com> on Saturday March 15, 2003 @03:52PM (#5520414)
    Geek chic is coming into popularity. The other kids at my high school are very impressed with the various case detailing methods, and especially enjoy such companies as Alienware, who has now replaced Dell as the system "to have".

    • Re:Actually... (Score:3, Funny)

      by Eu4ria ( 110578 )
      When was Dell ever the system to have ?
    • The only criteria I used for my case selection was (a) the size of the power supply and (b) whether or not it had space for all the fans I knew I'd need. You should be able to tell from this that I run SMP Atlons :-)
  • When they make a clear CPU and invisible hard drive, then I'll hop on the trend bandwagon.
    A light and durable case is more important to me than one that you can see into. If I want to see my ribbon cables and motherboard, I can leave the side off.

  • The other ClearCase (Score:1, Redundant)

    by leerpm ( 570963 )
    Did any else misread that headline and think it was going to be a product review of Rational's ClearCase software products?

  • No EMI (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Tweakmeister ( 638831 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @03:55PM (#5520424) Homepage
    There is no way I'd buy one of these cases...or one with a window.

    There's a reason for all the EMI shielding in a case! And the reason? Search google :)

    I have to wonder what the FCC says about these cases...although for Home use I don't believe there is much in terms of requirements.
    • Another thing, apparently aluminum doesn't qualify as adequate shielding either. It must be steel or some other magnetic material.
      • Apparently?

        Apparently you made that up?

        Come on. Back it up with a link please.
        • Apparently you made that up?

          Come on. Back it up with a link please.

          I got it from people that are knowledgeable in electronics and regulations. I really can't quote specific FCC regs any quicker than you can find an aluminum cased power supply that has the FCC mark on it.
      • That's wrong. Aluminum makes a reasonably good shield for RF.
    • That's why I wear my aluminum foil hat! Ha ha ha ha! Nothing can get in! Not even those voices that I hear sometimes.

  • What's the point? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by sketerpot ( 454020 ) <sketerpotNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Saturday March 15, 2003 @03:56PM (#5520426)
    I can see that these would be cool---for someone who's never seen an iMac. I remember when I first saw an iMac. It was cool. I could see through the case. But are there any advantages to these cases other than looking cool? I'd prefer to have a compact case that I could fit a lot of computer in. There was a project a while ago to make small computers that would fit in a small brick and run quietly. Quiet, small, low heat computers are what I'd like to see. Unfortunately this might now look as cool if you look in a transparent case.

    Are there any neat things you would like to see in a case?

    • Re:What's the point? (Score:2, Insightful)

      by npatrick ( 659353 )
      I don't see any problems with cases as they are. It's just a box to hold some stuff. The only thing I want in a case is plenty of openings for new pieces, whatever they might be. Multiple optical drives, or video cards, or whatever.
    • Transparent cases have been with us a while, what would be nice is to have all the other peripherals see-through. Certain caveats about shielding etc would obviously apply, but what about clear mice, keyboards, monitors and even printers?
      Other than that, does anyone know how easy it is to keep these things clean?

      • Re:What's the point? (Score:2, Interesting)

        by Uart ( 29577 )
        how about a clear facade for the CD-RW / DVD /floppy? drives? It would probably look much nicer than the beige rectangle that a clear-case owner would have to deal with right now.
      • Certain caveats about shielding etc would obviously apply, but what about clear mice, keyboards, monitors and even printers?

        Although I'd like a clear case, I don't think that they'd be too good for overclockers. Acrylic is not very thermally conductive. Worse than steel, much worse than aluminum.

    • I can see that these would be cool---for someone who's never seen an iMac

      Yep, and it will always be that way until someone(company) decides to pay someone to design a cool case instead of painting the box a different color and calling it 'edgy'.

      What I want in a case?

      Sound deadening material.
      Britney Spears.
      Handles.
      Wheels.

      The wheels are optional.
    • Are there any neat things you would like to see in a case?

      I would love to see a giant wad of cash in my case. Then I'd use it to buy a laptop.
  • This [www.in.gr].

  • It's a safe bet (Score:5, Funny)

    by RLiegh ( 247921 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @03:57PM (#5520435) Homepage Journal
    ...that if you think these look cool; you needn't fear being 'popular'. ;)

    (damn, did I forget my humor tags?)

  • Lack of EMR Shielding? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by PhotonSphere ( 193108 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @03:58PM (#5520440) Homepage Journal
    Does anyone know if there are any adverse effects of having no metal shielding on your box? I haven't seen anything other than a few warnings associated with clear cases. Here's an example of a warning from the pcmods.com site:


    WARNING: This product is meant for education purposes only. It is unknown how much protection it provides EMR (electromagnetic radiation), if it provides any protection at all.


    This warning trails all of their clear case descriptions... Anyone have any definitive info on this?

    • Re:Lack of EMR Shielding? (Score:4, Funny)

      by loucura! ( 247834 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @04:14PM (#5520533)
      Well that's kinda the point...

      Think about it... do you want the type of people who want clear cases breeding? Sure, you could argue that they aren't likely to breed anyway, but this is just an extra precaution.
      • For God's sake people, you're NOT going to go sterile from the electromagnetic fields your computer emits... you're also not going to mutate or develop cancer either, it's simply not powerful enough (Fields from enormous power transmission lines are another matter).

        The main reason there are regulations is not for health concerns, but to make sure that stuff will work in proximity to other stuff (Except of course hospitals or airplanes, where health concerns and electrical systems are closely related). If y

    • Re:Lack of EMR Shielding? (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      I don't know much about the dangers of clear cases. During the time I've had mine, I grew a third arm. I look a little funny now, but at least I can peruse porn and still type URLs with both hands.

    • Re:Lack of EMR Shielding? (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Bio ( 18940 )

      Given that most geeks have their PC cases open all the time anyway:

      A clear case cannot give worse shielding than no case at all ...

    • Some general info about EMR shielding...

      If an area is completely covered by a conductor (such as a metal case), the electric field in the conductor will cancel to 0 (unless, of course, you have an electric field coming in through the conductor in an insulated wire (such as a power cord) leaving only the electric field created inside the metal. By this phenomanon, a case will be EMR shielded. However, plexiglass is an insulator, and would not provide this shielding. There aren't any definitive studies on
    • The only definitive info I have is that my cellphone gets literally no reception when it's on the right side of my keyboard (15cm from where my roommate's open PC is) but I get full signal if it's on the left side. The amount of EM interferance from the average PC is staggering when you think about it, and it can easily disrupt all kinds of electronics.

      --Dan
    • This actually happened to a friend of mine.. He was building a house for his car, as he wanted a MP3 player (this was about 4 years ago).

      He decided it would be really cool if he made the case entirely see-through (as many of these cases are.) So he completes the case, and goes home one evening. We had a storm that night. He comes back the next day, and as he's about to pick up the case, a huge (think RA2 Tesla trooper huge) arc goes across his motherboard. IT TURNED THE MOTHERBOARD BLACK.

      Needless to say,
    • They do make EMI and EMR clear sheilding. Take a look on google, it's expensive, but they do make it.

    • One thing about unlicensed part 15 devices which include incidental radiators - which also includes powerlines - is that if they do cause any interference to licensed operations - like commericial or even amateur stations then its you job to either A) resolve the interference or B) cease operations.
    • They probably wouldn't be permitted to sell it at all if they sold it as a computer case--the FCC regulates electronic equipment, in particular equipment that is sold commercially.

      It probably won't make you go blind or sterile, but it will probably annoy the hell out of some neighbor trying to listen to the radio somehwere.

  • each certain to make you more popular, right?

    And just a touch more cancerous!!

    Seriously, these things are neat, and when they make a model that doesnt' need cleaning after a days use I'll gladly irradiate myself.

  • ...is a completely clear notebook. :)

  • Funny that no one mentions that these things let out all emissions from the electronics, which is a Bad Thing. I'm sure that the manufacturers have the standard disclaimers about only using the cases for display purposes, wink, nod.

    The review even mentions a problem with one case's "EMI Shield". Um, no, that thing isn't stopping any EMI, sorry.

    So I'm sure that at least a few modder kiddies have had to stop using their case to stop messing with Mom and Dad's TV, wireless phone, 802.11b setup, etc (especial
    • Well if you have an office of about 100 opened pc's then yes you can expect same major problems with interferance. A single pc probably will not make a different though. I heard its the same argument for cell phones. A single phone is not bad but a scenario inside a subway with 30 people on phones is quite hazardous to your health.

  • interesting ideas, yes (Score:3, Interesting)

    by thadeusPawlickiROX ( 656505 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @04:00PM (#5520458)
    Sure, these look really cool. And to be honest, I wouldn't mind having a nice clear case and all. But, is it entirely necessary? My case currently resides on the floor between my desk and my roommates desk in my dorm room. From what I've seen, most cases sit on the floor next to a desk, no? A nice looking case is good and all, but is it practical? I'd rather spend the extra money and buy extra hard drives, etc., something that serves a better function then "looking cool". I mean, it's like buying an old, beat-up car with no engine, and giving it a spoiler, racing stripes, etc. But hey, if someone gave me a check for a few hundred dollars, and I had nothing to spend it on, a clear case would be nice.

  • They already do (Score:5, Insightful)

    by absurdhero ( 614828 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @04:00PM (#5520459) Homepage
    Computer cases haven't changed a whole lot in the last 5 years ever since they discovered the stylish case market. Trends have changed a little, windowed cases and flat black designs are popular. I would like to see more truly innovative designs like the Shuttle PCs and other stylish cases with a purpose.
    • I would like to see more truly innovative designs like the Shuttle PCs and other stylish cases with a purpose.

      The problem with that is that

      1. It would probably not be too innovative if the case were still ATX/etc. compliant
      2. If it did create a new standard (ie, miniATX, flexATX, etc), then the mobo manufacturers have to be on board (or you have to be a mobo manufacturer yourself). This in itself is not an easy proposition
      3. All this contributes to increased costs, and maintenance issues for the user
        ...
      4. Which brin

  • popular at work (Score:4, Funny)

    by 1nv4d3r ( 642775 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @04:01PM (#5520467)
    Almost all of our development machines use a Clear Case--it's definitely popular where I work. I told management that the difference was mostly just eye candy, and that Bitkeeper would do just fine (and be more scalable, at that). But, instead, they oooh'ed and aaah'ed over it, just like the slashdot posting said they would.

  • Douglas! (Score:1, Offtopic)

    by Chester K ( 145560 )
    I think The Cheat tried to tell me about this earlier today but I couldn't understand a word he was saying.

  • Ah the life of a case modder.. (Score:3, Funny)

    by euxneks ( 516538 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @04:04PM (#5520481)
    The money, the alcohol, the women, the secret enemy fortresses, oh wait, I'm thinking of James Bond...

    ;)
    Any case modder I know doesn't really have a life, other than Lan Parties.

  • other clear things (Score:4, Funny)

    by enos ( 627034 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @04:05PM (#5520486)
    clear car hood [sho-um.com]
    You know what this means? Now you have to clean whatever dirt a solid case/hood would have hidden... I guess this doesn't matter too much to people who buy new hardware every four months though...
    • It shouldn't be too difficult to keep the dirt out. Can the idea of exhaust fans and go to intake fans. The idea would be presurise the case. All intake air would go through a HEPA filter. Should keep it clean and tidy inside.

  • Staring at the inside of a computer (Score:3, Funny)

    by ASDFer ( 638981 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @04:05PM (#5520488)
    Yes, I stare at the inside of the computer from time to time.
    It'd be so cool if there were transparant laptop case. Now, that's cool Better yet, transparant CD/DVD drive casing so that you can spot the laser. Imagine how cool it is to have that sort of laptop in the dark!!!!!!
    Black Light, some lava lamp should be a must have!!!!!!

    mod
  • I mean, the Mac portables are tres passe'.

    I want something with lexan and neon and tubes and bubbles and shit.

  • why put your money there (Score:4, Insightful)

    by jhagler ( 102984 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @04:12PM (#5520520)
    To me this is a classic case of flash over substance. Why pay the extra for a window/lights/rounded cables when that money can be put into a faster CPU, a better video card, or a bigger hard drive? It reminds me of the people who buy a cheap ass Honda then trick it out with everything they can bolt on only to have their doors blown off by a stock Camaro SS which costs less.

    Whoop-tee-dee you have LCD's on your fan, I can push twice the fps you can and will procede to hand you your ass in tournament play. Just a thought.

    • Re:why put your money there (Score:5, Insightful)

      by MoneyT ( 548795 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @04:24PM (#5520569) Journal
      Because not everybody cares whether or not they can get more than 80 fps out of quake.

      Because not everybody cares for larger HDD space (ok so those people are rare, but the point remains)

      Because for some people 2 ghz is indeed fast enough (a lesson that that many tech companies have to learn still)

      Because they can.
    • Most of the people with extremely modded cases also have the best PCs on the block (they're rich).

    • Re:why put your money there (Score:5, Interesting)

      by liquidsin ( 398151 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @05:08PM (#5520719) Homepage
      I'd like to propose something to every single person who posts a comment like this whenever case modding comes up. Think of the last time you spent money on something you wanted, even though you didn't need it. Bought those Nike shoes instead of the generic brand? Paid a hundred bucks more for a fridge with a stainless steel finish? Then, instead of questioning why other people do things they want with their own money for their own amusement, why don't you just shut the fuck up...

      • I'd like to propose something to every single person who posts a comment like this whenever case modding comes up. Think of the last time you spent money on something you wanted, even though you didn't need it. Bought those Nike shoes instead of the generic brand? Paid a hundred bucks more for a fridge with a stainless steel finish? Then, instead of questioning why other people do things they want with their own money for their own amusement, why don't you just shut the fuck up...

        Well, to use your example

        • I agree with you on the points you made, but the parent to my post wasn't asking "what's the point of modding?", they were asking "why would you spend your money on that?". Sure, it's not too geeky to buy pre-modded cases, but not everyone is about being geeky, some people are just about the aesthetics of a clear/lit-up/painted/whatever case. So laugh all you want, but it's not up to you how other people spend their money. Posting a "how to do this yourself for half the price" sort of reply is adding to
    • Well, there are reasonable limits, I'd take it in moderation. I don't think it costs prohibitively more to get nice performing guts _and_ a nice shell. If an ordinary case costs $50 and a nice looking case costs $100, I'd put in an extra $50 to the total cost to have something that's nicer to look at, particularly if I have to see the computer every day for several years.

      I certainly wouldn't buy a fully transparent case as it has little appreciable RFI / EMI protection properties. It wouldn't be legal
    • Exactly. I said the same thing to my over-eager friend, who insisted we try to overclock my Athlons to insane speeds by submerging the motherboard in a tub of antifreeze. We tested this first on an old 486 motherboard. Just for future reference, submerging a computer in antifreeze doesn't work. (However, we did learn that you can rinse the motherboard very carefully with water, let it dry, and it will work again -- picture two idiots spraying down a motherboard in the kitchen sink, then blowdrying for about

  • I laugh at your clear case! (Score:5, Funny)

    by divide overflow ( 599608 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @04:18PM (#5520551)
    Us Alpha Nerds don't use cases. We just lay our motherboards down on cardboard pizza delivery boxes. Clear computer cases are for posers.
  • I seriously don't know why these things are cool. I mean, sure, if you were to add some LED case fans, flourescent lights, stuff like that it might be cool, but could you imagine how often you'll hafta dust the thing? I have enough asthmatic problems just opening my case; I don't want to wheeze every time I *see* it.

    You want to pimp out your case? Just take a drill with different size drill bits, and create a funky crop circle on the front, or side, or whatever. Cheap solution.

  • Looking at the photos, these cases don't have any good EMF shielding. Since the components inside tend to be pretty noisy on the EM spectrum, these cases could probably cause some pretty impressive interfearance on an old style TV nearby.

  • Dust? (Score:3, Informative)

    by Quill_28 ( 553921 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @04:31PM (#5520604) Journal
    I hear just a little dust makes these look bad, and it needs regular cleaning. Something to keep in mind.
    Not for me but whatever floats your boat.

  • With a clear case..... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by scottp ( 129048 )
    you could see how much dust the fans actually suck in? Firgure out the amount of time it takes a dust bunny to form? Observe housing structures and construction techniques for the local spider population? Throw perfectly good beer money away buying lights, blinking fans, etc? See what color of smoke actually comes out of the cpu from overclocking? Gain a little EMR? Buying a PERL book would be way more useful and beneficial.....just my 2 cents..

  • Better Throw In Some Bounce (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ewhac ( 5844 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @04:42PM (#5520640) Homepage Journal

    What about static electricity? Acrylic just loves to build up static. Even small amounts of static electricity, too small to be felt by human touch, will still turn expensive, delicate chips into expensive sand.

    Yeah, they're pretty, but it looks like they'll probably also shorten the life of your 1337 g4m1n6 r1g.

    Schwab

    • Wouldn't Bounce shorten the life of the chips? I thought it was tiny granules of conductive material that is good at evenly distributing static charges in fabric by providing conductive paths. It could very well deliver the deadly charge you are trying to avoid.

      Just don't drag your case across a carpet, or touch an component after the case, unless it is a metal grounded part.

  • Dust bunnies (Score:5, Insightful)

    by tinrobot ( 314936 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @05:16PM (#5520751)
    I don't know about the rest of you, but everytime I open my case, it's full of dust. I'm really not into vacumming my case just to be hip.
    • Nah, it's cool.. I was reading about these paint mods they have, you can actually turn them opaque after a few hours of work. Crazy stuff these people come up with...

  • Another thing to clean, no thanks (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Openadvocate ( 573093 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @05:17PM (#5520753)
    Well, let's say I got everything installed and it looked great. Then I would have to open it up every month(at least) to clean it. With all the air going though there, the housing won't look pretty for long.
    • With all the air going though there, the housing won't look pretty for long.

      Put one of those negative ion generators inside. It'll zap all that dust, and just imagine how all those negatively charged particules will enhace your computer's functionality!

  • I have enough RFI making SWLing a major proctalgia. I'll stay with a tasteful Eeyore sticker for decoration, thank you very much.

  • They'll look dumb later on (Score:3, Funny)

    by pclminion ( 145572 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @06:20PM (#5520999)
    Can you imagine a 286 in a clear case with neon lights? It wouldn't look cool, it would look ridiculous.

    Just remember, 10 years from now your cool modded case with its dual Athlon 2600s is going to look like a funny piece of crap.

  • I have one... (Score:5, Informative)

    by blincoln ( 592401 ) on Saturday March 15, 2003 @06:38PM (#5521080) Homepage Journal
    ...unlike at least 97% of the posters in this thread. I bought it for fun when I replaced my motherboard about six months ago.

    I like the way it looks, which is important since it's sitting in front of me whenever I do any computer-related work at home.

    I probably wouldn't buy one again though, because it's a hassle to keep clean, and I haven't found a way to keep the cabling looking neat since there's nowhere to hide the excess. Also, because the expansion card mounting bracket is Lucite like the rest of the case, it's kind of fragile. I think Soyo makes a case with a metal bracket, but they hadn't released it when I got this one.

    I haven't experienced any EMR issues either for the internal components or the external ones.

  • Dont just go clear... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Cyno01 ( 573917 ) <Cyno01@hotmail.com> on Saturday March 15, 2003 @06:42PM (#5521091) Homepage
    Go UV reactive :D My friend has one of these [case-mod.com], it looks incredible with the UV cold cathodes turned on. And to all the people who say, why waste your money on this crap just to make it look cool. THATS THE POINT! It looks cool, period. It also makes an interestign conversation piece when people are over hanging out around the computer, which seems to have become more of an entertainment hub than the entertainment center in the den. All your dvd players, game consoles and sterio eqip. are nice looking, why settle for a plain beigeish box for your other source of entertainment.
  • If a Geforce FX doesn't take up the entire view, you can see if it's done cooking dinner.
  • It seems like they can design a case that isn't seen, but they can't design a case that isn't heard.

    I count five --albeit cool looking --fans in this case! This doesn't include the power supply fan(s) nor the CPU fan. What ever happened to the ideal of the nice quiet machine? Where's all the innovation on shutting the damm thing up?

    It reminds me of the first beta-Itanuim machine I saw. The machine had eight fans and spun them up in pairs to avoid pulling too much power. The thing sounded like an

  • I am in the market for a new case for my primary computer. I am willing to spend a LOT OF MONEY on one if it looks damn cool (those clear uv-sensative ones are nice).
    I have a big problem with all these "cool" cases though. My computer currently acts as a file server, and I have a Raid0 array for some IO-intensive work I do. This means I have 7 hard drives. This produces a HUGE amount of heat.
    I know I'm not the only one with this many hard drives, and I know I'm not the only one who is conc

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