Video CES: IN WIN Displays Costly but Beautiful Computer Cases (Video) 141
Timothy Lord: Over the last several years, I have been moving more and more to laptops instead of conventional desktop PCs. But that is not true for everyone. Sometimes you need a bigger power supply, bigger hard drive, whatever, whatever reason it is that drives you to have a conventional desktop case. So the ones here range everything from ludicrously huge to vanishingly small. I just got a pretty good look at a case that is not either one of those extremes but it is pretty expensive. It is over $300. On the other hand, it is beautiful.
Sarah Lien: I am Sarah and I just got here. And if you don’t mind, I can give you a little introduction about the D-Frame.
Timothy: Okay great. What are we looking at here, right next to you? We’ve got an interesting pile of parts. And then we have got a case.
Sarah: Yes. I guess once when people get here, they can see the first part is a disassembled case, and they can play with the case, we know. But the cool thing is that we want to let the users build their case by themselves, from zero to completely 100 percent. As you can see, there are some components, but after that we will give you the toolsets, and the side panel glasses, and then you can build it like this.
Timothy: Tell me a little bit about the actual components that are in this case.
Sarah: The actual what?
Timothy: The components.
Sarah: Oh the components? So it is like, we got it with – actually we make all the material as aluminum pipe so that we can easily just install them. And then as you can see there is a shake-proof stand, so that when it is at the bottom, you can actually prevent it from shaking. So that is the most important part. And as you can see, there is a glass side panel, so that you can show off your equipment inside, that is a cool thing. And from here you can see, it is adjustable power supply holder, so after you screw it out, it can move actually, so that you can just fit any other size of power supply.
Timothy: Okay. And it doesn’t come with any of the components in here, you are supplying your own mother board and other accessories?
Sarah: No. It is just this thing.
Timothy: Okay. Now what will this retail for?
Sarah: What?
Timothy: What will this sell for?
Sarah: It sells for like crazy user and actually the MSRP is like $399.
Timothy: Okay. Will this be available worldwide?
Sarah: It will be available for at least Q2.
Timothy: Okay. And are these going to be limited edition?
Sarah: The important thing is that it’s limited edition. Actually there are only 500 pieces globally. And we are going to have an orange edition and there is a red edition as you can see.
Timothy: Looks like they have plenty of airflow.
Sarah: Yeah. Right. Especially it is open air cases, so even without fan, you will have a great remote solution.
Timothy: I see this one is quiet even though you’ve got three pretty big fans down there.
Sarah: Exactly.
Timothy: You can run it nice and quiet that way.
Sarah: Yeah. Right.
Timothy: Sarah, thank you very much. Is there anything else that you want to tell me about these cases?
Sarah: Thank you. No I think that will be all. But you will like to have one. This is really cool. And it makes you a big space so you can upgrade any equipment you want. So that we want to introduce. This is In Win. Thank you.
Timothy: Thanks very much.
Not really like a Lamborghini (Score:5, Insightful)
More like a Lamborghini replica kit. It looks cool (or horrible, depending on your aesthetics), but it doesn't actually help you go faster.
Oh no? (Score:2)
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Faraday cage? Please this isn't 1990 with a bleeding EF power supplies, and mobos.
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I used to keep my cell phone on top of my PC case (windowed). It took me 1 HDD, 2 graphics cards, 4 sticks of RAM, and 6 months until I realized what the problem was. :\
I always wondered why it seemed like my RAID software was constantly verifying/correcting errors.
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Yes, GSM phones can easily make a quite audible bit of feedback into the audio range. One of the answers when this came up before [slashdot.org] goes into why it happens. Thinking that EMI impacting computers is an ancient, solved problem is pretty ridiculous. Anyone who doubts this should move a microwave oven, a wifi receiver, and a 2.4GHz portable phone next to each other until they've realized they're wrong.
That said, the audio signal in the GSM phone ringing case is probably coming through the audio cables outside
Defend yourself against sneaky behavior. (Score:1)
Here in the U.S. there is a big effort to do that with food.
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For even $50 can you get a decent case?
I mean aluminum not steel, and no sharp edges, at least full ATX. I last bought one 14 years ago and it cost about $50 then.
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I think the one I have from ~2000 is an antec or an antec clone of some kind.
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I was referring to the year 2000, which is about when I bought it. Believe it or not we had computers back then.
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Out of aluminum? Maybe from Lian Li, but the price has gone up and I think their cheapest cases are going for around $70-80/pop these days for their decent mid-tower cases and you don't have to worry about sharp edges or anything. A bunch of their stuff is on clearance right now now too, so you can get some pretty good discounts. Otherwise cooler master if you don't mind steel cases, they round out all the edges and nothing is sharp. Even on their cheapest cases.
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What is all this "without sharp edges"? Toughen you wooses! Grow a pair for cripes sake.
Funny you say that. Back about 15 years ago when I was working in a small shop, when there was no such thing as "cases with non-rounded edges" a guy I was working with sliced his finger to the bone, and clean through a tendon. You realize it takes them about 8 seconds with a buffer wheel to remove those sharp edges when they stamp the part out from the sheet metal.
Even on cases that I buy where the edges are sharp, I pull them apart if they're unfinished on the inside and buff the edges down. I've been c
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It's steel, not aluminum, but I just bought an Antec 300 for about $50. Top and back fans, 9 bays, Midsize ATX. Black. No annoying windows or lights.
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The reason they make hugely expensive computer cases is not so they will sell a lot of them. The reason is that they want to manipulate people into thinking paying more is sensible. So, by advertising very high prices they may sneakily get people to pay $50 when before they would only pay $35.
Here in the U.S. there is a big effort to do that with food.
So by that token then you're saying that paying all that money for iPads and iPhones is sneaky? I mean Apple is very, very profitable so they must be overpricing their products yet people are standing in line to buy them. That's sneaky. I
As for food, let's see there's a lot more people on the planet, there's drought in the US where most of the food is produced, that would seem to be a problem of supply and demand problem, while a fact of economics I think it has little to do with being sneaky, that is un
Timmothy, man, you gotta lose the glasses. (Score:2, Interesting)
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"I'm hawking some crappy overpriced gadgets. You've probably never heard of them..."
Apple iPhones?
In the eye of the beholder (Score:1)
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Because, even if it was a truly open case, you would still need airflow to avoid overheating... duh.
Reusable... (Score:5, Interesting)
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Ditto. I have an Antec Solo that I've used for 3 upgrades now, and maybe had it 6 years also.
It serves me well. It has 4 external 5-1/4" bays that I only use 1 for a DVD drive... the other 3 have 3-1/2" disks in them. And it has 4 internal 3-1/2" drive bays with disks and 2 slow speed 80mm cooling fans right in front of them. Antec put a washable filter in front of those intake fans. I've put a slow moving 120mm fan at the back and the power supply fan, also 120mm, makes it all super quiet.
The case is thic
As someone who has bought $300+ cases... (Score:3)
I think this looks like a pretty terrible one. First, I'm not looking for an Ikea case. if I build it myself, I expect it to be customizable -- I should be able to piece together various parts like an erector set to build something unique and perfect for the parts I put inside, not have only a single design. What's the point?
Second, an open-air case sounds like a bad idea. There's going to be no control over airflow here so despite what the woman in the video says, I think cooling will probably actually be
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I thought that with my last case purchase, a Corsair 800D. I do love the case but now I'm thinking I would quite like to attend a LAN event or two at some point, and this thing is huge and weighs a ton. Just taking it out to the workshop to blast the dust out a few times a year is enough to make me think an aluminium or even plastic case might be a better idea. Maybe something slightly smaller too. It does look the part sitting under the desk mind, and has brilliant cable management and has to be the easies
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Seriously, I bought a Cooler Master Wave Master Quiet Ultra Pro, or some other ridiculously named contraption, in 2003 for $150 and it's the only piece of hardware still going.
That said, it's on its last legs as video cards are too big and hot to be as cramped as they are in this case, so I'm going to get the Level 10 GT [newegg.ca] and run that til its wheels fall off.
The case also, at least for gaming PCs, helps a lot with temperature management.
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Not sure why the link got parsed, but isn't linking. Actual link: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133188 [newegg.ca]
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I am actually a bit surprised people are not willing to pay more for cases, since it is one of the few parts in a computer that can be reused after many upgrades.
Remember the original Slot 1 ATX boards?
No sooner did a lot of tower cases with lots of 5.25" external bays get sold then they went back to sockets and added a couple more inches of depth to the boards and you couldn't flush mount cd decks and mobile hard drive racks anymore.
Spending big on a case is just begging them to change something and obsolete them again.
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My vote goes to monitors.
I know people who will pay $400+ for a video card, and then buy a crappy TN panel display on sale for $130. I can't even look at TN panels due to the viewing angle being so narrow, it causes a stereographic effect that makes my eyes blur. Seeing how a display is something that you look at all day and will probably not replace for 8 years, I've always wondered why there's so many cheap, horrible displays on the market.
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...because the market buys cheap, horrible displays, so that's what it supplies.
It's not a new problem; it goes waaay back.
I find it hard to generalize TN panels like that. I've seen some that are quite horrible, and some that are quite OK, and neither age not manufacturing date seems to have much to do with how it actually looks in normal use.
That said, you can have my IPS-paneled NEC 2090UXi when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.
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Where are you buying $1000 cases (since you mentioned the 100x claim).
Re:Reusable... (Score:4, Informative)
http://www.murderbox.com/ [murderbox.com]
$1,200 dear god is it beautiful.
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... I certainly wouldn't spend that kind of money on it.
Also, it doesn't look *too* dissimilar from some of the Antec cases you can get for less than 1/5 of that price.
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Oh totally. It's insanely overpriced. $1,200 gets you the watercooling kit as well, But even still, nowhere near $1,200 good.
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Sure it is.
Reading upon it, it is really, really well designed. Good industrial designers are hard to find and not cheap.
I wouldn't pay 1200 dollars, but then I wouldn't spend 250K for a Ferrari. Doesn't mean it's not worth it.
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Worth is a personal value call. If I'm not willing to ascribe a value to something, it's not with that value.
The case is well crafted, it uses good parts, both the aesthetic and functional design is impressive, but it's still not worth $1,200.
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Or... I have an Antec NSK 2480 [antec.com] for my MythTV system. I painted the front panel black enamel and it looks like a home theater component. It's about $120 from Newegg / Amazon. Super quiet.
I put a blue Crystalfontz 20x2 LCD display [crystalfontz.com] I had laying around in the upper bay (edges and mount also painted black enamel) and the DVD reader (black front) in the lower. LED encircling the power button glows blue.
Very nice, if I say so myself.
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it's nice. Looks like the xbox 720 or something
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Where are you buying $1000 cases (since you mentioned the 100x claim).
Made of wood... and brass and glass and what not [datamancer.net]
Re:Reusable... (Score:5, Informative)
Wood is terrible for heat dissipation and blocking electromagnetic interference. There's a reason we use aluminum.
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" blocking electromagnetic interference"
for the vast amount if places and homes, that's not a key requirement anymore. The components have gotten really, really good.
If I was running a arc welder near buy, or industrial equipment, sure. But the home? not really needed.
Before you replay, I want you to think of all the computers around your house they come wrapped in plastic.
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The point of shielding is not to keep the arc welder from interfering with the computer, but to keep the computer from interfering with radio transmissions.
Further reading [fcc.gov].
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One does not need shielding to achieve FCC compliance on any digital circuit. Simply good circuit design theory.
The difference between a motherboard which has been FCC certified (there are lots, even though there's no requirement for it) and one that isn't is usually the cost of certification. Chances are your PCI-E or memory buses will crap themselves due to interference long before one of your motherboard components radiates enough EM to actually affect something outside of the device.
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I've observed that my machines run glitch-free for years at a stretch with the side panels off while I can't get a broadcast AM receiver to work anywhere inside of my house with the computers running, with FM being almost as bad.
Because computers don't radiate enough of anything to affect something outside of the
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I'll take your anecdote and give you mine. I have three computers in wooden boxes. Two have been through 4 sets of complete upgrades, and one has been through 2. That's 10 motherboards, video cards, and I think about 4 or 5 powersupplies as well.
I have never had a problem with RF, not FM, not TV, nor do I have a problem receiving or transmitting on the 2 metre. My marine VHF receiver works well in the garage which is opposite one of the computers too. I have no problem with any of the UHF bands both CB radi
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I was going to attempt to craft a meaningful reply, but then I realize that there would be no point: One cannot convince a paper engineer of anything while they're waving their dick^H^Hploma around.
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The case is not supposed to dissipate any heat; it is not a heatsink - it is a conduit. Unlike aluminum, wood is heavy and is much more effective at damping sound. A case made of 3/4" plywood will be heavy enough to not transmit any sound through the walls. Make zigzag entry and exit conduits and all the noise your computer makes will not make it out. While you are at it, you may as well make the case into a desk with a removable access panel.
Those Star Trek consoles really are a good design for today's com
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Wood is terrible for heat dissipation and blocking electromagnetic interference. There's a reason we use aluminum.
I'll keep that in mind next time I try a wooden heatsink. Fortunately over the years I've only ever used wood for cases, and despite running some ludicrous gaming rigs in my time heat and EM is not something that has ever, nor ever will be an issue.
Your theory about heat breaks fails to take into account that the massive volume of air inside your case is a brilliant insulator. Aluminium only works well when directly coupled. There are a few cases on the market which couple the CPU to the side of a case with
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My computer has a plastic case (like most laptops) and does not have a problem with EM...
I am looking at cases at the moment and thinking about my next desktop. The price of this computer is not the problem as like others have said, the case is the one component that last through several incarnations of the desktop computer. I want a good strong case that will evolve with the computer. I will however want a case in which I can design and control the airflow and this case does not allow that. Most people
wtf (Score:2)
For $399 I can easily get a full tower that has everything I jus
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You can do a lot better with a wide open case [odroid.com] (it's a 6cm cube if you wonder about size) for a sweet ARM 4-core 1.7-2.0GHz machine. This kind of gear used to cost over $800 early last year, this one [hardkernel.com] is $89, or after including 64GB disk and other "optional" components, shipping, etc, $226. And instead of RasPi's ~$100 toy, you get a fully capable, perfectly quiet computer.
Crap, the above paragraph makes me sound like a shill :p
Awful (Score:1)
Yuck. My opinion is that it's over $300 and ugly. There really haven't been good cases made since IBM's PS/2 line, which was carefully thought out to be easily opened using a nickel and one's hands. It also had internal moldings to channel air to the right places and foam on the inside of case to deaden noise.
Beautiful?!? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Beautiful?!? (Score:5, Funny)
How many people really want a bright orange monstrosity on or under their desk that screams, "LOVE CHILD OF A COMPUTER AND AN ERECTOR SET!!"?
Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to...
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Amen, I'll stick with Silverstone cases - minimalistic design, well engineered, and quiet. Why do enthusiast cases have to be lit up like christmas trees or look like they came out of some teenage mutant ninja turtles cartoon. Efficient and functional design in and of itself can be beautiful.
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It is ugly and badly designed. This is a case for people who like bicycle parts who have absolutely no knowledge about computers.
The open air design along with all those fans means it will be loud and it will have horrible air flow.
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No, it doesn't. I swear to god I'm going to start a skeptic podcast that just deals with computer bullshit people like you spout.
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Do people really buy 30$ cases anymore? (Score:5, Interesting)
From a person who builds his computers still from components instead of ordering from prebuilt systems, I used to buy the lowest cost cases. After many a times where the cases were made shoddy, sharp edges, bays that had screw holes that didn't line up, etc, i opted to try out the more expensive cases (70-120$) and boy was i impressed. Anyone who's had to deal with the no brand name cases, and then put together a antec p182 or antec 900 is in a world of difference. Cable management, fan filters, vibration gromits, extra airflow from properly designed and positioned case fans, etc. Not to mention they use thumbscrews as much as possible, are pleasing to look at, come with extra cables. My own p183 came with a special ssd bay when ssds were just started to be made and getting popular.
Sure it's a niche market and artsy cases aren't usually worth it, but don't knock well made cases that are reasonable until you actually put together computers and experience the difference.
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Antec's support is great, too. I didn't have a 3.5" drive bracket for a case I purchased from my friend. I emailed them about how I may purchase one and support basically told me to go down to their office and they'll give me the part for free. They also threw in a bunch of rails, extra screws, grommets, and other brackets.
Guess what brand of case I will buy next?
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vibration gromits
That's a hell of an idea; if you could just get 'em to vibrate 180deg out of phase with... oh, did you mean anti-vibration? :)
Yes (Score:2)
Yes. Yes they do. Computer construction is usually a one off event for nearly all users out there. Sharp edges, screws which don't line up are issues that plague you for half an hour and then never again until the next computer.
People refuse to spend $100 on things which plague their lives every day or every week. Don't underestimate how cheap people in general are.
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No, now I buy used cases cheap.
My only big problem is rails. My last machine was in a Logisys X-Blade (yes, that old.) I contacted them and they sent me an assortment of rails for ten bucks. My current case is a Thermaltake Shark. I contacted them and they told me they could not send me trays for love nor money. So now I'll never buy anything from Thermaltake again, because I know they don't support their older hardware. They have an online store for selling spares, but they don't make parts for old cases i
Too much bling (Score:2)
Transparent looks cool for a couple weeks untill the fuzz starts getting in everything. Then you find out what "detailing" the inside of a computer really means. It's not long before you just want a basic nice looking [newegg.com] case back.
Still Waiting (Score:1)
I'm still waiting for a decent small form factor case.
The PC industry is still putting out these huge ugly boxes. Even the Mini ITX cases are cumbersome ugly boxes.
Frankly, it disgusts me that WIntel companies haven't followed Apple more. Small, sleek, minimize the wires(size and quantity).
Nobody needs 5 or 10 expansion bays anymore, everything is on the motherboard. Shrink the PSU, use a big, slow, quiet fan and put it all into a small sleek case!
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I have used both and am quite impressed.
The Bitfenix is a bit "cheaper" feeling than the LianLi, but better for CPUs needing better cooling.
Agree on the PSU, though.
Horrible (Score:2)
$399 is not "over $300" (Score:1)
It's four hundred dollars.
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They know their market (Score:2, Funny)
I thought it was funny that she said it was only for people who are crazy. In other words, they have too much money on their hands.
Small Mini-ITX fileserver case? (Score:2)
While we're on the subject of cases, does anyone have any recommendations for an inexpensive, small mini-itx case with good cooling that can hold five (or more) 3.5" disks and a 2.5" disk?
I like the LIAN LI PC-Q25B, but at $120 (without a power supply), it's more than I wanted to spend.
I don't care so much about looks, but I'd like it to be as small as possible (so don't want a Micro-ATX case).
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Check out the Fractal Design Node 304 [fractal-design.com]. Newegg has them for $89. It can holds 6 3.5" disks, a double slot video card and a tower CPU cooler. It doesn't really have a dedicated 2.5" slot but I would think you could stash it somewhere with some double sided foam tape.
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Costly but beautiful computer cases... (Score:2)
I have a Cooler Master Haf X full Tower that came with a 1 KW power supply and 3 or 4 10 inch variable speed fans, clever wire routing grommets and accessibility options to get at both sides of the motherboard, front side USBs, card readers, external sata connectors and enough plugs and wiring to hook up every accessory you could think of, all for less than the cost of that case. And it's also not ugly.
Epic fail (Score:1, Insightful)
13 year old Ripof (Score:5, Funny)
http://www.envador.com/cases/PVCII/ [envador.com]
Commercials? (Score:2)
Expensive cases can be 100% justified (Score:2)
I can't see the video (why slashdot has to use its own not working for me, flash player instead of youtube, who knows) and from the other posters, it sounds like its just flashy. However there is much to be said for putting down a few hundred for a good case.
About 7 years ago I purchased an thermaltake armor fulltower case ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133021 [newegg.com] ) to replace my then aging and not enough drive bay 90s era full tower. This was probably the best decision with regards
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It does. However, it's from people who are into a particular look or style. So for a specialty case, yes its worth it. Will you like it? too subjective.
Wow! (Score:2)
I don't think wow! is really the comment one can make. Lian-Li has made (and still does make) many of it's full tower computer cases with MSRPs $100-$200 more than this.
Anyone who thinks that this is somehow special, or thinks that the price will prevent it from being a major hit is quite out of touch with the gaming community.
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Good Old In-Win (Score:1)
It's nice and all, but they just need to bring back their Q500 Full tower case.. that's the stuff that late 90s builds were made of.. Built my first personal system with one..
One small difference... (Score:2)
Best website since geocities went down (Score:1)
Tried to look at their website, but with all that loading, blinking and moving stuff 14 seconds was all I could endure.
They're just better... somehow... (Score:5, Funny)
Yes, they are expensive, but the bits processed by these cases are warmer. True computerophiles can detect this.
Nice to see good design, but what about $$ value? (Score:2)
I am very pleased to see some good case design. I really like having a case that is fun to look at. (The odd thing with non-computer types is if they see a really snazzy case, they assume you've got some sort of super computer under the hood!) This one is a little interesting, but I don't think it is $400 worth. Myself, I recently got a lot of bang for the buck modding some NZXT Phantom cases. They've already got a very nice sci-fi design and look like props from Mass Effect. They are $90 shipped [tigerdirect.com] at TigerDi
Antec Case (Score:2)
This is probably the best case I've ever purchased:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129093 [newegg.com]
Too bad it's discontinued :(
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Discontinued, but still available for $110. http://www.frys.com/product/6708525 [frys.com]
Also, hello again Brien King. But you knew me under a different username.
Scripted? (Score:1)
Interviewer: And uh and.. how many are.. are these.. are these going to be.. a limited edition? ..
Company Rep: Oh! The important thing is that it's limited edition
Expensive? (Score:2)
RF MUST be a problem with this (Score:2)
How on earth would they expect this to pass any RF or safety tests?
Computer safety gear. (Score:2)
Looks like a roll-over cage for a computer. Handy if your computer crashes.
That's not expensive. (Score:2)
Just A Rust-Oleum Can Away From Perfection (Score:2)
Orange? Whoa. Fortunately, the case should be easy enough to strip down for a re-spray.
Eh? (Score:2)
90% of the cases on that slashvertisement site looked like a bunch of 90's fugly rejects... and the flash, gah, make it stop.
I wouldn't pay $40 for one of those.
Good thing it doesn't come assembled... (Score:2)
...otherwise I'd never be able to get it home in my Lamborghini.
It's for the crazy user! (Score:2)
Windows 8. It's for the crazy user!
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