What do you look for in a case?

[Tobeman]

For my A-Level Design Technology task I am going to make a PC case ( heckle now). You guys, the consumers, are the target market. I need to know (for the research element) what you look for in a PC case before purchase.

Please answer in the above poll and any other feedback you may have on PC cases.

Many thanks

Tobe

Design and make a case to contain the required main components of a standard PC. It should include fully functioning PC workings to show that it can deal with heat issues. It should have visual impact and stand out from the average rectangular beige box design.

[KermitTheFrog]

So for your project - is it just the design, or perhaps making one up? ;-)

[sawyen]

would be cool making an entirely new case.. would love to do it when I get 3 weeks off in Jan..

[Tobeman]

Completely new case, design and manufacture..

[kalniel]

You missed out sound considerations and affordability. Those are my first concerns, following by cooling, then style.

[Tobeman]

Being a one off case price is really not much of an issue, and I'm not intending to platinum plate it or anything Sound can be an issue, but really thats down to the components inside, I know various materials help and hinder the noise output but its not really what I will be focusing on.

If it helps, I've included my design brief in the first post.

[Thorsson]

In order:

1. Cooling/Noise - it's going to keep a lot of expensive components running, but I don't want Concorde in my left lughole. This really means can I fit 120mm fans and are they in the right places. Is airflow good?
2. Expandability - although I'd say this was more a combination of usable space (which is about how it's designed) and features. This also means ability to expand in foreseen directions. Someone installing a huge water cooling sytem is going to have different desires than someone using aircooling only.
3. Price
4. Looks

[kalniel]

I'm just saying that if your market research highlights a need not covered by the design brief, you'll get extra marks. An open cage meets the design brief perfectly but they aren't usable. The case makes a huge difference to the noise - think placement of holes etc.

Also not sure if it's covered in the breif, but here in the EU computer cases have to meet fairly stringent electronic emissions tests - hence why a lot of cases come with tin inserts behind viewing windows - again, extra marks if you take this into consideration.

[Tobeman]

I'm just saying that if your market research highlights a need not covered by the design brief, you'll get extra marks. An open cage meets the design brief perfectly but they aren't usable. The case makes a huge difference to the noise - think placement of holes etc.

Also not sure if it's covered in the breif, but here in the EU computer cases have to meet fairly stringent electronic emissions tests - hence why a lot of cases come with tin inserts behind viewing windows - again, extra marks if you take this into consideration.

Thanks for reminding me, doesnt that effect acrylic cases? If you could fish out any laws and information concerning them to pad my above sentence out this would be extremely useful That would come in my specification which comes after the design brief and relevant research to prove I've learned something from it

Also, own up, who voted for the included PSU?

[killkoy]

I am also doing a level design

[shiato storm]

cooling options have to be expandible and obviously has to be the right form factor to fit the mobo I want to put in it!
included psu's tend not to be that great and colour really isn't an issue so long as its not lime green or bogey...and it can't be an utter eye-sore either.

[dave87]

Mine was really could i fit everything in?, when i bought my antec case i was running 3 hhds, 3 optical drives and a full sized mobo, but didnt want a gigantic tower. Noise came in soon after that, but after installing a delta fan that went out of the window

Hope this helps, and make sure to take lots of piccies so we can see what you did

Dave

[oralpain]

THis is what I look for in order of importance:

1. Ease of use/access (need to beable to work on it without trouble, can't be too cramped)
2. Durability
3. Cost
3. Cooling
4. Noise
5. Expandability
6. Looks (a very distant last)

[Tobeman]

I intend to keep a project log going, merely because it makes it easier for me to do the course (I cant present a project from merely designs to finished product, gotta show some work in between )

Thanks for the help guys, keep the votes coming!

[technophreak]

I look for style, included PSU, cooling and the build quality of the insides (how easy HDD slots are to get to, if they are thumbscrews etc).

[herulach]

Thanks for reminding me, doesnt that effect acrylic cases? If you could fish out any laws and information concerning them to pad my above sentence out this would be extremely useful That would come in my specification which comes after the design brief and relevant research to prove I've learned something from it

Also, own up, who voted for the included PSU?

Basically it needs to be solid metal, or metal grills.

Consider unusual features, for example the crossflow fan is a very good idea imho. youd also need to look into drive mounting options, really good rails might be a bit ambitious, but something like they use on the stacker (plastic sheets with an inset for something to click into) might be doable.

Id personally like to see a case with all the fan cables run through it and just one molex somewhere behind the motherboard tray to power them, maybe with some kind of fan controller. also channels for the sata cables/drive power