QOTW: How often do you upgrade your PC chassis?

[trillo_del_diavolo]

I don't need 5.25 bays anymore, so this Cooler Master case looks obsolete and I must replace it eventually. But I don't do it very often, only got this one (second-hand) because I was replacing an MSI A88XM-E45 with an ASRock full ATX board and the old case was µATX only.

[GravitySmacked]

2007 Coolermaster Stacker 832 reporting in.

[udisy]

Both 'newer' PCs came with case that turned out to be uncomfortable for HDD swapping/not enough space - so i just swap everything into old case from ~2006. Only issues is USB3 ports - had to do some tinkering.

[maxopus]

Hardly ever. I only changed a couple of 6 year old ones last year for USB3. Its so hard to find cases with the buttons & USB at the bottom of the front of the case. For some reason they almost all have them on top these days.

[Millennium]

I'm rather hoping my Fractal Define case will survive. I don't remember if it's the C or the S but it oozed quality making it worth the price and I do hope I can keep it for 15+ years if ATX still around by then!

[kingflathead]

So very, gloriously beige. I still use a Sun Ultra 24 chassis that currently has an Epyc board crammed into it, before that was a Supermicro X9 board, before that was an Asus Rampage IV Extreme, Xeon E5-2687, and three GeForce 680s, before that was a fancy Intel LGA775 board of some kind that didn't survive very long, before that was it's original 65nm Core 2 Quad. The internal SAS hotswap bays are key and I can get (just) enough air flowing through it to support every config I've ever wanted to throw at it, including some pretty stupid ones. I upgraded the power supply to a gigantic beast of a Thermaltake (1275W) and even that fits just fine.

The only thing is, the Firewire 400 ports on the front of it do exactly nothing, and the power LED has been an annoyingly bright teal this entire time, but, all I have to do is stare into that glorious Sun logo and all is forgiven. I don't think SAS cabling is going to stop being useful for Very Large Disks any time soon, it is certainly going to serve me well for another decade at least.

[Korrorra]

Well the case I have now is a Cooler Master Trooper from 2012. Still looking for another one to replace it. So far no luck. Now with all the prices going up. The case and everything in it will likely be around for an even longer haul. Until scalpers and miners burn in everlasting hell. I won't be able to upgrade most pc components anytime soon.

[alpha channel]

Only just changed my 15 year old NZXT Lexa case when building my new one (a modded Coolermaster SL600, took a 92mm hole saw to it to add an air intake for the CPU) largely down to component sizes having gotten to the point where I simply can't fit modern parts into it (I only just squeezed a GTX970 into the Lexa) otherwise I'd still be using it. I'm rather hoping this one will last just as long.

[judge56988]

Still using a Silverstone FT01. A great positive pressure case, well made from thick aluminium, quiet and no reason to change. I've added a front bay for USB3 ports and I still use the disc drive. The only slight downside is that the top fan filter is a bitch to access however that fan rarely kicks in so not really a problem.

[JerryTheC]

Only when I do a new build. So far, I've never needed to change a case once I've put a system together.

Basically, a case is mostly just a box to hold the important bits - and while I like the look of some designs more than others, I don't think I'd switch cases just for something prettier.

As I use more systems, I'll change my preferences based on experience, for when I do another build - For example, my old HP pavilion box has a flap over the headphone/mic and front USB sockets which I find annoying - I don't like doors/flaps which have to be open for normal use - and the front USB sockets are closer than I like.

So when I look for a new case, I'll bear that in mind. Recently picked up a refurbished workstation that has handles at two corners of the (flat, with slightly recessed tray) top, which turn out to be surprisingly useful, as does mostly toolless access - so I'll consider that too. Also used macs at work in the past with the annoying curved top; don't like that at all - being able to put external drives or books or coffee on top is enough to more or less rule out a case for home use that doesn't have a decent flat bit on top (though I might make an exception for a transportable gaming PC - I do like the handle idea, and the asus cases seem to go for handle straps across the top).

I might consider switching to a new case if I needed better cooling or more drive bays - but I usually try to plan for enough bays initially.

[Glyce]

I'm a gamer, so very often.
Had a 2700x, 32gb ram, 1070ti -> 5900x, same 32gb ram, 3090
Wife's pc:
2700x, 32gb ram, 1080ti -> 5800x, same 32gb ram, 3090
We need to make up the lack of skill with insane FPS rates.

Edit: Oh this was about chassis? I need more coffee... anyway, not often, used Nox Hummer ZX or something for the last 10 years. Recently moved the desktops into Phanteks 600s for me and Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2 for the wife.
Also, I only changed the chassis because the Nox cases couldn't accommodate a 280mm radiator on top. Those 5xxx series Ryzens really love them water coolers.

[jnutt]

The only reason I changed to my current case was the eventual failure of the front USB sockets.

[big_hairy_rob]

Back in the early days, advancement in cooling was large and I changed a computer with each build, around ever 2-3 years. Now however, design, airflow and cable management along with general advancements have been slow for years. It's more about the aesthetics than anything else. I've had the same case for about 7 years, a fractal one I won via this site. It does everything I need, and does it very well...

[Friesiansam]

Usually keep mine for at least 4 years. My present case is a Fractal Design Define R5, 4 years old now but, it's a very good case and I expect to be using it for at least a few more years.

[Gentle Viking]

I like 5.25". I need front fans, decent unobstructed (but filtered) ventilation to them, and more than one 5.25 bay. Modern cases just don't provide that.

My Lian li tower have 5 of those bays, I used 2 in the original project, one for fan controller and one for Blue ray drive, and it have 2 X 120 mm fans with filter

[Percy1983]

I upgrade if the current one doesn't do something I need, I will say looking at the current trend I may be stuck with my thermaltake level 10 GT as I just 2 optical drives and 2 usb 3 card readers as well as 4 mechanical hard drives.

This did leave me with a spare 5.25 bay so stuck a USB3/C gen with 2 quick charge pots thing in to add what the case misses.

Also I love how it has proper RGB, it literally does red, green or blue, no unicorn vomit here.