Design Project: Attractive Tower Case

[Wagemage]

Hello folks. I'm a design student working on a project and I would like your feedback.

My premise is that most "enthusiast" cases produced by the manufacturers look like they've escaped from a server room, or worse from an LED factory. My own case is a monstrosity that would scare small children. I understand the need for function and airflow, but I suspect that as we gamers age and get spouses and kids, there are fewer and fewer dark corners where we can tuck these monsters. So I'm proposing to design something that would be more aesthetically pleasing to other household members and wouldn't need to be hidden in a gaming dungeon. The guys who build custom stereo speakers use the term S.A.F., for Spousal Approval Factor. I want a gaming case with a high SAF.

My basic criteria:

• Must look at home and attractive in a living room or stylish home office
• Capable of handling a full ATX system
• Minimal case-specific custom components (e.g. small PSU, or low height PCI boards)
• Must have excellent airflow for cooling
• No water-cooling (too much added cost, complexity and maintenance for this application)

I have done some research and the only company that I've found that puts a good amount of thought into their case design is Alienware. While I like those, they are not aimed at a general audience, but at maximizing the cool factor on the gamer's desk. I am trying to put that level of style into something that would look at home in a Crate & Barrel catalog.

I hope this makes sense. I would love to hear any questions or comments you guys have to make. I chose these boards because I knew I would be talking with people who knew their gear and demand the best. If I am missing something tell me. If you know of a product that is doing this already, send me a link. Unless I'm mistaken you guys are my target market, so tell me what you think.

Thanks

Bryan Covington, NCSU College of Design

 

[Concentric]

I am trying to put that level of style into something that would look at home in a Crate & Barrel catalog.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1431832

 

[Cyn1c]

You can go for a Coolermaster ATCS 840 Full tower case or a Silverstone TJ-07. Both are perfect cases with excellent finish and good airflow, plus there's plenty of room to work with.

If you're not on a tighter budget, you can pick up the Lian-Li P80 full tower case. The SAF on all the 3 cases ranges from above average to excellent.

 

[crazjayz]

You can pretty much take any chassis and put it in any sort of furniture, be it a cabinet, end table, etc and it would be pretty much have a high "SAF". Alternatively, you could make the faceplate of the system sleek and minimal as to blend in with other pieces of a home audio set. I feel that many companies already do that (ie: Lian Li and Silverstone).

Now if you want something completely different you can make a iMac-like system, where the system attaches onto the back of a TV screen via VESA mounting screws. Keep in mind this also means that the TV cannot be wall mounted with the system. If you make it appropriately sized for a 32" TV, you have roughly 24" of width,12" of height, and 3" of depth to work with. That means your left with something that's roughly the size of a 2U server case. I don't know if you'd be able to fit an ATX board, but uATX should fit just fine. Make it a high end uATX mobo (Asus Rampage Gene II or EVGA MicroSLI), some PCIe extension cables and voila, you have a gaming system. Catch is, for that size it'll be darn costly.

 

[Wagemage]

Thanks for your rapid and enthusiastic responses. I want to keep this discussion going as this project progresses and you guys are already fueling some excellent thought directions.

Concentric I appreciate that link. That is truly an awesome case and one I would love to own. The choice of mission style is an excellent one considering that nearly all the bits of a modern box are square. However, that speaks to a larger issue of Industrial Design (my field) in that that case would cost a few hundred bucks just as an end table. The addition of a PC chassis would mean that case would cost probably over $500, even with economies of scale involved. What I am trying to come up with is something that has that level of thought towards it's appearance, but that attempts to defy the "tyranny of the box", while at the same time being something that could be mass produced. Two months of loving craftsmanship produces amazing results, but the audience I have in mind doesn't necessarily have access to that kind of skill or equipment and want to buy something off the shelf that looks amazing AND works like a high end piece of equipment.

Not to be difficult Cyn1c, but I would have to disagree with you on the SAF of those cases. They seem, to my eye, to be at best, less offensive to the average home than some of the overwrought monsters out there. They are still metal boxes though. I'm looking to move beyond that paradigm.

Crazjayz, I see exactly where you're coming from. In fact the IMac style all-in-one trend was something that I looked at before I embarked on this mission. My conclusion was that, for now at least, we are forced to choose between something simple and attractive but merely adequate technically and something technically superior but massive and daunting visually.

I haven't looked into the uATX spec, but my research showed that the modular nature of gaming machines requires something that uses minimal specialty parts. I want people to be able to buy the latest new vidcard and not have to worry that it won't fit in their case. While there is a certain geeky joy that comes from fidgeting with and conquering those sorts of problems, I think that should be a choice not a requirement.

This project is a long running one and I'll be all over this thread as I work so please keep the feedback coming. I'll (hopefully) be posting sketches and concepts as those develop. Thanks again. Keep it coming!

 

[crazjayz]

Thanks for your rapid and enthusiastic responses. I want to keep this discussion going as this project progresses and you guys are already fueling some excellent thought directions.

Crazjayz, I see exactly where you're coming from. In fact the IMac style all-in-one trend was something that I looked at before I embarked on this mission. My conclusion was that, for now at least, we are forced to choose between something simple and attractive but merely adequate technically and something technically superior but massive and daunting visually.

I haven't looked into the uATX spec, but my research showed that the modular nature of gaming machines requires something that uses minimal specialty parts. I want people to be able to buy the latest new vidcard and not have to worry that it won't fit in their case. While there is a certain geeky joy that comes from fidgeting with and conquering those sorts of problems, I think that should be a choice not a requirement.

This project is a long running one and I'll be all over this thread as I work so please keep the feedback coming. I'll (hopefully) be posting sketches and concepts as those develop. Thanks again. Keep it coming!

You'd be surprised at what you can get with minimal size these days. I remember looking somewhere around here at some guy who took a mini-ITX mobo (only 1 PCIe slot) and paired it with a GTX295. Dropped something like a C2Q 9550 and while it wasn't OC'ed that much, it still put up quite the numbers for something smaller than a shoe box.

I don't know the exact direction you are going in as far as parts or power, but looking into the micro-ATX direction. Nowadays, they're some awesome stuff in that size since more companies (Asus, EVGA, etc) are looking at enthusiast rigs with small size constraints. I'll post up some of my own designs as well if you would like to further you ideas (even though I've been trying to design a more compact but well priced CUDA server.) Oh, and of course, best of luck with the project.

 

[E.T]

I have done some research and the only company that I've found that puts a good amount of thought into their case design is Alienware.

They don't put any thought except how to sell cheap bling bling at highest price... cooling design of their cases is just something horrible. (and so is number of device bays for size)

 

[Helicopter]

Sounds like you don't want a computer case, more like a computer integrated into a piece of furniture. There's a few examples around of people doing this, I thought about building a comuter nto our TV stand, but I don't want watercooling, and it would have to be due to lack of airflow without cutting up my furniture. As far as traditional cases go, SIlverstone, Lian Li, ABS, even some Rosewills, and Thermaltakes, are some of the more conservative looking, with the first two probably being the most thoughtout in terms of airflow, and design.

The easiest way to integrate a computer into a living room is to use a HTPC case to blend it into a stereo/home theater.

I have done some research and the only company that I've found that puts a good amount of thought into their case design is Alienware.

I'm sorry, but if this is your conclusion after doing research, you need to do more research...a lot more.

 

[crazjayz]

Sounds like you don't want a computer case, more like a computer integrated into a piece of furniture. There's a few examples around of people doing this, I thought about building a comuter nto our TV stand, but I don't want watercooling, and it would have to be due to lack of airflow without cutting up my furniture. As far as traditional cases go, SIlverstone, Lian Li, ABS, even some Rosewills, and Thermaltakes, are some of the more conservative looking, with the first two probably being the most thoughtout in terms of airflow, and design.

The easiest way to integrate a computer into a living room is to use a HTPC case to blend it into a stereo/home theater.



I'm sorry, but if this is your conclusion after doing research, you need to do more research...a lot more.

I felt the exact same thing when I read the first post.