• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

SSF Case - Is Weight An Issue?

SFF case - Does weight matter?

  • Absolutely, yes!

    Votes: 10 18.9%

  • Kind of.

    Votes: 17 32.1%

  • Not at all.

    Votes: 26 49.1%
  • Total voters
    53
C

CMadki4

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Feb 3, 2011
Messages
4,438
Does case weight matter to you and why?

For a compact aluminum gaming/htpc case in the 7 to 9 liter range, is the weight of the case of any concern? Does weight make a difference in the selection of your case or does quality trump it?

Imagine two aluminum cases: one sheet metal and the other machined plates. Both in the $150 to $200 range. The sheet metal case, formed much like a Lian Li, is relatively light weight. The machined case roughly 20% heavier, but both cases fall into the luxury/high-end category and both are customized to your specific requests.

Not to lead anyone on their answers, but this is kind of my approach to the poll options:
1. Absolutely, yes! It must be light!
2. Kind of. I'd prefer it be light, but it doesn't leave my desk, so I don't care.
3. Not at all. I consider the weight of a case to be pretty low on the criteria when picking a case.

Also, keep in mind the designs I have in mind are compact aluminum cases. So neither are very heavy to begin with. One is just heavy when compared to the other.
 
Last edited:
Unless you are carrying it around or need to hang it on to something, I don't know how weight could be of any significance, as a stand-alone attribute. More weight would suggest more metal being used which most people associate with sturdyness and quality. I just don't care as I rarely move my case and it's contents are much more heavy thanks to oversized cooling these days and a bunch of hard disks.
 
Coming from someone that used to LAN with a fully watercooled first generation antec p180...(85lbs)...Lighter is nice, but if it is at the cost of quality building its not worth it.
 
If you are using as a lanbox (constantly taking it from place to place) then yes, weight is an issue. If its just sitting in one spot most of its life then weight isnt so much an issue.
 
Obviously, in the same $150-200 range, I'd go for high-quality and luxury/high-end over the poor/mediocre quality or low-end choices. Might as well be throwing your money away if you opt for anything else.
 
I voted "kind of" because I do go to a lot of LANs (at one this weekend in San Diego) but I don't think this poll works in general. More "specifically" I guess the OP is interested in what kind of materials and manufacturing to pursue for a case project of a specific price range.

Here is why I don't think the poll works.

1) Weight has nothing to do with true quality. Maybe some mistakenly equate the two, but while they aren't mutually exclusive, they also aren't mutually inclusive.

2) I know a price range was specified, but think about some of the more popular SFF cases lately, the Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced at $50 and the BitFenix Prodigy at $80. I think to some extent many people want "cheap" and then they will mod it.

3) A 20% heavier case would not add much % to the weight of a complete system.

IMO "quality" has more to do with the fact that everything lines up properly, is not "fiddly" to assemble, does not use too much of certain "cheap" materials (AKA molded plastic), isn't flexible after assembly and the overall fit/finish is consistent (no strange gaps between panels, no strange differences in colors between panels).

To me, weight and features have nothing to do with "quality."

However, there is also such a thing as "perceived" quality. ;)
 
Basically, I've always made cases out of sheet aluminum (and occasional steel). But with a few requests for a 3-4mm thick panels rather than my normal 1.6mm has turned me on to machining plates and extrusions to make different style case.

1. I wasn't implying weight infers quality. I'd like to think whether my cases are light as a feather or solid as a meteor their quality speaks for itself. :)

2. I have no intentions (or chance) of competing with mainstream case manufacturers. The services and cases I offer differ from that of the big names of the industry. And clearly not everyone will be interested in dropping $200 on a SFF case. But if you're already putting down premiums on your grade A hardware, why stop at the enclosure? It's like putting an LS1 in a Ford Pento. (of course "sleepers" are pretty sweet too)

3. I agree. And more so, 20% heavier on something that is already really light does add a whole lot.

You are onto something when you say "perceived" quality. There is a certain feel that machined aluminum parts have that a lot enthusiasts (myself included) really like. And from a mfg. stand point machined parts are able to obtain tighter tolerances, and there for much better fit. Fitment on sheet metal assemblies are great too, but a machined fit is hard to beat.

But in short, I'm not debating the quality vs. weight part. I'm really most concerned with the opinion of others that if a case that offered most everything you wanted, but was a little heavier than the alternatives, would it turn you off from it, or would not matter so much.

I plan on making both and the sales/reviews/feedback will speak for themselves, but I love data and a poll here to get some quick draw opinions does have its value.

Thanks for the input Zap and to everyone else who has voted!
 
I prefer a case to be heavier!

Especially if hard drives will be installed. Thin metal cases can be bad for amplifying noises of moving parts.
 
I prefer light but also sturdy. To be honest, more than $100 is a bit steep for a SFF case. But then again that's my opinion. I really hope you could reduce the price to under $100 including shipping so I could jump on this once you are finished with the build.
 
TheMusketeer said:
I prefer light but also sturdy. To be honest, more than $100 is a bit steep for a SFF case. But then again that's my opinion. I really hope you could reduce the price to under $100 including shipping so I could jump on this once you are finished with the build.
Click to expand...
I'd love to be able to get the price down to $100 or below, but with custom hand-crafted cases it's just not doable. I would have to make lots of 500 or more before I could yield those kinds of retail prices and unfortunately I don't have that kind of time.

Plus, when I do cases in smaller quantities I can customize cases to the customer's request and revise almost immediately to the responses and feedback form the community.

Small lots and highly customized hand-crafted cases are my thang :cool:

I do custom cases on demand more than anything, but when I bring my first M3 models to the community they will have some degree of customization built into the price right from the start. So you can take the base model and configure it how you want it, add cutouts, clean or loaded front panel, engraving, etc.
 
Heavy weight should help damp vibrations and fan noise as an added bonus to tighter fitment of machined pieces. Even when taking a box to LAN there is very little carrying involved so weight is not a factor to me at all. I don't even check weight when buying a case.
 
weight matters alot to me, the lighter the better but not at the expense of quality.

some nice rolled alu would be great, i've no problem spending alot on just the case itself. it makes the build more valuable and unique

some vibration dampening fittings to panels would be a great thing to have
 
Weight is a non-issue for me. I used to lug my water-cooled P182 to LANs all the time. That sucker weighed over 70 pounds.
 
Zap said:
OMG I just web searched that on a whim. :D

Ford Pinto V8 450hp (For Sale)
Click to expand...
Oh my... that is special, haha :)

akromatic said:
weight matters alot to me, the lighter the better but not at the expense of quality.

some nice rolled alu would be great, i've no problem spending alot on just the case itself. it makes the build more valuable and unique

some vibration dampening fittings to panels would be a great thing to have
Click to expand...
When you say "rolled" are referring to sheet?

For sound dampening one a few cases I've actually made a neoprene gasket for the panels, such that each section of the case is somewhat isolated from the rest. Really has a nice effect on reducing that "hum" a case with spinning disks and fans can get.

neumein said:
Weight is a non-issue for me. I used to lug my water-cooled P182 to LANs all the time. That sucker weighed over 70 pounds.
Click to expand...
That's heavy! :eek:

I think I could make a SFF case out of solid lead and it would be lighter ;) Hmm... a nuclear blast/EM wave resistant lead SFF case... What's DARPA's email?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top