What is wrong with case designers?

Dozoy said:
I still use a floppy drive...it's incredible reliable for flashing or running dos. I also use more than one DVD drive. It's convenient when burning something, installing something with multiple cds, or dragging and dropping from one dvd to the next. Don't be so selfish. Your idea of a case fits 1% of the population.
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To be honest I think it's the other way around - only 1% of people will need a floppy to be flashing their BIOSes and burning multiple DVDs.
 
Concentric said:
To be honest I think it's the other way around - only 1% of people will need a floppy to be flashing their BIOSes and burning multiple DVDs.
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Not many use a floppy anymore, true. A lot of people still use multiple optical drives to burn CD's/DVD's/Blu-Ray disc though, at least in my experience.

BUT, for those who do just want one external 5.25" bay, and that's it...well..there is this case:

http://www.xoxide.com/auzentech-gmc-bulldozer-case.html

Erm...okay, maybe not. :)

Well anyway, Karoth posted this: (START QUOTE): i would also like a case with 1 external 5.25 and 1 or 2 internal 3.5 drive bays.. it is hard to find a small case that still takes full size ATX and full length PCI.

Yes, i could get a jumbo extra large everything and kitchen sink case... but i want something small and efficient.

I understand everyone needs are different, but the market should meet all needs and not just those for loud server wind tunnels or shuttle boxes that don't take standard mobos.
 (END QUOTE)

Well, there's the one I posted above. :D

Okay, to be serious what you descirbed is..erm on the market.

It's called a midtower case.

A lot of midtower cases either have removable 3.5" drive bays, so that one can accomidate a long PCI-E Graphics card, and/or the drive bay faces toward the front, and thus if need be one can put the end of the graphics card into the drive bay, and yet only lose use of one or two HD bays.

Okay, that's not TRULY a mid tower with JUST one 5.25" bay and 2 3.5" HD bays, but it's pretty close, it's not a full tower "windtunnel", and it's not a shuttle box or HTPC case that only takes uATX boards.
 
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This was just a silly thread to start with. Everyone has different needs and hardware configs. That's why there is such a large case variety. Maybe if the op doesn't like what's currently offered, he should buy a Mac. :p
 
dkev said:
This was just a silly thread to start with. Everyone has different needs and hardware configs. That's why there is such a large case variety. Maybe if the op doesn't like what's currently offered, he should buy a Mac. :p
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Wow...

I know you aren't being malicious but that statement came off like you were a #*@)$!

Clearly the OP is looking for something that he cannot find in the marketplace. This fact alone means that someone out there should make a case that fits to this need, because he is not alone and obviously there is a market for it.

And I actually agree, I have one hd, one dvd burner, and one intake fan meaning that there is a lot of space that could be reconfigured more efficiently, and I would love a case that could do so. Huge computer cases are silly and look tacky in my opinion. The truth is that there aren't any smaller atx cases with a 120mm intake and exhaust, because of the paradigm that more drive spaces = better, when it simply isn't true for the majority of users.

The first company that delivers an atx solution that sacrifices the unnecessary drive space but that makes the case smaller, as quiet and cool, without looking stupid, will have great sales.
 
Well let me tell you guys what i'm building and that might explain my needs better. I need a case that will fit the following that isn't gigantic and has direct airflow over all hard drives:
-Full size atx mobo
-rear or top 120mm for corsair water cooler
-5850 from xfx
-single dvd drive
-8x 3.5 drives put into raid 6
-raid card
-2.5 SSD
-3.5 stand alone

I ended up going with a PC-A17 with two 3x5.25 to 4x3.25 and one 2x5.25 to 3x3.5 converters. Its not going to be the greatest thing to look at but it will work. I'll have like 5 lianli logos on the front of my case.:eek: I really didn't think this would be that big of a niche but I guess I am in the minority...
 
natan- said:
Well let me tell you guys what i'm building and that might explain my needs better. I need a case that will fit the following that isn't gigantic and has direct airflow over all hard drives:
-Full size atx mobo
-rear or top 120mm for corsair water cooler
-5850 from xfx
-single dvd drive
-8x 3.5 drives put into raid 6
-raid card
-2.5 SSD
-3.5 stand alone

I ended up going with a PC-A17 with two 3x5.25 to 4x3.25 and one 2x5.25 to 3x3.5 converters. Its not going to be the greatest thing to look at but it will work. I'll have like 5 lianli logos on the front of my case.:eek: I really didn't think this would be that big of a niche but I guess I am in the minority...
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To be honest, I didn't understand that you were looking for case suggestions, as opposed to just posting a complaint. If I knew you were, I would have commented differently. I suspect that most others didn't think you were asking for case suggestions either, just based on their replies.

I'd have to see it, but IMO the Lian-Li like what you did might not look that bad even with the logos?

Um...IMO this case's front fan is ugly as sin, and it has 5 5.25" bays but they are behind a door. And 7 internal 3.5" and one external 3.5" so if you don't find the front fan ugly it may have been an okay compromise:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811215013

But again, the front fan IMO is ugly.

I think the issue is that for a case maker, it's easier to have a few too many 5.25" bays then too few. Since again it does give options, and people can always buy aftermarket bays to convert the 5.25" to HD bays, and some people do honestly fill up 3 to 5 5.25" bays.

Anyway, like I said my replies at least directly to you would have been much different, I assumed you were just ranting, not looking for case suggestions. My bad for that.
 
Arvig said:
Anyway, like I said my replies at least directly to you would have been much different, I assumed you were just ranting, not looking for case suggestions. My bad for that.
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Don't worry, I thought he was ranting as well.
 
Haven't read thru the thread, it's probably been mentioned, but christ... Think outside of your own four walls for a lil' bit.

Plenty of people keep their cases on the floor (never been a fan of it personally), so top-ports work for 'em, plenty of people like to have two optical drives (I do) and maybe a fan bus or LCD/fan display on top of that, or an external drive bay, or a reservoir/gauge, or whatever... And 3.5" bays are still useful for media readers (that's what I use mine for) or simply as an extra bay for additional front-panel ports.

There's probably way more people with those needs than people who would want to stick 15 HDs (or even 10) in a desktop case, that's what WHS rigs and NAS devices are for, no one likes to sit next to that kinda racket.

Personally I'd sooner put in two optical drives (disc-to-disc copying, games that require the disc to play, ripping multiple CDs/movies simultaneously, etc) than more than three HDs in my desktop, I can't see that ever changing. I'll build myself a server, NAS box, or HTPC before I find myself needing more storage than I can fit into 2-4 3.5" bays.

'Sides there's plenty of cases out there that let you slap 120mm fans behind every single 5.25" bay while still allowing you to use bay converters to place 3.5" HDs into those bays, if you can't find any you're doing something wrong. Plenty of bay converters w/o Lian Li logos as well. If not, you could always mod it (I don't think removing a logo would be beyond anyone's abilities :D ).

P.S. As far as the floppy drives/decade comment, I'd love to know how you got thru any WinXP install w/o a floppy drive, it hasn't been that long. :p
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zero2dash said:
I really want more choices in terms of smaller ATX cases than the PC-A05N/NB. Otherwise, it's mATX or a minitower.
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Yes please! I like the A05 but there's not a whole lot more like it out there... Even if you're willing to settle for lower quality stuff. It seems case designers have all but abandoned small/mid-towers, everything's either huge full towers or mATX/HTPC stuff. I lamented the fact that I had to trade my Super Lanboy (not much bigger than an A05) for the TT I'm now using because the GTX260 wouldn't fit in it by like half an inch.

You don't even need to go w/a radical design like the A05 to build a decent small/mid-tower... But there's a general lack of 'em either way.

As far as 2.5" bays... I could care less, I got a nice 2.5"-to-5.25" converter from Lian Li that holds two 2.5" drives (and there's some cheaper plastic ones that will hold three 2.5"), I don't see why you would limit a case's expandibility by designing 2.5" bays that can only be used w/SSDs when you have no idea whether the user will have one OS SSD, two, or a whole array of them for data. Not worth the effort 'till SSD are way more mainstream imo.
 
natan- said:
-8x 3.5 drives put into raid 6
-raid card
-2.5 SSD
-3.5 stand alone

I ended up going with a PC-A17 with two 3x5.25 to 4x3.25 and one 2x5.25 to 3x3.5 converters. Its not going to be the greatest thing to look at but it will work. I'll have like 5 lianli logos on the front of my case.:eek: I really didn't think this would be that big of a niche but I guess I am in the minority...
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If you really find it shocking that the vast majority of users are NOT running 4TB+ RAID 6 arrays then you're either very altruistic or living in a cave, you tell me... Most people would be endlessly happy with your SSD (any decent SSD), let alone a RAID 6 array alongside it. Most don't have either. ;)
 
Well most users aren't running dual full length GPUs either but how many cases out there are designed around that goal?

I agree that everyone will have their own personal preferences. For me, I would like to see a mid- or full-tower case designed primarily around 3.5" storage. Just one, from one manufacturer. I don't expect dozens of different models. Just one. But try as I might, I cannot seem to find a case that fits this role. The cases are either monster 10+ 5.25" bay, EATX behemoths, or they are full-size towers with 4 to 6 3.5" slots. I've settled for the Norco route and thus have a full-length rack mount case sitting on its side making a 800D seem somewhat petite.
 
natan- said:
After shopping around for cases for the last week I didn't find one that did what I need exactly and I don't know what.
1. More than 1x 5.25 bay? How many people actually have more than 1 cd\dvd\blueray drive anyway?
2. External 3.25 drive? What is this 1995? I haven't see a floppy in a decade...
3. Power buttons\expansion ports on the top of the case. I keep my case on my desk, This is just bad ergonomics.

My perfect case would be a PC-X1000 front with 1x 5.25 and all the grill holes for 3x high 120mm or 140mm fans. Then give it the inside from a PC-A70 and extend the HD rack out to be 15 tall or something. I mean seriously, at least then you can stick a bunch of hard drives inside when are you going to have more than 1 5.25 drive?
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What ? Case designers/manufacturers are suppose to make a case designed to your specification and to spend thousands of dollars in design and manufacturing to sell to one person for 100 bucks. What's wrong with you ?
 
Lian Li PC-Q07(MINI ITX) sounds like what you want, so enjoy your new mini itx rig
 
I still don't see the point of the single 5.25 bay requriement. just don't use the bays and only install 1 dvd drive. maybe i'm just missing somthing
 
Nah, you're not, as far as I can tell he's just displeased that he can't line up internal 3.5-to-5.25" bay adapters perfectly and/or can't have a fan behind every single 5.25" bay on the cases he's seen... Which is still silly either way.
 
My case has 6 5.25" bays, I've used all of them. 2 dvd drives, 1 fan controller, 3 slot lian li fan. I wish I had a case with more 5.25 bays so I could put a res in.
 
racebanner said:
+1

(except I have the V2100B, I like doors)
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I was also looking at that case before I purchased my V2000B. But I decided that I like the mesh front.
DSC_0058-1.jpg
 
NukeULater said:
My eyes! They burn!

I have to say, I love my full tower lian li V2000B. 12 internal 3.5" bays and 7 seven 5.25" drive bays. All cases should have this design. /rant
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Oh come now...http://www.xoxide.com/auzentech-gmc-bulldozer-case.html isn't THAT hideous.

Okay, it is. In fact it's worse then hideous. In fact..it looks like the placenta from an aborted Transformer..erm..if a Transformer can get pregnant..were any of them "female"?
 
max 2 5.25 bays... 1 for a optical drive, and 1 spare
3.5 bay is good for flash card readers.
 
I keep my case on my desk, This is just bad ergonomics.
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Indeed, cases should never be on your desk ;)

As for the thread. The only thing I have never seen done perfectly in a case is air flow. There's always a choke point, and it's usually at the front.

The first company that delivers an atx solution that sacrifices the unnecessary drive space but that makes the case smaller, as quiet and cool, without looking stupid, will have great sales.
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Should look into the PC-X500. Very efficient design. Has an open area large enough for a regular ATX sized motherboard with full length GPUs, and a top area with room for 4 hdd's, two external 5.25" and 1 external 3.5".
 
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E.T said:
What the crap?
Small fans and even for that very small size that non-existing weight means there's more plastic than metal in it.
Auzentech must have catched serious schizophrenia to make such trash when their sound cards are considered high. (maybe they next trash those)
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Yes I know. I posted it as a joke. :p
 
The ABS TIGAS is actually pretty good. Although I didn't want to spen 500 on a case from some company I never heard of. Also It is larger than needed with to many 5.25s. Also I would rather not have hot swap. I don't need it and It can hurt airflow over the hard drives. No to mention the back panels can cause problems if they aren't decent quality.
 
natan- said:
After shopping around for cases for the last week I didn't find one that did what I need exactly and I don't know what.
1. More than 1x 5.25 bay? How many people actually have more than 1 cd\dvd\blueray drive anyway?
2. External 3.25 drive? What is this 1995? I haven't see a floppy in a decade...
3. Power buttons\expansion ports on the top of the case. I keep my case on my desk, This is just bad ergonomics.

My perfect case would be a PC-X1000 front with 1x 5.25 and all the grill holes for 3x high 120mm or 140mm fans. Then give it the inside from a PC-A70 and extend the HD rack out to be 15 tall or something. I mean seriously, at least then you can stick a bunch of hard drives inside when are you going to have more than 1 5.25 drive?
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1. Maybe you are the only one, but most of us like to have multiple DVD/BD drives. Also, a 5.25 drive bay IS NOT a DVD DRIVE BAY. You can also put other things such as a fan controller.

2. Again, a 3.5 inch drive bay DOES NOT MEAN IT IS ONLY FOR FLOPPY DRIVE.

3. Most of us keep the case on the floor. There are more cases out there with a power button in front of te case.

By posting this thread, you are saying "I want all cases designed JUST FOR MY NEEDS." If you think you have the ability to challenge the case designers out there, why don't you go ahead and design one of your own? Don't go complain and whining to others.
 
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have you ever heard of a 5in3 hard drive rack? That is a great use of the additional 5.25 bays. There are many folks who use this and prefer it to your 15 tall 5.25 internal rack.

To tell you the truth, if you have any intentions of adding more than 5 Hard drives to a case, you should be using something more user friendly especially with the opportunity for a dead drive and having to search to determine which one is dead. Having 5 1TB+ drives from the same maker would make finding the faulty unit tough, but the 5in3 gives you a much better chance at figuring that out quickly.

Also machine on your desk? Yeah not everyone does this. I don't want to even see my machine on a daily basis. It sits in my 42u rack.
 
natan- said:
Well let me tell you guys what i'm building and that might explain my needs better. I need a case that will fit the following that isn't gigantic and has direct airflow over all hard drives:
-Full size atx mobo
-rear or top 120mm for corsair water cooler
-5850 from xfx
-single dvd drive
-8x 3.5 drives put into raid 6
-raid card
-2.5 SSD
-3.5 stand alone

I ended up going with a PC-A17 with two 3x5.25 to 4x3.25 and one 2x5.25 to 3x3.5 converters. Its not going to be the greatest thing to look at but it will work. I'll have like 5 lianli logos on the front of my case.:eek: I really didn't think this would be that big of a niche but I guess I am in the minority...
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I like how you were complaining about the "overkill" amount of 5.25 bays of cases. You ended up with a case FULL of 5.25 bays. Wasn't one just fine for you? Are you a hypocrite?
 
My perfect case would be a PC-X1000 front with 1x 5.25 and all the grill holes for 3x high 120mm or 140mm fans. Then give it the inside from a PC-A70 and extend the HD rack out to be 15 tall or something. I mean seriously, at least then you can stick a bunch of hard drives inside when are you going to have more than 1 5.25 drive?
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Seems like he got a case that met his needs somewhat. Only a few 5.25 bays, no external 3.5 bays, and a whole lot of space to put HDDs (hot swappable to boot).
 
Ironically the pc-a17 this is the smallest case I could find that will hold 1x 5.25 and 11 hard drives all getting direct cooling. If you have an Idea for something smaller that works for my needs I'm all ears.
 
I agree, it sounds like he found a compromise and went with it. I don't see any hypocrisy.
 
natan- said:
Ironically the pc-a17 this is the smallest case I could find that will hold 1x 5.25 and 11 hard drives all getting direct cooling. If you have an Idea for something smaller that works for my needs I'm all ears.
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Well, nice to hear that you are set with a case that fits you. And now I think you found a way to compromise with the 5.25 bays, right?
 
Compromise was 1x EX-23N and 2xEX-34N. If it had 10 bays I would have gone for 3x EX-332.
 
lkiller1231 said:
Well, nice to hear that you are set with a case that fits you. And now I think you found a way to compromise with the 5.25 bays, right?
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His idea of an ideal case is very far from my idea of an ideal case. And yes, I took his first post to be a rant at first, not a request for cases to look at/buy.

But if he had to compromise from his ideal, why does that matter? To be blunt, it just seems like you're trolling now. Why does it matter to you if he found his ideal case, or had to compromise?
 
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