Case Material Aluminum or Steel

[Chewy]

^^ you should get it since its not even really going to cost you much... I seen a steel amour and I didnt like the look of it as much as as the aluminum one trough the window.

 

[zaqwsx]

Well here is a comparison:

Aluminum:

Nice interior finish
Weaker
Expensive
Dose not rust
Better Cooling Performance

Steel:

Stronger
Not so nice of an interior finish
Cheaper
Rusts (for water cooling people that might spill alot of water like me lol)
Not so great of cooling performane

If there are anymore guys just copy and paste this list and keep adding more to it.

Edit:

^^ you should get it since its not even really going to cost you much... I seen a steel amour and I didnt like the look of it as much as as the aluminum one trough the window.

See thats what I mean but now I got to find out how red and silver go together because I got 4 12omm red fans that I got for free from quakecon. Well actuly I paid for 2, both for $4 because they had no more and I wanted 2 more for my radiator.

 

[ex_reven]

Dont base the strength of a case on what material its made of.
Just because aluminium is a weaker material doesnt mean it makes less sturdy cases, it all has to do with weight and design as far as Im concerned.

You can make a sword out of the strongest steel, but if you forge it wrong it will chip and crack like plastic.

 

[zaqwsx]

Dont base the strength of a case on what material its made of.
Just because aluminium is a weaker material doesnt mean it makes less sturdy cases, it all has to do with weight and design as far as Im concerned.

You can make a sword out of the strongest steel, but if you forge it wrong it will chip and crack like plastic.

Well weaker and stroger as in like dents because it easier to dent an aluminum case than a steal case.

 

[Cuzza]

Steel is better for grinding.

 

[ex_reven]

Well weaker and stroger as in like dents because it easier to dent an aluminum case than a steal case.

Are you sure about that?
I havnt noticed any difference when punching my $300 aluminium case and my cheapy $50 sheet steel case. Both get dented pretty equally, the only difference is that my aluminium case is massive and well constructed so it doesnt move when I hit it, wheras the steel case almost fell off my desk lol.

 

[zaqwsx]

Are you sure about that?
I havnt noticed any difference when punching my $300 aluminium case and my cheapy $50 sheet steel case. Both get dented pretty equally, the only difference is that my aluminium case is massive and well constructed so it doesnt move when I hit it, wheras the steel case almost fell off my desk lol.

Well there is a diffrence, you have to get something equal and compare it and aluminum is softer than steal. And then again you said $300 and that means it better be well constructed.

 

[strick94u]

One of the worst cooling cases I ever owned was a aluminum wave case one of the best cooling a steel Antec 900. Air flow, size and internal cooling has everything to do with it.

 

[ex_reven]

One of the worst cooling cases I ever owned was a aluminum wave case one of the best cooling a steel Antec 900. Air flow, size and internal cooling has everything to do with it.

Well said.

 

[L|NK|N]

In my modding experience, I have always picked aluminum over steel, (when I can afford it of course). With the reasons being: that steel is heavier and harder to work with, literally, and in my climate all my systems have ran warmer in steel cases, regardless of airflow and whatnot. It all comes down to try out aluminum once and see how it treats you.

I will say this in addition: It really just boils down to the quality and construction from the manufacturer.

 

[keakar]

I didnt think cases use really thin aluminum. I though there was like a standard for most cases of like what 1mm?

well many aluminum cases do use all 1mm thickness but there are some that use 0.80mm thickness to be able to sell at lower prices and some high end aluminum cases actually use a heavier 1.2mm thickness so there are variations out there. as with anything you buy you need to read "all" the fine print about it to be sure what your getting.

my chassis frame mb panel and drive bays for example are all made of all 0.80 thickness aluminum but the top, bottom, and side panels are all made of 1mm thickness.

using 0.80mm aluminum causes rivets to sometimes become loose and this can cause rattles sometimes but this is easy to fix with a simple replacement of the rivet or squeezing it tight again.

an aluminum case is just as sturdy as a steel case, strength of construction depends more on how it was made and not what material is used to make it.

both have negetives - steel will rust and aluminum dents easier than steel does.

 

[W1zzard]

aluminum does not help for cooling. it is just lighter and looks better than steel when showing the bare metal. also you can anodize aluminum for a nice colored metal look.