*Pop* goes the side panel (i.e. shattered tempered glass side panels)

[80251]

https://new.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/collection/c537d31b-a24a-411f-83a8-3119bc50022b/

Give me old reliable sheet metal side panels any day over this.

 

[nguyen]

yeah....

 

[BSim500]

https://new.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/collection/c537d31b-a24a-411f-83a8-3119bc50022b/

Give me old reliable sheet metal side panels any day over this.

I never did understand this obsession with turning PC cases into fragile miniature greenhouses. Not only would I pick a 'minimalist' window-less, RGB-less, solid side panel every time, one of the coolest running cases I've owned by far was the 9 year old Rosewill Line-M. Despite being "old-fashioned" design (top-mounted PSU), it had 2x 140mm side air intakes blowing the coldest air directly onto the hottest components in addition to another one at the front. One dremel mod later (adding a 120mm air intake above the PSU then flipping that PSU to face up + a few passive top vent holes in the mid-top section (case was positive pressure), and CPU + GPU + PSU + VRM + M2 drive + bottom-front SATA SSD's all had cold air directly blown onto them from outside. Passive & semi-passive PSU's could also vent heat directly up & out of the case with the fan off, whilst VRM & M2 temps were regularly 20-30c lower sitting directly under a 140mm intake vs facing a wall of glass. If you were uninterested in water-cooling and wanted just a straight simple air-cooler, it was a fun build (and at £34 it was 1/2 to 1/3rd of the price of today's delicate art pieces yet still managed to come with 4x front USB ports whilst £100 'modern' cases like the Fractal Pop Air have turned having a 3rd front USB port / reset button / HDD LED into "Case DLC")...

 

[dgianstefani]

The problem is that many case manufacturers don't bother with appropriate mounting, metal hinges on glass with zero buffer.

There are certainly manufacturers that take a better approach, but I suspect having tempered glass on as cheap a case as possible is the main culprit, cost cutting measures are taken.

 

[Keullo-e]

Damn I hate reddit's UI, I simply don't know how to use it; I prefer traditional forums and imageboards.

I was worried of that when the glass side panels were getting more common and I stayed with acrylic ones, but damn these scratch easily. I have an acrylic one on my main system and a glass one on my HTPC, guess which one has seen more life?

 

[dgianstefani]

Yeah acrylic has it's own problems. Well implemented tempered glass in a case with good airflow is certainly better.

 

[AM4isGOD]

Could it be a problem with the quality of the glass?

 

[Keullo-e]

Could it be a problem with the quality of the glass?

Not impossible. Also thermal expansion with no tolerances for it comes to my mind.

 

[Vayra86]

Take note, all of these cases, including the one posted here above, are on the floor.

Pro tip. Don't place your case on the floor, next to your feet... Darwin agrees... common sense has arrived. It wasn't a good idea to place a case on floor level even prior to glass panels, because its the worst place for dust.

'Pop' goes the side panel... yeah... or some fools trying to find excuses for their own stupidity? Build quality... I guess. But there is always a user in the mix here, glass panels don't just say pop because you look at them funny.

 

[Keullo-e]

Take note, all of these cases, including the one posted here above, are on the floor.

Pro tip. Don't place your case on the floor, next to your feet... Darwin agrees... common sense has arrived. It wasn't a good idea to place a case on floor level even prior to glass panels, because its the worst place for dust.

'Pop' goes the side panel... yeah... or some fools trying to find excuses for their own stupidity ?

Depends on where you put it. My HTPC is on the floor, next to the TV shelf so it's practically impossible for me to damage it by accident. Though I got your point.

Also a computer gathers hella more dust when it's on the floor..

 

[AM4isGOD]

agree about being on the floor, computers hoover dust into them if on the floor. Mine has glass panels, o11D, and no way i would have it on the floor.

 

[Vario]

The tragedy of the tempered glass desks. One probably shouldn't put heavy objects on a pane of glass.

 

[Vayra86]

The tragedy of the tempered glass desks

I certainly hope this is not your battle station, if so I'll change my smiley Otherwise... well played. How many kg's are (ahem, were...) on that desk even? Arm, peripherals, heavy PC, two big monitors...

 

[Vario]

I certainly hope this is not your battle station, if so I'll change my smiley Otherwise... well played.

No its from the reddit. If my O11 Air Mini ever breaks its panel, I might make a new one out of thin plywood. I don't really like the glass, but the nicer cases have them now. I think the all mesh trend is about to take over though.

 

[Vayra86]

Browsing that reddit gallery... that's an awful lot of NZXT stuff there

 

[bug]

Same thing happened to smartphones. First, all reviewers were giving accolades for metal cases. Then, one manufacturer (which shall remain unnamed, because we don't want to point fingers at Apple ) started adding glass backs and all of a sudden reviewers felt glass is a must have because "moar premium". Thus today most phones are slippery slabs that cannot be used without a case. Which both negates any design choices and doubles the volume of the phone.

 

[dgianstefani]

The tragedy of the tempered glass desks. One probably shouldn't put heavy objects on a pane of glass.

Tempered glass is a very strong material, and can be used in many load bearing applications if engineered correctly - take glass floored bridges, pools or balconies for example.

The issue is how the glass is connected to the rigid, typically metal chassis of the item or structure.

Take phones for example, tempered glass backs are extremely common, due to having good strength but not blocking wireless charging coils, and in plastic framed phones with an adhesive layer between the chassis and the glass, dropping the phone, unless directly onto a focused point of the glass, is unlikely to cause cracks or shattering due to the impact not being instantly conducted into the glass, but absorbed by the plastic frame. However, for aesthetic and structural reasons, it's trendy to have a slim metal frame, and the glass seamlessly inset with very low margins into that frame - this causes issues with conduction of shock. There is no buffer between the hard, but omnidirectionally strong metal, to the hard, but brittle and unidirectionally strong glass - any shock (for instance the phone being dropped onto a metal corner) is conducted into the glass almost directly, causing shattering or cracks due to stress.

The solution is to use plastic (i mean in the physics sense of the word), buffer zones between the frame and the glass, allowing deformation, and to avoid concentrated impact forces on small areas of the glass, particularly edges and angles perpendicular to the panel (Z/Y axis). In this instance, with engineering design that takes into account the conditions which tempered glass is very strong, you end with a resilient and durable product that can bear load and perform well, while being aesthetically pleasing.

TL DR - glass is misused/applied without consideration for it's strengths/weaknesses in designs, where marketing and form over function "engineers" sacrifice intelligent design for aesthetic reasons.

As a side note, this is also why screen protectors work, and why "bumper" style cases (rhinoshield) also work, despite not covering the glass in question.

 

[Frick]

Take note, all of these cases, including the one posted here above, are on the floor.

Pro tip. Don't place your case on the floor, next to your feet... Darwin agrees... common sense has arrived. It wasn't a good idea to place a case on floor level even prior to glass panels, because its the worst place for dust.

'Pop' goes the side panel... yeah... or some fools trying to find excuses for their own stupidity? Build quality... I guess. But there is always a user in the mix here, glass panels don't just say pop because you look at them funny.

If one uses the desk for many things having the computer tucked away is almost essential. Plus most cases are so very boring looking and having them out and visible doesn't fly with me any more.

I never did understand this obsession with turning PC cases into fragile miniature greenhouses.

Agreed.

 

[bug]

Tempered glass is a very strong material, and can be used in many load bearing applications if engineered correctly - take glass floored bridges, pools or balconies for example.

The issue is how the glass is connected to the rigid, typically metal chassis of the item or structure.

Take phones for example, tempered glass backs are extremely common, due to having good strength but not blocking wireless charging coils, and in plastic framed phones with an adhesive layer between the chassis and the glass, dropping the phone, unless directly onto a focused point of the glass, is unlikely to cause cracks or shattering due to the impact not being instantly conducted into the glass, but absorbed by the plastic frame. However, for aesthetic and structural reasons, it's trendy to have a slim metal frame, and the glass seamlessly inset with very low margins into that frame - this causes issues with conduction of shock. There is no buffer between the hard, but omnidirectionally strong metal, to the hard, but brittle and unidirectionally strong glass - any shock (for instance the phone being dropped onto a metal corner) is conducted into the glass almost directly, causing shattering or cracks due to stress.

The solution is to use plastic (i mean in the physics sense of the word), buffer zones between the frame and the glass, allowing deformation, and to avoid concentrated impact forces on small areas of the glass, particularly edges and angles perpendicular to the panel (Z/Y axis). In this instance, with engineering design that takes into account the conditions which tempered glass is very strong, you end with a resilient and durable product that can bear load and perform well, while being aesthetically pleasing.

TL DR - glass is misused/applied without consideration for it's strengths/weaknesses in designs, where marketing and form over function "engineers" sacrifice intelligent design for aesthetic reasons.

As a side note, this is also why screen protectors work, and why "bumper" style cases (rhinoshield) also work, despite not covering the glass in question.

Or, you know, just don't use the material if it's so tricky to use correctly. I mean it's not like we're short on alternatives...

 

[dgianstefani]

Or, you know, just don't use the material if it's so tricky to use correctly. I mean it's not like we're short on alternatives...

It's not tricky, you just have to be a competent designer. Should we avoid using steel because it rusts? Should we avoid using copper because it oxidises on exposure to air? No, we just take appropriate measures such as alloying and protective covers. There's plenty of established precedent to using tempered glass appropriately. Glass is made from silica or sand, one of the most abundant and easy to process materials on the planet, all it needs is energy to manufacture, which can be generated with nuclear or other clean sources. Lot less polluting than steel or copper extraction.

 

[droopyRO]

Pro tip. Don't place your case on the floor, next to your feet... Darwin agrees... common sense has arrived. It wasn't a good idea to place a case on floor level even prior to glass panels, because its the worst place for dust.

There is a downside to placing your unit on your desk. It can be tiped over or it might fall if you live in an active seismic zone. I have yet to figure out a mount that will secure it on my desk while making it easy to remove when i need to clean or tinker with it.

 

[bug]

It's not tricky, you just have to be a competent designer.

That may work for premium products, but it will fail big time when, as shown, less-than-premium manufacturers want to look like they're offering premium products.

 

[Sithaer]

This reminds me of this vid:

When I bought my first tempered glass side panel case 'In Win 101C' I was also worried but so far it survived 4 years already with maybe a scratch or two on it.
Yes I do keep my PC on my desk and I take care of it and even then whenever I have to take off the side panel I'm extra cautious and I think that should be normal while handling anything glass.

On the other hand my previous acrylic side panel case looked like ass after a few years cause of all the scratches and all the random damage it collected.
Personally I like tempered glass cases and I wouldn't go back to anything else. 'If I break it then thats on me'

 

[bug]

There is a downside to placing your unit on your desk. It can be tiped over or it might fall if you live in an active seismic zone. I have yet to figure out a mount that will secure it on my desk while making it easy to remove when i need to clean or tinker with it.

Yeah, I still miss the days when desktops were engineered to sit on the desk's top (i.e. horizontally, under your monitor).
These days, you have to use a proper desk. One that has a PC compartment so the case doesn't sit on the floor. But these are rather hard to find, most of them are designed poorly and restrict access to the cables at the back.

 

[dgianstefani]

That may work for premium products, but it will fail big time when, as shown, less-than-premium manufacturers want to look like they're offering premium products.

Where do you think "premium" products get their tempered glass from? You think they manufacture it themselves? No.

The issue is production and design related, the autocad "designer" could alleviate most of the risk of shattering/damage by making a couple of inspired changes to the design, at little to no additional material or manufacturing costs.

Again, the issue with this, and most other "inherent problems" is bad design.