I spend a sick amount of time looking at cases. I am very picky and only find a few to be interesting. In part, my problem steams from the fact that I do like front doors on cases. Although I am now planning to mod a PowerMac G5 case, partially because Apple has decided to stick with the exterior design, I still wanted to a place to post and discuss cases that are available off the shelf.

This thread is supposed to be about slick, minimal, well-designed cases in the spirit of Apple.

If you are interested in obnoxious caes with glowing bullshit, please post somewhere else.

Akasa Zen:

http://www.akasa.com.tw/akasa_english/spec...ak_zen_01wh.htm



http://www.akasa.com.tw/akasa_english/spec...ak_zen_01bk.htm



http://www.doomedpc.com/?q=node/155

i know what you mean bofors! i hate all the stupid windows and glowing crap! the best i could locally which was reasonably priced was a Thermaltake Tsunami.... it does have a window but im not going to install all the glowing stuff and i liked the internals of the case as everything is tool less.

Don't flashing lights and stripes make PCs go faster? like if you give em' a good kick?

Seriously, the white case is really nice. I always preferred the look of apples white products over the metallic feel the pro machines have.

Yeah these boxes are Ok, they are good for OS x86

and this one



Bofors, im sorry i just had to i couldnt resist

Now seriuosly, i dont like the white one, the fan ont the side bumps out, and the grill will make too much noise

almost the same as my setup....

At one point when I thought about building a new system I was looking at this case. I think it as close as you can get to the G5 case. I totally agree with you bofors I hate flashy lights and windows.

I picked up a used Power Mac G5 case on eBay, in great shape. 60.00us!!!
Bring on the Dremel tool!!!
Tommy

I have a centurion 5. Simple elegant design.

Suntek Vivid in white....looks like a crossover of the PowerMac G4 (which i owned before) and an iMac.

Google for it and you will see.....works in harmony with the ProKeyboard.

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16811119068



COOLER MASTER Centurion Micro: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16811119089

Cheap case 48.99$. High gloss piano finish. Its cousin Apex TM-302-3 got very good review.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16811154066

I'll drink to the Cooler Master cases. I currently have a mini-ATX board in the Centurion 532 and this thing breathes. I have not seen my processor get past 105F under full load.

Ok now to be serious, if you want a slick case for OS X get a Antec Sonata or any other Antec for that matter , they are teh best cases, i have one and they work like a charm and are very quite and sturdy.

Check them out here

Watch out for microBTX os x86 compatible boards like the one I have running (intel gcz945). There are barely any microBTX cases out and most are really expensive for what they are.

Check out these 2 Antec cases.

P150: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16811129166

Solo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16811129018

for all those with the G5 case fetishes.. before you decide to slaughter a PowerMac case and realize that it will look like a right mess with the IO ports, and dremmel heaven.. take a quick peak at this..



it's the lian-li v1000.. and yes a little pricier, but you can just drop an ATX standad board in it with minimum probs ;-) i would have liked it more with just one 5.25 slot for DVD-R

i am also looking for the ultimate case, and this is one that I'd buy if I didn't already have another old skool lian-li case that I like. until there is a an IO panel ATX kit for the G5 case, this is the path i'd take.

i also agree with bofors.. those fishtank pc's make me sick.. my girlfriend has made me open all our electrical appliances and break / disconnect all the leds in the house ;-) and guess what the things still work perfectly without little annoying lights!

here's an excellent review of the case aswell: http://www.dansdata.com/pcv1000.htm


I just got word that there is an updated version to this case.. it's the v1200, and has an updated cooling handling.. apparently.. it weighs a little more and is even pricier, but might be worth it (?) anyone with experience please tell us. ;-)

my nerd wet dream would be to have this in white but they are only avail in silver / black..

cheers

osxG

Ok, just one more in spirit of Apple. Brushed metal front with black piano finish!!

Out of curiousity... which case did you go with?

(we have the same board)

I was considering modding one of the G4 MDD cases. Right now I still have all the parts shoved into an ATX tower laying on it's side.

Yeah i also got a Centurion 5 Case. Really nice and great Airflow thrue the Frontgrill.

I got an Antec Sonata II for my OSx86 box. I think it is good but not great. My gripes include the door and the more importantly the cheap "chrome" / glowing blue piece of crap that Antec stuck the front ports with on what would otherwise would have been a respectable case in my book:

[img]http://common.ziffdavisinternet.com/util_get_image/10/0,1425,sz=1&i=101310,00.jpg[/img]



Yes, these two were the next on my list actually (and I still might end up buying one).

Antec P150:







Antec Solo:

thx kiko/bofors.

i think i will pick up the Antec P150 from my local pc shop when they stock it (end of this month).

this case is perfect for my girlfriend ;-) she hates pc's but needs something to store her picture collection of ville vallo on, and I had to do something with the old motherboard / cpu that didn't run OSX well enuff.

cheers!

osxG

ASUS TM-211

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16811173014



ASUS TM-210

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16811173013

ASUS TM-211 looks good.

Indeed, the Akasa one shown in the beginning are also nice.

i got one of these and i think its a really cool looking case... i could have done without the window but its not a biggie.

COOLER MASTER Centurion RC-534-SKR2



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16811119112

Here is the case I use, http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=90511#

Q-Tec G5 (silver, there's a black version too):

Link of a guy working on it: http://forum.techzine.nl/forum/list_messages/66161 (if anyone could translate that would be cool to know what he was doing, because apparently he changed the front... and it looks nice).

AeroCool Masstige:



http://www.xoxide.com/aerocool-masstige-case-silver.html

THis case is also known as a Linkworld 431-06. I have my hackintosh in this case, the silver version that is. I filled it up completely (and unusefully) with floppy-drive (not supported in OSX anymore) and DVDrom+DVDRW though in essence only the DVDRW is needed.

It's a nice case the only niggle I have is that the plastic door at the bottom (where the front audio and USB ports are) is painted silver on the outside but not on the inside/backside. The inside o/t case at the USB/audio mounts is luckily painted silver (so I could remove the doorpannel if needed). The assembly is not high class e.g. but the first impression is not bad.

The case comes suplied with a very silent PSU 420W.

Considering its cheap price its not a bad deal even with the not so hot build quility. The inside is roomy enough and easy to put all the standard stuff inside. In my case: Full ATX mainboard, PCI-E GFX card, DVDROM, DVDRW, Floppy and 1 S-ata HDD

Regards,

EPDM

Basicly. He cut out the front completely except a slim border on which he mounted a new front made from real metal (more like a real G5). Then he made a hole to mount the reservoir for his watercooling (approximatly where the floppy drive used to be. He removed at the back the mesh for the extra fan to put the pump o/t watercooler.

The rest o/t pictures are self explanatory. In the end he writes that the case isn't finished yet. For instance there's no power/reset button. And he wants a new sidepanel. Changing hte DVD-tray with a metalplating, He's gonna put some display above the DVD-drive (made the space and covered it momentarily with metal mesh. This the part that remained original at the 3rd picture where only the adjusted front is vissible). And he wants to change the extra fan with one containing UV-reflective material.

Apparantly he's got some plans

Oh it's for a windows PC to take at LAN-parties not for a Hackintosh

Regards,

EPDM

i absolutely love my CoolerMaster Centurion 5 case! i wanted it ever since i saw it about 3 years ago in 'maximum pc's dream machine'!

the ONLY minor issue i have with it is the front fan on the case. with the black mesh and a fan behind it - about 3 weeks afterwards, you'll physically see dust on the mesh exterior (in front of that fan) but a simple burst or two of canned air and it's gone. sweet case and ~$45 or $50 at newegg.

I just got back from looking at the Centurion 5 (again) at CompUSA, I am still struggling to figure out which case I want for my new Conroe build: http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=26508

I don't like the front fan either, it is too small, 80 mm. I would probably rip it and its bracket out, and install two 120 mm fans instead, one in the external drive bay cage. Otherwise, this is great case for dirt cheap. NewEgg actually had the Centurion 5 going for about $33 after $10 rebate a few days ago. At the price, I am not going to feel any guilt about moding it.

I personally like the jou jye case CF-2029

http://www.joujye-computer.com/pccase_cf-2029.htm

It looks much better in real than these photos. They have a beautifull gloss paint and the front is a thick plexi plate with sturdy mounts. This is a very simple case, no doors, simple layout with standard bays. But this case gives its own distinctive style. I think that especially the black one is absolutley gorgeous. I have a beige one myself although they also have a lighter tint leaning more towards white.

They also have some variants of this case like the CF-2129 but the simple one CF-2029 is IMHO the most beautifull (less is more certainly applies here). But as I said in photo it looks lame. There's also a mini-tower version of this case too. Again I think the standard midi-tower looks the best.

If I hadn't already had this linkworld case I'd have gotten that CF-2029.

I just would have liked 2 blue leds in the case instead of blue-power led and orange-HD led.

Regards,

EPDM

Yes, those Jou Jye look nice:





But I am not sure if they are sold in North America.

Ultra Grid:



http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Se...p?EdpNo=2151751

Which is a cheap (eww!) clone of this:



It's where my OS X install is going, love it or hate it

AH

My case :

i think what better will be case with same structure as G5 case.
1) aluminium
2) a well thought-out airflow (why G5 are so silent? because they have a good airflow system, total 7-9 fans at slow speed make good airflow and they are inaudible)
3) case with "zones" for mobo, hdd, psu.

i think what one of the best cases on the market is Lian Li.
i like Lian Li V1200 plus II

it's aluminium, same airflow system and separate zones for mobo, hdd, psu. and i like it's design.
if i can buy it here in Russia, i'll do it. but nobody sell Lian Li



..................... some days ago i get my own G5 case and planned to fit my hackintosh on it.

Right i am looking to either buy a G4 case or a copy of a mac case, i got some questions first, is there any G4 case replicas for windows hardware. Also how hard is it to mod a real G4 case to make everything fit?
Thanks Harvey

Harvey just search the forum.
in this Subforums you can find some info about G4 case mod.

Ok i will, what about a replica g4 case made for pc hardware?

does someone know where to get NEW original empty G5 or Mac Pro cases except ebay?

I've just ordered my new hackintosh system the case is a Lian-Li PC-7 Plus.


My current case is a highly modded Antec SLK3700BQE tho

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...&sku=412600

http://www.welovemacs.com/g5casenps.html

cool thanks! but 299 is a lot of money... well im from germany so shipping will be very expensive i think but 1 euro is 1,35 $ at the moment so its about 1/3 cheaper...

maybe i really look first on ebay

The latter of those cases is what my Carrera SSC pc desktop came in about 3 years ago. It has blue metal underneath however but the glass and blue LED gives a cool effect without it looking garish.

http://www.allmac.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=4157



That's a good choice, NewEgg has had those on sale lately too: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16811112099



We could easily have an entire thread devoted to a discussion of Lian Li cases.

Have any slick cases without floppy drives? I haven't used one of those in years, I wish they'd stop putting them on cases, either that or come up with a good use for the space they consume.

Personally, I'm partial to white, don't really know why, but it looks "better" imho.

I'm holding off for a case that only has two placed for slot loading dvd drives on the front, and that's it. I figure I'll be waiting a while...

I've seen some nice flash card readers that you can put in the 3.5" drive hole. That is at least one good use for them. I've also seen system monitor (temp, etc.) screens that fit there.