Moreover, it is absolutely not necessary to buy an expensive top-end case - you can make it yourself. It just takes a little effort, experience and patience.
How to make a transparent computer case yourself.
The obvious advantage of a transparent computer case is its aesthetic component. Other advantages of the transparent case include:
In most cases, users complain about such shortcomings:
The largest manufacturers of cases have long brought to the market a line of models of transparent cases for every taste and budget. And the first problem is what material to choose.
If you have already decided to buy a case with a transparent side panel, another dilemma arises - should you use tempered glass or acrylic (plexiglass)? Both materials have their own advantages and disadvantages, so choosing can be tricky.
Advantages:
Flaws:
Advantages:
Flaws:
You don't need to buy anything or take extra steps to prevent static electricity damage when working with PC components. A few simple tips will help you avoid danger without any additional effort.
An anti-static mat also provides complete protection, but the above tips are more than enough. Even an anti-static wrist strap would be overkill for the average PC user. If you have assembled / disassembled your PC many times and have never encountered static electricity, consider yourself very lucky.
Be sure to make sure you know where the wires should be routed and how to fix the components. Pay special attention to the second - improper use (landing in the socket, temperature, dust) of components, whether it be RAM or a video card, will certainly lead to PC failure. The main problem inside is the wires connecting the power supply to the rest of the PC. When you are sure that all the components that need separate power are connected, tie the remaining wires together with a plastic tie or electrical tape. In most cases, they can be neatly placed along the edge of the motherboard. The case is cooled in such a way that air flows through all its parts, after which a lot of dust settles there. It clogs the tracks and air communications of the entire system, which also leads to overheating and breakage of expensive components. Therefore, regular cleaning is necessary, even at home. Following our static electricity tips, remove one side wall and vacuum the motherboard thoroughly.
Be extremely careful not to hook the processor or RAM!
The cost of a transparent case ranges from several tens to several hundred US dollars. If you decide to buy a case with a transparent cover, we recommend the time-tested Antec products. The optimal case for the average user, Antec Nine Hundred Two V3, has the following characteristics:
As for the shortcomings, users most often complained about:
You can buy such a case now for about $140 on Amazon or the manufacturer's website.
Most technicians pay attention to the following characteristics:
The first step in creating a transparent PC case with your own hands is to make a list of the necessary materials and equipment:
Computer components:
Tools and Peripherals:
Follow the instructions, and you can easily make a transparent case yourself:
That's all. Assembly completed! In general, all the work may take a couple of days, but the result is worth it. The case itself is very quiet (plexiglass is an excellent insulating material), so you can enjoy watching movies, surfing the Internet and listening to music to the fullest. Which material will be the best as the transparent side panel of your PC case is up to you. The various options have their pros and cons. Summing up, we can conclude that tempered glass is still a little more practical. Despite its weight and fragility, it provides a clearer view of your PC's innards.
Plexiglas goes well with technology, no wonder this material is so popular in high-tech and futurism styles. Among other things, spectacular cases for computers are obtained from it. You can buy them ready-made or make your own. The last one is not so difficult. In addition, the material allows you to realize your own ideas. Let's look at how to make a do-it-yourself plexiglass case.
Plexiglas is used to make computer cases due to its lightness, impact resistance and aesthetics. Most often, transparent plexiglass is used to create the case - many see a peculiar beauty in the open display of wires and boards. If you want to hide the internal "stuffing" of the computer, use matte sheets.
To create a case for a computer, the most commonly used transparent material is plexiglass.
The pliability of this material is also important - even a beginner can cut and glue it.
From this video you will learn how to make a do-it-yourself plexiglass computer case:
Consider the procedure for creating a plexiglass case.
First you need to prepare the tools:
Before you start creating a plexiglass case, you should take the markings from the old case
To make calculations, first measure the old case, then add 1.5–2 cm to each side. Also note that you will need a motherboard stand of the appropriate size, as well as stands for FDD, HDD and CD-ROM. For simplicity, they can be made the same as they were in the previous case.
Use plexiglass no thinner than 5 mm. For the bottom and back wall, on which the fan and other parts are attached, you can take sheets up to 10 cm.
To connect the individual elements of the case, self-tapping screws, a thermal gun or glue are used. The first option is more convenient: at some point, it may be necessary to disassemble the structure. In any case, at least one side wall must be removable.
In the creation of the plexiglass case, plexiglass sheets are used no thinner than 5 mm Before using self-tapping screws, test them on a small piece of the same plexiglass from which the body elements are made. If the material cracks when screwed in, use either a stronger sheet or thinner screws.
For plexiglass, you can use such types of glue as Acrifix, COLACRIL, Cosmofen, Dichloroethane. Please note that the latter is extremely toxic and safety precautions must be carefully observed when working with it.
The box is assembled as follows:
There are many ways to further decorate such a case. For example, one of the side walls can be pre-engraved or etched with acid.
Light emitting diodes or LED strips are used for backlighting. Additionally, you can make several fancy "lamps" in the style of futurism or steampunk from plexiglass.
If desired, the casing can be mounted on the wall.
With sufficient experience with plexiglass and an understanding of how a computer functions, the case can be made in a non-standard shape: in the form of a pyramid, a ball, a stylized robot, etc. It all depends on your imagination.
So, about a year and a half ago, I first came across a transparent Clear Tech case, or I don’t remember exactly what it was called there. Since then, I had a vague idea that it would be nice for me to do something similar. Once again, having carefully examined it, I realized that there can be no question of repetition, especially since my financial capabilities are very limited. Therefore, I created my own construct, perhaps not so spectacular, but quite viable, and also suitable for repetition. We can talk about this with complete confidence, because when I started making one case, I made three of them, their names are in the title.
I will make a reservation that the guys who did not hold a caliper in their hands should hardly take on such a design, perhaps it is worth practicing and trying to create something simpler, such as such a lamp.
Just to learn how to cut and glue plexiglass. I probably won’t write about these simplest operations, because. this has been done many times before me.
In general, judge for yourself - making such a case is quite simple. When making it, I did not draw drawings, since I did not buy plexiglass in a store (this is a rather expensive thing), but I looked for it at my work (well, for example, a sheet of red plexus, which was enough for the entire KTP-5 ROUGE case, cost me in a bottle of vodka), but this resulted in an additional difficulty - I had to take into account the different thicknesses of plexiglass all the time, so that in general everything looked neat enough.
So, first you need to have material for the side and rear walls, for side, sufficiently large walls, you should not take plexiglass thinner than 5 mm, the back wall should be at least 8 mm thick. Then you can start making the top and bottom covers. The bottom cover is cut out of 10mm plexiglass, the top cover is 6mm. Both lids should be exactly the same, of course, first I made a thick bottom lid, and fitted a thinner top one over it. If possible, it is best to mill both covers in one pass. Next 4 vertical racks. They are also cut from 10mm plex, each has two M3 threaded holes at the bottom and one M3 thread at the top. I drilled the front struts under the edge of the covers, the rear struts with an indent, for the back wall, which is also made of 10 mm plexiglass, as it carries a heavy power supply. I must say that I did not come across Plexiglas, the thickness of which would be expressed in such round numbers as 6 and 10. In fact, everywhere the size of the thickness went with tenths and hundredths, for example 6.35 and 10.2. So, the principle, measure seven times, cut once, is 100% effective here.
After these 6 parts were screwed, I immediately screwed plastic legs to the bottom cover so as not to scratch the nascent case once again. The frame is ready, and we can say that a third of the work is done. Of course, quite a lot of work remains, but from now on, everything that is done is done visually. We make the back wall, its dimensions, if you follow the above drawing, are 470x (140 minus twice the thickness of the side wall). Those. if the side walls are made of 6.35mm plex, then the width of the back cover is 140-(6.35x2)=127.3.
Perhaps it is worth saying a few words about the size right away. These dimensions are not something super-rational, I took them almost from the ceiling. And as you can see in the photos, they can be easily changed.
So the back wall. We have decided on its overall dimensions, it can already be screwed to its rightful place, but that's not all, because the back wall carries a lot of functional loads. At this stage, the turn of the motherboard comes. It is installed on a piece of plexiglass measuring 600x290x4. This piece of plex is attached to the inner sides of the uprights with four M3 screws. Great precision is not required here, and the thickness of this piece does not play a big role. But then you need to be very careful. Modern motherboards have an average of 9-12 mounting holes, I cut the same number of pieces of plexiglass 10x10x8 in size, in the center of each hole with an M3 thread. With short M3 screws we screw these pieces to the motherboard, of course, screws from the part side, plex from the smooth side. In the future, it remains only to carefully smear these pieces of plexus with glue made from sawdust of the same plexus soaked in dichloroethane and glue it in place.
From the old computer case, I sawed out a part of the back wall with a lattice for installing expansion cards. We insert any two boards into the two extreme connectors of the mother, fix the lattice on them and ... now it's the turn of dichloroethane. The frame screwed before, plus the back wall screwed to it, as well as the plex strip (600x290x4) pre-installed in this frame, taking into account the further installation of the power supply - we put all this construct on its side. And then we take the motherboard, on which the boards and the grille are installed, with pieces of plex already screwed to it, lubricate them with dichloroethane glue and glue it all onto a 4 mm plex strip, so that the grille stands close to the back wall.
Since the back wall is transparent, it will not be difficult to accurately mark the holes in it. In order not to scratch the plexiglass once again, I used a thin felt-tip pen. Subsequently, its traces can be erased with alcohol. Further - a matter of technology: we drill, cut out, align the edges with a scraper. It remains to do exactly the same manipulations with the power supply, and the back wall is ready. On my cases, however, there are some other little things: a fan, power connectors, speaker connectors, but all these details are of secondary importance. Their installation is not particularly difficult, and I mentioned them only for the sake of observing objective reality.
Well, I hope I outlined the process of making the back wall intelligibly enough, but just in case, I give a small illustration. And once again I must say that having made three cases, I was convinced that there are no uniform sizes. All metal inserts were from different cases and, accordingly, had different sizes, in the same way, all three motherboards had a slightly different configuration of output connectors.
Next, you need to make something like a small whatnot for installing hard drives and CD-ROMs. I did this thing for three CD-ROMs, so if someone doesn't like it, then the dimensions will have to be changed.
So the dimensions for the high block, two racks for mounting the FDD and HDD are 323.5x130x8, in both narrow ends I drilled three holes for the M3 thread. The bottom of the shelf for CD-ROMs - 170x146.5x8 is screwed to the top side, the bottom end will be screwed to the 10 mm bottom case cover. The side walls of the CD-ROM box are made of thinner plexiglass - 5mm, they are screwed to the ends to the 8mm top and bottom covers. It remains to mark the holes for attaching CD-ROMs, as well as a 3-inch drive and hard drives, well, this is not difficult. But an unexpectedly difficult task for me was to find long enough screws with an inch thread to secure the hard drives through an 8 mm plex. I solved this problem when I took apart some old printer.
One more thing. For structural rigidity, I glued small plexiglass inserts to the sides of the CD-ROM box, they are screwed to the vertical posts with M3 screws. In general, in my construct, there were more screws than glues. Probably something could be simplified, but I tried to make it as convenient as possible, to disassemble everything and get access to any point of the case. I needed this, because in addition to the computer itself, a few more pleasant little things are mounted in my cases.
So, it remains to make the front wall. The principle is the same as with the back wall - we cut it to size, fix it to the front vertical racks and circle the places of cuts for CD-ROMs and floppy with a felt-tip pen. There is also a hole for the indicator on the front panel. In this hole, exactly in size, I fitted a piece of plex of a different color. This is not a very easy task, but you can slowly adjust everything carefully - it turns out very effectively, even better than on branded cases. You can glue this insert using a medical syringe with a thin needle so as not to stick excess dichloroethane on the front panel.
I've used this a few times, and it almost always works. The main thing is to slowly adjust the insert, repeatedly trying it on in the right place. And one more thing: it is better not to cut the insert with a file, but with an effort to scrape its ends with a piece of a hacksaw blade simply ground on emery.
Installing the power, reset and other buttons is quite simple. I used in different cases, different buttons that I could get - soldered them into the appropriate printed circuit board, which was subsequently screwed to the plexiglass holder. A small board is attached to it, into which LEDs are soldered - each strictly above the button. The holder is installed between the racks on which the hard drives are fixed, that is, it should not be wider than the width of the hard drive. I believe that such a fairly simple detail, everyone can design and glue himself, in accordance with the buttons he has. And besides, the buttons can be installed not only horizontally, but also vertically. In general, no difficulties are expected from this side. With two side walls, everything is also quite simple - you just need to cut them to size and fix them with 4 M3 screws to the vertical posts. It would be ideal to find screws with decorative heads, but so far I have not caught my eye, although I did not spare the time to go around the entire Mitinsky and Moskvoretsky markets.
“Need is cunning,” says the old adage, and computer enthusiasts have never complained about the lack of creativity. Unusual computer cases are one of the manifestations of developed imagination and resourcefulness. These people are not stopped by the fact that after buying a suitable hardware, there was no free funds for a case for it. "Kulibins" prove that the lack of funds is not a hindrance when assembling a computer. It is the creations of such creative people that this material about cool PC cases is dedicated to.
I bought a case, but there was not enough for iron
There are also situations when there is a high-quality case at hand, but there is nothing to put in it. What to do in such a situation? You can find a set of iron "dinosaur times" at a flea market, but not everyone will like this approach. Such components are noisy, collect dust, consume electricity, and even break down at the wrong time.
American enthusiasts have developed a Raspberry Pi mini-computer, priced at about $30, which is slightly larger than a credit card. The board of this little one contains a filling comparable to that of an average smartphone, and when installing Linux, such a PC can be used to watch movies, surf the Internet and other simple tasks. In the example above, just such a computer is installed in a desktop PC case.
The supermarket will help us
Do you have access to old fruit containers at the supermarket or vegetable market? Then you can make a cool PC case for just a hundred rubles. Potato box, a few cable ties - and the case is ready. 
Such a PC can be called an example of minimalism and ingenuity rolled into one, but there are also weirder cases for a computer.
All my life I dreamed of a laptop
Do you want a powerful laptop, but you don’t have enough money, and taking a loan is not an option? Then a tool box and a matrix from an LCD monitor come to the rescue. A little ingenuity, and with a flick of the wrist, it all turns into a laptop. 
Of course, in terms of mass, such a machine will be 2 times heavier than a laptop, and you have to carry a keyboard and mouse with you. But, of course, this example deserves a place in the selection of the most unusual computer cases.
DIY iMac
Apple computers are not a cheap pleasure, and Lenovo monoblocks, although they cost less, are also more expensive than a desktop. But what if you want an all-in-one PC? You can tighten your belt and save up for an iMac, or you can just take the filling from a laptop with a broken screen and a desktop monitor. A little double-sided tape, a couple of self-tapping screws - and we meet the new iMac model. 
For a complete entourage, only a bitten apple is missing, as well as a silvery color. But this is not a problem either: a trip to building materials (for a can of silver) and a vegetable store (for a kilogram of apples) can solve the problem. At the same time, vitamins in the body, after a long winter. 
Another example of how to make a monoblock with your own hands. 
The second life of a cardboard box
In the era of the development of online stores, everyone in the house gradually accumulates a huge amount of packaging containers in which purchases are delivered. Sometimes it’s a pity to throw away good boxes, and the place in the pantry quickly runs out. You can breathe new life into the box by using it as a PC case. This is especially rational if the brand new pieces of iron in it also came from the store. 
This approach is very popular among the people, the Internet is full of pictures showing such unusual cases for a computer. 
If there is no time to do needlework or all the skills gained in labor lessons in the lower grades were forgotten immediately after graduation, you don’t even have to bother with scissors and tape. 
And so it goes. And even like this: 
Subtle and tasteful
Sometimes unusual cases for a computer can pleasantly surprise you. Sometimes this is the fruit of careful work, and at a price they are compared with factory models.
The production of such a case, made in the spirit of minimalism, probably cost several hundred rubles per plexiglass. And given that all the details are carefully fitted, the owner also worked on it for more than one hour. 
And this is generally a masterpiece, and the manufacture of such a cool case for a PC definitely cost the craftsman a pretty penny. 
Poor fish
Efficient heat dissipation and a stylish look all in one also deserves a place in the selection of unusual computer cases. One can only hope that the owner purchased an aquarium specifically for the PC, and the fish did not have to go free swimming. 
By the way, if someone wants to repeat such a step, you need to take into account that water cannot be poured as a liquid. For these purposes, synthetic or mineral oil, for example, transformer oil, is optimal. In any case, the fluid must be electrically inert.
Computer in a canister
Another example of the use of obsolete containers, this time plastic. Such a machine would organically fit into some fuel depot or car service. There, such a strange computer case would not stand out against the background of the general situation. 
Cooling is not superfluous
It was this slogan, for sure, that guided the owner of this strange computer case, entirely made of fans. It just consumes so many turntables a lot, you probably need another power supply for them. Yes, and one can only imagine what kind of noise rises in the room when such a monster is turned on. 
Once and for all
That's what you can call such an unusual computer case. Mounting foam is very difficult to remove from surfaces, and if any part fails, you will have to sweat to get to it. 
By the way, this is another example of recycling vegetable crates.
For those who are tired of the constant overheating of the laptop
It seems that the owner of this laptop is tired of constantly dusting his computer, regularly changing thermal paste and fighting overheating. Otherwise, why else was it necessary to install a powerful water cooling system on a laptop. 
True, it is difficult to call such a design a laptop, because we are not talking about any mobility. That is why this masterpiece of "engineering" was included in the selection of the strangest computer cases.
