I think pre-mods are not needed one bit. PC makers should focus on function more than looks. Good examples of function: Slide-out Motherboard trays. Slide-out HD and CD Trays. Thumb Screws. Thinks I have not seen yet: A semi-standard place to mount water cooling parts. Built-in wiring, who likes all those tangled wires? -For example PSU, and other cables routed UNDER the motherboard to keep them hidden. Better cooling, less noise. -Get rid of crappy stamped fan grills. -Cool those CD's and HD's more -Build it like a vent, not a square box. ...My rant...
it's nice for the guy who just spent $1500 on a gaming rig and wants it to look impressive. most people haven't heard of modding and it will look amazing to them. I have 2 probs with them though. one is that they leave you less choise if you decide to mod them, and the second is that some people go "look at my amazing mod" when they should be saying "I threw lots of CCFL's and LED fans in a pre-modded case". I think case makers should make better looking cases that aren't pre-modded. not those ugly beige ones with the disgusting front panel with those weird "artistic" lumps.
Cheap pre-mods suck.... Went to a computer show at the weekend and all I wanted was a neat case to house my old PC so I could sell it on. What a load of old tat, plastic chrome and cheezy leds on cases that were flimsy, badly designed and sharp edged. I eventually found a "lightly modded" case that had some thought put in. Grey case with grey and beige front (so I could use those old beige fdd/cdrw drives without them sticking out) no window (so I didnt have to tidy the cables - but did anyway) removable m/b tray ,120mm fans front and rear, 350W psu and blue led fan in side panel. £30 only cut myself twice building it. Wouldnt have one myself I'll stick to my Lian-li with stealthed drives, fanbus (bought one) and temp indicators (bought lian-li one)
Hmm...I saw this thread earlier this morning, and I've been thinking about it on and off all day. I suppose my thoughts mirror what some people have already said, but I figure I'll throw my 2¢ in anyway. I think pre-mods have their place. For the general user, a pre-mod can be an inexpensive way to have a computer that looks nicer than the boring beige box. This is the casual gamer, the kid down the street who spends more time outside than on the computer, but would still like a nice rig. However, the bar is raised in the modding community. When you stumble in to a place like Bit-Tech, you expect to see some level of creativity and craftsmanship when it comes to custom computer modding. After all, this is a forum/community dedicated to the craft. When a person comes here and says "check out my pre-mod!!" the people here are less than impressed. One of the common arguments against pre-mods, from what I see, is the idea that you will have the same case as everyone else. My question is: At what point do all the standard "creative" mods become the norm? When some people post pictures of their computers, many times the responses are almost scripted. "Add a blowhole." "Add lights." "Paint the case." Very few cases are truly different on a creative level. Look at ZapWizard's, G-gnome's, and Piloux's projects for prime examples of thinking outside the box. These guys put a lot of time and effort to create something really unique, that's why they consistenetly stand out against all the other windowed, painted and lighted cases out there. If you look at the vast majority of the other "original" mods, you will find that they all are variations on the same theme. Cut a window, put on new fan grills, paint, light and add a fanbus. At some point all of these mods are going to start looking the same. Another reason I have no problem with pre-mods is the fact that some people just aren't as creative or crafty as others. Not everyone can wield a Dremel with expert skill. Not everyone is handy with a jigsaw or a can of spraypaint. This is where pre-mods can help. Me? I can cut, paste and spray with the best of them, that's why I studied Art in college. On the other hand, I don't know anything about resistors or diodes or capacitors. Would it be wrong, then, for me to buy a pre-built fanbus? How is this any different than someone who buys a pre-modded case? Being a craft-minded person, I wouldn't mind learning some basic electronics to build my own fanbus. But what about the other guy that just wants a nice-looking computer for casual gaming, but lists fishing and basketball as his hobbies. Is it really right for you to mock him for having "the same computer everyone else has" while you spend $200 adding whirling gozmos to your computer. That guy could turn around and say the same thing to you. "Why use the same lure that everyone else uses? I hand-craft all of my own lures, therefore I am better than you." I apologize for the length of my rant, and I sure as heck don't mean to ofned anybody. I say live and let live. If someone is happy with their store-bought mod, so be it. -monkey /edit/ I just noticed that this was an old thread. I didn't see Lazy's post until after I posted mine. Heh, oh well...
Why make a distinction between pre-modded and custom built? Surely even a pre-modded case can serve as a starting point for a mod? What constitutes a pre-modded case anyway? A Lian Li PC65? Just cos it has a window? Is that modded? So unless you make a case from scratch, from sheet metal or wood, it's not good enough? If that's the case (no pun intended) then What about Gnome's Orac? That's based on a commercially available acrylic case.. is that a crap mod?
I think there are two categories of modders: "Modders" Those that buy premods, fit ccfls' and led fans, and lianli factory made stealth bezels. Which, to me, is fine until they claim to be a "modder". "DIY (Hardcore) Modders" Those that do it themselves. They decide on what they want from their pc and they build it/mod it. I dont think this means starting with a toaster/1980s AT case/briefcase/toolbox etc... To someone from outside the community a good premod would seem better than a poor/fair diy mod. It tends to be more expensive to go premod than diy, and as long as people are prepared to take time and care, anyone can acheive their aims. Example: a friend of mine has a lianli pc-71, and the lianli stealth bezels for all of his drives, decked out with paxmate and papst fans, I put it all together for him. I prefer my chiftec with my personal touches, but most people off the street would say that his lianli is nicer. To each his own.....
Time to weigh in on this... 1. I do not like premod cases... but. a. Premodded cases have a purpose. When we build a premod for a customer we can get much more than if it was not and they are happy.. b. Premodded sucks for the custom builder. Working around teh factor crap like windows can limit your ability to mod a custom side panel... Ie. the crappy case that baby bliss came out off. c. Premod cases look like crap most of the time... except a few like the li lians that I have seen. If you can do it mod it yourself. If not get a premod but get a nice one and someday we will see you on the forums...
I think most people here don't hate pre-mods, just the people who show them off. if you do, you're pretty much saying "if you can't build your own, you don't have the right to a good looking case". see my point?
[start rant] i bought a Xaser III and i like it.yep i'll be a man and say that i like it and i don't regret buying it. its a case ,pre modded, it has 1 red neon and 2 led fans and i like it. yes it looks exactly like every xaser III out there but since i can't wield aluminium,i'm at college,the fact i am using my money to buy my first car(OH YEAH!!!! here i come cheap ass car dealers) and the fact i work 24 hours a week aswell as 30 odd hours a week at college i haven't got the time to make my own case. i have only the bare minium tools any way( i have 1 philips head screwdriver ) i don't care. premodded cases are good just as long as you change it slightly. i mean you all drive a stock cars.why the **** don't you mod them.some people do ,some don't. you wouldn't walk up to a DB7 and go "oh my god.why this is all stock.WTF? why don't you change it?" [/end rant]
No respect =/. LED Fans... plastic flamingos in your front yard. Molded skulls sticking out of the front of your case... 1997 Dodge Neon lowered 3 inches. What's the point? They all look so tacky to me. I really really don't understand it when I see a thread with 200 "OMGZ!" replies when the 'mod' consists of... a window on the side... a few CCFL lights... LED fans... maybe some cable sleeving... topped off with a 'kit' water-cooling system. I really don't get it. People occasionally win case-mod contests with entries that a 9-year old could do. I saw one case-mod contest where the winning entry looked like it took 10 minutes of effort. Hell... I lost one mini contest after spending 10 hours on 'my' mod while the other entries *seriously* looked like 10-minute jobs. Shrug... Effort and attention to detail speak volumes to me. Orac3... Anemone... Macroblack... DarkCrystal... AmmoBox. Everyone remembers those cases because EVERY detail was covered. I can't remember if a single pre-mod component was used in any of them... but I doubt it. I'm fairly certain ZapWizard didn't use any =p. THOSE are the types of systems that you remember. Even the best cable organizing... the most 'tasteful' pre-mod case with amazing attention to detail will (IMNSHO) eventually be forgotten.
Can you count a Chieftec BX with a window as pre modded if I only decide to sheath the PSU cables, throw in LED fans and CCFL's, paint the interior and add sound dampening mats, aswell as cleaning up the cables and OC'ing it? I need to know the answer to that, wether I should post it in the PROJECT LOG section or not. Cheers, Mike
Painting the interior requires time, effort and (some) skill, in order to do a nice job. So yes thats worthwhile. Some custom work to the window, drive stealthing/painting (yes i know it has a door) would make it a bit more personal though. Did your aerogate fit btw?
you missed th point. i'm saying they are good for those without time/tools to properly mod a case. also premodded case are good for gamers. 'cos we can't have our PC in a carboard box for 3 months while i build the case.with a pre modded case i can get something that looks nice quickly so i can use my PC for the reason i brought it for, to play games .
I did have some problems, all I needed to do though was to stick some paper underneath the screw ( a sort of ghetto washer) Cheers, Mike P.S. When I receive the rest of my hardware, I will finish the case mod, and stick a log
My post wasn't directed at you =/. I'm sorry if it appeared that way. No, I don't like the xaser... but the rant wasn't intended to be read as if a direct reply to your post. I guess the 'point' of my whining was to... shrug... whine. Bit-Tech is home to the greatest case-modders in the world. I hate reading project logs consisting of CCFLs and Aero7s. "So don't read it", right? I guess. It's just... it's like seeing someone show up in a stock Civic at a classic Porsche convention.
ok.sorry thought you were having a pop at me.see what you mean though,but some of us don't have time/money/tools etc to do a proper case mod so we buy premodded, and thus get a good looking case cheap and quickly. hence why i think they are good.
typo (again!) premods are god for those purposes, but IMHO are not "mods" and do not consist of "modding" anything, they are just building/buying a more "stylish" pc.
