Hardware We take a look at Corsair's Obsidian 750D

Ugly big black box look. There doesn't seem to be much innovation in case design. It's about time case designers started thinking more about the look than the functionality. Hire some decent graphic designers/ architects to come up with some pretty designs like the BitFenix Colossus and NZXT Phantom Black & Orange edition. Of course those 2 won't be to everyone's tastes but at least they are pushing the boundaries of the familiar black/beige box. We need more unique designs.

 

Whilst I agree with your point about things being a bit stale, it's also worth considering the market. I hang around /r/buildapc quite a bit (find it quite fun offering a bit of help to new builders when necessary) and have noticed that people just really love the big black box look. Every time somebody posts an album of their stock Fractal Define R4 with the cables hidden behind the mobo tray, it gets upvoted to the sky. The same effect is present when dealing with Corsair's Obsidian line and of course Caselabs' offerings.

Personally I think there are plenty of radical designs out there, but not many elegant ones. By elegant, I don't mean a prop from 2001: A Space Odyssey, I mean something that just screams "Put me in plain view!" but also doesn't go over the top. Apple are fantastic at nailing this approach with their designs, but they can also make use of custom hardware to make it happen, which puts it out of reach of most case manufacturers. The G5 and Mac Pro cases are probably my favourite examples of elegant tower chassis design. Obviously they're fully internally designed for their hardware, but as shown by the numerous brilliant mods out there, they have a lot of flexibility.

Lian-li used to be pretty solid in this territory, but now I think they're just a bit dated, boring or simply filled with "what the hell were you thinking?". I guess one of the key issues with focusing on design is how do you keep the costs within acceptable levels?

I've always found it funny how computer enthusiasts are willing to shell out thousands for the components, but the box that not only holds everything, but is the most visible part of the computer (other than the screen) should be relegated to the <£100 zone. Obviously most of us don't fully come into that category as we might not what to spend more than that given how many of us will be hacking them up later anyway. But the majority don't do that. I understand why[/] people want to spend on components rather than the box, but I still think it's a bit of a lost opportunity for both buyers and manufacturers.

 

I wish the window didn't extend over to the drive cages.

 

Isn't that sentence self-contradictory?

You don't go to an art store and by a pre-painted canvas. That's what case modding is for. And besides, if you like the Colossus or the Phantom, those cases are put there in the market just for those with tastes like yours.

 

And equally apt, not everybody has the time, inclination or ability to mod a case to suit their preferences, remember. Personally I don't agree with the blank canvas modding principle when it comes to cases. A true blank canvas is a scratch built project. A case like an STH-10 or 900D is more like a big canvas that's been given a solid coat of black paint. Personally, most of my favourite mods that I've seen have either been built from scratch, or are modifying the more "out-there" cases, rather than the typical "blank canvas" ones (with a few notable exceptions).

 

Some people like that plain black box look - I for one do.

 

I prefer the plain box type myself despite what my current case might suggest (that was bought out of practicality rather than looks).

And scratch builds are not mods simply by definition.

 

looks at p182. 'it's ok baby, the bad man has gone now'.

 

Seeing corsair logo badge already makes me uneasy, especially after running-in with their unhelpful customer/tech service. With that being said, I for one not in favor of that big black box. Especially now that you can't even close the USB front bay.

 

Do you guys ever wipe down the cases before you take photos or do you honestly not notice the fingerprints? Someone has been eating Doritos for lunch.