How much lighter is aluminum?

[mtx]

Judging by all the components I already have, would it make a huge diff if I went aluminum?

I have a steel Antec SLK3700AMB right now.

[SamHughe]

I don't know how much your case weights but, aluminum is really really light. My Lian-Li pc7077 weights only couple of pounds. I tried CM-Stacker couple of days and it was as twice as heavy.

[nn_step]

Strength per Weight your best Choice is a composite but in reality, it is only the matter of a couple pounds...

[zenzog]

Aluminum offers thermal benefits too, I think.

The Antec Super Lanboy is light as a feather! I picked up the box and wondered if anything was in it. ;)

[infiniti029]

Aluinum != thermal benefits. It's just people spreading false facts. In the real world, an aluminum case isn't going to help your pc cool down any better than steel, or plastic. The only thing that will help you in this department is good case flow, and fans.

[J-Mag]

Aluminum is about 1/3 the density of steel...

Depending on thickness of the case your weight can vary. My v-2100 is no lightweight (especially with all the hardware) but it is mostly aluminium.

[[XC] leviathan18]

well i have TT xaser III 16kg empty (steel) my bestfriend has the TT shark pure alu just 6kg empty... is so nice to handle his case

[Psyclone]

Aluinum != thermal benefits. It's just people spreading false facts. In the real world, an aluminum case isn't going to help your pc cool down any better than steel, or plastic. The only thing that will help you in this department is good case flow, and fans.

That's BS. You're the "internet expert" spreading false "facts". Anyone who's ever taken an aluminum pan out of an oven knows that after a few minutes you can touch the aluminum pan with your bare hand, something you don't want to do with a steel or glass pan. That's because aluminum dissipates heat faster, that combined with the relative thinness of the aluminum cases vis-a-vis plastic or steel, make aluminum cases with equal cooling much better than other materials.

Airflow is the most important of course, though many think good airflow means having a big fan. If you blow hot air on the cpu it won't cool it much. My Lian Li case, besides being made of aluminum, has two fans sucking in cool air from the front at the bottom and and venting it out from fans on the top and rear of the case. Good design, imho.

On the subject of the thread, the aluminum case is very light, feather light in fact. The Lian Li case is very well executed and sturdy though. BUT once you fill it up with hard drives, dvd writers, graphic cards, etc. it weighs a good deal, though still some few pounds lighter than a case made of something else.

[craig588]

No, no, no. Your fans are doing far more than the case is. In a fanless case there might be a signifigant difference, but not in a case with fans.

Do not get an aluminum case over a steel one if the only reason you want it is because of cooling.

[Frisch]

You just have to be aware of one thing, what goes for the ability to get rid of heat faster, goes for sound too. A steel case isolates the sound better, it's thicker.

[Frisch]

But my experience is, and what do i know except for reality, is that in a bigger case, the heat hides in the corners. The more directly, like a tube, you can get the flow to point at the problems and get it out, the better your airflow will be.
It doesn't help you with 10 coolers, if they don't do an effective job, they could infact just hand eachother the problem, with out getting rid of it.
I had a Lian Li Alu case, which were set up at the exact same way, with the same system, as the Steel case i have now.
The steel case is smaller ( much smaller ) but the flow has been set up the same way.
Lian Li 38
Steel Case 24

[RVWinkle]

That's BS. You're the "internet expert" spreading false "facts". Anyone who's ever taken an aluminum pan out of an oven knows that after a few minutes you can touch the aluminum pan with your bare hand, something you don't want to do with a steel or glass pan. That's because aluminum dissipates heat faster, that combined with the relative thinness of the aluminum cases vis-a-vis plastic or steel, make aluminum cases with equal cooling much better than other materials.

I think the difference is that with computers we're usually dealing with much less heat than in your example. Combine that with the typical inefficient air to metal heat transfer and we have a difference that's almost negligable. It does work well if your case is directly connected to your heatsinks though. That silent Zalman case is a good example of this.

You will be dissappointed if you're buying an alu case because it dissipates heat from the air faster.

In my opinion, the worst part about alu cases is that they're extremely easy to scratch.

[Frisch]

You will be dissappointed if you're buying an alu case because it dissipates heat from the air faster.


To sum that up, it doesn't help either, if the the air outside has the same tempature as the heated air in the outer areas of the case. Again, it's the flow, flow and let me end this with , it's the flow.

[sluflyer06]

alum. cases are typically FAR lighter than steel. I went from a steel Antec midtower weighed 32lbs. empty, moved to a alum. Lian-Li midtower weighs 13lbs. empty. I would NEVER buy another steel case.

[VisiV]

Yeh, I had a steel CG Group Case with everything cramed in it, it weighed about 25lbs. JasonDTM (my cousin) had his aluminum case which was twice was tall and a bit longer than mine, with about the same amoung of stuff in it and it weighed something like 20 - 22 lbs. Than and my Steel case got mucho caliente (sorry for my little spanish fling there..... thats about all i know of it. :D.) anyway, my aluminum case I have now is great.

[Serra]

There is still something to be said for being able to tip your case over and stand on it if you need to change a lightbulb... something I don't think I'd be doing with an aluminum case any time soon :)

Seriously though, I can't wait until some rich punk eventually makes a case out of 100% carbon-fiber... now _that_ would rock.

~ Serra