Building a Case - Panel thickness?

[sm00nie]

Hi all,

I've had a haf 932 for what seems to be like 2 years now and it's an awesome case, but I was looking into watercooling for when I upgrade to the ivybridge or bulldozer and the case does not fit the parts that I'm interested in getting (even with modding). I've looked at some mountain mod cases and some of them look fantastic, but the price is way too high for something that someone with a few tools could build themselves.. perhaps not as pretty. So, I've decided to look into what's needed to build a computer case and sell my case to my neighbor (he's been eyeing it for a few months).

There's a metal depot I've found that sells steel and aluminum sheets at reasonable prices. For the frame I'm thinking of going with equal angle steel legs (1 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 1/8). What would be a recommended gauge/thickness for the side panels (aluminum or steel)?

[ilya]

I'd say 0.6mm minimum for steel, ideally ~0.8mm. (it'll start to get really heavy beyond that) 2mm minimum for aluminum, ~3mm ideal. I suggest working with aluminum if you don't mind getting nicked on sharp edges in the process.

[supaflyx3]

+1 for aluminum, it'll look much better and be a lot lighter as well.

[sm00nie]

Originally Posted by ilya

I'd say 0.6mm minimum for steel, ideally ~0.8mm. (it'll start to get really heavy beyond that) 2mm minimum for aluminum, ~3mm ideal. I suggest working with aluminum if you don't mind getting nicked on sharp edges in the process.

Thanks for the input, I went with 2mm thick aluminum. It'll be a lot easier to drill/cut through :)

Originally Posted by supaflyx3

+1 for aluminum, it'll look much better and be a lot lighter as well.

Definitely! I was looking at the total material weight for the frame and panels and they were over 50 pounds @ .08inches thick. It's just about half of that with aluminum (big case).

BTW, who knew that aluminum sheets are more expensive than steel sheets?? I guess the production costs are insanely high.

[SugarJ]

Aluminum has always been more expensive than steel. That's why the aluminum cases are so much, and most budget-friendly cases are made of steel.

[JJThomp]

Thats because bauxite (aluminum ore) is much less common than iron and graphite. See geology is about more than just rocks.

[SugarJ]

It's also a supply and demand thing. But you are absolutely correct in stating that the ore is less common. Less common = less supply = higher prices. There ya go, economics and geology covered in the same thread.

[xilocient]

Supply + Demand and they need tons of electricity getting the aluminum out of the bauxite.