aluminum case?

[slideways]

hey all.

i was wondering how many people on here has an aluminum case?do you like them?are they louder then normal case,but cooler then a normal case?also,can you mod an aluminum case like a steel case?are the blow holes easy to drill and can they be painted?

i know this is alot of questions,but im thinking of buying an aluminum case.

thanks for any help.

[Showtime]

I have a cheapie skyhawk. Looks nice. Easier to cut. Not really cooler because of the material, more because of the way the fans are laid out. Louder than my Antec/chieftec cases. Never tried paiting it but my older aluminum case was black.

-j

[LegendKiller]

I have never believed in the alu=cooler argument. Sure, alu radiates heat better but it won't make that much of a difference. However, brushed alu is cool looking.

[slideways]

thanks for the replys so far.the coolnest really is that big of deal to me because i can keep it cool with fans etc.

guess im more concerned with the modding potential of the case,can they be painted and cut easily and if aluminum case is ok to have.

[shocky123]

I have an aluminum case. I prefer to have a solid steel case that wont get too hurt whenever I kick the s**t outta it (thank you Micr$oft). If you're looking to do all the modding yourself, I wouldnt go with a cheapie 'plain aluminum' case, as it will likely be VERY cheap. I've found that much of the time on those cheap ones... the windows that come free provide All of the rigidity for the case, so without them it'll be flimsy.
Be careful with your tooling, it's alot easier to screw up a cut on aluminum than it is when it takes 5x's as long on steel :)

~Kyle

[slideways]

ok.thanks for the reply.ill take everything said here into consideration when do purchase my case.

[Merlin]

I am a really big fan of Coolermaster aluminun cases. They are very well designed, easy to deal with, light weight, and the cooling/airflow is quite good. And they are beautiful. I can't reccommend them enough.

[zero2dash]

I bought my first aluminum case with this last PC that I built and I'm glad I did; I bought a Chieftec Plasma Purple color case and I think it looks sweet. It's very light and it feels cooler to the touch than a steel case does; I don't know if that's because they really are cooler or because the metal isn't as thick. I do know that my current system (a P4 3gig running stock HSF in aluminum case) runs a lot cooler than my previous system did (Athlon 1.4 w/7200 rpm copper fan in a steel case)...probably 10-15 *C cooler.

The nicest thing about them though IMO is how light they are...very very nice if you go to lanparties or otherwise take your PC out to friend's houses/work etc.

[Kevster]

I have an aluminum case and there isn't much a difference, though it was much easier to modify it for my watercooling needs. Steel cases tend to be rough on dremel tools.

[slideways]

thanks guys.im gonna get me one.