Retro beige PC case goes from April Fools' joke to retail

(tomshardware.com)

58 points | by gnabgib 3 hours ago ago

20 comments

  • cjaackie 6 minutes ago

    Sorry, do you this could be a marketing team ploy to generate buzz? Maybe I’m just possibly being silly.

  • guidedlight 2 hours ago

    I the two fake 5.25” drives are definitely a missed opportunity.

    Maybe a pair of slot loading Bluray drives would have been good.

    • toast0 an hour ago

      Further pictures showed the top one folded down for a optical drive's tray, and the bottom one folded down for front usb and things. You almost certainly would be able to remove them and mount a slot loader if you want.

  • aidenn0 2 hours ago

    FWIW, any 4U case can be used as a desktop. You can even use a 3U if you don't have a discrete GPU (most desktop GPU coolers extend above the height of a 3U).

    • Sebb767 2 hours ago

      I return, you can actually fit most desktop cases in 5U or even 4U, if you have something to stack them onto. Just be careful with possibly covered side vents.

    • numpad0 2 hours ago

      3U and below use risers and pack tight. That's where those passively cooled GPUs come from.

    • chx 2 hours ago

      I should note a few special products in this space.

      The Sliger CX4712 fits a 120mm fan in the back, this is extremely rare, the Supermicro 742 did it but that has been out of production for a long, long time.

      These days you can even find 120mm tower coolers fitting in 4U, Thermalright True Spirit and the Noctua NH-D12L both are less than 145mm tall easily fitting the ~153mm space. And yes, the new CM Hyper 212 also fits at 152mm but I am not a fan (ahem).

      • topspin 29 minutes ago

        > Sliger CX4712

        One of the few legit attempts as a "homelab" friendly design, with ATX PS and 120mm fans.

        The 2.5" SSD "cage", USB ports and power switch are all on the wrong (right-hand) side. Headers for all those things are nearly always on the opposite side given ATX motherboards, so you have to cross over the whole case with long wires. Huge miss.

        The fan mount plate could have rolled slot(s) on the bottom to pass cables under a foam rubber flap, reducing cable length by not routing all the way around either side of the fans. Positioned properly (i.e. higher) the internal 120mm fans would allow ample room for that. Minimizing cable length is important for signal integrity.

        Don't think much of the brush solution to gap filling. That is not effective for controlling air pressure: some volume of air will just cycle around in a loop through those two brush "seals" and the cable induced holes.

        A really great design would have modular drive cages for various storage form factors: 2.5", 3.5", U.2/3, etc.

      • indrora an hour ago

        I'm sad that Sliger is ending their ATX cases for desktops. I hope that they have something interesting to replace them.

        • chx an hour ago

          Cases? There was only one and they AFAIK didn't design it, they manufactured it yes but it wasn't a core product. They also note on the Cerberus X

          > We also wish to inform you that Sliger will be releasing a new line of Desktop cases in the near future, and to keep an eye out for further information.

  • mikewarot 2 hours ago

    I've got a few Intel based Macintosh Pro Servers from 2012 that could each probably host a Beowulf cluster of Raspberry Pi 5s.

  • ivan_gammel 19 minutes ago

    Now I want to see fake CRT monitor with mini-fridge or coffee machine inside.

  • divbzero 34 minutes ago

    Now they just need a bulky beige CRT to go with the PC.

  • wannacboatmovie an hour ago

    Total Apple move: be late to the game but act like you were first to market.

    EverCase (http://www.evercase.co.uk/) has been selling 'retro' cases for years, though I don't think they would call them that, more like utilitarian.

    Since when have PC cases been required to have acrylic windows and rainbow lighting? I've always thought it was foolish.

    • SSLy 14 minutes ago

      From the look of it evercases do not include last 15 years of discoveries around cable routing, variable screw slots for fans, etc. SilverStone case seems to be modern intestines in retro outfit.

    • pjmlp 24 minutes ago

      Your last point is really a sore point of mine nowadays, it appears I can only get aquariums instead of a proper PC tower like in the good old days.

      For anyone not feeling like building a custom PC tower around my region, it is either a proper case with sucky hardware like i5 CPUs, or proper hardware configuration, packaged in rainbows from all forms and colours.

    • p_l 42 minutes ago

      They are specifically making the case similar in style to certain older Japanese computers, that's the retro aspect. They do not act like they are first to market, they made a joke ps pseudo-pc98 product and people liked it enough to make it real

    • gnabgib 39 minutes ago

      Are you reading April as Apple? SilverStone (FTA, 2013[0]) is older than EverCase (2016 [1])

      [0]: https://archive.is/3ZOsS

      [1]: https://archive.is/LbW3q