anyone else feel like side panel windows have ruined the PC building hobby a little bit?
Posted by SeesawSevere6350@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 274 comments
i've been building PCs since like 2014 and back then nobody gave a damn about what was inside the case. you'd just zip tie cables wherever, slap a side panel on and call it a day. now every single build thread is basically an interior design competition and if your cable management isnt immaculate people act like you committed a crime
dont get me wrong i get it, tempered glass looks sick. my current build is in a Fractal Torrent and i spent way more time routing cables behind the motherboard tray than actually thinking about airflow or component choices. ended up saving some money by skipping a "prettier" GPU shroud option and just putting that toward better cooling instead which was the right call
but like, has the hobby shifted too much toward aesthetics? i see people buying white themed builds and then complaining their temps are bad because they picked a case that looked good over one that actually breathes. RGB fans that move barely any air but hey they match the RAM
maybe im just getting old but i miss when a build was judged on how it performed not how it photographed. anyone else feel this way or am i cooked
AggravatingExpert365@reddit
We were building computers with side panel windows and LEDs in them before you were born
QuincyMABrewer@reddit
Excuse me.
I was building PCs in 98 through 02, and I very much remember PC magazine, as well as other magazines, featuring case mod of the month, many of which involved someone using a Dremel or other cutting tool to cut a hole in the side panel, and install some sort of clear window into the PC.
To the point where some builders were even adding phosphorescent, that is glow in the dark, cable wraps on their SATA cables, their power cables, you name it, and putting cold cathode black lights into the case.
So, none of this is as new as it seems to be to you.
Ancillas@reddit
My fucking roommate in 02 had a custom build with a side panel, a bright ass blue LED, and a loud as shit alpha fan for his AMD CPU.
Deep magic indeed. It just unlocked a core PTSD memory.
tamarockstar@reddit
I remember when loud fans were a flex. I always found them annoying though.
valleybrew@reddit
I had a massive heat sink and a full size box fan strapped to my case trying to OC my Athlon 750 over the gig barrier. Never got much over 900mhz with any stability š Good times tho!
QuincyMABrewer@reddit
The 120s available in 02-03 were loud af. I had a separate controller put in one of the 5 1/4-in bays my case, that had special temperature sensors you had to tape to the various things you wanted to monitor to set your fan curves.
Bliv_au@reddit
Sunon kb1208ptbx enters the chat at 7200rpm
dnssup@reddit
I thought it was a great idea to do a build with 5 90mm fans. There were no headphones good enough to cover those jet engines
QuincyMABrewer@reddit
Is that you, Mike?
Ancillas@reddit
Itās not, but it sounds like Mike might need a hug.
QuincyMABrewer@reddit
Among other things.
Scary-Newspaper5801@reddit
Man this took me back
ilikeowlz@reddit
Literally me when I built my first pc 22 years ago. Except I bought UV paint to hand paint my pc cables inside LoL
I_Love_Cape_Horn@reddit
People just like making their stuff look good. Timeless human behavior.
Silound@reddit
Ahh, I remember this one! It made all the rounds in the magazines of the day.
Somewhere I still have an old blue Antec Plus SOHO case. It was one of the first commercial cases that came with a window in the side and some really snazzy bar lights. Even came with one of Antec's TruePower PSU's, which were a big deal in like 2000.
ndnman@reddit
Started building them in 97 myself. Better times imo, but the start of things is usually the best time.
I never thought weād develop all this tech for nearly all resources to be spent to show us ads.
cubanohermano@reddit
I bet you got out an old MPC mag to confirm xD
f4stEddie@reddit
I got into PCs when I would go to CompUSA and I would see their builds and at the time I thought they were the coolest thing since sliced bread. I even remember the early days of water cooling, to a young 13 year old me it looked so insane and out of the box and I was hooked. GPU boxes had better artwork as well, particularly the ATI packages.
goldberg1303@reddit
Yep. In the early 2000s they were selling clear acrylic cases. Roommate of mine had one. The entire case was a damn window.Ā
People have always given a damn about what was in the case. OP is out of his mind.Ā
DevelopmentSouth8801@reddit
I had a clear acrylic case. You had to assemble it yourself and it was a complete nightmare to work with.
Now my case is a plain 4U server chassis.
goldberg1303@reddit
I remember him getting out, I don't remember having to assemble the one he got. I could definitely be wrong though.Ā
C0RPSEGRINDER666@reddit
I totally forgot about the glow in the dark cables. That was peak I can afford any computer energy
QuincyMABrewer@reddit
Not really, I was pretty broke back in 02-03, but I was able to afford an athlon, an I-will xp333, and some counter top high tower case, the L-shaped acrylic panel, and the glowing drive cables. I DO wish I could remember what case I used.
F10flotilje@reddit
I think what is new is the surge in popularity over the years compared to sleeperbuilds and nerdy .000x temp optimizations / standard non rgb builds, altough i dont really se a problem with it
Independent_Vast9279@reddit
I was one of those freaks and still have wrapped IDE cables in a box somewhere.Ā
Donāt judge me.Ā
ARazorbacks@reddit
OP is talking about Everyday Joeās buying RGB stuff thatās available everywhere. Youāre talking about DIYers dremeling out their side panels and customizing their cabling themselves.Ā
These are two different things.Ā
OP is right that the PC component market has made a massive swing toward aesthetics āfor the every manā over the last 10-15 years. You have to go digging for components that donāt have RGB these days.Ā
Back in 2000 the every day PC user said āman, those builds look awesome.ā And then they sat down at their computer desk, reached into the PC cabinet to turn on their hidden beige or flat white desktop, and then turned on their white CRT and listened to their desktop speakers they got from Gateway pop. But sure, you were there when the deep magic was written.Ā
semidegenerate@reddit
I agree. There is a difference. I'm 39 and built my first PC in 2001, so I remember the times the previous poster was referencing.
Tricked out cases back then are what custom loop water cooling is today, more or less. It was for the most enthusiastic of the enthusiasts. Nowadays everything is covered in rainbow vomit, and the majority of cases are designed to showcase the psychedelic nightmare.
Now, I'm not a hater. I don't think the trend is ruining the PC building hobby, and I don't begrudge people wanting to trick out their gaming PCs. It's not for me, but that's OK. I have a case with dark tinted glass and the RGB disabled on all of my components. Taste is relative. I just have relatively better taste.
ARazorbacks@reddit
āI just have relatively better taste.ā
Shit made me chuckle.Ā
Iām in agreement. I donāt like the RGB stuff, but if thatās your thing then knock yourself out. The only negative I have is the RGB stuff is absolutely everywhere.Ā
_dekoorc@reddit
I too am a [near] zero RGB enjoyer. The only RGB I have is on my GPU that shines through the mesh side and I love that for me, because my case doesn't have a power LED so the GPU lights let me know the computer is on lol
But if that's your thing, go for it. I'm not going to yuck your yum -- I'll just keep my mouth shut if anyone asks for feedback on how things look.
AShamAndALie@reddit
Gotta say, I completely agree with my buddy ChatGPT here.
ARazorbacks@reddit
Guess I should lighten up on the proper grammar. Though I donāt think ādremelingā is a word.Ā
AShamAndALie@reddit
Haha its just the combination of "OP is talking about X, you are talking about Y" + idiom of contrast + smart quotes + "But sure, blablabla" that every AI stole from us.
QuincyMABrewer@reddit
I was one of those everyday PC users, and, I saw what was being shown in the mod of the month in various magazines, and thought "hey that looks cool, can I do it?" And what do you know, just like anybody who today says "can I build my own PC?" And gets told yes, it's not relegated to the hyper enthusiast at all, similar situation.
I will go with the greater consensus that suggests it was as limited or rare a situation as you are attempting to suggest it was.
SamuelL421@reddit
Truly, this person seems entirely unaware of the scene in late-90s through the 2000s. I cut up cases, airbrushed them, purchased window panels, terrible (poor performing) generic LED fans, CCFLs, crazy fan grills, the works.
A big part of this hobby has always been about aesthetics, it's only that it used to be a lot more effort to get something with lights and windows... so that "look" was rarer and a lot more impressive (back then).
BigBananaBerries@reddit
į»²ou just took me back. I got a steel bladed fan & bought some rocket noses from some hobby rocket shop & made my drive bays look like a jet engine with blue lights behind it. Coupled with a CrystalFontz floppy bay screen for temps it looked the nuts back around 2000 or so.
motoxim@reddit
Huh interesting
timkatt10@reddit
I bought the only color case that was available the first time I built a PC. Beige.
QuincyMABrewer@reddit
As did most of us, but some of us also learned how to paint over the beige; I was not one of them.
-Crash_Override-@reddit
Yeah. I have no idea what this guy is talking about. Windows and cold cathodes were all the rage in the early 2000s. Cases like the Thermaltake Xaser III V2000A were massively popular.
blustrkr@reddit
I'm running a rig with the original Xaser case now š® my dad still has his Xaser III. That's awesome that you mentioned it!
-Crash_Override-@reddit
I love OG thermaltake. My first build was in a Thermaltake Shark. Loved that case.
IbanezCharlie@reddit
I'm sure that the thermaltake I have/had wasn't quite OG but I loved the Level 10 gt snow edition.
UchihaMind@reddit
I grew up poor so i started seeing clear side panel pcs until 2013. But couldnāt afford a good one myself in 2023. The early 2000s all I saw was solid boxes the cheap stuff. Maybe being middle or higher class is a huge contributing factor in what we saw for cases in the 2000s.
HydroWrench@reddit
I felt like the max level pc hardware nerd when slapped a green cold cathode, green led fans and drilled a hole in a floppy slot cover to mount the dial adjuster to my cooler master CPU cooler fan.we could go from silent operation to fckn turbo takeoff with the twist of a wrist.
StrummerBass101@reddit
Yep still have my first case. Huge case with big clear side (but a Grateful Dead appliquƩ stick on it. Those stickers were dope). And a bright green cathode light in it
Planted-Fish@reddit
Yup first pc I built I bought a piece of plexiglass and cut a hole in the side pannel. I don't remember what year it was but the pc had a Athlon xp 1800+.
Also has a Xaser III later on.
OffensiveOdor@reddit
Yeah has been a thing for a long time, but I think parts have just been more aesthetically designed over time. Marketing and all that.
IWasAJuggaloAMA@reddit
My parents bought an over powered gaming PC from a convention in the early 2000s - we had an acrylic panel with blue leds and the most 2000s looking metallic case.
siouxsian@reddit
I was there with you, Ben Kenobi as I was a late bloomer at 31 in 1999 with my first PC build. I started to care about showing off the inside around 2002 when I got my first Lian Li case with a window and graduated from beige. From there on out I been building or upgrading every 3 years and they all are tastefully transparent.
Arcade1980@reddit
Yuuuuuuupppp. I did a mod with a Dremel and used a cold cathode to light the inside.
TheSquirrellyOne@reddit
I had the glow-in-the-dark IDE cables and a blacklight in my first build.
Hunk_Hogan@reddit
Yup. I started in 2005 and I remember my friend from school using tin snips to cut a window in the side of his case because he installed custom lights and wanted to show it off.
ragweed@reddit
Yeah, that timeframe seems right. About the time boot magazine became MaximumPC.
SamuelL421@reddit
RIP MaximumPC, it was always a joy to find you waiting in the mailbox.
rchiwawa@reddit
Still folding proteins for the team
ragweed@reddit
I guess that was the last print magazine I've ever subscribed to.
QuincyMABrewer@reddit
That was the magazine I was trying to remember.
detourne@reddit
In 03, my roommate was really into this. He had a glow in the dark GI Joe toy that had these peg holes on his body that were the perfect size for those fiberoptic type light up cables.Ā We ended up making it look like he was trapped in the computer, plugged into the machine suspended above the video card or something.
AShamAndALie@reddit
That's PC modding, not regular PC building.
Of course people were cutting side panels with Dremels and installing cold cathodes in 2002. That was a niche enthusiast/modding scene.
The point is that now even normal builds are expected to look showroom-ready, with perfect cable management, matching colors, RGB themes and glass panels everywhere. That's a different thing.
And you can't really compare the little window on the Xaser III V2000A to the fish tank PC case craze going on nowadays.
UnderN00b@reddit
MaximumPC is still around!
Driftex5729@reddit
I was building in the 90s and all these mods were not in the mainstream like todays fish tanks
QuincyMABrewer@reddit
Early 2000s they very much were. The original poster was essentially suggesting that he's been around oh so long, since 2014, and it wasn't a thing back then. Which is patently incorrect, and it means he did not observe it.
Driftex5729@reddit
Ok. But i did not much read the ops post. I was referring to your reply. I didn't notice any such mods in mainstream. Must have been very enthusiast level
po2gdHaeKaYk@reddit
Yeah I found this post amusing.
I came on the OCing scene in the mid to late 90s. I remember taking a jigsaw to my case to put a window in. I remember going to Canadian Tire to find car window trim to put around the case hole.
People were milling their own copper heatsinks for water cooling and experimenting with peltier cooling. I remember going to an automobile site to get a radiator for cooling.
Good ol' overclockers.com.
This was the world before you could basically buy cases with windows or water cooling kits.
And then someone coming along 10 years later says it wasn't popular before, LOL.
my5cworth@reddit
Back in '97 we would replace the side panel with plexiglass...then mount an LED into the side of the plexi so the entire rim or it would illuminate.
I think late 90s and early 2000s LAN parties had people showing off their best 'home made' mods. Of course the best cases were always those with a built-in handle on top for carrying around to lan parties.
tuxthekiller@reddit
SATA cables in 02? IDE maybe ;)
QuincyMABrewer@reddit
Thank you for the correction.
tuxthekiller@reddit
Eh, was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek smartass response, it's all good. The weird bundled/round IDE are probably what you remember, round until half an inch to the connector or so. Setting master/slave jumpers correctly was the crux of half of builders then. There was also still SCSI nonsense in high end builds once in a while with its weirdo chaining that I never quite fully grasped.
Ziff7@reddit
SATA 1.0 was introduced in 2000 and SATA 3.0 was dominant by 2005, so definitely not uncommon in 2002.
MWink64@reddit
I don't know where you got your dates from but they're simply wrong. SATA didn't hit the market until 2003. SATA 3.0 wasn't even around in 2005, let alone dominant. I've seen machines from ~2010 that don't even support it.
tuxthekiller@reddit
I was building them then, no way anyone was using SATA cables in 02 when drives didnt come out using them until 03.Ā
Tricon916@reddit
Glow in the dark IDE cables to go with my 42 cold cathode UV tubes zip tied everywhere.
jestermx6@reddit
I just found some molex connected blue EL wire in a storage bin the other day. Still works when I plugged it in, but might better serve as a tinnitus simulating weapon called the Ring-in-Your-Ear-inator
Mirage08@reddit
Checking in with my 7th grade 2004 full tower gaming rig w an acrylic window, frosted glass counter strike emblems and cold cathode tube lights!
grunt56@reddit
Right there with you. I've just built my first system since the days of Pentiums and Voodoo gfx and ok, there was more glass involved and less dremmelling, but it was basically the same. More cables and ties, but mostly the same.
thorcik@reddit
Those CCFL lights \^__\^
daschundwoof@reddit
My PC sits under the desk with the glass panel turned to the wall so I couldn't care less how it looks on the inside. LOL
Scire_facias@reddit
Not really - itās a way of making the PC a bit more visually interesting.
I do wish it was more common to offer side panels that were not glass though. Iāve got an old be quiet case that is great as a homelab pc - but it always feels a tad delicate with the tempered glass side panels
Mobius438@reddit
I bought a Fractal Focus 2 specifically because it was one of the nicest cases on the market that didnāt have a window. Far too many donāt even have the option of a solid side panel anymore.
pragmaticzach@reddit
I don't think PC building is a hobby, first of all.
Ancient_Nerve_1286@reddit
I get your sentiment, but your timing is off.
I built a Core2Duo PC in 2005 with a side window and cathods. My cable management has never been crash hot - not a fan of redoing things multiple times because of a change (or me being forgetful). I just wanna game. I'm also not having people over that would care what my PC would look like inside or out. It's just for my appreciation.
But, to your point, PC Gaming has become "cool" so enthusiasts, gaming companies, streamers have all come too. PC Gaming is no longer fringe and hasn't been for at least 5 years, probably longer.
XiTzCriZx@reddit
I have a basically all white build... My PC is in a cabinet next to another PC and you can't see inside either of them lol.
It's mainly just about what makes people happy, if someone has their PC on their desk and can see it the entire time they're using it, making it looks nice makes sense. If you care more about the performance then nearly 100% of the time you can build a faster PC for the same price as a nice looking PC (to a limit of course).
It's the same with cars. A majority of average people just use them as an appliance to do what they need, but the enthusiasts will spend thousands making it look nice despite nothing about the actual performance changing. This is a sub filled with PC enthusiasts, of course there will be people focused on enthusiast things like how it looks.
JauntyGiraffe@reddit
Bro we used to fucking cut windows into the case before they made it an option
banifesto@reddit
ffs back then in the late 90s i had to send my lian li side panel just to get it cut and slapped a perspex sheet, fit a lain li thermostat on the 2.5" bay to monitor the temps. Pc building has come a long way and you can have both look and performance. what you smoking?
Opteron170@reddit
no i've had cases with windows since the early 2000s.
3090orBust@reddit
Old timer here. Bought my first PC in 1987, a no-name Compaq suitcase look-alike with a 10mz processor! (when IBM PCs and real Compaqs were still at 4.77mz).
I was recently in the market to buy a PC for my son as he heads to college. I couldn't believe what I saw. The most bizarre thing was RAM THAT LIGHT UP! Why?
I bought him a used 3090 box that has a smoky glass side that is uninteresting to look at. $1000 with 24gb VRAM if he wants to do local LLM stuff someday. š
c0horst@reddit
Early 2000's hobbyist here... I cut a window into the side of my case myself, and put an acrylic panel in it. I wired some glowing switches to the front of the case that would let me turn my CCFL's on and off. I replaced the cables with UV-reactive ones, and the fans with UV-reactive fans. I added a custom power switch that would only function if you inserted a key, turned it on, which would then activate a red "armed" light, and then you could push a large square button that looked like it launched a missile.
My current PC looks a lot more tricked out (custom open loop), but it's all off the shelf parts nowadays, you don't really have to build or solder anything yourself, PC modding has gotten a lot easier and more convenient.
KeaboUltra@reddit
No. Gate keeping is what ruins hobbies. If nobody cared what was in the PC why would anyone care what it looks like? Why does everyone show images of the PC windowless or not? People who make a fuss over things that hurt no one is what ruins hobbies. Building a PC isn't some sacred rite of passageĀ
InvaderJ@reddit
Making a separate reply to say that in 2013 I had a Maingear Shift case with custom auto paint outside and in, and a big-ass acrylic window on the side. A wild amount of people gave a damn about looks āback then.ā
InvaderJ@reddit
Literally all there is, is what is inside the case.
Thankfully we do t have to suffer these weak takes and can celebrate seeing the internals as well as making them perform.
And to folks that hate seeing the internals, plenty of cases on the market to hide them away.
Solid cases or fishbowls, there will always be people that do not understand airflow, heat soaks, thermal paste application, pressure, etc. Aesthetics changes nothing.
Desner_@reddit
I built a black box and like it, how does someone else building a sick looking PC impact the hobby for you?
samcuu@reddit
Side panel windows have existed long before 2014 my guym
SteiCamel@reddit
My first custom PC back in like 2006 had a side window... what are you on about?
Critical_Cat_4934@reddit
As a noob, i would say theres room in the Fandom for both kinds of creatures.
Kilo_Juliett@reddit
It's always been like that.
It's also the nature of reddit and youtube to share stuff aesthetically pleasing.
I also have a Fractal Torrent but mine has a solid side panel because I don't care about what it looks like.
The only rgb is on my gpu which is turned off.
FullTorsoApparition@reddit
You can build any kind of PC that you want. The only time it matters is if you're chasing internet points.
FullTorsoApparition@reddit
No.
timmyd_ns@reddit
back in the late 90s early 00s people were cutting their own windows in side panels, painting parts, customizing the components. It's always been a thing. Back when HDD were simpler you could even take the drive apart and add a window to the cover of the hdd and mount it in a way that you could watch the discs spin and the heads flick back and forth. If anything the aesthetics have gotten too commercial and less artistic.
MissingGhost@reddit
This kills the HDD. Even a 1980s HDD will die if you cut the cover. Only done as a stunt for short run times.
MissingGhost@reddit
My case in my main gaming PC is from 2003. It has a window. It's the fourth system that's in there. Also it has never had any kind of lighting, except whatever they decide to integrate in the motherboard or GPU with the rainbow pattern. Oh and the original fans, that weren't kept for very long.
NaZul15@reddit
Life becomes peaceful when you stop caring about trends. If you don't like a trend, then don't feel pressured to be part of it. Everyone and their mothers played Fortnite when it was new.
Me? Don't care. I don't do it to be different, i'm this way bc i genuinely didn't feel the need to play it. If you want to keep building enclosed pcs, then just keep doing that
bigoldgeek@reddit
I was so happy when I saw the Fractal North cases. No rgb, no nothing.
m4tic@reddit
I've been building pcs since like 91-92. We been had side plexi and cold cathode lighting.
Dazzling_Ad9399@reddit
Why do you care what other people are doing with their PC build. If they want aesthetics thatās totally fine.Ā
Nevernonethewiser@reddit
I don't like them, so I've never used one. I don't buy components riddled with RGB, either. Mainly because I don't turn on my OC to look at the parts lighting up.
But "ruining" building PCs? Wild. Nobody is forcing you to use that stuff, in fact the non RGB stuff is sometimes slightly cheaper than the lightshow equivalent, so you're in a better position.
Don't let your hobby be ruined by how other people do it.
RolandMT32@reddit
Sometimes I think it's hard to find components that have the combination of features you want without the RGB and PC case without the side window. In my current PC build, I chose the motherboard based on features I wanted, and it also came with RGB lights that I happen to not care for.
rokelle2012@reddit
This is my problem. I couldn't care less about having a side window or RGB but holy heck is it near impossible to buy components with RGB or cases without side windows. They usually end up costing more than just settling on the RGB stuff or a case with a side window.
1337HxC@reddit
Yeah, the annoying thing to me is the seemingly inescapable trend of "high end = gamer lights." I feel like I have to go out of my way to find RGB-less hardware, and it some instances it feels like it actually doesn't exist once you leave the bargain bin tier.
I dearly miss my horrific looking camo motherboards that went on discount. I'd shove those bad boys right into a plain black case.
bitesized314@reddit
I accidentally bought a motherboard that doesn't have RGB lights built in, by accident.and the I bought a gpu with no RGB built in by accident.
GoslingIchi@reddit
I thought they were silly back when they came out, long before 2014.
5kyl3r@reddit
> i've been building PCs since like 2014
> maybe im just getting old
what does that make me if i've been building them a decade longer? I will need the rest of the day to recovery from that one lol
i don't agree with you though. it was always about aesthetics. i built my first one in 2003 and it had a window on the side panel. it was acryic instead of glass but same thing. we had led fans. cold cathode tubes. UV water cooling lines. basically all the crap we have today, but no controllable RGB in general, and cases weren't as pretty (insides were rarely painted from the factory so bare metal inside). the designs were so wild and gaudy but it was all aesthetics
nothing really changed. we just have nicer looking things today with more options. and more people are getting into pc building due to streaming being so big now
you can still buy a windowless case and do it as ugly or plain as you want
> i miss when a build was judged on how it performed
yeah but how exactly? like actually think about what you're saying
today, cpus and gpus are so pushed to the edge from the factory that cpus often do better by undervolting than overclocking, because they already run to their thermal limits out of the box. that's why everyone gets the same results. cooling has improved. fans have gotten bigger. cases have better airflow now (no more 5.25" drive cage blocking the whole front air intakes)
if we judge by how things perform, we're just judging by what people spent. there's very little different today between stock and overclocked unless you're on the extreme side. you can eek out a little here and there but i just don't see people talking about overclocking like we used to back when extremeoverclocking forums and xtremesystems forums were popping off. back when i started, the difference between stock and OC or modded was HUGE. i got a 2400 athlon mobile (barton core), because they worked on desktop motherboards but due to laptops using adjustable multiplier for power limiting uses, it was basically a way to get an unlocked cpu for desktop for overclocking. did a jump wire mod in the socket and got it to 3200+ speeds rock solid stable without any issues for a fraction of the cost. got a geforce 5800 gt and flashed it with ultra firmware and it just worked. took a pretty healthy overclock too. the difference between stock and modded in benchmarks like aquamark and 3dmark2001se was HUUUGE
today? i tried OC'ing and basically got a lower score from instability and the system throttling itself from heat. i'm on a 3x140 AIO but it's just not enough for much on these modern high core cpus. i did undervolting and that got me a tiny boost but you just can't get a ton like back in the day. all of the overhead is already used up efficiently from the factory. i can get the gpu a little higher but then it runs louder a lot earlier and given what 5090's cost, i also don't want to let that thing run too hot more than necessary, so i just leave it stock. the gains weren't much anyway. it's just not the same anymore. sure you can measure temps and compare but nobody does that anymore for discussion at least that i've seen, and as long as everything stays below that 80c throttling threshold, it doesn't really matter anyway
QuincyMABrewer@reddit
I still remember having to do the conductive ink trick on certain athlon processors, and being very picky as to what stepping I got.
AGOIA FTW. iWill XP-333.
fliberdygibits@reddit
Thunder Chicken for the win!
5kyl3r@reddit
oh definitely! i remember that, you'd draw across the top of one of the smd resistors with a graphite pencil to lower its resistance and it somehow increased voltage. i remember doing that
back when ABIT was the motherboard king
MWink64@reddit
And I've been building them for almost a decade more. I might need a month to recover.
5kyl3r@reddit
on a positive note, it means you can write in cursive, read an analog clock, and type without looking at your keyboard, so there's that. but i'd trade all that to buy more time without even blinking if given the opportunity š¤£
MWink64@reddit
It's basically the only way I can write decently. There's nothing I hate more than encountering a form that says "please print legibly." I'm like, OK, but I'm going to need a dot matrix printer to do so.
Yup.
I can find the home keys and type fairly accurately without looking at the keyboard or monitor.
I can't get over the fact that my AM4 board has a BIOS/UEFI setting dedicated solely to enhancing 3DMark01 scores.
5kyl3r@reddit
> I can't get over the fact that my AM4 board has a BIOS/UEFI setting dedicated solely to enhancing 3DMark01 scores.
that's about as PEAK as it gets for pc building and overclocking!
Got2InfoSec4MoneyLOL@reddit
Not sure what on earth are you talking about... Had a box with a side panel back in 2004...
Far-prophet@reddit
Nah, I prefer mesh anyways.
gaddafiduck_@reddit
I like the aesthetics focus, but I hate how many builds look exactly the same. Like so many people just whateverās popular (which also happens to be incredibly expensive)
IKnowGuacIsExtraLady@reddit
Everything looking similar makes a lot of sense when you consider that a) anyone who follows reviews will narrow down a lot of the "cool" options to a handful of high performers and b) beyond the case, colors, and lights there really isn't all that much to customize aesthetically for the average person.
Also I'd argue that the popular thing is not the expensive thing. Cases specifically tend to be popular when they work well, look cool, and don't break the bank. The more popular a case is the cheaper it can be sold at. You only really get unique builds when someone is willing to spend serious money on it and/or has a lot of know how the average person doesn't. Since most people would rather just buy a better computer than spend several hundreds to thousands on aesthetics the really unique stuff only pops up at the highest price points where the person already bought all the top components.
unused_candles@reddit
It is entirely possible to build a case that looks good and performs well. White towers can also be properly built. RGB fans can also have good air flow. Prebuilts generally prioritize looks over quality though. It is easier to design a flashy case and save money on shitty parts than it is to make a good all around PC.
Narissis@reddit
I think you might be projecting a little bit about the cable management.
Like, yeah, people might suggest tidying them up if it's a rat's nest in the main compartment, but I don't generally see people complaining about the ol' "stuff 'em into a drive bay underneath" maneuver.
Rothgardius@reddit
Shitty ram is $1k and here we are talking about how side panels have affected the hobby.
jedi2155@reddit
I started building in 2001, and people even then were caring about side panel windows so I don't know what you're talking about. Literally ThermalTake's claim to fame was putting side panels on the old basic Chieftec cases.
It has geared a lot more towards aethetics vs. functionality because a lot of the functionality / design choices have standardized, been solved, or that there is a lot more innovation headroom compared to functionality.
AShamAndALie@reddit
Haha thats the case of the 5080, it does have huge overclocking potential, almost feels like it came underclocked on purpose, but it also has a pretty huge 2kg heatsink.
HaroldSax@reddit
Every case I've gotten has been easier to work in compared to the previous, at this point with the o11 Dynamic I don't even think I could fuck it up if I tried. It's so spacious and so easy to work in, my last Phanteks case was also capable of this but being able to get cases down to their bones these days and have them staying sturdy is very, very nice.
Misplaced_Arrogance@reddit
O11d evo xl is what I upgraded to from an old Air540. That case was great.
neebick@reddit
Yeah, my first build in ā02 was in an aluminum cooler master with glass side panels and a glass front door for the drives.
ToastyVoltage@reddit
Only if you let it ruin it for you, if you don't give a shit then why care what others think. That's the great part about hobbies, you do what makes you happy
Knightstar24@reddit
We had see through cases in 1998, personally
raycepak@reddit
if you only started in 2014 then you have no right to use the words getting old. this makes me feel old and im not dammit lol .
Ky1arStern@reddit
If people want a build that looks good ... They should build one that looks good. If you only care about performance... Then build a pc for performance.
Why does everything have to come down to an "us vs them"
"Are people doing what they want ruining MY hobby".
Give me a break.
Symphonic7@reddit
Okay Mr. 1 month old account looking to engagement farm. There's not a shred of truth to any of this, just vaguely worded rage bait.
SenkaDarkheart@reddit
Ruined it? No. Made it harder to find the look you want because glass panels have taken over the market leaving only a few glass free options? Yes. The problem is that more people want the glass panel for RGB and less want the solid metal panel and manufacturers are focusing on what more people want and saying fuck everyone else.
helvetin@reddit
glass windows are fantastic dust collectors
Emerald_Flame@reddit
Different people like, and prioritize, different things. That's okay. Not everyone has the same tastes, and the world in general would be pretty boring if they did. The entire point of building a custom OC is getting what you want. If you don't want a side panel window and don't care about cable management, cool, go do that. If you want a showcase build to look pretty and be an art piece, that's cool to, do it.
Jacktheforkie@reddit
I go for performance and budget on mine, Iām not so much looking at the computer itself when Iām playing
elpadreHC@reddit
its like cars.
some like fancy neon street racer aesthetic, others the one color everything, again other go maximum power idgaf for looks, and then there is the scrap metal DIY "please one more year" build.
BigSmackisBack@reddit
Spot on. I like to be able to see my motherboard lights etc because im a tinkerer, so the glass panel isnt just about looks, its has a function too. Same for cable management, I dont want to fight with a snake pit everytime I do... stuff.
ShowCharacter671@reddit
I like it actually I like seeing the components and watching the fans spin up. Plus, I know theyāre still working and I can shine a torch in there. Ok Itās time for a bit of a cleaning. Again. Plus can see the led boot lights on the mother bored to
MaxxBot@reddit
The expectations for aesthetics have risen but good modern cases make it super easy to do clean cable routing compared to back in the day.
ZwhGCfJdVAy558gD@reddit
Well, if someone wants to build a piece of art, more power to them.
There is one aspect where they have partly ruined it for the rest of us though: there are less and less modern cases with solid side panels. I keep buying Fractal Design cases because they almost always have variants with solid panels, but they are the exception and I would like to have more choice.
Munda1@reddit
I like knowing that when my red lights are on inside the case, the PC will run faster, and when theyāre blue itāll run cooler when Iām just chilling or watching a movie.
CautiousHashtag@reddit
Nah, this post is weird.Ā
Ready2Move2Digg@reddit
I'm a boomer millennial and RGB-heavy rigs are just gaudy in my book. There, I said it. Give me just a clean black interior with maybe an accent light on the GPU and call it a day. But no hate on anyone who thinks differently. It's your money and your computer. Do whatever makes you happy.
busuli@reddit
I mounted the components of a PC to my dorm room wall in college (around 2002). I bet the screw holes are still visible to this day.
In my defense, it was a purple motherboard. Wasn't going to hide that.
GTXMittens@reddit
I remember cutting my first pc window in my corsair carbide 500
fffluuu@reddit
Policing what people like to do with their own builds is ruining the hobby, thereās plenty of cases and components that fit what youāre looking for.
red_vette@reddit
Maybe because Iām getting old, but I always liked transparent stuff growing up like the old lan phones that had colored internals. PC building these days to me is very similar and I can actually adjust and tweak the aesthetic .
zone55555@reddit
No
Hugh_Jass_Clouds@reddit
Is this rage bate? PC cases have been sold with windows since at least the 90's, and possibly the 80's. A minimum of 20 years before you built your first one in 2014.
AShamAndALie@reddit
And this is why, even tho I built tons of PC, when I upgraded my last case to a Lili O11, I just paid some guy to do it. Hiding cables never was and never will be any fun for me.
KennKennyKenKen@reddit
My build looked shit so I replaced my glass side panel with a OLED portable monitor lol
https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/s/uJPE8SR3Vh
Fredasa@reddit
I still don't give a damn.
No, worse than that: I actively dislike all the hoops I have to jump through to kill LEDs in my case so I can have a sleep-appropriate dark room at night. (No guff about leaving the PC on. I'm always using it for something. It's a PC.)
raginghavoc89@reddit
No, hobby builders cared about aesthetics as early as the '90s when custom cooling loops started being a thing.
chipface@reddit
I've been building PCs since 2004. Side panels have been here the entire time.
cbmwaura@reddit
Just say you're low effort. Cable management and side panels are sexy af. This even works for electricians, network engineers, and even plumbers.... Nothing beats a functional and yet aesthetic outcome
WheresTheSauce@reddit
Case windows were super super common way before 2014
pandaSmore@reddit
Side panels were already popular in the late 2000s
Liesthroughisteeth@reddit
It's certainly helped dictate the location of the PC vs back in the day. I like a clean desktop, so, windows or not, I still have my two PCs and a server ...on the floor. I could couldn't care about lights and bling. LOL
rooofle@reddit
I literally do not give a shit about how my cables look for the most part and I don't think most people do either unless you got dirt and dust all over. I don't have a modular PSU and I stuff everything either behind the panel of my case or in the lower front. My cable management looks like complete shit because there's barely any outside of some twist ties in places.
If I could get an all beige retro / sleeper case that has modern insides and for a decent price I'd do it in a heartbeat, because blinged out cases are kind of boring tbh.
ScreamingSkull@reddit
Yes, while everyone is entitled to their side panel bling, and i think it can look cool, its become so prolific where i live its actually a chore to find anyone selling a standard case and parts that arenāt RGB Everywhere.
Unfortunate-Incident@reddit
What 2014 do you come from because your description isn't very 2014-ish
lolpuppet@reddit
I cared a lot about aesthetic when I was building my first pcs. Was never an RGB guy, but I wanted things to look cohesive. Now I dont at all. As long as it has great airflow, good enough specs for me to run what I want, and doesnt look totally out of place under my desk, I am happy.
sexmarshines@reddit
I think the whole color matching and LED lights setups and all that stuff is quite too much for me.
But I have always been very methodical about cable management. I don't care even if there's no side window or if no one will ever see as is the case for my home server. I always want the cable management to be as clean as possible for the most professional and organized look and flow.
amabamab@reddit
You and I dont have to spent more money than necessary. I dont care that my PC Looks like a late millenium PC. Maybe the "ugly" parts get cheaper. Good for us
firestar268@reddit
Nah. I love my side window
oldsckoolkool@reddit
All I'll say is I do think that too many cases come with only glass side panels.
dc_IV@reddit
My Antec Nine Hundred Tower in 2006 had several fans with Blue LED, but not addressable. The side panel had some plexiglass that you can see in, but with the case not being designed to route cables cleanly it was an embarrassing sight!
N7even@reddit
I like having side panel to check if everything looks okay from time to time (dust, cables etc) but I don't look at it and have no RGB.Ā
But, I also have nothing against someone having all the lights matching or colouryfied to their liking, it's their preference, has nothing to do with me.Ā
Pynchon_A_Loaff@reddit
I still have a Cooler Master HAF 932 case from a 2010 build. Custom red sleeved cables. It had red LED fans and red cold cathode case illumination. Thereās nothing new about obsessing over case aesthetics.
IMHO, the side panels have opened up new levels of creativity / insanity. One day I may do something really crazy, like an all black look with no ARGB at all.
Straight-Opposite-54@reddit
Yeah, I'm over it. When I rehoused my PC I went with an AP201 and plain black fans. Routed the wires but slapped the side panels on with them still relatively loose. Didn't feel the need to tie them down all nice and tidy if I can barely see them.
galacticdolan@reddit
I don't think so no. PCs are usually pretty big and visible, so they should be aesthetically pleasing/fitting to their environment and the taste of their owner. There's plenty of options for those who want a flashy build, plenty of options for a low-key look, and plenty in between
HumanHickory@reddit
Who all is coming over to your house to grade your PC's cable management???
PilotedByGhosts@reddit
I can appreciate a unique build that thought and skill has gone into but I do not see the point in putting the same RGB lights as everybody else into your computer. Surely you're meant to be looking at the monitor rather than a box of fairy lights?
I've got a 2017 case (NZXT Source 530) and it's a big black tower with great ventilation. I have four Noctua case fans, two more on the Peerless Assassin CPU cooler and the PC sits on the floor under my desk. It's very quiet and the temperatures never get above 65Ā°c.
fractal2@reddit
I would say it's become more popular as it's easier to do with off the shelf stuff so less motivated people still do it, but this is far from a ew phenomenon too. I'm with you though, I don't give a shit about rgb and making it look fancy inside. I want it to be clean functional and let me see what it puts on my screen. But that's me
MrHaann@reddit
If not aesthetics, then what else is there to talk about? PC Building is a solved problem
RoseOfSharonCassidy@reddit
Ruined the hobby? Get over yourself. If you don't want an RGB fishtank then don't build one.
durtmcgurt@reddit
I think it's definitely misguided a lot of new builders. It hasn't "ruined" anything, but the rise of RGB and glass panels has certainly invented new ways to part fools from their money, especially because glass panels inherently increase case temps over a mesh panel option.
FALSE_PROTAGONIST@reddit
Iāve been building computers since pentium one days. Never had a case with anything showing inside. The only things that matter to me are airflow, durability and room for expansion. My friend started to do all the mods back when cold cathodes were a thing. I did like the rounded ATA cables though
unimportantinfodump@reddit
PC building isn't a hobby anymore. It's an investment.
My ram has 5x
manicfish@reddit
Wtf are you on about? Side windows on pc's have been a thing longer than I've been alive, and im almost 40.
excel958@reddit
You donāt have to participate in this particular aspect of the hobby but tbh youāre kind of giving off a weird superiority complex about it
numbersthen0987431@reddit
As someone who works with electrical systems where you have 10x, 20x, 30x the amount of cabling and wires than a home PC does: clean and organized cables are a fucking godsend.
Absolutely nothing else ruins your day like opening up a cabinet to see a rats nest of disorganized chaos of cables and wires that someone slapped together because they thought "fuck anesthetics, who cares?"
Clean and organized will always be better. It's better for troubleshooting, It's better for organization, and it's also better for signal communication to not have a mess in there.
XxOmegaMaxX@reddit
"RGB fans move barely any air" this is just completely false, how would some led lights effect how fast a fan spins? If anything being worried about aesthetics helps airflow, that way you don't have wires all over the place and getting in the way.
PigSlam@reddit
I'm not sure it's ruined it, but it's not something I like or have had on any of my builds. The few times I've searched for cases since they've become a thing, I always filter those options out. If you're someone that likes to show the inside, go for it. Some builds like that do look good to my eye, but I just wouldn't want to look at it every day.
Arowhite@reddit
Nah I don't care about over-tidying my PC cables. My side panel window is there so I can notice if a fan fails. Which never happened and probably never will.
Impossible_Grass6602@reddit
Bro I've been building since 2002 and I've never had a case without a window
ScaredLink8@reddit
My tower 300 has front glass so Iām edgy like that
RolandMT32@reddit
Sometimes I've wondered about that too. I've posted pics of some of my builds online, which I thought were decent, and then some people would comment that it has "terrible cable management", etc.. I've seen some photos of PC builds online where you can hardly even see any cables, and I wonder how much time they spent doing that and what even the point of that is. I'm more concerned with how easy my PC is to work on when I need to open it up and do some work on it. I'm not really going to want to spend a lot of time undoing cable ties etc., which have little relevance to the PC's operation other than perhaps not blocking airflow.
Also, I think the side panel window has also given rise to LEDs on internal components, which I don't find useful. Sometimes I leave my PC on overnight to do some work, and I don't want it lighting up the room.
I started building PCs in the early-mid 90s, when a PC was usually a beige box that (at my young age) seemed to do magical things. I was totally fine with PC cases that didn't have the side window.
svsdentist2018@reddit
Everything i want in my PC is low temperature, and as much as performance it could provide me. I dont care about ābeautyā in it because i want to play game not look into my case whole day. To achieve that i also made my case look so curse for side panel, and dont give a shit about other opinions. I play BF6 max setting 2K on i7 14700 with 40-50oC full core frequency and im happy with it.
Look people suffer with 70-80oC in that game with beautiful white LED case and AiO and complain just like a joke to me.
Alitaki@reddit
I've been building PCs since 1994. Cable management wasn't about interior design style points. It was about airflow management. We didn't have these nice prebuilt water cooling kits. We either risked making our own water cooling system or we managed airflow by making sure our cables weren't in the way. And we didn't have fancy shmancy thin SSD cables. We had to deal with thicc ass IDE ribbon cables. If you were lucky and you could find the rounded cables at a computer show your threw those fuckers in there, but not everyone was so lucky.
Now get off my lawn!
Single-Order-8611@reddit
Last time I built a PC I tried to find a case without window. It was basically mission impossible. I just could not care less how my rig looks from inside. Right now pissed because my GPU has annoying lights
weveran@reddit
I still position my cables and such for ease of repair/replacement, not for aesthetics. I'll put a little more care into other people's PCs if I help them out, but my own is just going to have wires wherever, as long as they can be followed and are not in the way of anything. The one time I tried to do it all fancy, I had to undo it all immediately after because of some issue.
SureMany9497@reddit
The people who are indifferent to aesthetics are not the same people posting photos of their PC on reddit
time-lord@reddit
When I first built my previous PC it didnt have a side panel, and only one fan - for the cpu. Different priorities for different folks. I never posted it on reddit because it was just a black box, nevermind it was gaming at something crazy quiet like 20db.
The pc before that had 6 blue led fans and skull shaped fan grills, thank you early 2000s.
bakedpatata@reddit
I still have a big black monolith case with no windows and there's nothing stopping you from doing the same. The whole point of building your own PC is that you can make it fit your taste. No need to hate on other styles because they are popular, just get a PC that fits what you want.
Potential4752@reddit
I donāt see how it could be a hobby if not for the aesthetics. Speccing out a new build every four years isnāt much of a hobby.Ā
Scurb00@reddit
Glass side panel and being able to see the sleek hardware is nice.
Rbg puke is what ruins it. The odd lighting to add character, like the name of the gpu, or a backlight is perfectly fine but seeing every build with 12+ fans all flashing color, small screens in the tower or on the panels, flashing light cables, etc. that's excessive. I want to see my screen. Not my tower. Everyone seems to need excessive lighting and its an awful trend.
Fly67@reddit
Why would it be too much? I just built a new system and have 10 fans. All with proper intake and exhaust. Everything in the damn thing has lights and kinda turned into a ARGB nightmare. That being said, I donāt gaf about wires showing. If it works great with ARC Raiders and all the new games coming, thatās all I care about. I can see streamers caring about how their build looks as well as OCD people. lol. Iām neither.
Gold-Persimmon-1421@reddit
I sort of get it, ultimately how a PC looks is rather pointless, focusing on the athstetics and not so much the power.
I agree back in the day, it just wasn't a thing.
It just comes down to preference, if your not bothered about the glitz of it all, then you've made the hobby much cheaper.
ALEX-IV@reddit
I was going to LAN parties with my Chenming 601 case with transparent acrylic side panel in the early 2000's. Things were not as pretty as it is today, but people were indeed giving a damn.
My current build is all black and no RGB because I don't like it, but I can appreciate the aesthetics of the builds some people are are putting out nowadays compared to a couple decades ago where PC's were usually just ugly beige boxes. And a lot of the time they have good specs too.
You just have no idea how good you have it today.
dedsmiley@reddit
Yep!
I have a CoolerMaster NR200P Max.
I am using the vented side panel. It cools better and my PC guts arenāt judging me.
2raysdiver@reddit
I will say that cable management is soooooo much easier. Gone are the IDE and FDD ribbon cables. PSUs are mostly modular, and many of the ons that aren't still have wraps around their cables... or at least they are one color. You don't often see individual colored wires tangled together, only sometimes held together by a single zip tie (which always manages to work its way right up next to the plug before you even installed the PSU). Cases now actually have space for routing most of the cables behind the motherboard and space to hide unused power cables.
But case mods have been going on almost as long as Cases have existed.
Ill_Marketing_2588@reddit
No there have always been PC ricers
Whatās changed now is virtually everyone is using the same Lian Li fan and case setup š¤£
Blackarm777@reddit
I don't feel that way in the slightest, and I build boring looking builds. I feel like it's a weird outlook to think it has "ruined" the hobby. Just let people enjoy shit.
Also builds are still judged about how they performed? If anything performance is the main focus of the conversation most of the time.
DonStimpo@reddit
My first pc i built in 2003 had a window. And I lighting was cold cathode tubes and not RGB LEDs.
Good times
Blue2501@reddit
My PC is built in a Fractal Define 7 with no window, on the floor where it belongs. It runs well and nobody really needs to see what the insides look like
Tamotefu@reddit
I have case LEDs and a side panel for one reason: Keep track of internal dust levels. Once a week the LEDs come on, I look around, turn'em off.
Known-Sea-1342@reddit
why do you care what others think.Ā
theJirb@reddit
It just gives you the option to show off. And honestly, having a beautiful PC is just as much of an art as anything. I'd love to just make artistic builds for fun if I had the disposable income.
scruffy69@reddit
I mean you could just get a case without the window if thatās what you like.
CitizenTed@reddit
I am a Quiet PC person. I will never use a windowed case. My cases have sound dampening panels on them. My air cooling is dead ass quiet. I have no need for LED RAM or gloss white components because I will only see them when I blow out dust every few months.
Snicklebot@reddit
A good rule of thumb to have is to not let what other people do with their own belongings "ruin" a hobby for you.
fnord55@reddit
In the mid-2000's I had a case that had a side window that was some sort of crappy acrylic. People have been obsessed with a clean look for a long time.
TenderfootGungi@reddit
It certainly made finding a quality case harder. Usable cases do exist. Although, not my dream case.
PhotoFenix@reddit
I built a PC back then and put a black light inside
Patchumz@reddit
You're misremembering. Even in 2014 the RGB phenomenon was going huge and custom PCs were flashy.
The9thPlague@reddit
In the 90ās all my computer nerd friends left their cases open. They were constantly upgrading, overclocking, modding etc.Ā
nikoZ_@reddit
Itās the way of society these days. Itās all about looks and showing off, less so about substance. People come here seeking validation and karma.
lazenbooby@reddit
When I was building mine, I put so much thought into lighting, cable management, what angle it would sit at on my desk
Then I soon realised that it was only for my eyes, and I didn't really care much. Now I just have a pretty mid case with a bit of lighting in it and I'm happy with that!
CrispyDave@reddit
Cable management is a huge conspiracy between Linus Tech Tips and Big Cable Tie.
It just makes every job a pain in the ass if you want to change anything.
Let your cables hang free like nature intended.
SignalButterscotch73@reddit
I have no problem with glass side panels.... the near complete absence of anything else? now that, I see as a problem.
Cases used to have far more variation than the black or white box with one or two glass panels that is the majority of modern cases.
Now we have less front/top I/O, no front bays and a few options of what famous glass case from the last decade we want a clone of.
FilthBaron@reddit
No. I build the PC for me and my needs and wants, not for others.
bpaps@reddit
I love the viewing window into my PC. I get to see all the expensive bits I've bought overthe years.
RGB lighting, on the other hand is NOT welcome. Keep it dark and classy. I do have a dim white light on all black interior of a white case. Looks dope.
solidfreshdope@reddit
I remember those days too but they were well well before 2014.
619jabroni@reddit
Sounds like you donāt like your laziness on display
webjunk1e@reddit
I think part of the issue is that builds are very cookie cutter now. There were all sorts of add in cards, various kinds of drives, you might even have multiple GPUs. There were ways to feel differentiated without necessarily going purely aesthetic.
Now, virtually every build has the same basic set of components and looks pretty much exactly the same as every other build. I get why people might want to add some flourishes of individuality with RGB or such.
That said, I don't care about the look at all. I cable manage to make my own maintenance easier, but I specifically chose a case with a mesh side panel instead of glass, specifically to go stealth. What's inside is what's required for performance, nothing more and nothing less.
finneas998@reddit
All it does is add another level of customisation. I dont see how this is a bad thing, all it does is allow people who are passionate about PC building to invest even more time and money into the thing they enjoy.
If you dont like it just dont do it, why do you care about what others think?
Penguins83@reddit
You would have hated the days of IDE. Multiple hard drives, cd/DVD-ROM and burners. Those were were a rats nest at best case.
directrix1@reddit
I don't think it ruined the hobby. I just think they are all pointless. I spend like 5 seconds looking at my computer every day, and it's when I'm hitting the power button.
Beautiful_Ad_4813@reddit
I prefer sleeper builds with fractal design cases. Sure it looks like a generic office pc but itās whatās inside that counts. Besides, glass panels can break if not handled correctly
Punky921@reddit
I just ignore it. I donāt care about perfect cable management or interior lighting. My PCs live on the floor under my desk.
lostwolf128@reddit
Just imagine how bad the cable management would be without the side panel windows.
I think the customization of all the DIY parts lets you build something special that can represent yourself. If people are saying they are having performance issues, I think that comes with experience and educating oneself on building PCs.
RealisticQuality7296@reddit
My next pc is definitely going to be a small black box hooked up to a MoRa
RockmanVolnutt@reddit
I have a mesh sided PC, but it also looks really nice inside. Not because I will be looking at it, but because when I built it I used nice, high end parts that happen to look good, and I cable manage meticulously because when I clean or work on my PCs I like it to go smoothly. Messy cables is not just an aesthetic thing, these machines are expensive, they should be taken care of.
MimiNuyasaka@reddit
Somewhat. For gaming, no. For professional PCs, yes. For lower budget ones, specifically. Finding good, but also affordable, cases without side panels is a chore now.
YoSpiff@reddit
So is finding something with external bays to mount accessories.
DBA92@reddit
In 2014 I very much cared about the inside of my pc. Just as I did in 2006. Although I couldnāt see nearly as much through the scratched perspex.
jerry111165@reddit
Not necessarily - I did both looks and power.
Jonnyflash80@reddit
I've been building PCs since late 1990's. No I don't think windowed panels have done anything but add more spice and fun to the hobby.
Doomu5@reddit
It is surprisingly difficult to find really decent cases without glass. It limits your choices significantly. I have no issue with anyone wanting glass to show off their build if that's what they want to do but I would be happier if more cases had the option for solid side panels as well.
Sbeezynukka@reddit
No, I donāt see how a case variation could make for the demise of a whole scene.
ChaoticNeutralMeh@reddit
Gees, your post made me feel old lol
I got into PC building/modding around 2005 and back then people were already cutting side panels open.
It was always a thing, nowadays it's just more accessible.
CyborgDeskFan@reddit
No, I think it opened up more options. It's all optional anyway, you just gotta find which community frequents where and go where the one you want is.
ShutterBun@reddit
Side panels were VERY MUCH in vogue in 2014.
MVmikehammer@reddit
Side panel windows have been a thing like since the late 1990s when people were cutting holes in steel side panels to put in tempered glass or plexiglass. Some companies even offered fully transparent plexiglass/lexan cases. Not nearly as cool as you might imagine it.
Back then (I built my first computer in 2004) RGB wasn't yet a thing, but color matching what you could and LED strips certainly were, also was UV-reactivity. There were motherboards where everything plastic would light up under UV-light, even UV reactive slim sleeves for ribbon cables, UV-reactive dyes for coolant water. Or alternatively you could show how serious you were about hardware with aftermarket copper heatsinks on CPU, NB, SB and your graphics card.
The only thing that has really changed in 26 years is that since we no longer have need for media drives (floppy discs and optical media), there is no need for a solid front panels, so that can be transparent as well. So now we have tempered glass on two sides. Everything else has just been passing fads people soon forget.
_EnFlaMEd@reddit
If I was rich I would build aesthetic PCs just for fun.
shipshaper88@reddit
You can still care only about perf, just get some basic case and be done w it. Lots of people feel this way.
95alle95@reddit
Thats why i went with T1 case. The only thing you can ser is the lights from FE card trough the mesh lok
DreamWeaver2189@reddit
Nobody is forcing you to do all that cable management. What's stopping you from just throwing in the PSU cables and closing the side panel? Hell, with newer cases you can do it more than ever, since you have more space than before.
No one is forcing you to have cable extensions or a back plate motherboard. No one is forcing you to buy a fishtank case instead of a closed one.
More options is never a bad thing. If you want RGB, screens in your AIO, front panel and even GPU, then go for it. Get a Hyte Y70 and go nuts.
But if you like sleeper builds, get a case that works and don't worry about managing cables.
likely_deleted@reddit
No, but fish tank cases have
HeavyBeing0_0@reddit
It can perform well and look cool too. Iām more tired of the x-treme gamer esthetic thatās aggressively branded on pc components. Iām an adult man, I donāt need this cringey bs on my ram kit
phoenixmatrix@reddit
It means now you can get "ugly" hardware for cheaper while the look & feel enthousiasts are subsidizing the market to get their RGB ram. Enjoy.
/cries in ram price
Phill_is_Legend@reddit
You can just build what you want and you always could lol why would options ruin a hobby?
That-Syllabub6509@reddit
My computers are always black.
Lian Li v3000 Arctic freezer 3 11 Arctic fans Turn off all rgb in the GPU and ram.
But yeah glass side panels suck because they are heavy, have no air flow, and if they break you're sol
zexton@reddit
its interesting how a optional side panel, can make you think a whole hobby is ruined,
meanwhile transparent cases was a thing back in 2003,
if people wants others opinion by posting it on reddit or similar forums, you will get some that dont agree with your choices, and thats okay,
MastaFoo69@reddit
Clear side panels did not hurt the PC building hobby. Those of us that have been around a while remember the case mods of yesteryear...
Not having acrylic options where there are otherwise tempered glass options on the other hand.... may be a different conversation.
noburdennyc@reddit
Nah, if i have a hot rod i want to look at the engine.
Riipp3r@reddit
You're complaining hobbyists enjoy the meticulous aspects of their hobby?
GapStock9843@reddit
I have a side window but I genuinely dont give a shit about the view. My rig is on the floor by my desk, no one ever looks at the inside. Its a big spaghetti mess in there
ethanb12345@reddit
How do aesthetics ruin something?
Ahnatos@reddit
What others do shouldn't matter at all. I go with closed cases and who cares about cable management, my last one built I tied things off enough that they wouldn't go into fans, called it good at that.
draven33l@reddit
Nope. I don't care about RGB, but I think it's nice to be able to look into my case to see if fans are working, error codes, etc.
killerkitten115@reddit
Porque no los dos? I build a solid functional rig that has decent temps and i get to look at my parts i spent money on. I think the glass panel is a win if you have good cable management
nesnalica@reddit
you are cooked.
"display PCs" just generate more clicks. thats why you see them,
what you mean is sleeper builds and those are still a thing and never died out.
you just chose to not look.
Alucard661@reddit
It should be both. At the price range we are now a 2k pc should look good and work well. Nobody really cares how it looks but if you post a picture telling me what a great build you have Iām going to tell you if itās messy.
Complex-Republic-443@reddit
I've been building PCs since the 80s, and i couldn't care less what it looks like. My system sits in a space with a door, so I can't even see the sides. š
yeet_suace@reddit
Yeah me personally I canāt stand all the glass and RGB. I prefer airflow and understated aesthetics, which you could argue is an aesthetic in itself lol. But yeah I agree itās become more about the picture than the performanceĀ
SwissHelvetica@reddit
I'm fine with side panels but not the fish bowl cases
Urdnot_Flexx@reddit
Youāre getting old, unc. You can have both. Very easily actually. And there are still really solid cases that emphasize functionality like the Lancool 217 or the HAVN BF360 Flow.
Vol3n@reddit
No