when is a computer case not a case at all?

July 23rd, 2008 post a comment (5) stumble it! by: technabob

Looking for a way to keep your souped-up PC from overheating? This series of bold acrylic cases out of Japan does away with convention by doing away with the exterior case walls, thus eliminating much of the heat which might otherwise be trapped by a traditional enclosure.

DC-ACPC3 Plus Orange Acrylic PC Case

Digital Cowboy’s Acrylic Cowboy computer cases sort of remind me of those old “visible man” anatomical models, spilling the guts of your PC all over the exterior for everyone to see.

Acrylic Cowboy ACPCD Case

Cases are available in several different styles, ranging from the beautiful, minimal orange platform design of the ACPC3 and the hot pink ACPCD, to the dramatic smoke grey/black ACPC4 which places your motherboard at an extra special 25 degree angle.

DC-ACPC4 Smoke Acrylic PC Case

All models can house an ATX or Micro ATX logic board, and provide open bays underneath for mounting hard drives and optical storage devices with ease. As an added bonus, the open air designs make adding and removing cards, memory and storage about as easy as it gets too. Also, thanks to a pure acrylic motherboard shelf, it’s much less likely that you’ll ever short out the solder on the bottom of the board.

DC-ACPC3 Blue Acrylic PC Case

Acrylic Cowboy cases are now available from Hanwha Japan, with prices ranging from ¥3,980 (Appx. $37 USD) to ¥10,800 (Appx. $101 USD). And of course, there’s that small problem of trying to get one here from Japan.

July 23rd, 2008 post a comment (5) stumble it! by: technabob

5 comments post a comment

1. chris | July 23rd, 2008 at 3:12 pm

Actually keeping a PC housed thusly will cause it to run hotter. While it would seem logical for an open case to keep it cooler by not trapping heat in a confined space, it isn’t.

A case actually regulates airflow so that fresh (and cool) air is constantly directed over the most important parts, thus keeping it much cooler.

This case is likely designed for those using it as a test bed PC where they are inserting and removing parts on a regular basis. Putting your souped up gaming rig in this would be a quick way to destroy it.
2. technabob | July 23rd, 2008 at 6:52 pm

I guess I didn’t think about it that way. Unless you happen to live in a walk-in freezer, having no case at all would greatly affect airflow….

And the words “Test Ber” - I assume they meant “Bed” on the angled one all but confirms your test bed theory.
3. nathan | July 24th, 2008 at 8:52 am

Umm err how about the issues with static? big old sheets of plexi are notorious for building up a charge.
4. Tango Smoker | July 25th, 2008 at 9:27 am

Yeah, what nathan said. I was just on the verge of fabricating one of these when I also thought about the static possibilities. It would be OK if it were my own mobo I trashed because of static, but if it were a customers $300+ mobo it wouldn’t be too long before I was out of business. Maybe the PSU would discharge the static if it were plugged in before the mobo was mounted.
5. kc | July 29th, 2008 at 2:36 pm

static… how about if they rimmed the mobo shelf with metal… like a trimmed edge on a composite countertop…? Kinda getting pricey on the manufacture side… but… if they did that… then used metal legs as they do… and tied this al lto a metal back plate instead of plex where the power supply attaches… that would tie the grounding in together,,,

does anyone know if the metal rim would be effective at drawing static off the plex mobo platform?

Damn, I shoulda patented this comment…

Maybe Digital Cowboy would like to hire me…? I am quite the savvy inventor!

kc