Is Anyone Else Noticing This?

As a PC builder I've watched the prices of hardware increase over the years. Yes, the hardware is better, faster, more efficient etc. in many cases but there's something I noticed about used computer components that seems to be increasing in some shocking ways. I'm referring to the price of desktop PC cases. Now admittedly, I'm a little old fashioned. Okay I'm really old fashioned. I like front bays on my PC case. Lots of them. Not many newer desktop cases come with ample provision for multiple drives. In fact, most new cases have zero front bays. Instead, the front of the case is used more for fan intake if anything at all. Indubitably this falls into the favour of manufacturing companies as front panels need less attention and minimal development when they don't have front bays but simply a mesh or moulded front grill. Fair enough. Styles change.

BUT

To get cases with multiple front bays (especially more than three) in an EATX form factor one might be hard pressed to buy used. This is the point at which things get rather interesting. So many used cases are being offered for sale at incredibly over inflated prices. Many of these are being sold for triple what they once cost brand new. Some of them are being sold for more than what you could get for a brand new case in the same tier. It's insane! I've been finding cases that originally sold for 69 dollars now being offered for over 300 dents and scratched included. Is the market for old school cases so high that the demand is driving up these prices? If this should be the case then manufacturers need to pay attention because so many customers would rather pay for old, dented, and scratched cases that offer better capacity and pay more for them than so many of these new cases have hardly anything to offer in the way of front bays or quality design.

But that's just the impression I've been getting. Any other PC builders observing the same?

Scannerman said:

front bays

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Does it interfere with the cooling of RAM and NVME drives ?

The above may work for you

I have not owned a desktop PC in decades but I loved the one I had. No tools were needed to open the case or add things and I think at one stage it had two floppy disks, a tape drive and CD-DVD writer all added by me. I was mightily pleased when I found out that extras from any company were compatible.
But now I like to sit in the lounge with the laptop so I can be with my wife, not stuck nerding in a man cave. I don't think I would ever buy a computer that wasn't silent (no wife models are silent).

Josey Wales said:

https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-focus-g-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352069?Item=N82E16811352069

The above may work for you

Click to expand...

$215AUD on Amazon AU! Lot better cases like that for cheaper!

Dwarfr66 said:

$215AUD on Amazon AU! Lot better cases like that for cheaper!

Click to expand...

Please list a few.

I bought my case back when I had an Intel Pentium 4 CPU with both 5.25" and 3.5" floppy disk drives so I could read all my old disks. Later I replaced the standard 3.5" floppy disk drive with a combo 3.5" floppy disk drive and card reader. Then I added two ATAPI (IDE) DVD-RW drives so I can copy directly from one to the other. When I upgraded to 3rd generation Intel Core-i3, there were no IDE ports on the motherboard, so I added an IDE+SATA to PCIe card. Later I added a SATA BD-R drive. So my midi tower has all four 5.25" bays plus the 3.5" bay occupied. Of course the 5.25" and 3.5" floppy disk drives don't work, but I have lost the front covers, so I just left them to fill the gap...

@Scannerman

Here ya go. 6x 5.25" bays, and will take an EATX motherboard with room to spare. Plus, a lot of other goodies.
The built in front panel USB connectors are only USB 2.0, but, with 6 bays, you can add a modern one.
It's all aluminum too. The whole case acts like a heatsink.
Best of all, used, it's "cheaper" than the original cost.




And the icing on the cake... remove 4 thumb screws on the back and the whole motherboard tray comes out, "with" all the hardware still attached. Just unhook the cables.
You can upgrade the hardware in 15-20 minutes if desired.
It's like a test bench IN a case.



I have this case, and it's awesome.


More sellers: Cooler Master ATCS 840


Note: A lot of Thermaltake cases came with 3x 5.25" bays and support for EATX boards...





Just found a new case at Mountain Mods that fits your requirements. (looks like a Cooler Master ATCS 840 knock off)


You can even have them "custom make" a case for you. ($$$)

Dwarfr66 said:

$215AUD on Amazon AU! Lot better cases like that for cheaper!

Click to expand...

it is $59.00 USD at New Egg

We moved from one condo to another one. I had to get a compact ATX case for my desktop. There were 2 important requirements
1)One bay for DVD
2) Power button and usb sockets in front of me.

I do no gaming. No video card. I use the PCI slots with adapters for 2 additional NVME SSD.

The space is tight but it accepts ATX motherboard.
I have computer transfer components from the old large case to this one.

Bout my oversized tower about 10 years ago with enough room to drastically expand , has eight HDD bays and I have yet to use them all

spapakons said:

View attachment 127424

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Is it realyy made of wood????

I don't know, probably a crate. I took it from Google. Looks like a large drawer put on the side, like the ones we put our clothes in our bedroom.

Here is what I had in mind when I was searching for "crate PC case":

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​

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abactuon said:

Does it interfere with the cooling of RAM and NVME drives ?

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That really hasn't been my observation. There are so many cooling solutions available for RAM and NVMe today that having bays should be a negligible concern. For purest over-clockers where every bit of cooling counts as an advantage front bays aren't necessary, but then there are only a small percentage of competitive over-clockers in the market. I think the real reason manufacturers backed off making cases with front bays is that it saves on manufacturing costs BUT those savings aren't being passed down to the end user. No, quite the opposite. Manufacturers are getting more for offering less.

Josey Wales said:

https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-focus-g-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352069?Item=N82E16811352069

The above may work for you

Click to expand...

Sadly, it does not. My other, other, other daughter owns this case. I bought it for her many moons ago. She has the red version. For the money it really isn't a half bad case. I had to modify it with a Dremel in order to install a fan controller for her but she's happy with it because she likes the black and red theme. Unfortunately my target is an EATX board and that case does not support EATX.

kelper said:

I have not owned a desktop PC in decades but I loved the one I had. No tools were needed to open the case or add things and I think at one stage it had two floppy disks, a tape drive and CD-DVD writer all added by me. I was mightily pleased when I found out that extras from any company were compatible.
But now I like to sit in the lounge with the laptop so I can be with my wife, not stuck nerding in a man cave. I don't think I would ever buy a computer that wasn't silent (no wife models are silent).

Click to expand...

Yup. I hear ya. I only just recently let go of my PC with floppy drive as some young aspiring lad in the neighbourhood needed a PC so I gifted him with my DELL INSPIRON. Nice little unit and tough as nails. He's quite happy with it. I don't have the luxury of a man cave. My basement has been converted into more of a lan party/control room. My wife sits beside me on her desk with her desktop where we both nerd together in a lan cave.

FDretired said:

We moved from one condo to another one. I had to get a compact ATX case for my desktop. There were 2 important requirements
1)One bay for DVD
2) Power button and usb sockets in front of me.

I do no gaming. No video card. I use the PCI slots with adapters for 2 additional NVME SSD.

The space is tight but it accepts ATX motherboard.
I have computer transfer components from the old large case to this one.

Amazon.ca

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If it works for you that's swell. The smaller stuff is becoming quite popular but selection, I find, is becoming increasingly limited.

Dwarfr66 said:

$215AUD on Amazon AU! Lot better cases like that for cheaper!

Click to expand...

Much cheaper in Canada but of no use to me because it isn't the right form factor. Again, I would point out that it only has two front bays.

spapakons said:

I bought my case back when I had an Intel Pentium 4 CPU with both 5.25" and 3.5" floppy disk drives so I could read all my old disks. Later I replaced the standard 3.5" floppy disk drive with a combo 3.5" floppy disk drive and card reader. Then I added two ATAPI (IDE) DVD-RW drives so I can copy directly from one to the other. When I upgraded to 3rd generation Intel Core-i3, there were no IDE ports on the motherboard, so I added an IDE+SATA to PCIe card. Later I added a SATA BD-R drive. So my midi tower has all four 5.25" bays plus the 3.5" bay occupied. Of course the 5.25" and 3.5" floppy disk drives don't work, but I have lost the front covers, so I just left them to fill the gap...

Click to expand...

Hang onto that case because it is likely worth more now than what you originally paid for it.

Dark Knight said:

Bout my oversized tower about 10 years ago with enough room to drastically expand , has eight HDD bays and I have yet to use them all

Click to expand...

Always good to have a little extra handy. That case would likely get you double what you paid for it on Ebay according to the prices I've seen there.

kelper said:

Is it realyy made of wood????

Click to expand...

Yeah, this is becoming a thing. I recognize the metal drive enclosure. I have one much like it inside my ThermalTake Level 10 GT. The front intake fan blows directly on it, keeping all the drives inside a very comfortable temperature.

spapakons said:

I don't know, probably a crate. I took it from Google. Looks like a large drawer put on the side, like the ones we put our clothes in our bedroom.

Click to expand...

There are actually some very fine looking wooden cases made by precision craftsmen. They're not cheap but they do look elegant.

Ghot said:

@Scannerman

Here ya go. 6x 5.25" bays, and will take an EATX motherboard with room to spare. Plus, a lot of other goodies.
The built in front panel USB connectors are only USB 2.0, but, with 6 bays, you can add a modern one.
It's all aluminum too. The whole case acts like a heatsink.
Best of all, used, it's "cheaper" than the original cost.

Cooler Master ATCS 840 Full Tower PC Case - COLLECTION ONLY | eBay

Cooler Master ATCS 840 Full Tower PC Case. Full Tower - extended ATX case. Collection only. RRP - £160. Internal dust filters. 3 x 120mm fans.

www.ebay.com

And the icing on the cake... remove 4 thumb screws on the back and the whole motherboard tray comes out, "with" all the hardware still attached. Just unhook the cables.
You can upgrade the hardware in 15-20 minutes if desired.
It's like a test bench IN a case.

View attachment 127406

I have this case, and it's awesome.


More sellers: Cooler Master ATCS 840


Note: A lot of Thermaltake cases came with 3x 5.25" bays and support for EATX boards...

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/case/#t=1&f=3&G=3,12

Just found a new case at Mountain Mods that fits your requirements. (looks like a Cooler Master ATCS 840 knock off)

Pinnacle 18 - CYO (Custom Computer Case), Mountain Mods

You can even have them "custom make" a case for you. ($$$)

Click to expand...

Cooler Master ATCS 840 looks promising. Thank you I will look into it more. Perhaps I am just not looking in the right places. I'm not averse to buying used computer cases. If it's in good condition and meets my requirements that's fine BUT when I can find the same tier of case cheaper brand new and on warranty for less it doesn't make much sense at all.

Have you seen my test bench? It wasn't designed to be a test bench but man, what a great test bench! I have a picture of it in this forum some place. Some folks have the same model hanging on their wall. ThermalTake also makes some pretty good stuff.

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spapakons said:

Here is what I had in mind when I was searching for "crate PC case":

Click to expand...

I still have a few of those in my basement! lol

spapakons said:

View attachment 127425

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Scannerman said:

← This case. Cost me just under $250. Canadian. To buy it again used, on Ebay, would cost me over 500. The model is over ten years old. It will handle EATX and provides adequate bays. Cooler Master ATCS 840 want around $450 Canadian plus shipping and taxes. This is insane! I'm not making this stuff up. I'm just wondering if anyone else is noticing how expensive used cases are becoming.

Click to expand...

For that amount maybe you can buy a refurbished workstation or server tower. You can either install Windows 11 on that or remove the components and use the tower to put your hardware in. Then sell the workstation or server components as second hand.

spapakons said:

For that amount maybe you can buy a refurbished workstation or server tower. You can either install Windows 11 on that or remove the components and use the tower to put your hardware in. Then sell the workstation or server components as second hand.

Click to expand...

I have thought of going that route although I'm not that keen on selling used parts. It used to be that for just over 100 bucks you could get a fairly decent EATX case with plenty of expansion and if you wanted to splurge you could get an excellent case for just over $200. So far I've managed to find a few around the $250 price point that are fairly decent. If I want those features in a used case it seems I'm required to pay even more for used!