Is it just me?

[Dragonzeanse]

... Or are there an awful lot of cases released by manufacturers who make/rebrand fans, and then never put them in their own cases? I've seen Corsair do this repeatedly, where they would release a new case but have some gimped version of their existing fans thrown into a case. Silverstone seems to have done it too, and I was just looking at the Phanteks Enthoo Primo and it doesn't have their signature 140mm fans included - despite having the mounts to support it.

 

I've seen this done a lot. I'm guessing that it's in the interest of reducing price, but I find it arcane that a manufacturer would not be willing to include higher-quality fans inside their cases. Now, not everyone might care about this sort of thing, and often times, some people will just settle on the cooling included with the case. But when it comes to aftermarket solutions, you end up having a fan(s) you don't really need anymore because you got those Noctua NF-F12s, or Scythe Gentle Typhoons, or Silverstone AP121s. After all, imagine if Noctua released a case with lesser-quality fans, when you know they have amazing aftermarket options that you've been denied because they just aren't included with the case itself. They might be good fans, and even beyond capable, but why couldn't you get better?

 

Perhaps this issue is a lot less problematic and/or widespread than I'm seeing, but I'd really like someone to shed light on this situation for me. Why don't manufacturers bundle their own fans with cases? Is there a particularly good reason, or some angle I'm not noticing?

[IVIeLt]

On lower end cases I don't care much about this

 

but for something like a Corsair 900d, having a gimped version of their AF fans is BS

[Dragonzeanse]

On lower end cases I don't care much about this

 

but for something like a Corsair 900d, having a gimped version of their AF fans is BS

Yeah, on lower-end cases, it makes more sense. They kind of have to have a cheaper fan(s) to keep the cost down. But I'm talking the $100+ cases, and even ones that reach past $200+. What gives?

[WoodenMarker]

imagine if Noctua released a case 

I have and I want one.

 

I think they wouldn't make as much money since we could just buy the case when it's on sale for the fans.

[Dragonzeanse]

I think they wouldn't make as much money since we could just buy the case when it's on sale for the fans.

But that also means that they've secured the profits from the case itself. They could reduce their margin slightly, but they'd still be making more money, especially if the case only has like, what, two fans? I mean, after all, who's to say I don't just buy a Cooler Master case, then outfit it with Scythe fans instead of Cooler Master's fans?

Also,

 

I have and I want one.

We all do. Would it be made of wood/copper? At least then, the Noctua fans would fit in without really bright LEDs or something.

[WoodenMarker]

But that also means that they've secured the profits from the case itself. They could reduce their margin slightly, but they'd still be making more money, especially if the case only has like, what, two fans? I mean, after all, who's to say I don't just buy a Cooler Master case, then outfit it with Scythe fans instead of Cooler Master's fans?

Also,

 

We all do. Would it be made of wood/copper? At least then, the Noctua fans would fit in without really bright LEDs or something.

I don't think they'd be making more money. Most people who buy cases aren't that interested in the specific fans themselves.

[CM Nic]

These are my own personal thoughts on the matter and don't reflect any particular company.

 

I've seen from a manufacturer's and reviewer's perspective that the company is often stuck between two hard choices in relation to the overall consumer response. The choice involves the necessity to add fans in a case so that we don't get dinged by reviewers and customers for not having enough fans out of the box. This choice also plays into overall cost. Do we include fans or improve other features. Building cases often gets down to the last few pennies to see where you can give customers a bit more for their money in the targeted price range. 

 

The other choice is on the consumer side and that's the odd situation that the majority of consumers prefer more fans to come with their case, but an almost equal amount will remove the included fans in favor of ones that provide a specific color combination, performance, or noise profile that they like.

 

You'll find that when faced with this decision, we must put the best quality fans we can without sacrificing features on the case itself. The fans will likely be removed right away or soon after the purchase of a case so the focus comes back to where you can give more value to your fans in the form and function of the case itself.

[Dragonzeanse]

These are my own personal thoughts on the matter and don't reflect any particular company.

 

I've seen from a manufacturer's and reviewer's perspective that the company is often stuck between two hard choices in relation to the overall consumer response. The choice involves the necessity to add fans in a case so that we don't get dinged by reviewers and customers for not having enough fans out of the box. This choice also plays into overall cost. Do we include fans or improve other features. Building cases often gets down to the last few pennies to see where you can give customers a bit more for their money in the targeted price range. 

 

The other choice is on the consumer side and that's the odd situation that the majority of consumers prefer more fans to come with their case, but an almost equal amount will remove the included fans in favor of ones that provide a specific color combination, performance, or noise profile that they like.

 

You'll find that when faced with this decision, we must put the best quality fans we can without sacrificing features on the case itself. The fans will likely be removed right away or soon after the purchase of a case so the focus comes back to where you can give more value to your fans in the form and function of the case itself.

Those are all very good points. Cases do need to have better features in place of quality fans, because a lot of users will end up replacing them anyway if it matters that much to them. And yeah, I would appreciate more customizability, larger mounts, and so on, compared to slightly better fans. Still, at a higher price point, I feel that's starting to really test my wallet. Cases like, as another user said, the Corsair 900D are massive in terms of scale, features, and of course, price. To not include really nice fans with it is something of a travesty. Silverstone does it too. But I understand that there has to be a sacrifice in certain places in order to improve it in others.

 

That said, I would definitely be willing to pay for both the fans and case if I was certain they were both quality, because I like adequate cooling with my case without having to necessarily worry about what fans I should add to it later on. If I already have really nice fans in my system, I'm less concerned with buying new ones - so long as the color matches the build I'm going for, if that's ever terribly important. Though since a lot of fans use neutral colors in their cases, or LEDs, it's not such a big problem to me. I would like to see some more cases include the fans sold aftermarket, however.

 

After all, if a company released a case with their flagship fans included, I might be willing to buy it. A company like, say... Cooler Master.