Making and selling a case

[Somerandomtechyboi]

This idea has been lingering around for quite awhile now and considering attempting to fix pc parts has mostly been a fail i think its time to stop being a failiure and make something to sell

 

I also have a school project that requires me to promote and sell something so if i sell a ton of these i can get a higher score and also make stonks

 

 

The base materials i am considering are mdf, mosquito mesh, and acrylic, i can get 122x244cm 7mm thicc mdf panels for ~6$ (3mm is 3$) with misquito mesh being ~1.4$ for 100x100cm with acrylic being 18$ for a 2mm thicc 122x244cm panel, i do know ill need to make the mdf moisture resistant though idk how, maybe paint or something? The other materials would be silicone and ofc the screws, i might even need wood glue

 

Tools wise i have a shitty chinese dremel and a bunch of screwdrivers, i know ill need saw to cut mdf (possibly multiple saws for larger or smaller cuts) and a drill to actually put the damn case together and drill holes, though im unsure how you make holes compatible for normal screws that have flat bottom instead of the screws you can drill in

 

 

My first idea was a modular case that costs ~10$, effectively just an open air testbench with all the side panels meshed with no fans or front i/o included while being somewhat modular so you can disasemble the entire thing into parts and swap things around or even add things, i even thought of putting in a thinner sheet of mdf to make a removable board tray to make installation and removal easier. Unless i made it like 8$ (possible) or something i have to deal with competitors that have proper mesh cases with tempered glass, front mesh, metal frames, etc. In the 20$ range like cube gaming byron. Sure the pure material cost would prob be somewhere ~2-3$ but even if selling it for 8$ is a 260-400% markup thats only 4-5$ irl so not economical due to labor and then other costs like packaging

 

 

My current idea is basically go make a lianli o11d copycat since it seems like a pretty popular design and theres pretty much no competitors, the only competitor would be the armageddon nimitz tr8000 but thats 80$ and i should be able to sell for atleast half that price considering mdf is dirt cheap, acrylic is abit expensive but its only on the front and side, but i could also sell a cheaper version that replaces the acrylic with mosquito mesh which also means dummies that do all their fans exhaust and no intake are not gonna suffer much cooling penalty, i also do want this to be modular so parts can be swapped around or atleast be able to fully dissasemble it. Considering acrylic seems to only cost ~2$ for front and sidepanel if i go buy 122x244 2mm sheets and mesh would only be ~50 cents im pretty sure i can price it aggressively

 

 

Case wise

 

Aim is to make it look good cause thats literally the most important thing for these types of cases and maybe add a few special features

 

Dimensions would be along the lines of 50x50x30cm (DxLxW)

 

Capabilities wise it should be able to support upto ssi eeb incase someone shoves an hedt/server board in it, fan capacity of 10x 120/140mm, good for beefier custom loops with thiccer rads + atleast 165mm aircooler height, and be expandable so maybe put some dead space that can be used for stuff like bays

 

Features wise ill use the o11d evo as reference so ill prob incorporate as many features as i can (even the dual psu shenanigans) and adding a few more features of my own

 

Pricing will be 30-40$ for both acryllic and mosquito mesh (mesh being cheaper)

 

i/o wise ill just have that be customizable

 

Raw materials wise for the base of the case would be ~2-3$ worth of 7mm mdf, .6-1$ of mosquito mesh, (if acrylic) ~3$ worth of acrylic, and id assume somewhere ~1-2$ worth of 3mm mdf for other stuff like drive bays so im just gonna assume ~10/12$ for the base + extra materials like screws, adhesives, etc.

 

For my own extra features, capability of being fully dissasembled, somewhat modular so you can swap parts around, and potentially optional optical bays (if they can be mounted facing up or something) so if anyone needs optical bays this will basically be their only option in this case class

 

Things i know i should consider are clearences, smaller parts of the case like expansion slots, expansion capabilities like modularity, how many drives can you cram in it, swapping parts, airflow, cable management/routing, rear panel space, case strength, tools, extra materials like screws/adhesives, packaging, and aesthetics

 

 

Now for the questions

 

Anything else im missing and need to consider?

 

Any major and minor flaws with my plan?

 

Any problems i may encounter?

 

Any improvements that can be made?

 

 

Since i need to make a poster to promote it ill work on making a 3d model of it so ill update post with the 3d model later

[mariushm]

You'll need a good frame (rectangles) to keep the whole case rigid, prevent flexing, vibrations .. it's the cutting of steel, welding or riveting that causes the high prices. 

Forming plastic for the front panel of the case, or making front panel of case from aluminum (ex like the apple case, put an aluminum sheet / 2 by 4 and begin cutting away and removing aluminum to shape it into a front panel)  is expensive .. the mold alone can be thousands of dollars and only worth it in big volume 

 

Then you have extra costs of drillng holes and making threads in the holes for standoffs, making the cutout for the io shield, making the support and holes for mounting pci-e cards (ex video cards) etc a lot of work involved. 

 

Look at GamersNexus series about case manufacturing and see it's not quite as easy 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Somerandomtechyboi]

28 minutes ago, mariushm said:

You'll need a good frame (rectangles) to keep the whole case rigid, prevent flexing, vibrations

I am making it with 7mm thicc mdf so id assume thatd be fine? If not, would plywood be a better option?

 

So im guessing for most cases itd prob be mostly tooling costs but for me itd mostly be labor costs (aka my time) since materials are dirt cheap and tools just buy some relatively cheap but decent ones (maybe even used) and theyll be working for awhile

 

 

Btw i also have some other questions

 

Can i run optical drives oriented vertically rather than horizontally? My plan would be to put them on top of the case for easy access but if not then i guess i could just shove em in the back panel

 

And is there any other way to prevent vibrations other than using foam?

[Blue4130]

44 minutes ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

I am making it with 7mm thicc mdf so id assume thatd be fine? If not, would plywood be a better option?

 

So im guessing for most cases itd prob be mostly tooling costs but for me itd mostly be labor costs (aka my time) since materials are dirt cheap and tools just buy some relatively cheap but decent ones (maybe even used) and theyll be working for awhile

 

 

Btw i also have some other questions

 

Can i run optical drives oriented vertically rather than horizontally? My plan would be to put them on top of the case for easy access but if not then i guess i could just shove em in the back panel

 

And is there any other way to prevent vibrations other than using foam?

Unless you have major skills, your fit and finish is going to be garbage, doubly so if you are using old hand tools. Think hard, is anyone really going to buy your mdf diy case? At the very least, get them cnc routed and sell them as a flat pack kit.

[Somerandomtechyboi]

7 minutes ago, Blue4130 said:

Unless you have major skills, your fit and finish is going to be garbage, doubly so if you are using old hand tools. Think hard, is anyone really going to buy your mdf diy case? At the very least, get them cnc routed and sell them as a flat pack kit.

If im selling it for like half of what the competition is offering then id assume itd atleast get some attention considering the cheapest the competition has to offer is the nimitz tr8000 at 80$

 

i think ill start at 25$ since ill be using mesh and mdf for now and cause its a prototype and see what happens then, and imo 25$ is a good price for a o11d style case, esp if i just cram as many useful features and o11d features as i can into it, if it gets a decent amount of attention ill buy some power tools and make a proper acrylic version

[Blue4130]

2 minutes ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

If im selling it for like half of what the competition is offering then id assume itd atleast get some attention considering the cheapest the competition has to offer is the nimitz tr8000 at 80$

 

i think ill start at 25$ since ill be using mesh and mdf for now and cause its a prototype and see what happens then, and imo 25$ is a good price for a o11d style case, esp if i just cram as many useful features and o11d features as i can into it, if it gets a decent amount of attention ill buy some power tools and make a proper acrylic version

I don't mean to sound rude or pessimistic, but do a poll here. How many people would rather have a $50 generic PC case or a sloppy $25 diy MDF case. I can almost say for certain that people would spend a bit more and get a proper case.

 

Unless you can make the case extremely high quality, I don't see you selling many at all. MDF is just trash.

[Somerandomtechyboi]

11 minutes ago, Blue4130 said:

I don't mean to sound rude or pessimistic, but do a poll here. How many people would rather have a $50 generic PC case or a sloppy $25 diy MDF case. I can almost say for certain that people would spend a bit more and get a proper case.

 

Unless you can make the case extremely high quality, I don't see you selling many at all. MDF is just trash.

I guess i can atleast try to make it decent and if not then ill just make up for it

 

Ill somewhat make up for the meh quality by cramming a shtload of features into it, esp rarer features like capability to be fully dissasembled, modularity, and even optical drives, cause i doubt that tr8000 even has any of those features i mentioned, i dont think even the actual o11d can be fully dissasembled

 

Most of the meh quality will be made up by price cause 25$ is solidly in the realm of budget cases while 80$ is in the realm of higher end cases, so its either this pile of junk or a case that costs 3x more

[Blue4130]

5 minutes ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

I guess i can atleast try to make it decent and if not then ill just make up for it

 

Ill somewhat make up for the meh quality by cramming a shtload of features into it, esp rarer features like capability to be fully dissasembled, modularity, and even optical drives, cause i doubt that tr8000 even has any of those features i mentioned, i dont think even the actual o11d can be fully dissasembled

 

Most of the meh quality will be made up by price cause 25$ is solidly in the realm of budget cases while 80$ is in the realm of higher end cases, so its either this pile of junk or a case that costs 3x more

https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100007583+601310882&Submit=ENE&pageTitle=Computer+Cases&LeftPriceRange=0+49&SortType=2

 

This is what you are competing against. For $15 more that what you are going to charge, you can get a real case. Sure it's going to be made from tin cans and likely slice your fingers, but it's a real case. 

 

What are you going to do for stand offs? Pci covers? Cable management? Drive bays? Front panel io? Usb ports? 

[Middcore]

Nobody is going to buy this. 

 

[Somerandomtechyboi]

13 minutes ago, Blue4130 said:

https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100007583+601310882&Submit=ENE&pageTitle=Computer+Cases&LeftPriceRange=0+49&SortType=2

 

This is what you are competing against. For $15 more that what you are going to charge, you can get a real case. Sure it's going to be made from tin cans and likely slice your fingers, but it's a real case. 

 

What are you going to do for stand offs? Pci covers? Cable management? Drive bays? Front panel io? Usb ports? 

Im selling locally not internationally, im in indo btw but competition is actually wayyy more fierce with mesh cases going as low as 20$ and said tr8000 going for 80$ (and being the cheapest o11d copy i know of)

 

For screws ill just include one of those cheap screw packs

 

pci covers/expansion slots im not sure but ill prob try copying other cases though my own idea would be just cutting strips of mosquito mesh and screwing them in, expansion slot mounting (for gpus and expension cards) im also unsure but prob gonna copy other cases aswell though i may just end up including a reinforcement pillar for the gpu

 

Cable management ill just make a bunch of holes, i can keep making iterations of these since my case is fully modular and ill keep making em till i find one thats right

 

Drive bays again copy designs of other cases but also add modularity and maybe even my own extra touch to it like anti vibration

 

Base front i/o will be just 2 usb 3 ports but its customizable so i can add as many ports as i like, front audio wise im not sure, maybe i can find a module for that

 

 

A schematic for any decent newer case like the o11d im trying to copy or other cases like p400/4000d would be helpful since the only irl reference i have is just a freaking office case that i put a mesh sidepanel on

[Ravendarat]

I like your ambition but your actually execution is very likely not gonna turn our whats in your mind. Also as someone who builds a ton of stuff from mdf I can already tell you that dust is gonna be a huge problem, as is getting your standoffs to hold in for any period of time for your mobo tray. Plus if you assemble and disassemble a lot using mdf the screw holes wont last long. At the end of the day while I get where your head is at you would be better off building dog houses for your school project as opposed to computer cases.

[mariushm]

Or make a case out of circuit boards ... order all the panels at a company like JLPCB or someone capable of making bigger size panels

Make the frame out of steel or aluminum (square profile or whatever so you can drill holes in the corners to attach the circuit boards to the steel frame.... the holes for various motherboard footprints could be just holes in the circuit board and you can screw the standoffs from the other side of the circuit board, or you could solder the standoffs to the circuit board and have the fixed permanently.

[Somerandomtechyboi]

13 minutes ago, Ravendarat said:

you would be better off building dog houses for your school project as opposed to computer cases.

Indonesia is an islamic country and lets just say not that many ppl own dogs, but could i build something similar for cats? Might also be an interesting prospect

 

Any additional issues with mdf? If there are really major issues then maybe i should consider plywood instead, though would there be any issues with using plywood?

[Ravendarat]

1 minute ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

Indonesia is an islamic country and lets just say not that many ppl own dogs, but could i build something similar for cats? Might also be an interesting prospect

 

Any additional issues with mdf? If there are really major issues then maybe i should consider plywood instead, though would there be any issues with using plywood?

Sorry man, my bad, I didnt realize where you were from but my point was that if you are building from wood you are better off building something not geared towards computers unless its a desk, especially if you want to sell it. If someone is going budget enough to have a wooden case then they will build it themselves, if someone is going to buy a case then as said earlier they are more likely to spend double 40-50 to get an entry level case as its going to stand up over time far better than a wood/bug mesh concoction. As for the cat comment, build cat trees if you want something easy to build, customizable and sell-able.

 

Plywood is going to give you similar issues to mdf if its pine, if its a harder wood than it will cut down on some of the problems but will drive up the cost of your materials substantially. Not to mention you would need to finish all the pieces with paint or stain. You are never gonna be able to make these cases with the needed product and hit the price point you are aiming for and make money, you will be losing on everyone.

[mariushm]

6 minutes ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

Any additional issues with mdf? If there are really major issues then maybe i should consider plywood instead, though would there be any issues with using plywood?

They're both shitty materials ... MDF is made out of chips and fibers of wood that are compressed together using high pressure , and plywood is made out of thin sheets of wood glued together.

If you want something quality use proper woods - more expensive but much better, or use metals. Could probably find copper sheets quite easily, same for steel or aluminum.

[Somerandomtechyboi]

12 minutes ago, Ravendarat said:

Plywood is going to give you similar issues to mdf if its pine, if its a harder wood than it will cut down on some of the problems but will drive up the cost of your materials substantially

Actually its surprisingly cheaper, 6mm 122 x 244 mdf goes for 5$ while same spec plywood goes for 4$

 

Mdf atleast i can just paint it but plywood ill need to cover it in vinyl or veneer cause lets just say low grade plywood isnt exactly aesthetically pleasing

 

14 minutes ago, Ravendarat said:

If someone is going budget enough to have a wooden case then they will build it themselves

Actually most will just go buy a cheapo 20$ case since they are surprisingly decent, esp cases like cube gaming byron since its meshed and somehow has tempered glass sidepanel at just 25$, heck since most ppl are oblivious to airflow issues they can get even cheaper gaming cases in the 15-20$ range, if not its either a 3$ scrap case or they just say fk it and chuck theyre pc ontop the mobo box like me

 

Since o11 design is not exactly common i can actually compete somewhat since its pretty much a pick your poison between a normie gaming case or an o11d style case at 30$, and when i start adding a bunch of uncommon features like full modularity and optical drives then that atleast gives another compelling reason since 30$ gaming case aint gonna have either of those, the tr8000 which is the cheapest competitor i know of is at 80$ so undercutting them by over 50% helps

[Somerandomtechyboi]

Nevermind the tr8000 is actually ~66$ and boy do these things sell

 

 

Aight im selling mine at ~30$ then

[IkeaGnome]

7 minutes ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

Aight im selling mine at ~30$ then

What warranty will you have? What customer service will you have? How will you handle people calling asking for assembly help?

[Somerandomtechyboi]

1 minute ago, IkeaGnome said:

What warranty will you have? What customer service will you have? How will you handle people calling asking for assembly help?

Its gonna be pre built and not a kit

 

Literally all the stores seem to promote some wood packing and they dont take any responsibility on shipping damage and they dont even mention anything about warranty at all, literally just these "specifications" aka marketing garbage and thats it + promoting wooden packing so i think im just gonna replace parts free of charge if they get damaged in shipping, a perk of having a full modular case

 

Ofc ill also sell all parts seperately so if someone needs a replacement (not by damage) just buy one, another perk of having a full modular case

[LWM723]

I don't the case idea will work out, but cat houses will. Check out cat houses on the net, they are selling for up in the hundreds of dollars. They are easy to build and people will buy them. Check some out in local pet stores too.

[wONKEyeYEs]

6 hours ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

Raw materials wise for the base of the case would be ~2-3$ worth of 7mm mdf

MDF takes a screw into the face OK but does not hold a screw well into the edge.

Esp skinny 7mm. It will have no holding power and will split.

You would have to use a glue block on the inside to reinforce the joint.

[Somerandomtechyboi]

1 hour ago, wONKEyeYEs said:

MDF takes a screw into the face OK but does not hold a screw well into the edge.

Esp skinny 7mm. It will have no holding power and will split.

You would have to use a glue block on the inside to reinforce the joint.

So i should go plywood instead? It is harder and i can just cover with vinyl so it dont look like sht

[freeagent]

Use your wood as a mold for thin concrete or something. The first time someone turns a screw too much that hole is fucked and you will hear about it. MDF is shit man, you can make a sub box from it, or a kitty condo or something, but not a computer. 

[Somerandomtechyboi]

Ok if everyones shitting on mdf then would plywood be any better? Plywood is actually cheaper than mdf and it should be a harder type of wood so would there be any major issues with that? The garbage aesthetics will be covered with vinyl or veneer

[Blue4130]

2 minutes ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

Ok if everyones shitting on mdf then would plywood be any better? Plywood is actually cheaper than mdf and it should be a harder type of wood so would there be any major issues with that? The garbage aesthetics will be covered with vinyl or veneer

It has the same issue with screws splitting when screwed on edge. It's really not ideal. Use real wood if you plan on using screws to assemble.