Cardboard pc case

[NukoTi]

i have a buncha cardboard and sintra board (which is just pvc but board) and i was wondering is it safe to make a case out of it since i see alot of people doing it and the case the linus made from that one video. 

[Blue4130]

21 minutes ago, NukoTi said:

i have a buncha cardboard and sintra board (which is just pvc but board) and i was wondering is it safe to make a case out of it since i see alot of people doing it and the case the linus made from that one video. 

perfectly fine.

[Somerandomtechyboi]

As long as it doesnt conduct electricity or have any capability of shorting the mobo out no issue

 

I mean i run my testbench ontop a cardboard box so im sure any non conductive surface will do

[Average Nerd]

1 hour ago, NukoTi said:

i have a buncha cardboard and sintra board (which is just pvc but board) and i was wondering is it safe to make a case out of it since i see alot of people doing it and the case the linus made from that one video. 

Completely safe, as long as there's no metal (like clamps and so on), and your construction is somewhat structurally sound.

I ran a computer on top of a shoebox for weeks before I got a case for it, and it survived just fine.

[Blue4130]

1 hour ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

As long as it doesnt conduct electricity or have any capability of shorting the mobo out no issue

 

I mean i run my testbench ontop a cardboard box so im sure any non conductive surface will do

 

1 hour ago, Average Nerd said:

Completely safe, as long as there's no metal (like clamps and so on), and your construction is somewhat structurally sound.

I ran a computer on top of a shoebox for weeks before I got a case for it, and it survived just fine.

Doesn't matter if the case material conducts electricity, that is what standoffs are for. Look at nearly every case made, they are made from conductive materials. They just isolate the motherboard from the case.

[Alex Atkin UK]

A none-grounded case may introduce more radio interference from the PC.

 

Even though none metallic, test and open benches are common, doesn't mean its recommended.

 

You'll notice inside a lot of consumer electronics in plastic cases they will have certain sections with metal shields, this is why, to block RFI both getting in and out. Hard to say how important this is these days, but there's a reason PC cases used to be all metal, even the plastic parts usually had metal underneath.

 

People generally don't think about it, then wonder why their DSL or WiFi is bad.

[tkitch]

3 hours ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

A none-grounded case may introduce more radio interference from the PC.

 

Even though none metallic, test and open benches are common, doesn't mean its recommended.

 

You'll notice inside a lot of consumer electronics in plastic cases they will have certain sections with metal shields, this is why, to block RFI both getting in and out. Hard to say how important this is these days, but there's a reason PC cases used to be all metal, even the plastic parts usually had metal underneath.

 

People generally don't think about it, then wonder why their DSL or WiFi is bad.

overrated concern by far.
Everything on a PC is regulated and tested to not emit harmful amounts of interference. 

 

Non-metal cases have existed for years and have been perfectly fine.  Nothing to worry about. 

[Alex Atkin UK]

1 hour ago, tkitch said:

overrated concern by far.
Everything on a PC is regulated and tested to not emit harmful amounts of interference. 

 

Non-metal cases have existed for years and have been perfectly fine.  Nothing to worry about. 

Depends on your definition of harmful, it absolutely CAN harm the normal function of other devices, its just not allowed to actually damage them.

Just because its not obvious its happening, doesn't mean its not.  WiFi interference especially is largely invisible as WiFi is designed to ignore it, doesn't mean properly shielding your PC case wont suddenly reduce jitter.  I don't think you'd find a HAM radio enthusiast agrees with your opinion either.

 

Its extremely common for RFI to reduce DSL speed and reliability, its just your average user is not staring at the line stats, or realising where their increased latency, Internet connection losses and packet loss is coming from.

[thrasher_565]

9 hours ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

Depends on your definition of harmful, it absolutely CAN harm the normal function of other devices, its just not allowed to actually damage them.

Just because its not obvious its happening, doesn't mean its not.  WiFi interference especially is largely invisible as WiFi is designed to ignore it, doesn't mean properly shielding your PC case wont suddenly reduce jitter.  I don't think you'd find a HAM radio enthusiast agrees with your opinion either.

 

Its extremely common for RFI to reduce DSL speed and reliability, its just your average user is not staring at the line stats, or realising where their increased latency, Internet connection losses and packet loss is coming from.

thats like saying there radiation in your smoke detector so you should not have one... a million times more harmful then radio waves... ya there might be doing something but its doing something to everyone...

[Alex Atkin UK]

8 hours ago, thrasher_565 said:

thats like saying there radiation in your smoke detector so you should not have one... a million times more harmful then radio waves... ya there might be doing something but its doing something to everyone...

I never said its harming people, that's what the FCC regulations are for.  It may however hurt the performance of other electrical devices, specifically ones that use radio frequencies as it increases the noise floor.

That includes things like WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, HAM radio, Powerline networking and DSL.

[Blue4130]

57 minutes ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

I never said its harming people, that's what the FCC regulations are for.  It may however hurt the performance of other electrical devices, specifically ones that use radio frequencies as it increases the noise floor.

That includes things like WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, HAM radio, Powerline networking and DSL.

If it was a big issue, then glass and plexi side panels would not exist. I'd say there are many other things in the house that harm performance more than a emi leaky case.

[Alex Atkin UK]

3 minutes ago, Blue4130 said:

If it was a big issue, then glass and plexi side panels would not exist. I'd say there are many other things in the house that harm performance more than a emi leaky case.

That's my point though, lots of people have WiFi issues which granted is likely mostly from neighbours networks but its a cumulative problem, so no one single source will necessarily be causing it but every item that is lax likely does.  If people took EMI more seriously it might not be as bad.

All I'm saying is this idea that "it really doesn't matter" is simply not true.  Its not as simple "well we've managed fine so far" as, like I said, its cumulative.

[RevGAM]

On 2/7/2024 at 7:19 AM, Alex Atkin UK said:

A none-grounded case may introduce more radio interference from the PC.

 

Even though none metallic, test and open benches are common, doesn't mean its recommended.

 

You'll notice inside a lot of consumer electronics in plastic cases they will have certain sections with metal shields, this is why, to block RFI both getting in and out. Hard to say how important this is these days, but there's a reason PC cases used to be all metal, even the plastic parts usually had metal underneath.

 

People generally don't think about it, then wonder why their DSL or WiFi is bad.

I have problems with mild interference on my display. It's sporadic and I haven't identified the source. 

21 hours ago, tkitch said:

overrated concern by far.
Everything on a PC is regulated and tested to not emit harmful amounts of interference.

...

 Nothing to worry about. 

I would say that most things are, but some companies love to play switcheroo once they get certified, so it's still an issue.

 

Also, in many countries,  proper grounding of the electrical system is an afterthought, at best. I lived in multiple homes in Indonesia that weren't grounded and that definitely caused problems, including EED (early equipment death). Just because you haven't had a problem doesn't mean there is no potential. The number of routers provided by my ISPs that had to be replaced is easily higher than it should've been... 

 

In the words of a comedian who had his trademark phrase stolen: "Shit happens". This is sometimes followed by "Shots happen". You decide which kind that means.  

1 hour ago, Blue4130 said:

f it was a big issue, then glass and plexi side panels would not exist.

That's a non-sequitur unless none of them are grounded and ground the mobo.

1 hour ago, Blue4130 said:

I'd say there are many other things in the house that harm performance more than a emi leaky case.

I don't think that Alex suggested that it's the worst source of interference. 

[tkitch]

40 minutes ago, RevGAM said:

The number of routers provided by my ISPs that had to be replaced is easily higher than it should've been... 

Dear god, ISP Routers are the absolute worst.  
They're entirely garbage.

I bought my own for my current service, and it's already outlasted any 2 that I've ever had from the fuckin' ISP.  IDK Where they find such absolute shit gear, but they do!  And then charge you to rent it!

[RevGAM]

1 hour ago, tkitch said:

Dear god, ISP Routers are the absolute worst.  
They're entirely garbage.

I bought my own for my current service, and it's already outlasted any 2 that I've ever had from the fuckin' ISP.  IDK Where they find such absolute shit gear, but they do!  And then charge you to rent it!

Yeah, I believe they search reject bins.

[Dedayog]

On 2/7/2024 at 12:16 AM, NukoTi said:

i have a buncha cardboard and sintra board (which is just pvc but board) and i was wondering is it safe to make a case out of it since i see alot of people doing it and the case the linus made from that one video. 

Well if a lot of people as well as LTT have done it, why wouldn't it be safe?  

 

You can literally make a case out of wood, plastic, hemp, dried horse manure, a fishtank full of mineral oil.  or in your lake, or no case at all by mounting everything to a wall...

 

 

[Alex Atkin UK]

3 hours ago, Dedayog said:

Well if a lot of people as well as LTT have done it, why wouldn't it be safe?  

 

You can literally make a case out of wood, plastic, hemp, dried horse manure, a fishtank full of mineral oil.  or in your lake, or no case at all by mounting everything to a wall...

I'm sure lots of kids play with matches and never get burned either, its hardly an endorsement for doing it.

 

LTT is literally the worst example as they are extremely cavalier about a lot of things.  I mean they did the ElectroBoom collab where they tried to destroy a PC with high voltage charges and it survived, because luck always plays a part in these things.  It can also be a matter of longevity.

 

Let's not forget how that attitude caused them no end of pain when their server crapped itself because they were doing things on the cheap.

 

As he mentioned in the recent video making the NCIX sign, they have metal panelled walls which will block EFI.  They also have an enterprise WiFi setup, so they aren't relying on weak signals reaching through the whole house like home users are.  Its really no comparison.

 

5 hours ago, RevGAM said:

 

Just because you haven't had a problem doesn't mean there is no potential. The number of routers provided by my ISPs that had to be replaced is easily higher than it should've been...

 

Though to be fair that may be dirty power, as routers don't typically use a ground anyway.  Ground is mostly for human safety, so you can have ground fault protection on the circuit to prevent electrocution.

A lot of router issues may simply be the PSU failing, rather than the router.

[RevGAM]

1 hour ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

Though to be fair that may be dirty power, as routers don't typically use a ground anyway.  Ground is mostly for human safety, so you can have ground fault protection on the circuit to prevent electrocution.

A lot of router issues may simply be the PSU failing, rather than the router.

I didn't imply that the router issue had to do with grounding because that happened in the USA, where nothing ever goes wrong.

 

I should clarify that some were modems.

 

As for the PSU, the units didn't stop working but rather started misbehaving.  Not really clear to me why, but once with a cable ISP the problem was the coaxial cable to the wall. I also had failures with DSL routers.

 

Since switching to fiop last year, I haven't had issues, which is nice. Fingers crossed?

[Dedayog]

1 hour ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

I'm sure lots of kids play with matches and never get burned either, its hardly an endorsement for doing it.

 

LTT is literally the worst example as they are extremely cavalier about a lot of things.  I mean they did the ElectroBoom collab where they tried to destroy a PC with high voltage charges and it survived, because luck always plays a part in these things.  It can also be a matter of longevity.

 

Let's not forget how that attitude caused them no end of pain when their server crapped itself because they were doing things on the cheap.

 

As he mentioned in the recent video making the NCIX sign, they have metal panelled walls which will block EFI.  They also have an enterprise WiFi setup, so they aren't relying on weak signals reaching through the whole house like home users are.  Its really no comparison.

 

Though to be fair that may be dirty power, as routers don't typically use a ground anyway.  Ground is mostly for human safety, so you can have ground fault protection on the circuit to prevent electrocution.

A lot of router issues may simply be the PSU failing, rather than the router.

Well to be honest, cardboard doesn't burn at PC temps, even hotspots.  So a cardboard case is more than fine.  It won't combust, it'll just be flimsier than most other case materials.  Is it unsafe?  No.

 

Don't kill the man's dream. 

 

 

[RevGAM]

41 minutes ago, Dedayog said:

Well to be honest, cardboard doesn't burn at PC temps, even hotspots.  So a cardboard case is more than fine.  It won't combust, it'll just be flimsier than most other case materials.  Is it unsafe?  No.

 

Don't kill the man's dream. 

 

 

You're correct, but I don't think Alex meant to imply that the cardboard would combust in a PC. I'm pretty sure it was an analogy or some such thing. 

[BitGhost]

You can run a pc with no case at all just sitting as loose parts on a table. Just don't short anything or start any fires and the rest is free game.

[Alex Atkin UK]

8 hours ago, RevGAM said:

As for the PSU, the units didn't stop working but rather started misbehaving.  Not really clear to me why, but once with a cable ISP the problem was the coaxial cable to the wall. I also had failures with DSL routers.

PSU failures most often show up as instability, as it tends to be the capacitors that go first causing ripple in the voltage.  This in turn increases the chance the capacitors in the router/modem itself go bad, as they are under more stress than they were designed for.

There's also plenty of failures from user error, seen people with their router in the window getting direct sunlight.

 

7 hours ago, RevGAM said:

You're correct, but I don't think Alex meant to imply that the cardboard would combust in a PC. I'm pretty sure it was an analogy or some such thing. 

Indeed, though its worth considering it might invalidate your home insurance as it WOULD be considered a fire risk.  AFAIK consumer electronics use flame retardant and often self extinguishing plastics.

That said: https://insurancehub.com/prevent-laptop-fire-burning-house/ I certainly wouldn't want to put an NVIDIA 4000 series in a cardboard case.

[RevGAM]

On 2/9/2024 at 12:33 AM, Alex Atkin UK said:

PSU failures most often show up as instability, as it tends to be the capacitors that go first causing ripple in the voltage.  This in turn increases the chance the capacitors in the router/modem itself go bad, as they are under more stress than they were designed for.

There's also plenty of failures from user error, seen people with their router in the window getting direct sunlight.

 

Indeed, though its worth considering it might invalidate your home insurance as it WOULD be considered a fire risk.  AFAIK consumer electronics use flame retardant and often self extinguishing plastics.

That said: https://insurancehub.com/prevent-laptop-fire-burning-house/ I certainly wouldn't want to put an NVIDIA 4000 series in a cardboard case.

Well, now you're cheating, aren't you? Sounds like you're suggesting a fire starts, which causes the cardboard to burn. In that case, too, the presence of the cardboard still isn't the fire state.

[Alex Atkin UK]

1 hour ago, RevGAM said:

Well, now you're cheating, aren't you? Sounds like you're suggesting a fire starts, which causes the cardboard to burn. In that case, too, the presence of the cardboard still isn't the fire state.

Let's just say that me personally if I didn't have a disability in my hands, would absolutely build a wooden case.  Although I'd prefer one with a mental lining for RFI shielding.

 

Cardboard, good luck finding any to withstand the weight of a modern GPU.

[tkitch]

On 2/11/2024 at 9:32 AM, Alex Atkin UK said:

Let's just say that me personally if I didn't have a disability in my hands, would absolutely build a wooden case.  Although I'd prefer one with a mental lining for RFI shielding.

 

Cardboard, good luck finding any to withstand the weight of a modern GPU.

just use a GPU Standoff.  problem solved lolol

 

As for wood?  The Fractal North is a great start, and other companies are looking to start using wood in more parts of the design soon.  It's pretty cool!