Intel486dx33 wrote:

For old 386/486 computers the tower was probably preferred because you had to have extra cards. like video, IDE controller, sound card, modem, network, SCSI, CDROM controller, etc.
So you needed a motherboard with allot of expansion slots and a case to go with it...

You could fit all of those things in a standard AT case which motherboards usually had 8 expansion slots as standard. Fitting and removing components wa pretty similar on if they were generic boxes. The only difference between an AT tower and AT desktop is it's orientation. In some case you could flip drives bays around to be one or the other depending on your preference. Flip top desk top cases made things easy wrt replacing components.

Until about 2000, preference was always for desktop cases but generally switched to towers after that, following a multi-disk server build in a Fortrex full tower.

kaputnik wrote:

For ATX systems, my favorite is the Cooler Master Elite 361

I second that, my CM Elite 360 is my favourite full ATX case. It's smaller than most mATX cases on the market today.

Did I get that right? The elite 360/361 can be positioned in different orientations - tower as well as desktop?

I think I'm going to order one. 😀
Then my SS7 will move to a new house.

Cyrix200+ wrote:

Depends on what you like yourself. I want it all to be period correct.

Perfect response.
I also like everything to be period correct. But nobody is forcing anyone to do it that way. You can install older hardware in modern cases or new hardware in old cases (sleepers). You can mix hardware or keep everything period correct.

Going full period correct might be a bit hard or even dangerous for some components (power supply). Older monitors can be a problem too, it depends from person to person. Just do as you like, as long as you're satisfied why care what other people think?

Also, reusing/modifying old cases to re-purpose them into newer machines is a good idea if the original components are faulty

https://imgur.com/a/ugtYSP6

oeuvre wrote:

Also, reusing/modifying old cases to re-purpose them into newer machines is a good idea if the original components are faulty

https://imgur.com/a/ugtYSP6

What a great idea. 😀
Never thought about putting it that way

oeuvre wrote:

Also, reusing/modifying old cases to re-purpose them into newer machines is a good idea if the original components are faulty

It's up to the person that owns it, but it makes me sad to see a classic case carved up (unless it was already damaged).

Those "sleepers" which are cut and drilled 80s systems are just relatively rare cases that aren't ever going to be original again.

But I guess if you have the money you could put a mini-ITX in an Apple Lisa, if you want. Would be a shame if it was the last one, though.

With 3D printing I'm hoping more people will do this with replicas, or just replicate the front panel (or front and back) with a more modern case.

kaputnik wrote:

I don't care a lot about period correctness. For ATX systems, my favorite is the Cooler Master Elite 361, simply because it's a (very) compact tower case with adequate build quality at a reasonable price point. Its somewhat unorthodox layout also leaves the area around the mainboard quite open, which is nice, it's generally easy to work with. As you all know, you're never really finished with your retro rigs 😀

Baby AT towers are generally quite compact, and it's easier to get hold of those than any newly produced alternatives here, so for AT rigs, I get period correctness no matter if I want it or not 😀

361 looked interesting indeed, but it's an odd one with that PSU back vent facing the front of the case with no openings for exhaust. I wish horizontal cases was somehow a thing again 🤣 With SSDs and SFX power supplies, it would be nice to scale down the standard ATX size while still fitting ATX sized motherboards and make it work for retro retrobuilds with two 5.25" bays + 3.5" bay.

https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/cdn.cooler … lery-6-zoom.png

Looks like we have a double up of threads that could be combined

Lazar81 wrote:

Hello,
I really like to put my retro hardware in modern cases unless it is AT-standard. It looks beautiful. I often saw that people here like to stay retro with the housing. So what do you think? Is it essential for the retro-feeling to have ones socket7/slot1/slota/socket370/462...in a good old 90s beige case or do you say it looks better in a modern black one ... Maybe with a window.

It really depends on your preference. There are allot of old beige refurbish OEM PC’s on eBay.
HP, DELL, IBM from the 1990’s.

Warlord wrote:

Those Desktop AT cases horizontal, or tower vertical 😘

Many OEM manufactures provided base stands so you could have you PC either way.
You could even 3D print one.

Thinking of old AT cases.....did ANY comes with removable side/top panels or did they all require the heavy steel tank armor to be removed each time you wanted to get inside?

kolderman wrote:

Thinking of old AT cases.....did ANY comes with removable side/top panels or did they all require the heavy steel tank armor to be removed each time you wanted to get inside?

Many OEM AT cases came with a lock and keys. But some third party Chinese AT cases just required screws to remove.

I had this HighScreen AT Tower in the '90s... it had a removeable side panel, but the build quality was a bit shoddy as far as I remember

Here's most of my fleet, pre-Pentium III:

It's a bit of a potato-vision shot -- my office / mancave / mad scientist lab is not well lit in the middle of the floor. (All the lighting points toward the perimeter.) Also, some of them here were being cleaned and re-assembled at the time. Some drives got shuffled around, etc.

My preference is definitely the mini tower, but the tall towers on either end were just too cool to pass up. And I have some love for those special few desktops. The AST was my first, the Dell was just a good deal. The IBM was a quirky icon of the 286 era, and the Unisys was my first retro box -- thought it would be good to cover DOS through 9x. Turns out it hasn't been that great for much at all. I've since added a PCjr and a Tandy 1000 RL-HD.

Lazar81 wrote:

SirNickity wrote:

Besides. Old PCs tended to be a cluttered mess of cards and ribbon cables. Is that really something you need to see through an acrylic window, under bright LED lights? I love the look of old motherboards, sure, but you can hardly see them with all the riff-raff in there. (Possibly biased by my taste for cramped baby AT towers.)

Sure they do... But there are ways to get sort of cable management. And then it looks real nice.

I'm a big fan of cable management. I have started crimping my own ribbon cables to get everything exact length, rounded, and routed in a clean way. Definitely looks nicer, but it's not quite as easy to get in there and fiddle with things. I'll even modify the cable bundle from a PSU by adding extra Molex plugs or removing the useless 6-pin aux motherboard connector that came out around the Athlon era -- or just reducing the length of cables that would be better suited to a full tower than a mini.

Here's my 486:

This one even gets a custom cable for the Goldfinch to SB16.

And my PIII:

Great work. I bet it was a pain to get this all done. Of course it doesn't look as perfect as today's PCs. But who cares. These old ones were not meant to be clean assembled.
Tomorrow I will move my Pentium III system to a Midi Tower with window. I will send some pigs.... Sry... Pics... 😀

Lazar81 wrote:

Hello,
I really like to put my retro hardware in modern cases unless it is AT-standard. It looks beautiful. I often saw that people here like to stay retro with the housing. So what do you think? Is it essential for the retro-feeling to have ones socket7/slot1/slota/socket370/462...in a good old 90s beige case or do you say it looks better in a modern black one ... Maybe with a window.

I too prefer modern cases for two main reasons: A) I haven't been sliced and diced during a PC build starting around my 2010 rig (couldn't remove a case side panel on any of my machines from 1990 through the 2008 rig without getting at least 1 finger slice), and B) the functionality of modern cases helps me appreciate the old hardware more. What I mean specifically is that modern cases have WAY better airflow (and quieter airflow) options than oldschool cases had (loud fans is not part of me enjoying a retro experience) and as silly as the tempered-glass-side-panel trend may seem I actually really like being able to watch the old hardware working in all its glory.

That being said I don't think the folks who prefer old loud beige cases are dumb - just appreciate different aspects of the same hobby.

Merovign wrote:

It's up to the person that owns it, but it makes me sad to see a classic case carved up (unless it was already damaged). […]
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oeuvre wrote:

Also, reusing/modifying old cases to re-purpose them into newer machines is a good idea if the original components are faulty

It's up to the person that owns it, but it makes me sad to see a classic case carved up (unless it was already damaged).

Those "sleepers" which are cut and drilled 80s systems are just relatively rare cases that aren't ever going to be original again.

But I guess if you have the money you could put a mini-ITX in an Apple Lisa, if you want. Would be a shame if it was the last one, though.

With 3D printing I'm hoping more people will do this with replicas, or just replicate the front panel (or front and back) with a more modern case.

I wouldn't do it to an old IBM from the 80s but these late 90s/early 2000s Dells were quite commonplace. I don't think it's a big deal to cut one up.