I'm wondering, what is the better alternative to case windows.

Glass or perspex?

I have heard perspex can let more noise through than glass, or the steel that is already used for a side panel.

I was thinking of buying a perspex window (pictured below) for my case.



Perspex Window L Shape' ">http://www.pccasegear.com.au/prod326.htm

Although, I'm not sure about the noise factor, as my case is already very noisy.

Edit: Sorry, I realised you call it plexiglass/acrylic in other countries, in Australia we call it perspex

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I'd go for the Acrylic option to be honest. For one, it's cheaper. Also, I don't know but you may find it quite hard to drill holes in glass.
I'm guessing you'll be fixing it to the side panel with screws?

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I went with Lexon which I think is acrylic.



Only I made the mistake of not realizing how close that support beam was and now the door won't close. I'm going to have to do some more modding to take care of that.

I don't think glass would be a wise choice because it is not as easy to cut to shape, heavy, and always the posibilty of cracking. Acrylic doesn't have any of those problems. The only problem it has is that it can scratch easy.

Wow. I just realized how slow that fan spins. The clear 120mm in the picture was spinning when I took it and it's still in the pic.

Lexan is completely different than acrylic. Lexan is WAY more expensive and is bulletproof if you get it thick enough.

QUOTE Wow. I just realized how slow that fan spins. The clear 120mm in the picture was spinning when I took it and it's still in the pic.

When you use the flash, everything looks like it stops. If you didn't use flash the fan would look like it was spinning.

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Ooops, I meant Lucite. Not Lexon. Big difference.

So do you find the panel lets noise through it more than the original steel did?

I have the Sonata like you.

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Since I haven't had it on completely due to that support, I can't say for sure. I would expect it would be a little bit louder, but probably not a big deal. Once I switch to water cooling it won't matter anyway

On Case windows its glass is nice because it doesnt scratch as easily as acrylic does, which it does quite well. The problem with glass is that its easily breakable, heavy, and it seems to pick up more noise than the acrylic.

I like the acrylic.

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I'd just take the support bar out Tamerz. It might sound a little crazy, but I've done that on a few of my cases and it's worked out just fine.

About the noise, yeah, I guess acrylic would let out more noise than steel would, but I wouldn't expect the difference to be very big.

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Yea I'm taking it out. Wish it was just screws and not rivits though. Going to have to pull everything out of the case to be safe since I have to drill them out.

Use a Dremel and vacuum. Leave the power cord plugged in but not on to avoid static.

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QUOTE (danmagicman7 @ Nov 20 2004, 08:03 PM) Lexan is completely different than acrylic. Lexan is WAY more expensive and is bulletproof if you get it thick enough.
Lexan isn't that much more expensive. I had a custom cut 1/8" Lexan panel made for my computer case and it cost me $10 (I think the Plexi would have cost $8). The beauty of Lexan over plexi is it won't crack or break. Plexi has a nasty tendency to shatter or crack if you cut it wrong.

I'm running a full Lexan side and I don't notice it being any noisier than a plain steel side. (pic in sig link)

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Yeah, definately Lexan. When I was working as a stainless stell fabricator our shop also had a full plastics shop. So, speaking from experience here, I'll say this.

Lexan is the better option. It is inxpensive, easy to work and generally doesn't require stitches, should you fumble and nick yourself...lol.

-Adam