Putting production dates on cases

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Qtip42

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Can anyone think of an argument as to why case manufacturers shouldn't put production dates on their cases and production totals on their websites?

For example, cars have production dates: 2006 Toyota Camry ...... 80,000 sold in 2006 (made up figures)

Why don't cases have production dates printed on them somewhere? I realizes cases have little to no value unlike a car but I kinda think this would be helpful in categorizing case designs. Am I the only one thinking it might add value to a particular case? It would be even better if they add production totals on the manufacturer's website for each year.
 
Well, b/c cars undergo modifications on an annual basis. Plus, a car's valuation depends on the year of manufacture due to the variance in features, as well as devaluation based on wear and tear.

Computer case designs are stagnant for a specific model (I assume so at least). If modifications are made, they give it a new model number. If drastic modifications are made, then the new design is given its own designation.

Antec's Super LanBoy case is several years old and has not undergone any changes, so it's safe to maintain the same designation.

If a case had electronic components, or other advanced features, there probably is a production number somewhere.

You mention that it would be advantageous for manufacturers to post production totals annually. How would this ever add value to a case? This pracrice is done for collectibles where exclusivity is highly valued. I'm having trouble understanding how such a process would benefit anybody. Plus, production numbers mean nothing since you have have 50,000 units produced and only 2,000 sold in a given year.

Also, production numbers could mislead some consumers who are comparing the numbers between different builds. In the daycamp I used to work, the computer room has two dozen cheapo builds. I wouldn't trust the cases as leg rests, let alone system enclosures. Similarly, let's say Raidmax sells more of its $30 cases than Antec sells of its $65 cases. Someone reviewing these numbers might believe that Raidmax is a better seller and then a better case than an Antec. This is all based on assumtions though.

If small changes in a system are made, all they have to do is change the color of even a minor feature, and then they can designate it with its own product number.
 
Cases can be collectables. Some are harder to find than others. The $10,000 computer dell made (with the flame paint job) only had a few made. Granted it was an entire system, if you ever found the case parted out, I'd imagine it could be of some value. Though I'm sure dell keeps the numbers somewhere, it's a rare case if ever parted out.

I dunno, I didn't think it through totally but I just figured it'd be nice to know what year a specific case was made and any additional options they had those years. As far as production totals or # of cases sold, I figured any of those numbers give people an idea of how abundant their case is. It'd be a benefit to the modders/people who care about cases.

Generic cases can be tossed out of the equation but I'd like to see it on bigger brand names like lianli, antec, silverstone.

Maybe it's wishful thinking but I'd like it if there were a way to bring "value" back to PCs. Cases would be a good starting point.
 
I hadn't considered cases with expensive and elaborate paint jobs in my argument. But with cases from a modding perspective, production numbers could also be of limited value. The Antec Sonata was a very popular general purpose case. Now, it's harder to find since the Sonata II was released.

I am starting to see the benefit of such a program, but the question now is although there definitely are some positive aspects, is there a greater number of negative aspects of such a program?

qtip said:
I just figured it'd be nice to know what year a specific case was made and any additional options they had those years.
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What do you mean by this? Sites sometimes include a "discontinued models" section, but even if they don't, a search for reviews reveals any information that could be desired.

qtip said:
Maybe it's wishful thinking but I'd like it if there were a way to bring "value" back to PCs. Cases would be a good starting point.
Click to expand...

Could you please elaborate upon this - I think i get the jist of it, but not concretely.
 
I think in terms of assigning value to an older or limited production case, the market would be very small. Generally, that kind of stuff is avaliable on FS/FT forums, where pretty much anyone looking knows what something would be worth. Also, the terms "beautiful" and "fugly" are some of the most subjective when it comes to describing cases. Most expensive cases seem to be rather simple, as opposed to pretty.
In short, the value lies only in the mind of the buyer and the seller.
 
Let me compare it to a Chevy.

If I tell you I bought a Chevy Impala SS, you'd probably think "ok which body style is that, they've been made since the 1960's?"

If I tell you I bought a 1995 Chevy Impala SS, you'd know instantly it was the big body RWD version. You'd also know that years 1994-1996 were the only years they made the Impala SS RWD big body.

The date is a better reference point when you say what case you have or what case you modded. People blindly say the have an Antec Sonata which means nothing if they produced the Sonata for 4 years and each year gave it different looks (not saying they did but lets assume). If someone said 2004 Antec Sonata, you'd know what it looked like and also what options it came with. Throwing numbers in there like LianLi P281-39IL just confuses the shit out of people. The same goes for all hardware in a computer (motherboards, cpu's, cdroms, etc).

As far as bringing value back to PC's goes, I think it goes without saying that hardware is obsolete in a matter of months. You may have bought the fastest cpu last month for $800 but now it's worth $100 only six month later. All hardware is like this.

Cases on the other hand have a way of holding their value. It's based around the looks. If you make a limited production case (like Alienware cases), the demand is much higher. Look what they go for on ebay. Hundreds. Same can be said for the Mac G5 case. It all depends on how many were produced and the year it was made. If Alienware started making their cases available to the public in 2007, those kind of alienware cases would be dirt cheap but by saying "the 2004 alienware case" people would know you meant the limited edition ones and those command a higher price.

Tell me if that makes sense, I lost myself :D
 
holli4pirating said:
I think in terms of assigning value to an older or limited production case, the market would be very small. Generally, that kind of stuff is avaliable on FS/FT forums, where pretty much anyone looking knows what something would be worth. Also, the terms "beautiful" and "fugly" are some of the most subjective when it comes to describing cases. Most expensive cases seem to be rather simple, as opposed to pretty.
In short, the value lies only in the mind of the buyer and the seller.
Click to expand...

Even though case modding is a niche market at best I still think there's a way to establish a market for it. I think having dates and production numbers would help start a market for cases. Something like a Kelly Blue Book but for computer cases. That might lead into other parts of a computer gaining in value.
 
But the thing is, those cases go for a lot on ebay b/c you can only get them with a new alienware computer.

A 2004 Antec Super LanBoy is not worth any more than a 2005 Antec Super LanBoy which isn't worth any more than a 2006 Antec Super LanBoy. PLUS, the pricing is different everywhere and over time. I've seen it fluctuate on newegg from $75 to $85 and change. It's elsewhere for $90 and other placed for $40 after rebate.

Other computers parts devaluate for different reasons. They don't go from $800 to $100 though. Valuation of various parts depends on many conditions.

Crucial Ballistix ram - 1 gig kit DDR400 cost $250 maybe a year ago. I bought a kit a few months ago for $115. Now, it's $70 after a rebate. Supply, demand, production costs and other factors affect this. Assuming the parts of the same (sometimes different ram chips are used), they all have the same present-day value.
 
My Lian Li cases have a sticker with manufacture date. I cannot remember exactly where I saw it but I remeber seeing one the last time I put one together. I think my PC-V880A said something like OCT 2005. I think that main benefit is to the manufacturer. It would allow them to track down a production issue if there was one.
 
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