Cardboard Computer Case: A Study in Horrible Design

Someone recently asked me what I thought of the “recompute” case. Just what is the recompute case?   It’s a computer case made of cardboard.   Yes, cardboard.   It’s a pretty extreme example of a pointless and downright stupid product that is being sold by wrapping the whole idiotic thing in words like “sustainable,” “green,” and “eco-friendly.”

It seems to embody a kind of shame-based minimalism, the notion that a durable computer case is somehow sinful or wrong and that we are doing a good thing by buying one made out of cardboard.  The makers stress that computers are often thrown out and therefore seem to think that it’s a good idea to make them as much like trash to begin with as possible.

There is one thing about this piece of crap that might genuinely be called genius.   By peppering their site with buzzwords and very vogue green lingo, the makers seem to actually be able to get a few chumps to shell out between $500 and $1000 (US Dollars) for this thing, despite the fact that computers with equivalent specs go for about half that with a metal case.

Should it be any surprise that it was nominated for a “Greener Design” award?

Reasons this is a horrible idea:
(In case it is not obvious)

1. Of all the parts of a computer, the case is generally one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest.   A low-end ATX case made of standard issue mild steel and molded plastic (not including the power supply) will cost you under twenty US dollars. Compared to motherboards, CPU’s, power supplies, video cards, ram and disk drives, the case itself is not a big portion of the cost of a computer.
2. Cases are the most durable part of a computer.   Isn’t it supposed to be a good thing for the enviornment to keep something longer and get more use out of it?   Nearly every part of a computer is being constantly improved upon and rapidly becomes obsolete – except the case.    New styles of computer case are introduced, but aside from that, a computer case from 1995 works every bit as well as a new case if you are just looking for something to hold the components.    If you want “sustainability” then consider simply upgrading the internal components.   If the end user is not interested in that, a manufacturer looking to support “eco friendly” computing could simply take back the cases and build in a new system.   They might not look as shiny as a new one, but will still be better than cardboard.

   You do not need to make a computer case out of cardboard to make it easy to recycle – they are inherently easy to recycle.

3. It does not actually make the computer bio-degradable, especially easy to recycle or in more “sustainable,” just the case.  The rest of the computer, the parts that actually tend to need to be replaced and upgraded, are exactly the same as any other computer.
4. Computers get abused.   I’ve worked in support long enough to see what it is like in the real world.   Seeing computer cases that have been knocked over, covered in spilled soda, allowed to fill with dust or used to substitute for a broken desk leg is not unusual – it’s normal.   One small spill of a beverage on a cardboard computer case is going to turn it to mush.   If you handle, move or just touch a cardboard computer enough, it won’t be long before the edges become frayed and the whole thing starts to fall apart.  Just inserting and removing USB cables will put enough mechanical stress on the cardboard to make the ports come lose.The case is held together with nothing more than a cardboard strap like those used on disposable boxes. Open and close it more than a few times and it will soften, fray and then break. The what? Scotch tape?

   The According to the graphics presented, the air flows into the case and then out through the spaces within the corrugated cardboard sheets. It would be hard to design a better way of clogging a case with dust if you tried. Of course, the weakness of the cardboard would also make it all but impossible to clean the dust out without destroying the case.  You can’t even clean it with a damp rag!   To make matters worse, cardboard has very poor thermal conductivity, making the case an insulator.

5. Fire.  And this is the big deal killer of a cardboard computer case.   This is what turns the idea from just plain stupid into outright dangerous.  Modern personal computers generate a lot of heat, even during normal operation.  When a failure occurs, such as a bad heat sensor or stuck cpu fan, they can create enough heat to literally burn the components.    Bad connections can spark and short circuits can cause wires to become hot enough to melt their insulation right off.   In some cases, capacitors can actually catch fire.   I’ve seen it happen.  Motherboards with char marks, power supplies that have failed with a bang, sparks and a puff of sooty smoke.

   Thankfully, there’s rarely much inside a computer to burn.In some of the worst cases, a computer case has been allowed to fill with a mass of dust and other material. (By the way, it is very disgusting.  I once serviced a computer in an office which had a cat that liked to keep warm behind the computer.  The condition inside it was indescribable).    This dust can catch fire, but fires severe enough to spread beyond the computer case are rare, because there is limited combustible material and the case itself is made of material that is not easily ignited.

Maybe this is a good thing in a way.   The whole sham of most “sustainable design” products seems to get past many, but the cardboard computer reaches a level of absurdity that could actually lead to better recondition of how ridiculous this stuff all is.    Despite this, there are people who have bought the thing and not only that, but have then written on their blogs and social profiles about how great they think they are for being sustainable.

(No, I will not provide any links.   You can find them if you look)

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