I'm thinking of building the case for the PC I'm going to build (eventually) myself. Are there any precautions I should look out for? Good idea, awful idea? What materials should I use? Is it worth it in the end?

If it isn't worth it, any idea how much decent cases cost now? I was thinking of reusing an older one, but the lack of front USB & audios, and the fact that it's beige/white, not the hottest thing around (looks odd o.o) don't make it such a great deal.

Oh, and does anyone know where to find good cases in the Ottawa region? (for those of you living here)

You'd want to use plastic glass and or aluminum. Don't use steel, if you don't know how to treat it, it will rust quickly. Good computer cases here.

Check out newegg for cases.

Here's the US page which should let you narrow it down.

I'd simply ask myself, will this hold a MicroATX or ATX board? Desktop or tower or something else? Colors? Side window? Material? W/ or w/out PSU? Etc.

Read the reviews, look at the pictures, check the specs.

I say go for it. Build your own case. Sometimes the only way things get done right is to do it yourself. Or maybe you just want the experience of building something.

Something I would do as well (if I were you) is in plastic glass, take like a skill saw or jig saw and cut slits into the side at an angle for more ventilation without fans, and it'd look like a hatchback.
Like this:
I / I
I / I
I / I
I / I

Kalabanta, you mean something like slanted holes in the side? Or like just small slashes?

EDIT: Like a cheese-grater? (Mine has big oval holes that are angled on one side. o.o)

I'm thinking mid-tower, glass would be cool, and stylish. I want something sexy. Yes, I just called a machine sexy. :P It's got to fit a full ATX motherboard, and needs at least 2 5.25" drives, and 4 3.5" ones (2 external is more than enough) and room for front USB & IEEE 1394 would be great.

A glass case is so cool it's scary . Entirely transparent, maybe with LEDs too! Would make a really cool project! Should I make the drive bay thingies out of glass too? Or would it be better with metal/plastic/premade?

If I can, I won't go for fans, but it'll be hard with an Athlon 64 X2, though not impossible. Combined with that silent SeaSonic I'm eyeing, this will be a really silent machine, perfect for stalking the internets at night! =P

Isn't there a health risk in not using metal, though? Something about radiation?

PS: If anyone wants to know, I found this: http://www.frontx.com/order1.html it's a store that gives you cables & plates to "pull" your backports to the front via a 5.25" or 3.5" drive.

Lol-radiation? Not as long as you aren't using: Plutonium, Uranium 235 or Polonium 210, you should be fine. But if you were building a case from those, you'd be investing around 4-5 million dollars in it.

I was thinking slits in the case...

How are these for 'sexy'?

One, two, three, four, five.

My vote is for "four"...

Good taste...

Slits would be interesting.

Those are some sexy cases, but they have price tags that are just too big for me right now .

Oh, and I might be using plutonium, but that's neither here nor there. ;P

I think it has to do with the electro-magnetic fields or something? I remember in science class our teacher mentioned to us that some people beleive that electric devices can cause health problems in people, but no one's ever tested it, so, yeah. (It was stuff like electric rasors, sleeping near a plugged-in radio, electric blankets, etc. so I guess it could apply to a PC that you're standing next to for a few hours) I've heard the same thing about CRTs.

I've done a number of scratchbuilt cases myself. There are many things which aren't obvious until you're on your third or fourth custom case. Here are a couple things to keep in mind:

1. My cables won't reach!!! The number one thing to look out for--make sure the cables reach. Prototype your layout with cardboard to make sure everything fits and reaches. Corrugated cardboard is actually a pretty good material to use for the final product, at least for internal partitions. It's an insulator which doesn't warp or melt when exposed to heat.

2. How do I work on my components? Designing a layout so that it's easy and convenient to work on the equipment is an art which only experience can teach. There are a LOT of non-obvious tricks. I prefer to design cases which are five sided-boxes--open only to the rear to mitigate noise. But how can I work on the equipment with such restrictions? Simple--I don't. The computer's insides are supported by an internal framework which pulls straight out the rear.

3. Grrr....PCI slot backplanes...Expansion cards have a metal backplane which pokes below the level of the motherboard. This can be rather annoying, especially for horizontal layout cases where the motherboard simply rests on the bottom of the case. However, the solution is easy--simply remove the expansion card backplanes! I've yet to encounter an expansion card where removing the backplane is more involved than unscrewing some bolts.

It's also important to design good airflow, and if you're at all concerned with noise levels there are also ways to softmount hard drives to reduce vibration noises.

Wood is a pretty good material to use. Really, you can use whatever you're comfortable with. If you use steel or aluminum, be careful about proper standoffs to prevent the motherboard from shorting out against the case.

Oh, if you want a sexy glass case, and cheap, consider using a cheap glass aquarium. Here are my two favorite builds, each using a cheap $10 aquarium:

Diskless Elegance

Big Fan Server

Lol-I can get my hands on domestic teak, that would look like a cool computer case-a polished wood case.

Wow, IsaaacKuo, those cases are pretty cool!

A polished wood case would like nice. Especially if you have a matching desk to go with it.

Well, not pointless. Doing it yourself can teach you a lot. Mostly by all the mistakes that will inevitably be made. If you're willing to pay for your experience, then I say "go for it". Build your own. But all of kalabanta's suggestions are good ones.

I vote for One, because I have one and it's great. But to each his own.