Functionality versus Aesthetics?

L31mr0d

I was just reading the 120mm fan thread and looking at the Akasa Amber 120mm fans, which are pretty good spec for CFM, but they are amber? I'm just wondering do you consider the colour and design of an item for your computer before buying it? Like would you choose one make of vga card over another (i.e. BFG, XFX...etc) purely on the design of the heatsink and fan. If you seen a cheap, high spec DVD RW drive that had a beige front, or a little bit more expensive, less spec Black drive to match your black case, would you buy the black one.

Ok so simply put:
Would you rather an ugly but highly functional PC or a excellent looking one that cut some corners on performance to get everything looking right inside and out?

Discuss.

Creamy Goodness

definelately functionality, i think coloured fans look tacky. that being said i do have an antec trueblue 480 PSU, but at the time that was considered the dogs bollocks of PSU's

PogMoThoin

Wouldn't pick 1 component over another because of the colour/style of heatsink or fan etc. But then again i did splash out on an Armour case with blue Led fans, Zalman Led cpu cooler and I also went for OCZ psu over Seasonic because of the Led fan, were the same price. Functionality 1st, looks 2nd, if i can get both at the same price.....big bonus.

The Gnome

Yeah, functionality. Have something that looks great is cool then after that wears of your finished with a useless machine. At most I'd try get a nice looking case but i'd rarely bother with all the frills.

jozi

For anything inside the case i wouldnt care how it looked as long as it performs well.
For anything you can see externally, i try keep my drives, fan controler the same color as the case. I have a beige drive that i bought a black facia for, what a mistake, which will soon be getting some black paint treatment.

My psu (OCZ) has horible green LEDs in it which i knew about when i ordered but it was highly recomended by quite a few people at the time

EDIT: no bright LED or Cathodes in my case either adding to the clutter. It's all in there cause i need it, except maybe the fan controler which is going soon anyway

L31mr0d

The reason I ask is because I've seen a lot of people around various forums spending money on expensive cases with windows and little features in the difference to a bog standard beige case. Or people seem to be spending a lot of money on modding their case and then putting in a 5 year old mobo and vga card.

I should of really phrased it "Do you enjoy the tweaking or the modding?"

Drapper

Alround looks and functionality like a classic car! when you look at it you wanna lift the hub and check out the engine and thake it for a spin!! lol

PogMoThoin

Drapper wrote:

Alround looks and functionality like a classic car! when you look at it you wanna lift the hub and check out the engine and thake it for a spin!! lol

I'm into modding pc's, My bro is in2 modding cars. You'd be suprised at all the people that lift the bonnet in his Mitsubishi Evo6. Must tell him get a bonnet with a window. lol
I like to see whats goin on inside a pc, Thats why i like cases with side panel window. But functionality comes first.

Creamy Goodness

well the case i will pay money for looks on that but it's more functionality/looks though.

there is a lack of good looking cases with great functionality in my opinon at the current period of hardware.