Plexiglass vs Polycarbonate

[Zephik]

Which is better for building custom pc cases out of and why? Also what is a good thickness to go with? I want something that is "solid feeling" but without spending too much. It seems like with every increased level of thickness the price jumps up that much more. I was thinking 3/16ths, but maybe I should go 1/4th? or maybe even more than that?

On a side note, what other materials out there are good for building custom pc cases? Aside from anything that costs too much more than plexiglass/polycarbonate. If I could afford it, I would just use some nice decently thick aluminum! But I'd rather not have to take out a small loan just for case materials. ^_^

Meh, kind of a spoiler, but it might matter so I'll throw this bit of info in. I'm planning out a laptop build, not a pc build. Not sure if that matters or makes a difference in what materials I should be looking at, but it might so I thought I'd add that in there just in case.

[Ichbin]

I like polycarbonate. I THINK it's stronger.

Im not sure. Probably should wait till someone that know, but I like dealing with Poly more just it FEELS more solid.

Theres a science term for ya "It FEELS" lol.

[blueonblack]

I would recommend plexi, it's denser and doesn't scratch nearly as easily. Polycarbonate will bend a lot easier, though, so the final form of your case may determine which you use. I built mine out of 1/4" cast acrylic (and cast acrylic rod) and was VERY happy with the material. Avoid extruded acrylic, it is cheaper but not as hard and has a much lower melting point (harder to machine/cut).
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[Tech-Daddy]

Poly is stronger, but scratches easier. Acrylic/Plex/Perspex is usually less expensive and easier to work with. I use Acrylic exclusively now. www.delviesplastics.com

if you are going to be doing some serious shaping, I would recommend 1/8" - 3/16" thickness. 1/4" thickness is *very* difficult to properly heat and mold if you are working on complex bends. However, 1/4" acrylic, if it is being cut, will leave dramatic edges that you can bevel and flame polish. Check out Deuce's rad frame. I had that ;aser cut out of 1/4" translucent cell cast blue acrylic, I had to make a few bends to it, but they were fairly simple.

I cannot vouch for the work on polycarb.
Here is a good comparison, if yo ufeel like really digging into it:
Acrylic - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylic_glass
Polycarb - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarbonate

Hope this helps.

[Zephik]

I knew I was forgetting something.

There won't be any molding or shaping or anything like that. I might sand down some edges or add in some engravings or something, but for the most part, it will be pretty square all around.

This is a mod (http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/17/xbox-360-laptop-mk2/) that I found after having the idea of re-building/modding my laptop, for the most part I think it is basically what I am wanting to do. It won't be nearly as huge though, since I'm not building this laptop out of a gaming console, but out of an actual laptop. I'm thinking since it will be a tighter/smaller/more compact build that it will add to the overall structural rigidity. But even so I would still like to build this out of a thicker material because I would prefer having no to very little flexing, like say if I were to press down upon it fairly hard. If I could get it to support a full grown man that would be awesome! But I'll be happy with a small child. lol ^_^

[blueonblack]

I can promise you the plexi mod I finished recently would support a small child. :) (Hey, I've got two of those, I should test that...)

The only thing I don't like about plexi over poly is the corners. With poly you can bend it 90 degrees (or 45 or whatever) to make your corners (like for a box, for example) a lot easier than a serious thickness of plexi, and glued edges just look bad IMO. I got around that with large plexi rod with mine, but with a smaller mod that's obviously not an option.
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[Zephik]

I've thought about it and I think I'm going to try and go with four pieces of 3/8th thick 12" x 24" sheets of clear acrylic at a price of $81.88 which includes shipping. That should cover pretty much everything. Hell, I might even be able to use it as a miniature shield if I ever get into a shoot-out! :D