Before IBM's Desktop Computer department went down the tubes thanks to Dell, they managed to come out with a pretty good case for their Netvista series in the Desktop (not tower) form factor. We used to have 10 of these for my Cisco Networking class when I was still in High School and I was impressed by a couple of features they had, especially when compared to the 30 or so Pentium 2 IBM computers we had which were a nightmare to work with.

Although they were quite ugly, as most Premade computers are, they had 2 features in particular that not only achieved perfection but I have never seen in another case.

The first is the "Tool-less Outer-Casing", simply push a button on each side and the entire outer-covering comes off without any effort at all. The button's don't get stuck or jammed, aren't hard to push, the outer-covering never gets stuck or jammed and to top it all off it NEVER comes apart on "accident". Since it has a button on both sides its 100% tool free unlike Antec cases or simmilar cases which only have a center mechanism - needing screws to keep it from being wobbly. The 2nd feature to achieve perfection is the "Tool-less Expansion Bay Lever", instead of screwing in each individual expansion slot, there's a single purple plastic lever. Lift up on the lever and lay it beside the case, which requires almost no effort, and you have instant access to all of your expansion slots. Put the lever back in and push down and all of your PCI and AGP cards are completely secure. The purple plastic lever is not only easier to use but keeps the expansion cards much more secure than the metal sliding bar used in cases like the Centurion 2 from Cooler Master.

For your viewing pleasure, here are some pics (stolen from eBay)
of the case in its White Pentium 3 variation (same case was also available in Black for early Pentium 4 variations).

http://www.c-techpics.com/paris/ibm/large/6578-TAU.jpg
http://www.c-techpics.com/paris/ibm/large/6578-TAUA.jpg
http://www.c-techpics.com/paris/ibm/large/6578-TAUB.jpg
http://www.c-techpics.com/paris/ibm/large/6578-TAUC.jpg

I'd like to see if I could get hold of just the case for one of these to do a case mod for a low price but so far I've only been able to find full blown computers.

I know it's theoretically possible to polish a turd ... but I'm not sure why anyone would bother with a proprietory everthing having IBM turd like that.

I suppose it'd be a challenge, but the hassle of adapting the case to take modern, non-proprietory hardware (PSU, 7 slot mobo, fans, etc) just isn't worth it IMO - not when the case has no redeeming qualities IMO.

Feel free to proove me wrong by getting one & modding the hell out of it though

Oh, I wouldn't just be polishing a turd... I'd have to do a TOTAL CONVERSION (like when Pimp My Ride turned a Ford into a BMW). There's enough room for a full size PSU but I would have to dremel, and it wouldn't fit a full size ATX mobo but a Micro-ATX mobo would fit fine as they use the same number of expansion slots as the case. Even with two 5.25" drives and three 3.5" dirves the case remains uncrowded.

Unfortunately cooling may be an issue since there's only room for one 80mm fan in the front and none in the back apart from the power supply. There's nothing hanging over any part of the mobo, unlike most micro-ATX cases, so I should be able to fit in a decent size heat-sink and fan onto the processor.

So all I have to do is get the bare case, even though I've only been able to find it with a full computer inside for no less than $100, come up with a plan to remake the bezel into something that looks absolutely nothing like the original and completely awesome, do a complete paint job, and possibly add graphix, windows, and lighting and then finish it off with low powered, quiet system components that are still high speed enough for a multi-media-center PC.

If ANY "good" cases had the 2 features I listed in my first post, it would probably invalidate my idea. For the time being those 2 features are worth renovating an ugly case into something decent.

I say polish that turd! In the car world, that could be a "sleeper", all go, no show. If you only mod it to fit the parts you need, then it becomes a hot rod, afterwords, you can turn it into a Kustom with fancy flames and lights and chrome thingys. If you like it, go for it!