Asus recently had an interesting concept. They re-purposed the box that the motherboard comes in to also function as a computer case.
ITWorld has the write up (found here):
In the quest to cut down on shipping waste Taiwan’s Asus has a novel idea: What if the shipping container became the PC case?
That’s the idea behind a box the company will begin using from June to ship one of its Mini ATX motherboards. It holds the motherboard snug for shipping and is constructed so additional components required to make a PC can be added, said Debby Lee, a spokeswoman for the Taipei-based company.
An example of the box is on show at this week’s Cebit trade show in Hanover, Germany.
There are punch-out holes for ventilation and a real panel that houses the PC’s connectors and interfaces.
Asus said the box is intended to allow PC enthusiasts to get their new computers up and running quickly while they search for the perfect case.
“Some people spend a long time looking for a case, so this box is all they need until they find something,” said Lee.
Asus gives it a lifetime of at least a year.
Here is the video taken at the show of the box:
MaximumPC had an article in 2007 where the task was to build a PC for as little as possible ($500). One of their staff used a cardboard box as a case, although I am sure you will agree that it is a lot less elegant than the Asus offering…
Artist Jason Freeny – of 
