If it's all the same, I would rather have the case there. Also, you considered how cool that case would be machined??
I've only gotten an automatic quote from 3D Hubs, but machining one of these units in finished aluminum would be in the range of $750, so very expensive. That's just for one case, so I'd need to make many more to get the per-unit price down (and maybe seek other places for quotes).