Really nice replacement for an ancient green case, December 3, 2009
By Rhonda Roberts
This is replacing an ancient green atx box. I told myself I would not replace it until I could get something green. I gave up and got this.The cut outs help conceal wires behind the side panel. This gives the interior of the CPU a cleaner appearance, and improved airflow. The illuminated drive cover is sweet, but I was disappointed that it didn't function as a HD indicator.
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The tool free design is nice. The thumbscrews on my old case just held on the side panel. These hold down the drives in the 5.25 bays. The 2.5 bays use sleds.
This case is much lighter than my old case. I think it's because this one actually uses aluminum instead of pot metal or who knows what. There are (4) large fans 120mm. The side panels fit snug. The case mounted exterior ports (USB2, microphone, headphone, and exterior SATA) are mounted on the side. This reduces clutter nicely. I'm not sure why the PSU is on the bottom of the case.
The large side panel lets you look inside. I'm a huge fan of cold cathode ray tubes and blinky lights, so this is a must for me. The plastic is smoked, so it dims everything down. It's a different look from my old case; much cleaner and subdued. I haven't decided whether I like it or not.
I've spent some huge money at Xoxide buying worthless crap, and like to be reminded of it.
Curiously, there is a tiny green LED in the center of the drive cover that is the HD indicator. There's my one green thing, so I can live with
it. Overall this is an awesome case with lots of room for more stuff. It's much easier to navigate in than my old case, and the price is right.
Upgrade - you know you want to.
Documentation Could Be Better, November 29, 2009
By A.D. Lum
I didn't find anything wrong with this case. I'd like to give it 5 stars, but I only give 5 stars when every aspect is to my liking. The problem is the manual, or rather the instruction sheet that comes with it. The illustrative photos are too small and poor in contrast (hard to see detail). The text is too small. You can go to the company website, which has better pictures and a pdf manual that is only a hair better if only because it is easier to see.
The only other annoyance was the perforated cover plates for devices like optical drives. Properly removing them was not obvious. The interior of the case is all black for aesthetic reasons, but it also made it difficult to see how one might properly remove the cover plates. Do they remove inward or outward? Are those latch-looking protrusions part of the cover so that if I push them inward the cover will pop outward?
Let me cut to the chase. Those latches are part of the case, not the covers. The cover plates remove inward, not outward. To "unfasten", gently bump the cover plates with the base of your palm. They come right off that way. How hard would this have been to put in the documentation?
One reviewer said that there are three fans. I thought so too at first until I remembered that the box said there are four. There are indeed four. One is right behind the front grill. The other three are on the back, on the top, and on the clear side panel. I like the fan dials on the front. They allow you to increase/decrease the fan speed.
The build is solid yet light, and the all black components are visually pleasing. Rubber grommets for cable routing are nice to have. The general layout is good - ample air cooling with provisions for liquid cooling. The adequate space for large video cards is a must have.
Some have complained about the appearance of the front door and suggest removing it. The option is yours.
This case is a good value for the money. The documentation leaves much to be desired, but if you are like most folks who build their own, you'll figure it out.
Good case. Few things keep it from being great., December 16, 2009
By ASP
This is a great looking case, but there is just something lacking that keeps it from being perfect.
THE PROS:
1) Excellent air-flow. There are four large fans, and the speed of them can be adjusted. One on the top, one on the back, one in the front, and one on the side where the window is. The case and fans are almost silent. Very low sound from the fans.
2) I really like the case design. There are usb, headphone/microphone jacks, and an e-sata jack on the front side of the case. The front door opens up to reveal any optical drives and the power and reset buttons. And closes when the computer is not in use. Looks great when it is closed.
3) The screws and hardware that came with the case were easy to install. All the risers and screws for the motherboard went in easily. The hard drive attaches and went in easy, but I also have a complaint about that in the cons.
4) The cases for the screws and optical drives are all thumb screws with rubber holders. You just tighten and loosen them with your fingers. Very convenient and quick.
5) HD audio connector included as part of the connectors on the front. As long as your motherboard has onboard HD audio, you're set.
THE CONS:
1) Some of the power molex connectors were misaligned. Some of the connectors did not slip in easy as they should. I had to fiddle around until all four connectors lined up. Another one I had to adjust with needle-nose pliers. Took much longer than it should have.
2) The mesh metal plates that are in the front of the case, in the place where you would install optical drives, were very difficult to remove.
They are definitely not quick release. There are metal tabs holding them in place, but very dificult to get to the tabs. I used a flathead screwdriver to remove one plate, but in doing so, it was bent out of shape.
3) I used a regular size SATA drive instead of a Solid State Disk. The case provides a holder for a Solid State Disk Hard drive. Anyway, there are two clips that attach to the SATA hard drive, and then it just slides down. It does hold the hard drive in place, but you have to be very careful when pulling it up, in case the clips slide off the hard drive. I felt that they went really cheap on these clips/holders.
4) When I was installing the power supply at the bottom back of the case, the bottom was bent inward. I had to straighten it out with a hammer.
The metal at the bottom feels very thin and should not have been bent. Feels like they went cheap on that part too. The hard drive holds tightly in place even without screwing it in, but you should screw it in with the provided screws and philips head screwdriver.
5) Lack of a speaker for beeps during POST. Beeps are very useful when troubleshooting your PC. My motherboard was not functioning and I really needed the speaker to let me know the issue. There was no PC speaker or speaker wire to use.
Overall, this is a good case, but not a great case. I also own an Antec Nine Hundred case, and I prefer that much more over this case.
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