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Chaintech 7NIF2 nF2
Extreme Comp Mod
Cooler Master Aero 7
OCZ PC3500 DC Kit
Corsair TwinX PC3200
Vantec 470W PSU
Vantec CopperX HSF
2 x 75CFM or not?
Crucial 6 Card Reader
MSI CR52-A2 CDRW




 
 
Silver Bullet PC Nitro Elite Case
 
 
Date: August 7, 2002
Catagory: Cases & Cooling
Manufacturer: Supplied by
Written By:

The Nitro Elite has more than enough drive bays to suit your needs. There are four 5 ¼" bays, three external 3.5" bays, and five internal 3.5" bays. If you need more drive bays then I would like to know what the heck you are doing with your computer.

The Nitro Elite comes with everything you need to install your hardware. There are screws, standoffs, drive rails and two sets of keys. While one key works for on both locks, the Nitro Elite comes with four keys. I found this to be very nice, because you can keep a spare set in a safe or in a drawer, should you happen to lose the first set.

The two rear-mounted fans are very quite and run on a 4-pin Molex connector. They fans are snapped into a purple enclosure, which allows for easy installation and removal. While the two fans are a nice feature, they may cause a problem. Since there are no front-mounted fans in the case, minimal cool air can be drawn in from the outside of the case. Thankfully the case was designed to accommodate two front-mounted fans. One fan sits below the lower hard drive cage, with the other fan pushing air across the hard drives. If you do not have any other 60 MM fans I recommend taking one of the rear-mounted fans and installing it as an intake fan.

The Nitro Elite comes with removable hard drive cages that allow you to install your hard drive without removing your side panels. The cages were somewhat stubborn to remove and reinstall in the case, but they didn't cause me any headaches, just slight frustration.

Drive rails are hated by some people and liked by others. I happen to be a huge fan of drive rails since they make swapping and removing CD-ROM drives so much easier. The drive rails here screw into your drives and snap into place letting you know that the drive is properly installed. I didn't notice any vibration caused by the use of drive rails in lieu of screws, which can be attributed to proper design.

If there is one thing that this case is sorely missing it is a removable motherboard tray. Removable motherboard trays have become almost a necessity for PC enthusiasts. The size of the Nitro Elite allows for you to install components pretty easily, but a removable tray would have made things a lot easier. The inside of the case was very smooth, and all of the would-be sharp edges have been folded. Not once did I cut my finger when working with the Nitro Elite.

While we are on the topic of power supplies, the 420-Watt Turbolink power supply that comes with the Nitro Elite is merely okay. While the included power supply didn't appear to cause any stability issues, there were occasional voltage spikes, especially on the +5 volt line. I didn't trust the power supply to run my machine and promptly swapped it out for a Fortron Source unit provided by . That isn't to say that the included power supply won't work for you, but the voltage spikes indicate that the included unit may not be the best solution when it comes to powering your machine.

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