Corsair TWINX4K
Corsair Hydrocool
MSI MEGA 651
MSI FX5900-VTD
RocketRAID 1520
RocketRAID 404
FIC AU13 nF2
LanParty KT400A
AS Ceramiqué

Test Setup

Abit KR7A-RAID: Athlon XP 1700+, 2 x 256MB Crucial PC2100 Ram, MSI Ti4200-T8x, Zalman 300 Watt PSU, Standard 10/100 Ethernet card, Sound Blaster Live! Platinum.

System Temperature in °C

With the same ambient room temperature, there is a one-degree drop in temperature. Temperatures could have probably be have been improved had Cooler Master setup a couple of front hard drive fans (although the front bezel doesn't have ventilation... they should add some). With only two stock fans exhausting, and none taking air in, performance suffered.

Installation Issues

As mentioned above, we used a Audigy Platinum in the test bed. For who don't know, the Platinum series of Soundblaster sound cards have a 5.25" breakout box.

Click to Enlarge

An issue can arise if you use a headphone jack converter, and you tend to leave it there after removing your headphones. The problem with it is that you will be unable to close the front door. Another issue is that if you are using the jack, you won't be able to close the door in that scenario either.

Final Words

The case does not come with a removable hard drive bay. Originally this confused me - usually removable motherboard trays and removable hard drive bays, when done properly, show the quality and time put into the construction of a case. To fully understand why there was no modular hard drive bay, I needed to step back and realize that this case is made out of aluminum. I came to the conclusion that the structural integrity of the case would be compromised by the removal of a drive bay, and that if enough pressure were placed on a modular bay, it would bend and/or break.

Speaking of weight, I sat and stood on the case to test its structural integrity. All 230 lbs were held up by the case without a bend or creak. Considering the weight and material of the case, I was impressed, to say the least.

I did not scuff my hand up while installing into the case, although there are a few edges that could have been rounded off.

I still can't decide if I like the door, or if it's bothersome. My previous case had a door, and I constantly left it open, simply because I constantly swap out CDs and DVDs. My top CD-RW will actually open the door when ejected, but I don't want to have to put that kind of stress on the CD-RW motor, nor do I want to have to use the "eject" property on the drive every time I want to use it. So if you are a power user, the door can be troublesome, but if you're not swapping CDs in and out often, the door can stay closed and remain that way without a problem.

Another problem I found was that if a CD-ROM (or anything in the 5.25" that is long) it can obstruct the motherboard tray. My DVD-ROM managed to barely fit in the case - I had to move it forward a centimeter or two to get the motherboard tray to fit properly.

The last complaint I have is that the door is perhaps too close to the front bevel of the case. I had to install my Audigy's 5.25" breakout expansion farther back than I would have liked due to the knobs on it. I also can't close the door without removing my headphones and its accompanying jack converter.

Pros: The case is aesthetically pleasing, and easy to work with. Build quality is excellent.

Cons: No removable drive bay, CDROM and motherboard tray issues, door could be farther out, cooling needs to be addressed.

Bottom Line: The case is most definitely a pleasure to work with. A steep price tag may detract consumers from purchasing the case, but I know I won't go back to steel any time soon.

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