|
A
Closer Look:::...
In
terms of styling we had a distinct advantage in that
the model we got to review came complete with windowed
side panel. Tastes vary as I'm sure you know but for
me personally, and by all means disagree, I think
that without the side window the case design would
be too much colour and not enough form.
Breaking
up the colour is made a little easier because the
front of the case uses removable panel inserts as
you can see from these three images I quietly stole
from Chieftec's site:
Is
it just me or are those panels crying out to have
a little LED or EL lighting applied behind them?
As
you can see from the side panel, there's room for
a pair of 90mm cooling fans. The grills are nicely
done and offer minimal obstruction to airflow. There
is an even more efficient way of doing it which is
to cut holes and I' not sure why more case manufacturers
don't do this, except perhaps for the extra cost of
needing finger grills.
From
the opposite side we can see that the window is a
pretty generous size. Like most manufacturers Chieftec
obviously think the back of your hard drives is a
sight worth seeing as the perspex extends over half
way across the bays.
I
like the plastic grill that's been used to disguise
the hole in the window and help soften the outline
of any fan you may decide to install there. Use an
LED lit fan and the fins create a nice effect too.
|
|
|
Case
Side Panel-Window Side
|
The
rear of the case follows Chieftec's usual pedigree.
The stamped fan grills are of the better variety with
decent sized holes. There's also an aperture suitable
for either a standard or redundant power supply.
The
windowed panel affixes using thumb screws for extra
security though in most home environments you can
use these to replace the ordinary screws on the other
panel and just use the built-in panel fastening mechanism
instead.
|
|
 |
|
Front
and Back
|
That
front panel is just crying out for some kind of styling
addition but I'm not sure what.
Okay,
maybe not that, but you get the idea.
|
