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External
Features :::...
The
box only really matters if you're browsing and can se it,
but even so it does psychologically alter the way you think
about the company that uses it.
Fortunatly
the iQ-eye's box is hits a nice balance. It's colourful
without being cheesy and spells out all the headline features
without making it look like their graphic design department
has stepped straigh out of Manga school.
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Box
- Front View
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Box
- Rear View
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Inside
we find the fail-safe slabs of expanded Polystyrene which
cushion the case from the carelessness of the disgruntled
courier.
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Box
- Case Packaging
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For
a case I assumed would be fashioned from plastic rejected
by McDonalds for being too cheap and tacky, I was initially
taken by the weight of this case. At 16.5KG (a shade over
36 pounds) this isn't going to grace too many LAN parties,
but it did mean that my first impressions were better than
I'd expected. I didn't want to get carried away though,
perhaps they just left a couple of bricks inside?
Out
of its coccoon the subwoofer resemblance remains, and while
I'm still not exactly drooling over the general design by
this stage I am far more impressed than I ever expected
to be. You see, that front door isn't plastic, it's a matt
finished aluminium that looks and feels like it's actually
very nicely made.
And
the LCD "Eye" is nicely done with a mirrored chrome
effect bezel surrounding it and a matt silver inner bezel
housing the various control buttons. Boy does it need some
kind of etching on that front door though to my eye, or
is that a reverse etching as it would be polished rather
than matt? There's certainly a mod in there somewhere.
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Case
Front View
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Switching
to the back the favourable opinions continue. The fan grill
is large amd should allow for plenty of airflow. There are
no vents near the expansion card slots which seems a little
disapponting at first but cooling of the cards is actually
catered for in a different way as we'll see n a moment,
so this isn't such a big deal.
Both
side panels are secured with two thumb screws on each.
There's
no option to fit a redundant power supply in this case as
you can see.
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Case
Rear View
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The
top features a molded silver air vent which also houses
the now common external USB, audio and Firewire connectors.
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Case
Top View
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A
spring latch door opens to reveal a pair of USB ports, a
single Firewire port and a mic and headphone jack.
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Top
Connectors
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The
left hand sideof the case has a nicely detailed grab handle
used to slide the panel backwards in order to remove it.
This handle also soubles as an air vent, though not a very
efficient one, and there's also a smaller vent towards the
bottom.
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Case
Side View
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The
opposite side on the other hand is pretty plain with just
indents for swinging open the front door and fascia and
a small security lock. It's hard to see from the pictures
but the surface finish is quite unusual. It's a very matt,
almost splatter finish with very fine metalic particles
that actually shimmer in the right light. It looks quite
unique and though it's early to say, seems pretty durable
too.
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Case
Side View
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