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After a very close inspection, I
found no nicks, no scratches, no dings, cracks or other blemishes on
this case. Bulletproof packaging is always a good start.
Once I got it out of the packaging and starting doing my level two
inspection, component level, I noticed a few things... First
there was no book of instructions. Now as an experienced systems
builder I normally don't need a book, but on occasion there is the
miscellaneous wire or cable that isn't labeled well and I would like to
know what it goes to. Also taking into account inexperienced
builders purchasing a case like this, that would make it all the more
daunting.
Having shelled out a hefty chuck
of cash for a case with no PSU, I expect a pretty high level of detail.
Logisys could have done a few things a little different that would make
it the cream of the acrylic crop. First, for a UV case, UV
reactive wires would have been nice. Second, the front audio
connection cables were 1/8" plugs meant to be routed through the case
out the I/O plate in the back and into your audio out connectors.
I understand that this is for convenience and it was very easy to do,
but the beige cables that are now running though the clear case stick
out like a sore thumb! If I had thought that far ahead I would
have bought more UV sleaving, but alas, the
Logisys UV sleaving kit didn't have enough. Third, the usb
connectors for the front panel were individually pinned. Minor
detail but a pet peeve of mine. If you have big hands, and thusly
big fingers like I do, struggling to get 9 seperate pins plugged onto
the usb header of a motherboard can get really frustrating, really fast!
Fourth, the top left hole for the power supply is incomplete and offers
little help in balancing the load for the other three screws that hold
the PSU in place. Last but not least, Screws!! how much do
screws cost? For the price paid, I expect at least two extra
screws per size to compensate for poor machining on the screwmakers part
and for the occasional lost screw. The one spare that came
with this case for mounting panels had a piece of slag left in it right
smack in the middle of the philips head socket. No getting a screwdriver
on that.
With the bad, there is almost
always a fair amount of good, and with this case there was. It is
a nice case, I found it to be quite sturdy and pretty well thought out.
The UV does react very well when exposed to the large amount of light
that I threw into it. It comes stock with plenty of motherboard
standoffs to allow for a large variety of different motherboards.
I have seen some cheesy attempts at bay covers on some other brands of
acrylic cases and was happy to see that Logisys didn't go that route
with this case. They put large screws on both sides of their bay
covers and they work well. Tension mounted bay covers don't
seem to work well with acrylic cases. The internal mounting
system for your drives is constructed of heavy gauge acrylic to keep
things nice and sturdy. Based on my observation of the case I
would say that they are also an integral part of the overall sturdiness
of this case.
I conclude this review by
giving the case a 4.5 out of 5. The good definitely outweighs my
nit picky bad points on this one. |
