Chenbro Gaming Bomb II: Anyone for Upscale Gaming?
by Purav Sanghani on December 14, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Final Words
We have seen many case designers try to put out their rendition of the perfect case, but only some rarely come close. With so many features that a case could have, we need to look at the costs of having everything. It just isn't possible to include tool-less designs throughout the case while it is constructed of an all-aluminum body, with a removable motherboard tray and pivoting drive cages. The costs, both manufacturing as well as selling, would be tremendous.Chenbro has weighed the features and has picked out the ones that they feel should be in a chassis no matter what. They have implemented tool-less locking mechanisms into their drive bays. They have included rubber mounts for their FlexiBay HDD cage, which can be removed and also positioned in two arrangements.
Chenbro has also implemented a removable motherboard tray as well as a system of passages to maintain a clean, managed environment inside the case, which reduces cable clutter to the bare minimum. Features like this may be small, but help bring a chassis closer to the state of perfection.
The GB2 performed extremely well in our thermal benchmarks. Though very loud, the dual 120mm fans helped keep the air flowing to move warm air out of the chassis as quick as possible. The Athlon 64 3200+ remained between 37-48 degrees from idleness to 100% load,which is a very safe range. The "holed" design of the expansion slot covers also helped cool the VGA card a few degrees by allowing air to flow past the 9800XT back through the holes.
So, the question on everyone's mind is, "is the Gaming Bomb II worth the money?" In our honest opinion, the GB2 is one of the best cases that we have seen in Chenbro's product line. They went from plastic and steel-themed gaming chassis to high end, enthusiast class gaming cases with many functional improvements.
The Gaming Bomb II should be arriving at retailers sometime this month and for about $240, you can pick one up just in time for the holidays. The price may seem a bit steep to the novice user, but for those who are looking for features and functionality combined with good looks and don't mind spending 2½ bills, the Gaming Bomb II is definitely for you and we would recommend it to those who can afford it.
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Filibuster - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link
Looks like an overpriced Antec P160 ripoff.arswihart - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link
just get a PC-60 with door fan/windowkarlreading - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link
1st up: guys why are most of u stripping flesh of the reviewer. reviewers job well done IMHO.2nd up: Nice case. personally, in the past, i have looked at the gaming bomb as a cheapo, tacky orange piece of crap. this is stylish, VERY stylish. specially like the handels on the top of the case, almost gives it a apple G5 flava, and whilst i not a fan of the G5 ( or apple in general ) they do look sweet;)
however, the price of the case does appear a tad bit expensive: 240 U$D, even with the very poor dollar, makes this case £134 UKP, now i got my coolermaster black widow for £80, and thats pushing my personal envelope for a case, budget wise. definatly a case for those who are truly hardware addicts, especially when the usd price put it at mpore that a decent 6600GT, and a lot of people would rather have a nice-ish video card then a swanky case. might hurt sales a bit. i reccon chenbro should launce a case that looks the same, but has cheaper internal features, to get it out at a price point where the majority can afford it, then, it would be a Class A case.
karlos
Gholam - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link
Frankly, I don't see the point of spending $240 on this, when HEC 6A series cases cost as little as $60, PSU included. Hell, a CM Stacker costs $170 and is worlds better than this thing.kcma - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link
OMFG!!! a case review that doesnt review a BUTT UGLY TACKY AS HELL case!!!avijay - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link
#1 I agree with your suggestion completely. Some facts and figures on the fans will be mighty helpful. Also Purav, I know this case didn't have a PSU with it, but in the future if cases have one, can you review those as well please, if not with the case review then on its own. Also, would it be possible to see a roundup of 400W+ PSUs anytime in the near future. I've looked through many a PSU. Liked some, and not so much others. Sometimes, its nice to be able to look at reviews as they tend to have a more information than the average review at say newegg or somewhere like that. Infact I'd say reviews for case fans and CPU HS/Fan will also be very welcome.Poser - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link
"So, the question on everyone's mind is, 'is the Gaming Bomb II worth the money?' In our honest opinion, the GB2 is one of the best cases that we have seen in Chenbro's product line."I'm not sure if that quote was a deliberate dodge, or just bad writing. Either way, it was pretty ugly to read.
Zepper - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link
Avert your eyes - tortured language ahead:"Instead, we received a case that had the looks of something for which only an enthusiast would feel comfortable spending." ... and there's more.
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. When you can get a similar Kingwin for under $100. ??? Sorry, looks aren't worth $150.!
.bh.
mongoosesRawesome - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link
Finally a case reviewed here that isn't butt ugly. Too bad its 240 bucks.Try reviewing cases someone would actually buy for a change.
Degrador - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link
Hmm... I guess I was just expecting a little more out of the GB2. Makes me feel a bit better about the Stacker I bought though.