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.

Benchmarking - Sound
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  • CrystalBay - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link

    Nice case,but I'll wait for a cheap knockoff, or a CM Stacker. That infrared heat graph is a nice effect though.
  • Operandi - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link

    Looks like a very nice case with horribly loud fans.

    Purav; For future reviews it would be nice if you would include more information on the fans, make model, RPM, CFM, ect.

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