Aspire X-Cruiser (cont'd)
First, a quick glance at the inside of the side panel to see the CPU shroud in better detail. The shroud's height can be adjusted, thanks to its two-part design.
After taking off the side panel, the simplicity of the interior of the X-Cruiser is rather apparent. The motherboard tray isn't removable, nor do any of the drives have any dampening or tool-less features. This doesn't necessarily make for a bad case; it just separates it from more expensive cases and might actually make it more appealing to people who want a simpler unit.
Click to enlarge.
There are a total of six 3½” bays, two of which are external, and four 5¼” bays. In this close-up, you can see the two optional 80mm fan mounts in the front.
The rear-mounted 80mm fan is blue just like the top fan, which (as will see in a bit) has a big problem with placement. One nicer thing about the X-Cruiser is that the motherboard backing plate is removable via a bolt, something anyone who builds PCs regularly will appreciate quite a bit more than the pop-in plates, which are often a pain to work with.
Click to enlarge.
Installing our test bed went fairly smoothly, except for a problem with the top mounted fan. At first, we thought perhaps our longer-than-average PSU was to blame, so we double-checked by installing a shorter unit.
Even with a relatively standard sized PSU, the top fan mount is unusable unless the fan is mounted externally, rendering the included grill useless. With a longer PSU, such as our OCZ PowerStream, the fan is still able to get air, but the reduced opening might impact cooling performance. When a short enough PSU is used, the fan could still be used as it came in the package, leaving the top looking like this:
Notice that the reflection is clearly visible in the glossy finish of the case.
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Abecedaria - Sunday, September 11, 2005 - link
What was the criteria for choosing these cases? Most of them look nasty-plasticy and even the Antec P-180, although it looks good, has a veery plasticy feel.Where was Silverstone in your review? They have some of the best cases available:
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product-case.htm">http://www.silverstonetek.com/product-case.htm
and from their new subsidiary:
http://www.tuniq.com.tw/Chassis/chassis.htm">http://www.tuniq.com.tw/Chassis/chassis.htm
These things rock.
abc
unclebud - Monday, September 12, 2005 - link
please consider reviewing the performance 640 next time?it currently includes a smartpower v2 400w, for $129
thanks in advance
Rudee - Saturday, September 10, 2005 - link
There is an error in the article. The Sonata II does indeed have a removable air filter in the front of the case, thus should not be given a score of "0" for this catagory.Tamale - Saturday, September 10, 2005 - link
The filter is removable from the bottom of the case only.. while this certainly is 'removable', it is nowhere near as accessible as the other cases which I gave this point to. I struggled with the idea of giving the case .5 for this category, but it wouldn't have made a difference in the end, and I really don't feel that most users would go through the trouble of tipping the case over just to clean the filter, so no points were awarded.Thanks for pointing out the detail though.
Rudee - Saturday, September 10, 2005 - link
The Sonata II case is great. I was able to overclock a AMD 64 3700 to 2700mhz using the stock AMD heatsink and fan with one Panaflo 92mm fan in the duct over the CPU. Temps are great and I ended up returning my Zalman 7700 as I didn't need it.dgkulzer - Friday, September 9, 2005 - link
After 1 month of use I am very happy with my P180. Assembly does take a bit longer than a standard case if you are trying to hide your cables but that isnt much of an issue to me. I put a Phantom 500 PSU in it and because its longer than most other PSU's I had to replace the lower fan with a thinner model (Nexus 120). I have 4 hard drives in the lower chamber and the Nexus at 5 volts keeps them very cool - I havent had the Phantom fan kick on yet either.This is one case that looks better in person than it does in pictures, the pictures make it look like a little fridge or something but it looks pretty sweet on your desk :)
mschira - Friday, September 9, 2005 - link
I guess the two compartment design is great for watercooling. You could put the pump reservoir etc in the lower compartment. If something leaks, the electronic is save.I think that's great thing...
M.
P.S. onla trouble is where to put the power suply...
Griswold - Friday, September 9, 2005 - link
Kids, having a flashy computer under your desk doesnt make the chicks like you more. Say no to stupid side windows!Tamale - Friday, September 9, 2005 - link
you seem to forget that most kids who think it would look cool to have the window in the first place probably don't care about girls anyway ;)p.s. - most people (girls included) seem to think my all-acrylic case is pretty cool
Griswold - Sunday, September 11, 2005 - link
Besides the total lack of EM shielding (which is enough reason to not do what you did, not only because it's not allowed in many countries (I know, I know, US is different, there, the cops wont stop you if your car has only 3 wheels..)), a full acrylic case is a nice show thingie. I just find side windows embarrassing, especially when the rest of the case looks like Optimus Prime's chest armor.