Opus Technologies' Titanium MT-200 Mid-tower Chassis
by Purav Sanghani on April 23, 2004 3:06 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Construction
The MT-200 is constructed of a combination of 1.0mm SECC, plastic, and titanium plating, which is the main selling point of this case. The choice of steel for the foundation of the MT-200 may not have been the best, as aluminum has been a hot metal in the industry for some time. Aluminum built chassis like the Lian Li PC-6070 as well as the monstrous SilverStone Nimiz prove that a case can be well constructed using the lightweight metal, but also look the part of an industry leader.The use of steel also brought with it sharp edges to the inside of the case. When we looked at the Thermaltake VM3000, we saw this as a threat to not only our hardware, but also to our wandering hands. Though precautions were taken to reduce the sharp edges, some still remained on the backside and inside the case where parts were machined out.
The titanium side panels are a dark shade that gives the MT-200 a shiny, futuristic look. As the name sounds, the panels are as strong as they come and are extremely difficult to bend. We tried.
Click to enlarge.
The MT-200 also has security features like a key lock for the front door, electronic intrusion detection, rear side loops to lock in the left side panel as well as a side panel locking system, which prevents intrusion from the right side of the chassis.
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appu - Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - link
"Since the MT-200 did not come with any case fans, we decided it would be best to install third party fans to simulate a typical system. We installed four 80mm fans, just as many as the Thermaltake VM3000 Skull series had. Though an optional 120mm fan can be mounted at the front of the chassis as an intake, we thought it would be best to test the case in the same state that the VM3000 was tested, since they are basically the same chassis."While the reasoning above was fine as far as
bechmarking is concerned (where variables have to
be kept to a minimum), it would've been great to
look at temp. and noise figures with that 120 mm
fan also plonked in. After all, one also has to
test the strengths of individual systems and not
just their performance across a level playing
field. It's a bit like testing a CPU's overclocked
performance after getting stock speed readings.
My two cents.
KristopherKubicki - Saturday, April 24, 2004 - link
Yeah its just some titanium alloy over the skin of the unit. i think it looks nice, but you have to see it up closee i suppose.Kristopher
Zepper - Saturday, April 24, 2004 - link
I doubt there is any real titanium in that case - just a relatively close color match. The basic chassis is sold under many names including: Athenatech, A-GPB, Enermax (the few of their Ti finish units I can find are going for ~$100 each), Key Power, Bow Technology and now Opus. Even Fry's/Outpost sells a custom version - one of the best looking of the bunch, IMO. And you really can't beat the internal design.. I particularly like the version with 4 5" bays at the top and another 3 5" bays in the bottom. You can install two 5-drive, hot-swap cages in there with room left for 1 optical and 2 more stand-alone HDs. Not to mention plenty of room for the largest ATX mobos. Helluva cheap server box!
.bh.
AtaStrumf - Saturday, April 24, 2004 - link
Looks like someone beat this thing with the ugly stick.roostercrows - Saturday, April 24, 2004 - link
"titanium is softer than steel"."it also can't be polished"what unknown alloy of steel compared to what micron thin titanium coating on what unknown alloy of steel? all steels are alloys. using what test? Knoop Microhardness, Vickers Microhardness, Rockwell C Hardness, Rockwell 15N, 30N or 45N Superficial Hardness? it's important to know what you are comparing before you opine and even then it's tricky. mild steel is 20-25 HRc, tool steel is 44-57, chrome is 65-68, carbide is 72-81 and titanium nitride is 84-88, diamond is about 98. in theory and just for fun let's compare the edge of a "kill bill" samouri sword at about 58-60 Rockwell "C" (some chinese sword have 62-64) to a TIN (titanium nitride)sword. Uma would be dead and we don't want that. no "kill bill" three?
also, it's easy to put a very high polish on even annealed pure titanium with a Rockwell "C" of 11. i would love to find a case made completely of titanium alloy and aluminum alloy, just to have one as i use water cooling and i don't need the case to radiate much heat. plating or polishing makes less heat get radiated away, like chrome plating the fins of an air cooled motorcycle. it makes it run hotter not cooler.
i also like the 3.5" I/O module
Operandi - Friday, April 23, 2004 - link
true, using Ti dosn't make much sense, unless it really looks that much differant then steel or Al.Other then that it looks like a pretty sweet case.
Odeen - Friday, April 23, 2004 - link
Guys... Titanium is NOT a good material to be anywhere on a computer enclosure. While it IS far more rust-proof (A coat of oxide forms on titanium as soon as it is exposed to air, and stays there to prevent further corrosion) than steel, titanium fails as a computer enclosure.Titanium is softer than steel - it scratches far more easily. It also can't be polished. What's worse, titanium does not transfer heat as "readily" as steel. While this is a great trait for a watch (a titanium watch doesn't feel as cold against your wrist as a steel watch when you first put it on), you WANT the case to radiate as much heat as possible. Hence, aluminum cases do a little better than steel, and acrylic cases suck for thermal management.
Still, neato case. I like the 3.5" front I/O module, I could use one for another black case I might have :)
KristopherKubicki - Friday, April 23, 2004 - link
Dont worry, the next one is worth the wait...nastyemu25 - Friday, April 23, 2004 - link
what's up with the ass-ugly case trendaraczynski - Friday, April 23, 2004 - link
when i saw the innards, my mind visualized "packard bell" <shudder>