BeanTech, ClearPC, SunBeam, and Logisys: Another Look at the Acrylic Arena

SunBeam Technologies LAC-UVT Construction (cont'd)

Inside the LAC-UVT, there are four 5-1/4" drive bays as well as six 3-1/2" drive bays of which two are exposed. Drives can be mounted securely using the provided screws. We would have liked to see rubber mounts for the 3-1/2" bays for HDD installations in order to reduce shock.

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The LAC-UVT features a motherboard tray, which makes use of standard metal hex standoffs that are included with the package. The tray isn't easily removable, but can be separated from the rest of the chassis by removing 4 screws. Otherwise, the tray does have plenty of holes to install the standoffs for various form factors.

There is a thick acrylic platform, which the power supply rests on for support. Again, mounting an oversized power supply, like our OCZ, is difficult, if not impossible, with a fan mounted to the top of the chassis. A slight modification, moving the cutout for the fan a bit forward, would help resolve this problem.

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In order to support add-on cards, SunBeam has included an aluminum back panel, which is secured by screws. Like the steel back panel on the CS888CL, the golden back panel on the LAC-UVT helps hold add-on cards securely to the case and motherboard.

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The side panels slide back along rails and are secured to the case by enlarged plastic thumbscrews. One major drawback with the left panel is that when the two 80mm fans are mounted on the inside of that panel, it cannot be removed, or inserted for that matter. SunBeam Technologies' website does not show any of its acrylic cases with fans installed, so consumers may not realize this until it is too late.