After my rant on finding the right case size, I grabbed a few micro ATX cases to see what’s what. First up for review is the Enlight 7150.(editors note: product is now discontinued)

We had looked at the Enlight 7200 desktop case in the past, but this was the first foray into micro ATX. Basically it limits the motherboard size to 9.6” x 9.6” maximum, with four expansion slots and a specific layout for CPU and memory slots. Interestingly there is a spec for micro ATX cases as well, indicating mounting hole placements, power supply positioning and the like. To get a comprehensive overview check out www.formfactors.org and look under micro ATX. The most relevant item is that the power supply should be mounted in front of the processor, drawing air out and minimizing the overall length and height of the case. As well the maximum wattage of a micro ATX power supply is 150 watts.

When you think of getting yourself a new computer case, first thoughts go to a huge tower with twelve case fans or a sleek and sexy mini tower with that cool blue translucent cover.  Almost no one thinks of the desktop case: squat, square and oh so utilitarian.  Unfortunately they’re the workhorse of the office environment, as no one wants a mid tower under their desk at the office cubicle.

Recently I purchased a bunch of PCs for my office and specified desktop cases.  What was available were two choices: and Elan Vital or and Enlight case.  Checking out both web sites I chose the Enlight EN7200 desktop case, simply because it looked better.

Let’s take a tour of the Enlight 7200.  The only photo available is the one I grabbed from the Enlight website as I don’t have, yet, a digital camera.  Two 3.5” and three 5.25” drives are accessible from the front of the case. Clearly labeled front lights and buttons make for easy identification, and the reset switch is big enough to use your finger.  The front bezel is a sturdy plastic, and the rest of the case is one millimeter steel. All in all a good, sturdy feel to the case.

The case comes open by removing the front bezel and the three screws holding the top down.  I normally have a hard time removing plastic bezels but this came off without incident.  The lid slides forward revealing a good sized interior.  A nice touch is the sticker on the back that shows how to remove the front bezel.

The layout is standard for a desktop case: drives lining the front, a support arm down the center and the power supply in the back right.  All 5.25” external drives are mounted using drive rails;  I’m finding this more and more common in cases, and I’m torn on the issue.  While I like the idea of attaching the drive rails and just sliding the drive in, the drives can become loose and start to wobble around.  The 3.5” external drives are mounted in a removal drive cage, which has to be removed to mount any drives.

Something I haven’t seen before is the placement of the two internal 3.5” drives: in the support arm of the case.  The placement of the drives is beside the power supply, letting the hot air get sucked away.

On the subject, the power supply is a Young Year ATX 250 watt.  There is an on / off switch on the back in case you’re having trouble with power management.  It’s placement allows for the air from the CPU and hard drives to be taken out the case, which is good since there’s no rear spot for a fan mount.  The only fan mount in the case is at the front left, allowing a current to move from front left to back right sweeping across the motherboard.  This catches the RAM and CPU but misses the AGP and PCI slots completely, as is usual with most cases. A minor gripe is the fact that there is space for seven drives but only five power connectors.

Mounting a motherboard was straight forward, as there’s enough room for a full size ATX board. Steel mounting posts are provided along with plastic posts for odd shaped boards.  Instead of the standard slot cover that screws into the case, there are tin inserts that pop out when you want to put in an AGP or PCI adapter. Two I/O face plates are provided, a standard ATX and one with onboard sound.

All in all an excellent desktop case.  A few minor problems don’t take away from the overall quality feel.  The Enlight EN7200 desktop ATX case is heartily recommended.

Way back in 1991 I bought my first PC; a shiny Magnavox 386SX 20MHz. After a few months I began upgrading pieces of it, leading me to realize I needed a new system. I wanted to build it myself, so I did a ridiculous amount of research and decided on an AMD 386DX 40 MHz with 8 MB of RAM. My real concern was getting a good sized case to put everything in; I already had a 1x Sony CD-ROM, Colorado 250 MB QIC120 tape drive, 3.5” and 5.25” floppy drives. Going crazy I bought a full tower made of the heaviest steel available. The thing was unwieldy on its best day, requiring Herculean feats of strength to lift. But every piece of computer hardware fit into it with caverns of room to spare. It stood on the floor under my desk and saw a whack of upgrades, until I needed an ATX system and finally passed on the heavy fellow to a relative.

This has, unfortunately, led me to a love affair with full tower and server cases. Being a hardware review nutcase I try a lot of different configurations in my PCs, swapping parts in and out on a regular basis. Towers always give enough knuckle room to maneuver, never leaving you with a need for just one more external 5.25” bay. If I decide to install a six drive RAID 5 array, the tower case handles it with aplomb. Need to have four CD-ROM drives installed at the same time? No problem. My current tower pick is the Antec SX1040; a sweet number that I liked enough to buy two.

It was the second SX1040 that led me to my latest conundrum. After setting up one SX1040 as my test system, which budget has allowed these past few years, I set the other as my main system. The test system still has parts swapped in and out monthly or even weekly, and the Antec SX1040 gets the job done every time. My main system experiences upgrades at a much slower rate. It held an AMD Athlon 1100 MHz for over a year, a 13 GB 7200 RPM Fujitsu hard drive for over two years. The only external drives I have are a 3.5” floppy and a DVD-ROM; the other bays sit empty and alone. Once it was set up properly and working without incident I was reluctant to upgrade. It pains me to say that I really don’t need a full tower case for my main system anymore.

Taking a hard look at my system needs, I realize a Micro ATX system would fit the bill. Everyone stay calm as I go through my reasoning. I cracked the case of my system and looked at the contents; AGP video card, sound card, network card, 3.5” hard drive, 3.5” floppy drive, DVD-ROM. That’s it. Next I looked at the current crop of KT266A Micro ATX motherboards; one AGP slot, three to four PCI slots. That would take card of my current configuration and leave me with one or two PCI slots for future needs. Perusing Micro ATX cases revealed tight form factors with two 5.25” bays and two to three 3.5” bays. Again meeting all my needs, save for the low end power supplies. Not a problem once I install an Enermax 350 watt.

If tinkering is your pastime, then the need for a decent sized case can’t be overstated. If you need to build a stable system, then push aside your ego and go for a practical case.

I’m still waiting for my new Antec case, but thought it wise to discuss the case I’ve been using the last three years.  I now have three Aopen HX08 full tower cases in use; check here for a detailed diagram and full installation instructions. (editor’s note: not available anymore)

Why is the case important? Let’s look at two scenarios: big name brand computer or “white box” clone computer.  With the big name brand PC you don’t get a choice in case design; you get what you get which is mostly a mini to mid tower case.  With a white box computer you can choose the style and size you want, varying from a low profile desktop to a giant full tower or even a server case.  The only limit is cost; a mid tower can be had for $60 while a full tower is $125 and a server case is over $400.

Most users are happy with the case they received with their system, as the only upgrade they may perform is a card or drive addition.  The mid tower serves it’s purpose and gets the job done; that’s why almost every computer you can buy comes in one.

Why do I want and use large cases?  I’m looking for expandability, flexibility and features.  I like to have my computer on the floor, so a full tower sits on the floor and gives easy access to the floppy and CD-ROM.  I want to be able to load up a bunch of hard drives, CD-ROMs, tape drives and DVD-ROMs without worrying about space.  I like to have three or four cooling fans in the case to keep everything running smooth.  Basically no matter the situation I want the case to handle it.

I originally chose the Aopen HX08 because that was the best available at the time.  While the three I have show a design evolution on Acer’s part, I’ll only talk about the current design.  Standing a little over two feet with the base attached, the HX08 shows one 3.5” and five 5.25” external drive bays.  The 5.25” bays are blocked internally by a piece of steel, which had to be removed by rocking it in place until the two tabs snap.  The outer case is removed in three pieces by sliding the top off then the two sides.  This is a gripe on my part; I hate having to slide the top off, then slide the side panel the length of the case before it comes off.

Inside are seven more 3.5” bays; three in front under the 5.25” bays and four more above the power supply.  This arrangement is good for SCSI systems where the cables can reach the top, but for IDE systems you’re pretty well limited to the front three bays for hard drives.  The top spot for the floppy drive is convenient for day to day use but awkward inside because the cable is at it’s length. Both 3.5” internal drive cages are removable for easy mounting, held in place by screws.

The motherboard tray is removable, making mounting quite easy.  Of course this case has tons of room inside already, and truth be told I’ve never needed to remove the tray.  Cooling is provided by one front mounted 80mm fan and two rear mounted 80mm fans above the power supply, all of which are optional.  The two rear fans require additional hardware to mount, and really cool down drives mounted in the rear 3.5” cage.  My cooling gripe is that there is no fan mount at the rear of the case at the processor level to take the hot air that comes off the CPU fan. To be fair the ATX 300 watt power supply has an air intake on the bottom that pulls a fair amount; as well as handle all the power demands I’ve placed on it.

All in all I’ve enjoyed the Aopen HX08 cases for their sturdiness and ability to take what I throw at them.  They retail for around $130, which is in line with this size case.

Let me start off by saying this is not a server case: it is a workstation case. As the review progresses items will be pointed out that affirms this, but it’s better to think of it as a workstation chassis and look at it from this perspective.

I was building a new test server and needed a decent chassis. Antec is always my first choice and they had just released the Titan 550 Server, their first designated tower server chassis. I’ve been using it extensively for over six months and am ready to review.

Let’s start from the outside and work our way in. The entire case is matt black: the front bezel a mostly solid plastic and steel for the rest. The front bezel has the new Antec double hinged door that swings back to rest against the body of the chassis. There are power and hard drive lights on the door along with a key lock. Below these are two USB ports, a microphone and headphone jack and a Firewire port. First item that suggests workstation over server: not a lot of call for headphones on the server. As well there are only two status lights, yet the low price Antec Solution series includes two additional lights that are great for additional RAID or SCSI controllers. Behind the door are three 5.25” drive bays and one 3.5” drive bay that can be changed to a 5.25” if needed. Below these are the reset and power buttons: they’re actually part of the front bezel but work nicely.

The side panels are nondescript so we’ll move to the rear. Standard fair here, with a nice honeycomb fan guard for the 120 mm internal fan. The bottom right panel is screwed in place from the inside, indicating something could be used there but isn’t: perhaps a CPU cooler shroud like the Sonata II? A lock slot is located at the bottom of the one removable side panel.

From here we get a look at the included power supply, the Antec TruePower 550 watt with EPS12V. This power supply lured me to the Titan 550 as sure as the rest of it’s features: very slick and for server and workstation motherboards, and a real bargain find in this configuration.

Cracking open the side panel allows us to remove the front bezel. It’s “sort of” hinged on two arms and allows it to be swung out the right and still hang in place. I find when it’s closed there is a gap on the left side between the bezel and the side panel. Underneath we see the drive bay covers for EMI shielding and the 3.5” bay that can be converted to a 5.25”, and it has drive rails pre attached.

The big item here is the internal hard drive bay and it’s door that can hold two 92 mm fans for cooling. The door has two screws on the left top and bottom. The slits on both sides are for the drive rails: they’re pinched together to remove a drive.

This is our third review of a chassis or case from the Antec Solution line. The Antec SLK3700AMB was the best mid tower case for the money we’ve ever seen, while the Antec SLK2600AMB was a slight compromise for less real estate. This time around Antec has taken the value oriented SLK3700AMB and added features from it’s best selling “quiet” Antec Sonata . It’s a good idea to read our SLK3700AMB review first to see what makes it so great. The Antec SLK3700BQE is the black quiet edition of the Solutions line.

Let’s work from the outside in. First to notice is the black finish. While the Sonata and the SLK3700AMB have a beautiful glossy finish, the SLK3700BQE is a textured black, as is the plastic front bezel. Same external layout as the SLK3700AMB, with four 5.25” and two 3.5” external drive bays. Four status lights sit beside the power and reset buttons, while two USB ports sit below. A door covers the drive bays and buttons, and gives a satisfying click when closed.

Moving to the rear we see the first carry over from the Sonata: the 120mm fan grill is made of large holes for maximum airflow. Everything else is pretty standard. The cuts in the case to the right of the expansion slots look as if they’re designed for a snap on of some sort, but nothing currently is available.

The left side panel opens by pressing two latches and unfastening two thumb screws at the rear. Once inside we see a few more Sonata features. The hard drive bay is rotated ninety degrees towards the side and has four removable drive trays or mounting slats. Drives are screwed in from the bottom and utilize rubber grommets to reduce noise and vibration. A nice feature, but the SLK3700AMB held five drives and used rubber grommets as well.

This configuration also moves the front 120mm cooling fan slot to the outside of the chassis, under the front bezel. There’s enough room for the fan in there, barely. The front bezel pops off my pressing two tabs on the right side. This must be removed to mount any drives in the 5.25” bays, and to remove the air filter for cleaning. The 3.5” drive cage slides out by moving the lever towards the front of the case. The four 5.25” drive bays use drive rails, but they just come loose in a bag. It’s odd that they’re not mentioned in the specs as coming in the box.

The rear 120mm fan is held in place by four rubber pegs or posts, giving a fairly tight fit and reducing vibration noise effectively. It’s a 1200 RPM model that runs quietly, but doesn’t come with a three pin hardware monitor cable, just the Molex power connector.

The power supply is a SL350S, the “S” for single fan or silent. It’s a SL350 model with only a rear fan, no second fan on the bottom pulling air off the CPU. With the 120mm rear fan there’s really no need for the second fan in the power supply, but I didn’t notice a noise difference between the SL350 and the SL350S.

The big news as far as changes go are the two USB cables connecting to the front mounted ports. Instead of the five individual leads we saw with the SLK3700AMB, the two USB ports connect via one ten pin block. Finally!

Antec is pushing this case as being “whisper quiet” by incorporating features from the Sonata chassis. The drive cage, rear fan mount and exhaust all come from the Sonata, and do lessen the audible noise from the SLK3700BQE. Truth be told I can’t say this case is quieter than the SLK3700AMB or SLK2600AMB, as all are excellent designs and superior builds. I’m a longtime Antec fan and their Solutions line is the best value for a PC chassis, without question. If you like the black colour and the side mounted drive trays, then the Antec SLK3700BQE is for you. If you need more drive space pick up the Antec SLK3700AMB and an Antec Noise Killer kit with the $20 difference between the two.

After having repeated success with the Antec SLK3700AMB mid tower case, I had the opportunity to build a PC using its smaller sibling, the Antec SLK2600AMB. Someone had asked me to construct our $1000 PC, so I gathered the parts and went to work. This case is a meant as a smaller, cheaper version of the SLK3700AMB and as such some features are removed, while other small touches have been added. Read on.

Let’s look at the Antec SLK2600AMB from the outside in. The first feature to admire is the smooth and glossy bronze paint job on the side and top of the case. The front bezel is a sturdy bronze plastic, and the rear is good old steel. From the front four status lights are visible: power, HDD, I and II. First two are self explanatory, the second two are user definable, to be hooked to whatever you want in the system. Below the status lights are two USB ports. Opening the swinging cover to the left reveals four 5.25” drive bays and two 3.5” drive bays. The bay covers pop off by pulling a tab on the right side and swinging out, very clever and useful with no breaking of tabs. The left side panel is removed by unfastening two large thumb screws and pushing the indentation towards the back. It was sticky the first few times, but showed a nice tight fit to the front and rear of the case. The right side panel is riveted on and is not removable. The rear shows the usual ATX configuration, with the power supply at the top and a grill for an 80mm fan, not included. At the bottom right is a bronze plastic outcropping. It has a removable cover labeled hardware, and can fit a goodly amount of screws and bits for the case. Along it’s side are labels for the rear expansion slots numbered 1 to 7. A very handy item for small bits, but it sticks out an inch or so and causes some issue once we get inside.

Removing the left side panel reveals the interior of the SLK2600AMB. Clean and well laid out, as we expect from Antec. First item of notice are the purple plastic tabs lining the 5.25” drive slots: they lock the drive in place, once a drive rail is added to the left side of the drive. At first I couldn’t find the drive rails, but removing a 5.25” drive cover showed them attached to the metal EMI plate. This is nice, but once the plate is removed to mount a drive, your drive rail holder is gone. May have been better to mount the drive rail to the inside of the of the drive cover instead. The drive rails themselves have a tension bar with the ends bent, so you snap the rail against the drive and put the bent ends into the bottom screw holes of your drive. Then pop the drive in and slide the purple tab and the drive is secured. No screws needed.

The 3.5” drive cage is removable by sliding the lever above it. It houses the two exposed 3.5” drive slots and can hold two more internal drives. Screws are needed for this one. The front USB ports are hooked to the motherboard via two cables with five connections per port. They’re labeled and are easily enough installed. The other cables are there as well for power, power LED, reset, HDD LED, speaker, I LED and II LED. The usual. Front bottom is a space for another 80mm fan, and tabs for long expansion cards.

Let’s look at the expansion slots. To access the screws, the rear hardware storage case must be removed. Taking it off shows the slots seem to straddle the rear of the case, making screwing difficult (insert pun). Four motherboard mounts are already installed, and the rest are garden variety and easy peasy

The power supply is an Antec Smart Power SL300S 300 watt. A straightforward design, lots of power leads and a system fan connection for motherboard monitoring. Three hundred watts is enough for your average system. As well it has fancy holograms along the side! It ran fairly quiet, but the air output was warm to hot most of the time.

Once components were installed the true measure of the SLK2600AMB could be found. First off this case needs a rear fan installed, even for light systems like the one used with a micro ATX motherboard and integrated components. The Maxtor drive used, quiet in other systems, seemed to echo and chatter quite loudly. Same was true for the Lite-On CDRW installed in the first bay, and the 3.5” floppy. Everything echoed and was loud while in operation. The power supply fan and CPU fan were quiet and mellow. The side panels flexed too much during component install, giving pause to it’s sturdiness as a whole. With the limited drive bays available, what are the I and II LEDs to be used for?

The Antec SLK2600AMB is a fine case for the beginner or non tinkering user, but others should spend the extra $20 and pick up the Antec SLK2700AMB.