Rosewill R379-M Black/ Silver 0.8mm SGCC Steel Slim MicroATX Computer Case with ATX12V Flex 300W Power Supply

Pros: Great value for a small form-factor case. Can stand as a tower or as a desktop. HDD/ODD cage is a nice feature and removing it to work on those devices is easy. Case has a very nice, sleek design.

Cons: I used this case for a media PC build and the only drawback is that the case is very deep. Make sure to take measurements to ensure that this will fit in your entertainment center if that is your intended use. Also, as others have mentioned, the power LED is very bright and might be distracting when watching movies in a dark room.

Other Thoughts: Overall a great case.

Pros: Small, sturdy, laid out well, comes with fan and psu

Cons: Blue light on power button can be overpowering, USB ports are on bottom, which is less than prime for wireless keyboards.

Other Thoughts: Solid, well laid out, and the PSU is adequate for a HTPC build. The fan is quiet, but is pretty loud at full speed. I can't hear it over the background buzz of my TV or the fan of a PS3 at idle, and have never had it crank up under use.

For the cash, I doubt you can find something better.

Pros: This was a great replacement case and powersupply for my Dell Inspirion 531S. Cheaper than trying to buy a replacement OEM Dell powersupply.

Cons: Instructions aren't the best for the less technically inclined. Be sure you have the specs for whatever MOBO you are putting in there.

Pros: i buy the case is slim,but the power supply is no working,
the quality is no good, i want to refund ,buy the shipment
is $25 , is bad!

Cons: i buy the case is slim,but the power supply is no working,
the quality is no good, i want to refund ,buy the shipment
is $25 , is bad!

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you very much for purchasing this unit. We strive to provide the most reliable and highest quality products to our customers. Please kindly contact the Rosewill support team either via phone at 800-575-9885 or via email at rma@rosewill.com so we may assist you with a replacement, if the unit is still under warranty. We look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,
Rosewill Customer Care

Pros: Good case design, built in spacers, the HDD and ODD easily install with detachable cage.

Cons: Fan is pretty loud but very cold and cools everything well.

The case did come with a silver streak on the side, someone tried to cover it with a black sticker, but it was easily obvious.

Other Thoughts: My mobo also has fan control that can lower the sound.

Pros: Nice and compact and fits a microATX mobo. Fairly easy to work on when needed. Uses standard optical drive (not slimline).

Cons: Ordered in June 2009, PSU failed in March 2013. Made it 3.5 years.

Other Thoughts: Ordered a new PSU for $20.

Pros: very nice case, thick metal, plenty of room. installed an I7 2011 CPU in this case. hope the internal fan holds up.`

Cons: none so far... I'm sure i'll find something to complain about

Pros: Everything except for the lack of documentation on some of the more interesting aspects of this case, especially the removeable drive cage.

This is one of the BEST and LEAST EXPENSIVE cases available. I am now on my third, and I see more in the near future. These cases can be used horizontally and vertically. Feet are provided for the horizontal mode. Horizontally they aren't very thick, so I can mount a wide screen monitor on top and save some precious desk space. Mounted vertically they take up even less desk space, and the included stand sections keep them from falling over.

The case is big enough to hold all the things I normally put into a desktop computer. In fact, this case can hold ALL of the following items at once in the removeable drive cage: A 5.25" DVD burner, two 3.5" hard drives, and a 2.5" laptop or SSD drive.

Assembly is uncluttered, because you remove the drive cage and you have tons of room to install the motherboard and route cables.

The power supply has:
one 24 pin connector,
one 4 pin 12 volt CPU connector,
two SATA connectors,
one floppy style connector good for USB card reader,
two standard 4 pin Molex connectors, both on long cables.

If you have more than two SATA devices, then buy a couple of Molex to SATA adapters.

The 300 watt power supply is more than edequate for just about anything other than a power-hungry gaming video card.

Air flow is reasonable with the fan that is included, and I did not find the power supply fan or the chassis fan to be noisy... but that is a very subjective thing. What sounds like a soft airflow to me might be described as an airplane taking off by someone with overly sensitive ears who has his ears right up against the fan. (ouch!)

See the "OTHER" section for some info concerning the removeable drive cage.

Cons: When assembling my very first Rosewill R379-M case it took me a while to figure out and discover how best to assemble all my components into the case. I was pretty much on my own. (My main reason for posting this review is to hopefully help others have a better experience with this very fine product).

It really would be nice if manufacturers would include a sheet or two of 8.5 x 11 inch paper with a couple of pointers on some of the not-so-intuitive aspects of their product.

This is not to knock Rosewill in particular. I think they do an average job of documenting their products.

The problem is that the AVERAGE documentation for most products leaves much to be desired. I get especially peeved at the teeny-tiny manuals done in 2 point type with 100 pages in 25 languages. Only 4 pages will be in a language you or I know, and then instead of black-on-white it will be printed in some shade-of-gray-on-white that makes it even harder to read.

If it weren't for PDF files the situation would be abysmal. At least with the PDF files I can magnify a section of a motherboard drawing and find out where the different connectors are located, and what the pinouts are.

Adjusting the Eject Mechanism the First Time Can Be Tricky:
Once all items have been installed in the removable cage, and before attaching any cables, carefully insert the cage back into its original installed position. Make sure the top is flat and level. Open the CD/DVD front panel door by putting one of the fingers of your left hand at the upper left-hand corner of the CD/DVD front door and manually pulling it fully open. Look on the right-hand side of the CD/DVD drive and locate the DRIVE's eject button.

You want to get this eject button COVERED by the white plastic end of the Rosewill eject mechanism. BE CAREFUL! It is easy to damage this mechanism. The white plastic piece can be adjusted by sliding it within the clear plastic section surrounding it. The clear plastic section has tiny serrated teeth that allow the white plastic piece to stay in place once it has been adjusted. When trying to move the white plastic piece, it is imperative that the clear plastic piece be held stationary. Apply only enough force to get the white piece to move one tooth at a time. A slight rocking motion helps it to move one tooth at a time, but whatever method you use, be FIRM but GENTLE, and hold the clear plastic section so that IT does NOT move. It sounds harder than it is, but if you don't understand how the eject mechanism works, you can easily break it.

If you have adjusted the mechanism properly, you should be able to hear the CD/DVD eject button "click" when you press firmly on the front panel eject button.

Other Thoughts: I suggest installing drives in the order given here, as some items will obscure the mounting holes for other devices if done in a different sequence.

5.25" drive bay for CD/DVD drive. Mounting screws attach to the BOTTOM of the drive. Front of drive should stick out about 1/2" so it will be able to make contact with the front-panel CD/DVD eject button.

3.5" front bay can accommodate one 3.5" hard drive or a 3.5" device such as a card reader, or a 3.5" to 2.5" drive converter for mounting two or more laptop drives or SSDs. The item in the 3.5" drive bay is then held in place with one or more screws. There are several screw holes available, to accommodate several different kinds of devices. Note that any item placed into the 3.5" drive bay must be secured with screws AT THE BOTTOM BEFORE mounting the next item (which is not mentioned in the specifications and documentation).

Not mentioned in the specifications:
Just BELOW the 3.5" drive bay is a section with 4 screw holes designed to hold a single 2.5" laptop drive or a 2.5" SSD. The 2.5" device must be inserted so that the device mounting holes line up with the four dimpled mounting holes. Obviously, the device should be oriented so that the SATA connections are accessible.

3.5" hard drive. Two upright mounting brackets on the BOTTOM of the removable drive cage can attach one drive. You slide two of the drive's side screw HOLES over two tiny protrusions along the wall opposite the two upright mounting brackets. The other side of the drive is then slid down so it is inside the two brackets. Line up the holes and attach to the two brackets using screws. I mount my hard drive with the top of the hard drive facing the metal, and with the SATA connector facing the side that will be closest to the fan. There is an "L" shaped tab of metal that can be useful in managing the SATA cable. I run the cable under this tab and then bend the open end of the tab down slightly so the cable is kept aligned the way I want it.

You can now tilt the removable drive cage up and begin attaching the SATA cables, etc.. I always use nylon tie wraps or some other means to bundle up my cabling. Always check and make sure that no wiring of any kind gets anywhere near the CPU fan, the power supply fan, or the exhaust fan. Run power and data to the items mounted on the cage. Secure any unused power cables, etc..

Just under the drive cage area you will see a block of hard rubber. Make sure that cables are not on top of this as you slowly slide the cage into it's down position. It should close such that the top of the cage is parallel with the sides of the external case, and the top panel can be easily slid into place.

I always do my initial testing with the panel off so that I can check for any possible problems when the unit is first turned on.

Pros: Big enough to make installing components easy, small enough to serve as an HTPC. Good looking. Sturdy.

Cons: Buy an 80mm fan when you purchase this case. The included fan is entirely too loud.

Pros: Compact size - but pay attention to depth (17"). Worked OK in my deep TV cabinet but may be long for some.

Cons: Other reviewers were right. The blue power light is BRIGHT! It was really distracting below the TV, so I just unplugged it.

Other Thoughts: Other reviewers have complained about the fans. Mine are very quiet - no problems so far, but only a couple of weeks old.