Xigmatek ASGARD II B/S CPC-T45UD-U01 Black / Silver 0.8 mm SECC / Aluminum and Aluminum Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Pros: This is a good case for the money. It is a little longer than other "entry level" cases I have had and everything fits in the case easily. I think it is a very good looking case. Personally, I liked the "tool free" design and thought it was easy to use.

Cons: The case is thin so you have to be careful with it. You definitely need to use a screw driver to remove the rear slot covers. The mesh covers on the front are delicate and you have to be careful not to bend them when building or moving the system.

Other Thoughts: Personally, for the money, this has been my favorite low dollar case. I like the clean look of the case since I don't like my PC's glowing like a neon sign.

Pros: I've built two computers with this case (one had a different color), and they both worked out the same.

Tool-less design, at least for the most part.

Cons: USB ports on the front are upside down from what I'd expect, but they work fine.

All expansion slots in the back are still on tight, so using a screwdriver is a must.

Other Thoughts: Usually you can find the same case on Newegg with a different color for $30 w/free shipping. Unless the color is very important to you, I'd chose whichever saves on shipping.

Pros: this case is not for the childish sunday builder, i find this to very much a pro because it demands mental finness to get a beautiful end masterpiece... reading these reviews i hear people saying they were beating on parts to remove the covers, well no duh, even the toughest cases would bend after that, this you have to take apart to remove parts, like the rear expansion slots, you have to remove that plastic thingy (quick installer for pci slots) and use a flat head screw driver, with a swift "righty tighty" motion, its out and no damage to the case. for the front 5.25" bay place holders, take the entire faceplate off, it pops off fairly easily, then you will see tabs to easily remove the mesh place holders...

If at first what you are doing yields distasteful results, rethink your approach... odds are its your fault.

Cons: only cons i could find about this case at its entirety are the bad reviews from inexperienced builders who think they know everything, like seriously, the hex screws are to mount the PSU, the little washered screws are for HDD's in case you don't want to use the quick install, the normal looking screws are for the mobo and to replace the PCI expansion quick installer, is it really that hard to figure out thread patterns? fine thread patterns are for HDD's since they use aluminum the finer thread pattern helps to prevent stripping of the screw holes on the HDD itself, where a more aggressive thread pattern would tear apart the soft aluminum case of the HDD.

If at first what you are doing yields distasteful results, rethink your approach... odds are its your fault.

Other Thoughts: I hope this comes useful for you future buyers, the past couple of reviews on this case only lead me more determined to find more products with issues only to work out the finer details that the inexperienced customer failed to see. i found there to be plenty of parts, found out that the tool-less device mounts are very easy to lock and unlock, so long as you don't set it down. XP the thin metal design i find to store less waste energy (aka heat) since its thin it cools faster, thus performing like a massive heat sink, this case has always been cold since i got it, unlike this OEM eMachine case i have now, where if it gets warm a little its warm all day. its a mid-tower mATX case that has more metal than this ASGARD has.

If at first what you are doing yields distasteful results, rethink your approach... odds are its your fault.

Pros: ...I was trying really hard to think of something, just to be fair, but I can't come up with anything. I have been very unimpressed.

Cons: - The packaging was poor. It arrived with 3/6 of the pins that hold the front face on broken. These things can happen during shipping, but good packaging can make it much less likely. The attempt to pad the case was minimal.

- The holes for the motherboard standoffs were not threaded. I literally had to take a pair of pliers and twist the standoffs in to create the threads. It took me more than 10 minutes just to get the standoffs in (normally a 60 second job)

- The tool-less design may work well on a higher-end case, but I could easily screw all the drives and cards in in half the time it took me to get the tool-less parts to lock in.

- You can't see the Power and HDD lights unless you're level with the case, and about 10 feet back. The lights are useless up close.

- This goes without saying, but 0.8 mm is very thin. Don't sneeze on this case or you'll bend it.

- Lastly, there was not enough hardware provided. I ran out of screws before my motherboard was even s

Other Thoughts: - I was warned by a co-worker that this case was disappointing (as he had bought one before) but I didn't listen. Heed this warning! Buy a different case.

- If I were to set my own price for this case, I'd say it's worth about $20, not $40.

Pros: i found the entire thing to be a pro! its black inside and out, sure the metal is thin, but i find this to be a cooling pro as opposed to the less impressed jocky's who demand tanks for cases. since its my computers case, i'm not using it as the controller, and therefore find no reason for it to be any more structurally sound than it already is.

Cons: idk if this is on everyones but it has a screw setup for BTX which i find rediculous, how the hell would you fit a BTX Mobo in this... i haven't seen any moveable try, or re-arrangeable slot placements... this is rather confusing for me, since BTX is backwards to how the case's expansion slots, and port plate cut out are arranged.

any one notice that one?

Other Thoughts: i'm building a server within this case, so for what i need this is more than platinum, this is like tons of Palladium and the arc reactor being real!!

Pros: With a few removed screws or a few twists of your fingers you can take out the plastic retaining clips and drive bay holders and use actual screws. They don't get in your way too badly.

The case fits a standard ATX and has a bit of extra room (I didn't think it would have any free room by the drive bays until I actually had the board in place and gave it a once-over).

Not too heavy. Doesn't look too ugly, either.

#1 pro: It's a 25 buck case that holds a full ATX with a side vent over your CPU. If you need a cheap-as-sin case that gets the job done, here you go.

#2 as cheap as it is, it doesn't go out of its way to annoy you. It simply is low quality, not low design. That means you can work with it.

Cons: Totally cruddy construction. The bay covers are these wire mesh with sponge filters behind them. For better airflow I assume, but they don't snap out or pop out. You bave to push them out from inside and that means they kink/bend in the middle. You essentially have to break them to get the parts out. If you're careful you can bend them back.

SUPER SOFT METAL! I mean stuff a 10-year-old matrix "the one" candidate could bend like a cheap spoon. You look at it and it bends over.

The rear expansion slots are far too soft, and yet attached with far too much leftover metal. Banging them out actually warps (significantly!) the metal you are trying to free them from. The upside is you can mostly bend it back in place. The downside is it's really awful metal. Don't expect it to last 3 years or take any semblance of abuse.

Stand-offs used some metric size and would not fit into my english hex tools. I had to tighten them in with pliars which chewed the heck out of the soft metal.

Other Thoughts: This is without a doubt one of the most gawdawful cases you will ever see in your life. EVER.

Except.... well, you know that going into it. It doesn't present too many terrible hardships putting parts in. It takes full ATX. It has expansion slots. It loads a PSU just fine. It has "okay" (not good) room.

What the heck do you want? It's only 25 smackers! Great for re-boxing proprietary junk like my sister's Dell Optiplex. The motherboard fried. Can't replace the board because non-standard cases. Take all the guts, drives, CPU, etc, get a compatible mobo and a cheap ATX case and get new life for an older system.

This was that cheap case (for me). Worked like a charm. I have an NZXT for my own use, but this? It works.

Pros: Tool-less design, came with wire ties (always nice), case itself looks decent to the eye, 120mm fan included

Cons: Probably one of the worst cases I've worked with. That's saying a lot since I've done many budget builds for many people, so I've worked with a lot of these cheap cases. The tool-less expansion slot holders are completely useless -- they barely hold the card tight, I just removed them and tightened my video card the old fashioned way with a screw. The power supply screw holes did not line up correctly. Expansion slot shields were a lot harder to remove than they should have been, even for a cheap case. The front panel USB ports are actually upside down, which is minor but there's still no excuse for it.

Other Thoughts: The case served its purpose and got the job done. You get what you pay for basically. However, for this price, even though cheap, you can get better. Case also came broken, one of the stubs came off of the front panel, but that always happens with these kinds of cases. It's whatever.

Pros: Looks alright
Cheap price
No need to screw in hard drive

Cons: Metal on the side feels flimsy and is thin.
Plastic in the front
USB ports in the front of the case are upside down

Other Thoughts: It's fine but I'm sure there are better products out there for this price, just look around and make sure you read the reviews before you buy.

Pros: - Toolless. Actually works, unlike some toolless cases.
- Very inexpensive
- Decent quality. Not going to win any durability contests, but it's a $30 case.
- No annoying case lights. Clean and simple looks.
- Keeps things cool enough with the included fan, has room for three more if needed.

Cons: - There aren't enough toolless attachment things for the number of drive bays. You can still use old-fasioned screws, so it's more of an annoyance.
- The toolless features are plastic. If you are constantly swapping out parts, they could wear out.
- The front fan doesn't really have enough space to work effectively. Top-tier gaming rig builders should look elsewhere.
- The stamped-metal case construction is durable enough to survive the occasional move, but wouldn't hold up as a LAN box.

Other Thoughts: If you're seriously considering this case, you're probably building the kind of system that'll live happily in it for years to come. Uber-gaming computers will find the cooling below par, but if you're dropping $1000 on a rig, you're probably looking at Antec 900s and the like anyway.

It's an excellent case for a mid-range/upper mid range gaming computer and keeps it at a happy temp with the standard fan included. Add three more, and you'll be golden.

My computer has a Phenom II 840, GeForce GTS 450 and an MSI-870 board and everything stays within acceptable temperature ranges under load even though my house is warmer than normal (78F ambient).

Conclusion: It's an excellent case, will keep your average system cool, looks professional and lets you spend more of your budget on other components.

Pros: - Tool less
- Plenty of room
- Price

Cons: - Tool less is a little cheap, but its a cheap case

Other Thoughts: This has the be the best case for $40. I actually bought it when it was on sale for $30 to replace an old server, and this case has thoroughly impressed me. All of the fan slots help keep the case really cool even with lower CFM fans.