Customer Reviews Of Athenatech Black Steel A100BB.200 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case

Item#: N82E16811190005 >

Customer Reviews

Athenatech U.S.A. Inc.
A100BB.200
HTPC / Media Center Cases

Customer Reviews for Athenatech Black Steel A100BB.200 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Retail
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Review Summary (42 Reviews):
Excellent	28ReviewsExcellent	67%
Good	7ReviewsGood	17%
Average	5ReviewsAverage	12%
Poor	1ReviewsPoor	2%
Very Poor	1ReviewsVery Poor	2%
Excellent	0Reviews	0%
Good	0Reviews	0%
Average	0Reviews	0%
Poor	0Reviews	0%
Very Poor	0Reviews	0%
Excellent	0Reviews	0%
Good	0Reviews	0%
Average	0Reviews	0%
Poor	0Reviews	0%
Very Poor	0Reviews	0%

Reviewer	Product Review
N/A Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 week to 1 month This user purchased this item from Newegg	6/14/2008 10:32:57 AM Nice HTPC case and cheap Pros: Great HTPC for <$50. Sturdy, easy access case w/thumscrews, nice layout. Fans are low speed and quiet. Spacious inside, but still small enough to fit comfortably in entertainment center. Mobo, CPU+fan, cards, HDD and standard DVD all fit nicely. One of the best cheap cases I've ever come across. Cons: RAM slots are under the DVD, making them hard to access. The small PSU is a micro-ATX form factor and only 200W. It does not inspire much confidence. Other Thoughts: Bought this for a home theater PC. Foxconn M7PMX-5 mobo, Celeron E1600, ASUS DVD, 500 Gb SATA HDD, all fit nicely. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
sl8anic Tech Level: high Ownership: more than 1 year	12/3/2007 5:22:20 PM good case but get spare parts Pros: Nice looks, small size, light, powerful enough Cons: stock PS fan failed in about 18 months and killed PS; two 60mm exhaust fans sound as they're about to give out after about 3 years; Other Thoughts: not bad overall, but the fans and PS are (were?) it's Achilles heel. 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Mike Tech Level: somewhat high Ownership: 1 day to 1 week This user purchased this item from Newegg	10/7/2007 5:45:02 PM Nice little case Pros: It's small, versatile, not very hard to work with. Cons: It's small. Might get a little warm. Not sure what kind of Optical drive is supposed to fit well. Other Thoughts: I bought 2 of these cases. One for my Dad's new computer (which is fully assembled and running with the stock PSU) and one to put my computer in to replace the ugly HP case I had. I love SFF cases, and the only problem I had with the installation of my Dad's machine was that I had to modify the IDE cable for the Optical drive because of the CPU cooler I installed. Very tight clearance. That is also the reason that the DVD drive on MY computer is currently sitting outside the case. It's a SATA drive and the connector is in the way of the 'rigged CPU cooler I have. I'm going to get a low profile cooler soon, since I've needed to replace the current cooler for some time. Also, since I prefer using the mobo headers for my fans, I switched out the fans in the back so that both of mine run off of the motherboard headers. Not to mention that I plan on putting in a few switches to turn the light in the front on and off. 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Mike Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 day to 1 week This user purchased this item from Newegg	8/29/2007 6:44:51 AM Batter luck next time, hopefully. Pros: Nice case, multiple fans and solid build quality for price. Cons: Tight fit for long optical drives with standard AMD HSF combo. You must think carefully about wire placement. Other Thoughts: My build (with Semperon 3000+, A-Data 1GB (DDR2 800) and Gigabyte HTPC motherboard-- all from same Newegg order) went okay. I tried to boot the computer up and it was a no-go. I am hoping it was just a bum PS on the case or a bad power switch. I've got no worries, since I just RMA'd it. I will update review when replacement comes. 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
THOR Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 month to 1 year	7/31/2007 4:09:16 PM Great case , quick fix for heat Pros: TINY, Beautiful, solid, great blue light, classy,holds floppy, cd combo and 2 HDDS, windsor 3800 65 watt AMD, ECS MB,just enough room! :) nicely finished, can sit vert. or hor. Cons: gets hot,only 200 W PS but seems to handle everything ok, tiny fans in back, punched metal restrictive grills over all fans. Other Thoughts: Having designed many aerospace elec. enclosures, even before i assembled it i could see it would run hot. first i cut out the restrictive metal grills in back, leaving the plastic guards on the fans. then i cut a 5 1/4" side hole right over the CPU. then with double sticky foam tape , i mounted a 140 mm QUIET fan EXTERNALLY on the side hole. it now runs so cool the case is cold to the touch with 85 deg room temp. the external fan is silver w/ blue leds. perfectly complements the front light on the case! its now COOL and QUIET, only a slight swishing sound. 1 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
2thAche Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 month to 1 year This user purchased this item from Newegg	2/7/2007 6:01:36 PM Hot as heck Pros: Cheap price, PSU manages to get things done. Looks decent. Cons: Hotter than you can believe! I wouldn't feel confident with expensive hardware in here. Other Thoughts: Be sure this sucker is in a well-ventilated area. No joke. I'm using it as an enclosure for a bedroom PVR using old NForce mobo/1800+ Athlon, 160GB WD HD, WinTV PVR150 card and fanless FX5300 vid. The top of it gets really hot. 0 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
thirteen Tech Level: high Ownership: more than 1 year	11/19/2006 9:02:38 AM Poor heat management Pros: Cheap, easy to assemble, plenty of room. Can be oriented as a tower or desktop and is slim due to the orientation of the 5.25" drive. Cons: Very, very bad ventilation. I have had 3 hard drives fail due to over heating in this case when I had both internal bays filled. There is a dead spot just where the internal bays are with no air movement. About 6 months in, one rear fan died. Not really a big deal, since this happens sometimes even with the more expensive brands. After over a year of use, the power supply suddenly gave up with some smoke, though the PSU fan is still working. Scared the heck out of me. I have had power supplies fail before, but they never smoked when they did. Other Thoughts: OK cheap case. Don't push it too hard or stuff too much in it though. I was running a Athlon 2000 with 2 Maxtor drives (they are known to run somewhat warmer than other brands) and I had problems. 1 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Adam Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 week to 1 month This user purchased this item from Newegg	10/26/2006 12:34:58 PM Great HTPC case Pros: Good looking case, compact size. I was concerned that I would have heat issues with this case, but after adding an 80mm fan to the front of the case, heat has been an issue at all with a 3.2ghz Pentium D. Cons: Everything is REALLY tight in the case, but it does fit. However, changing RAM on my motherboard is a pain because I have to take off the front of the case, swing the optical drive cage out of the way, and then replace the RAM. Fortunately, I don't do that very often. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
dotHectate Tech Level: average Ownership: 1 day to 1 week This user purchased this item from Newegg	9/28/2006 5:02:52 PM Very nice small-form case Pros: This case looks absolutely beautiful. Especially when you turn it on and the blue front LED glows. This case is very nice for a small case, and is incredibly easy to service. Day-to-day work can be done without any tools to access hardware. Cons: You may find that a 200 watt power supply is a little weak for your needs. It should be plenty for the type of stuff that will fit in this case. Remember, it's designed to be smaller. Other Thoughts: The images shown both on Newegg and the manufacturer's website are not detailed enough. There is a clear plastic rim around the front outside edge. Also, the optical drive cover is designed to be a pass-through type. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
N/A Tech Level: somewhat high Ownership: 1 day to 1 week This user purchased this item from Newegg	9/7/2006 8:38:57 PM Nice case Pros: This case is a very nice case. The case is small enought to fit on a desktop or a shelf. It has a nice layout. It's front bezel is designed so that the drives, and USB ports are concealed nicely. Sturdy design also. Cons: Shoulde be packed a bit better, mine arrived w/a decent sized dent in the back end causing one of the side panel screws to not work properly Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
N/A Tech Level: average Ownership: 1 month to 1 year	9/6/2006 10:09:38 PM SWEET Pros: Wonderful design (especially for cooling). Small, easy to carry to lan parties. I swapped power supply for 350 watt (micro atx) and I run AMD 3800 dual core, 1g of ram, nvidia 7600, dvd burner, the works Cons: difficult to work with Optical Drive (cd drive) as far as cable management IDE is old and needs to die Other Thoughts: I need to come up with more ideas on how to cool the HDD Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
N/A Tech Level: somewhat high Ownership: 1 day to 1 week	8/2/2006 12:59:09 PM oh well Pros: well designed case, easy MB install, looks good Cons: shipped with a 200W PS not 230W PS was DOA which sucked after hearing so many good things about sparkle. The bay for the PS is soooo small, I'm not sure how many options I have to put a working PS in there. The cover for the cd/dvd rom is very flimsy, not sure if it will hold up. Other Thoughts: well, al in all I guess it's a pretty nice case for the price. I'm not very happy about getting a 200W PS when it says it ships with a 230W. Also the DOA PS kinda sucks. I would purchase this case again with the knowledge that the PS is very good and needs to be replaced. 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
N/A Tech Level: average Ownership: 1 week to 1 month	7/30/2006 10:08:16 PM Pros: I like the smaller design. The inside is well designed as well. The cooling setup the case has is decent as well (cools my dual core socket 939) Cons: none I can think of Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
RedHyena Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 week to 1 month	7/6/2006 6:43:38 PM Pros: Looks good Accepts full size cards Has two hard disk bays (three if no floppy) Well built Include rear fans (60mm) and you can install a front 80mm fan. Quiet Easy to assimble trays Cons: Under powered power supply CD drive bay is in the middle of the case and makes the IDE cables rub on the CPU fan/heat sink if your not careful Other Thoughts: If you take time to plan out you cable place ment this case will run very cool. My favorite thing about this case is I can stand it upside down (Like BTX) with the PSU on the bottom it looks very nice and runs my athlon 64 3000+ at full load without heating up much at all. The power upply was to small for my needs so I dident even use it but it seems decent if you want to use it for a lower end system. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
mystic Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 week to 1 month This user purchased this item from Newegg	3/11/2006 2:34:50 PM Nice small case Pros: This is a very small case compared to a atx mid tower. I had no trouble installing any components as you can take out the drive bays to install the motherboard. The case is very well made and did not feel weak at all. All ports/drives can be hidden on the front with covers and panels. The front has a 80mm intake fan and 2 60mm on the back. Cons: There are a few minor cons I found with this case. The biggest being that the heatsink/fan barely cleared the optical drive and its cables but enough that it does not hit the fan blades. I can gain more space if I removed the optical cover on the front and move the drive up. To install the motherboard, you'll have to remove all the drive cages. Another big con is the 230w psu didn't provide enough power to my athlon 1700, 1gb ram, 2 hdds, 1 optical, and a few fans system. I had to use a 300w psu. One con that's not avoidable could be that there is no ventilation or cooling functions near the hdd bays. The only way to cool it is either use one hdd with a hdd cooler, add a small fan on one side of the hdd cage or rip the top and right case covers off which you can't do since it's bolted down. The hdd led is very very dim. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Jhaks Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 month to 1 year	2/25/2006 7:31:28 PM Great HTPC Case Pros: This case has really good build quality for a cheap price. - Optical drive bay and floppy bay are detachable for easy installation of drives and motherboard - Front pannel can be detached without much trouble (no screws). - Removable hard drive racks. - Sparkle PSU is enough power for Theater PCs. - Really sleek and small. - Large work space because of design. - Fits full size PCI cards instead of just low profile. - Comes with 2 60mm fans that are pretty much completely silent. Also has space for a 80mm fan in front. - PSU fans and case fans combined with the side panel grill provide good air flow. - Front panel has doors to cover up audio and usb. Optical drive cover door is nice for drives that don't match the case (this plate can be removed though). - Uses thumb screws so no need for a lot of tools. Cons: Very large heat sinks won't work so well with a full length optical drive because it could get int the way. Takes some thought to make cables inside nice and neat. Other Thoughts: I think this is the perfect case for a home thearter pc or simple use pc. Don't expect it to be able to house a full gaming rig though (tempted to say it could though with a stronger psu). Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
funkypants Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 day to 1 week	2/20/2006 11:08:04 PM Excellent Value Pros: Size Quality Cooling Ease of Installation Cons: Nothing yet. Other Thoughts: I used this case as a new home for a 3 year old nForce (Asus A7N266-VM) HTPC system. Everything went together fine even with 2 HDDs and a big Masscool 5F286B HSF. System runs 30 degrees cooler than it did in the old full size case! No power supply problems yet with Athlon XP 2100+, 2x512GB PC2100, 2 x HDD, onboard VGA, USB 2.0 PCI card, WIFI PCI card. Noise level is not bad at all, comparable to my gaming system in an SLK1650. Really well engineered and manufactured case. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Knight Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 week to 1 month This user purchased this item from Newegg	2/10/2006 5:28:23 PM Excellent, Excellent MicroATX Case Pros: This case brings something I never thought I'd see to the MicroATX work of computer cases: EASE OF INTERNAL INSTALLATION! I almost fell out of my chair when I opened this case on my desk. The CDROM/Floppy bay is a single unit that opens and flips up out of the case - it's incredibly easy to work on. And then there are TWO, count them TWO hard drive cages! So you screw in your HDD and slide it in and away you go, no mess no hassle. No stuffing your hardware around close corners inside your case. The PSU does well for my budget 939 DVR and it's fairly quiet, I don't notice the case noise whatsoever. It's got 2x60mm fans in the back, and a spot for an 80mm fan to do intake in the front. Cons: I can't find anything wrong with this case, and of course, Newegg delivers on-time and in perfect condition. No scratches, dents, or marks of any kind, well-packages. ++ to Newegg. Other Thoughts: Toss in the extra 80mm fan if you've got a tuner card in your PC. Otherwise you're good to go with stock fans. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
N/A Tech Level: somewhat high Ownership: 1 month to 1 year	12/22/2005 12:50:38 PM Pros: Clean Case, no sharp edges, feels fairly solid, sparkle 230W power supply. Cons: The module that holds the cd drive can sits right over the cpu in some cases, so make sure the cpu heatsink and fan are fairly low-profile. Other Thoughts: I have built 3 systems using this case, mATX "all in one" AMD motherboards all but one of them have gone together easily (Stock heat sink and fans in the retail processor package work fine, be careful on what heat sink and fan you choose when you get an OEM processor) with none of the units having any problems with the power supply. All said and done a good case that can give a little headache if you don't choose the proper cpu heatsink and fan. 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
N/A Tech Level: somewhat high Ownership: 1 day to 1 week This user purchased this item from Newegg	12/6/2005 12:28:39 AM Power Supply only 200W Pros: Nice case. Cons: I bought this case a while back when it was shipping with a 200W power supply. The power supply wasn't very good and was causing problems. Also, my power needs grew. I was browsing Newegg for a microATX replacement and noticed that the power supply is now supposedly a 230W power supply. So, I liked the case so much that I decided to buy the new one. Why not just install larger power supply? Well, larger power supply that was shown in product picture wouldn't fit my case. I got the spec sheet using the part number from product picture. I figured that Athenatech slightly enlarged the case. So, case arrives. Has same 200W power supply as the only I currently have! Ships with Sparkle Power 200W supply, not the Max Power 230W supply. Beware. Mine is on 1st truck back to Newegg. 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Hackworth Tech Level: Ownership:	11/19/2005 8:34:37 PM Pleasantly Surprised Comments: I love the micro ATX form factor but cringe when I have to build such a system for someone because most mATX cases are just plain lousy, suffering from poor design, anemic power supplies, inadequate air flow, loud fans, and an overall cheesy construction. This one surprised me. It comes with two small rear case fans (60mm or 40mm, I can't recall) which handle heat exhaust nicely without hardly being audible. I like the modular design of the interior and the exterior aesthetics (especially the cool-but-tasteful blue power light). The power supply handled the Biostar motherboard (M7V-something), Athlon 2600+, 512MB, and 80MB hard disk just fine. I used integrated graphics on the motherboard so really had no need to install anything else other than an AMR modem. After reading some of these reviews, however, I'm amazed at what some folks have stuffed into this box! Dual 80-GB Raptors, GeForce 6600 cards, gobs of memory, Athlon/Sempron 64 CPUs, and so on. Yikes! Buy hey, if it's working for you, that's terrific and I'm suitably impressed. The power supply seems to be up to the task--my case shipped with a 230W unit--but it gets a just a tad noisy after the system warms up. The only reason I didn't rate the case a perfect 5 is because of a problem that a couple of others have mentioned. The black paint has a tendency to scratch very easily. Be careful if the case is lying on its side while you work on your system. Even a few miniscule particles on your workbench will add lovely, swirled patterns to the case's exterior. Overall, it's a great case... for a micro ATX case. I still prefer a "real" case that's easier to work inside and that uses standard power supplies. If someone in your family has a limited work area and wants a small system, however, then this is the case to get. 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
custompc4u Tech Level: Ownership:	11/4/2005 11:30:24 PM Comments: Good quality case with good cooling and great looks for the price and size. power supply is running a AMD Sempron 64 2500+ (754) w/1gb DDR400 & 80gb HD w/Combo drive and floppy and PCI modem all on a ECS ATI express200 mobo no issues at all(just a tight fit!)newegg rocks! Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
N/A Tech Level: Ownership:	10/4/2005 8:25:21 AM Comments: awesome case for the price. it looks great, it was easy to work with. i built a Pentium M system using the AOpen i855 board. needless to say i have no heat issues so i won't know if this will be a problem with a P4, the ventilation system looks pretty tight though. i had one disappoinment, the floppy bay door came broken. you should inspect the front panel throughly before start putting everything together. when they packaged it for shipping they protected the corners but not the front panel wich is very fragile and somewhat sloppy built (but still great for that price). another thing to be carefull with is the paint as it gets easily scratched even when i move it around my wooden desk. overall this is a great case, if you need a cheap, great-looking case look no further. if you need something that should last forever forget the pretty lookig panel. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
N/A Tech Level: Ownership:	9/4/2005 12:38:02 PM Superb Case Comments: Awesome case. Computer build was fast and easy with it. Booted up perfectly. I was amazed it had power for all this. -ATI RS480 mainboard -AMD Sempron 2800+ 64-bit -NVIDIA 6600GT -1GB Corsair 3200 -80GB HDD -DVDRW Drive Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
12van Tech Level: Ownership: This user purchased this item from Newegg	3/12/2005 10:01:07 AM Pretty Good Comments: Pretty nice case...rolled edges, thumbscrews, 3.5 HD "drawers", and pretty quiet for running 2 case fans and the PS fan. My unit had the "vented" panel mentioned before. Fit and finish are pretty good for the money. My only complaint with this case would be the front panel. It looks great with its combination of silver background, black panels, clear acrylic edges and the blue LED. The fit and finish are good too. However, the actual build quality is "chintzy", for lack of a better term. There are doors to hide the USB/speakers, floppy, and CD drawer...they're very thin and cheaply made. The "spring mechanism" for the CD drawer button is 2 pieces of thin plastic glued/melted to the faceplate. They all function as designed, but lack that durable feel you get with a high-quality OEM or store-bought case. With any type of repeated use I think these doors would break off. Overall, 4/5 stars...knocking off 1 star for the front panel. Would recommend it for media or bookshelf pc use, and even for throwing under the desk...as long as it won't see a lot of abuse or long-term use. 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Drex Tech Level: Ownership:	2/27/2005 4:42:42 PM Comments: <a href='http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-138-241&depa=0' target=_blank>http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-138-241&depa=0</a> I wanted to make a small computer for my girlfriend and I knew that the looks of this case would make her think I got her something really nice... This is the OEM version and I cannot tell the diff from the retail version.. I am useing it as a tower and the footprint is less than half of a regular towers.. The paint is nice somekinda small bumps all over, but you have to be really picky to even notice(NOTHING YOU SHOULD WORRY ABOUT) I'm not sure if I got an <font>u</font>pdated one, but on the side there is a cutout the size of a harddrive with a black mess/metal plate that you can see into the case and look at the motherboard/CPU and to help air move better.. As for the overall build of the case I'm very happy the only think I would change is the front comes off very easy I would like to have more of a tight fit, but it's still very solid...The light is a great touch in the front as well not too bright to sleep with it on and not too dim to see in the daylight... The 2 60mm fans are not the loudest fan in the case its the P/S fan that is the loudest, but any case that I can hear the harddive over the all the fans is OK is my book... I didnt buy a extra 80mm fan for the front and the rig is still very cool running at 38c overall.. for overall this is the best case I have EVER bulit with and not to knock the others, but I have made many rigs with cases that cost 4-5x this without the P/S.. I think it's the little touches that make this case great... I built this with a all in one CPU/VGA Biostar from newegg it was a AMD Sempron 2200+ and fit fine even with a bigger heatsink to knock the noise down some.. I have a 7200rpm harddrive and a burnner and the heat has yet to buildup like others are saying... If they ever make this badboy with higher P/S I would build a power computer for myself with it, but for just a good ole budget <font>u</font>pdated regular computer you cant go wrong.. I will buy again for other friends I build for... 5 stars for this guy Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
bigbacon Tech Level: Ownership:	10/15/2004 1:10:09 PM Very wel built case. Comments: This is a great little case. Its wel built and easy to work with. Has nice features like thumbs screws and hard drive caddys. Its nice it comes with the fans but replacing them is a problem. As far as I have found the rear fans are an odd size and I can't find out where to get new ones. I use this with a p4p800-vm, 2.8 p4, 9700pro and 1.5gigs ram and its great. I would really suggest this case if you want a small computer. great price for well built case Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
sam600sx Tech Level: Ownership:	7/18/2004 10:35:18 AM Comments: Bought this case to replace a Shuttle SN41G2 XPC. I need more PCI slots. First here is what I put in it. Chaintech 7NIL1, 2500 Barton, 80 GiG HD,512 MB Hyperx (2x 256), Thermalright AXL800, MSI DVD-ROM, Sony FDD, ATI 9600Pro AIW, Creative Audigy 2 eX Platinum, and modem.The case seems to have been <font>u</font>pdated. there is now a screen vent on the top of the caseover the CPU. I installed a 80mm Vantec stealth in front fan space. The case its self is very easy to work in after removing drive cage. Temps run around 41C @ 72F room temps. The loudest fans seem to be the 2 60mm fans in the back, but are not real loud. I tried flat cables thinking they would work better by being able to fold them out of the way, but round seem to work better. I lost about 2 degrees in temp after installing them. No problems with my optical drive and heatsink have between 1/4 and 1/2 inch clearance. Overall very please with this case. Thinking about relacing P4 Soltek Qbic with another one of these. The only ting I would like to see changed is a bigger PS, but the 200W runs everything fine far. 5 stars for Newegg as usual. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
VooDooAddict Tech Level: Ownership:	4/26/2004 2:31:07 PM My Favorite Case Comments: I really like this case, but I'll "try" to keep it short. I wanted a Micro Case that could house Dual Raptor HDs without having to rig something with duct tape. I bought this case seeing the pictures of it's dual pull out Hard Drive trays. Those trays didn't disapoint. I've worked with over a dozen micro Cases. The is hands down the best micro case I've worked with yet. Everything feels well engineered. Even the Blue "On" light on the front of that case was quality... I try to stay away from the giant "neon sign" style cases. And the Blue light isn't overpowering. Most importantly, it has room and power for all my stuff: AMD 2500+, 1 gig Dual Channel, nforce 2 MB 2 x 36Gig WD Raptor 10,000RPM HD Adaptec 2xSATA RAID CARD Audigy 2 ZS Ati 9800XT 256 Intel Gigabit NIC Samsung DVD-ROM (Currently Shopping for a little CPU Upgrade... Probably an AMD64-3200+) Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
N/A Tech Level: Ownership:	4/7/2004 8:45:53 PM good case, power fan is a little noisy Comments: This is a sweet little case. It comes with a 60 mm case fan and a 60 mm system fan, and a neon blue light! All these fans make it a little bit noisy. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
pinxet Tech Level: Ownership:	3/19/2004 5:44:26 PM An Exercize in Elegant Design Comments: Well tooled and sturdy, everything fits as it should. The interior design is a pleasure to build a system in, finding how much really good thought went into it. Cooling looks like a the only issue, but nobody should be demanding much in something this size. MATX Biostar M7VKQ AMD XP2100+ 768 PC133 RAM Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Nightwalker Tech Level: Ownership:	3/12/2004 8:39:36 PM Comments: First time builder here. This was a super easy case to assemble. Everything fit and worked. What else could be easier. Yeah the blue light is the kewl. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Angel One Tech Level: Ownership:	10/24/2003 4:56:34 PM Outstanding product! Comments: My first MicroATX PC, though I've built a few cases before. The case is very beautiful and well engineered. There is a spring loaded CDROM door so you don't have to buy a black CDROM or RW to go with it, the two hard drive trays work great, and the easily manipulated thumbscrews, pull-out CDROM and floppy tray (it detaches completely with no effort), and removable front panel all make for an easy build and access to upgrades. the two small fans in the back seem sufficient though I have not put the thing through its paces yet (waiting for my Ti4200 to arrive in the mail). fedEx beat up mine a little bit and the CDROM tray was broken. An email to Athenatech had one at my door in two days. They have earned themselves one loyal customer. Some small cons making this a 4 rather than 5: 1. There is no option to get a better power supply. This is a big one because a good VC and generous amount of RAM (which you would want for DVD viewing and games) will eat lots of power. 2. Hot air tends to pool in the area between the power supply and the hard drive trays. I might have to drill some holes in the case (a shame on such a pretty case) to fix this. 3. Placement of two risers slightly off and will not support some MATX boards 4. Most MATX boards will have the CPU in a place that is actually under the average CDROM drive. Make sure you get a shorter optical drive for this case. I got a short black faced one so I can pull it out that extra 3/4 of an inch to let the CPU heatsink breathe. All in all an outstanding case. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
mushroom_brew Tech Level: Ownership:	9/30/2003 4:35:55 AM pretty good catch Comments: This is a pretty good case. Got it to make a HTPC and it seems to blend in quite nicely. I have t coupled with a celery 2.2 (p4 based) and two 40 gb hard drives. Here's a few things to help you. Go ahead and order an 80 mm case fan. It'll fit in the front of the case and greatly aid in cooling. And also...do not install the cd rom by sliding it into the drive cage while it is in the case. Take the drive cage out first. If not, the back of the cd rom will bump into the cpu cooler and won't go in completely. The back end of the cd rom should just barely rest on the edge of the cpu cooler (for intel based systems...i don't know about amd. it may not fit with the stock cooler.) It doesn't effect cooling seeing as mine runs at 109F under load. So if you install a front fan it actually has adequate ventilation. It also looks really cool and is pretty well laid out. Get one. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
vcbb5 Tech Level: Ownership:	9/22/2003 5:36:54 PM Comments: Ordered this case and the motherboard for it at same time and newegg got it here 4 days earlier than other company. Used for an htpc, and I am overall pleased. There are many cables and cable orginization in the case could be better, cable for front audio/video requires pci card (unless you find another hole in back of case). Coupled with my motherboard and the cpu fan blocked the cdrom drive. I had to buy a slim fan in order for the cdrom to fit. The motherboard did kind of weird cpu location, but didn't fit quite right. Newegg shipped fast as always Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
ShadowMerc Tech Level: Ownership:	9/20/2003 10:45:12 PM Nice HTPC Case Comments: I had originally bought an InWin micro ATX case, but it looked like an ordinary desktop, and was too deep. The nicest thing about this case is its great looks and its lack of depth. This makes it fantastic for use in a stereo rack. This is only 14" deep instead of the usual 17" deep. However, the smaller case is much more difficult to cable. I had to fold my cables in an interesting way to allow airflow, and to fit right. But I do love this thing. I also needed to add an 80 mm fan to it. It has a spot for it, and it really does need it for proper airflow. So get one if you get this case. Hard drive area gets a little warm as well, so I wouldn't count on more than one hard drive in there. I used mine with an intel 845gerg2 MB, and a 2.4Ghz celly, and an ati 9000 pro. Very nice little machine, and it looks great in the cabinet. I reused my white floppy and sony dvd drive. They hide nicely behind the flip down doors, so it all looks black in the rack. Nice touch. I am thinking of building my next computer out of another one of these. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
HTPC Fan Tech Level: Ownership:	9/4/2003 3:31:16 PM Good HTPC Case Comments: This case is great for the price. After doing a lot of research, I assure you that there is no better value. The case looks good and is relatively easy to install all components. The blue LED front is very nice. I painted the front plate with Automotive metallic dark grey, and it looks even better. Matches perfectly with my A/V components. Since it is a small case, it tends to warm up. Problem solved: I added a 4" 100 CFM Fan in the back of my cabinet to keep the heat out. Will recommend to anyone. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Nick Tech Level: Ownership:	8/19/2003 1:05:01 PM Awesome Home Theater Case Comments: Got this case a week ago, and threw in an asus A7N266-VM with an AMD Athloin XP 2000+ 256mb of crucial value ram, 100gb WD SE HD, and a Radeon 7000 with s-video out. Let me tell you, this is the perfect setup for a home theater pc. I can play all of my mp3s and watch all the southpark I want in my living room! MoBo is great optical out. This case rules, it looks great on the entertainment center. The blue light is a nice touch accross the front, and you can unplug it if you want. I am going to re-wire the case so the blue light is the HDD LED. Get this case!! Newegg.com RULES!!!!!!! Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Galloway1520 Tech Level: Ownership:	8/12/2003 1:34:39 PM Great little case *** Comments:** <a href='www.systemcooling.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1040' target=_blank>www.systemcooling.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1040</a> Review of case (Silver vers.) here: www.systemcooling.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1040 From review: "Conclusion As with the previous case I reviewed from Athenatech I am extremely impressed with this one. It offers you great looks, features and quality that are rarely found in a micro-ATX case. Add to that a price of $59; I don’t think that you’ll be able to find anything better in today’s market. So if you’re looking for that perfect case for your desktop or HTPC computer give Athenatech’s A100 a closer look. ..." This looks like a much easier case to install a system in than my AOpen mATX case. I wish I'd've waited a bit. Oh, and they obviously didn't get the case from the EGG as its $43+s&h here & not the $59 mentioned above! As usual, NEWEGG Rocks! Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
Jonny Rocket Tech Level: Ownership:	8/6/2003 6:05:51 PM Comments: I was very surprised with this case. I was looking for a good desktop to make a HTPC with and decided on this case. Its the little things that make or break a good case. I really liked the look of the case and the 60mm fans were nice too. But what I really like were the thumb screws, the handles on the HD cages, the removeable cd-rom and floppy cage, the lightup bar on the front, and finally the easy to remove face of the case. The plastic stands for the case are nice too. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
eclown Tech Level: Ownership: This user purchased this item from Newegg	7/16/2003 5:17:29 PM Tight Box! Comments: Well made little case with relatively heavy material. Looks great, would highly recommend and buy again. 0 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!
N/A Tech Level: Ownership:	6/21/2003 9:57:15 AM Comments: Overall, this is a nice little case, which could fit almost anywhere. The fit and finish are good, and it doesn't have a generic computer case look. It is fairly quiet even with a retail Athlon XP1800+ CPU fan. The cooling seems OK, except up in the top front (tower orientation) where the hard drives mount. I don't know if I'd want 2 hard drives up there; one drive gets a little warm, but not too warm to touch. The front bezel has nice flip-open drive covers for both 5-1/4 and 3-1/2 bays. Unfortunately, the look was spoiled because I had to remove the 5-1/4 cover and slide the CDRW drive out flush with the front. This was due to the processor on my motherboard (ECS L7VMM2) being about 3/8" too far toward the front and interfering with the drive. After investigating further, I have found several motherboards which look like they would allow the CD to fit while retaining the cover. The front audio connections are just headphone and microphone extension cables that loop out the back of the case and plug into the sound jacks, instead of using the motherboard’s front audio connections. Front panel motherboard connectors are well labeled. Everything is tightly packed, and it requires care in routing the wires and cables to make sure they aren’t pinched or interfering with air flow. Once complete, it makes a neat little package, very compact yet having full height card slots. The case was shipped in the factory carton, and although there were a few screws and slot covers rattling around loose, everything was there and in good condition. As always, Newegg provided their excellent service. Did you find this review helpful? Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided!