Joined on 10/10/09
Quality materials, useful features. Excellent case.
Pros: -Dust filters (One vent does not have one, however it is intended to be an exhaust port). -Construction quality and combination use of plastic and metal provide rugged design and minimal weight. -Cable management (PSU) area behind SFX power supply bay is ample enough to keep this case looking great. -Measurements are accurate. -Plenty of clearance for a full size GPU* -Temps are good thanks to strategically placed in/out vents -IO ports are of good quality. -Included PSU cable from the back of the case to your PSU is the perfect length -Front button light (single, non HDD light) is bright enough to see but is matted as to not cast light; simply "glows". -Sexy af -Included GPU riser assembly is surprisingly sturdy, feels very safe. *check measurements of your card before purchasing.
Cons: -Removing the bottom layer is a bit violent, I feel like I'm about to break it. The only reason to even need to remove the bottom layer would be to clean the dust filter under the PSU and expansion bay or to adjust the expansion card support; both of these may have been handled without the need to remove the bottom layer (eg: tool-less adjustment of card support and including the dust filters inside the actual case somehow). -Replacing the bottom layer risks damaging the front ports on the case. You have to really pay attention when replacing, making sure to slide the ports into their slots before pushing back down. -(VERY nit picky) would have preferred inset access screws on the bottom of the case so they were flush with the housing. -(also nit picky) the riser card doesn't have a clip to keep your expansion card fastened like a motherboard does, however since everything is tightened down elsewhere anyway, it's not really a problem. -Miscellaneous and unavoidable design annoyances, such as no full size power supply support, very low CPU cooler clearance, etc; that's kind of the point though, so not really a con.
Overall Review: I am modding this case to hold two 3.5" HDDs. The only way this is conceivably possible is to use a short GPU (Gigabyte's short GTX 970 in my case) and custom building a mount that attaches to the 120mm fan mount at the end of the expansion card bay. It would be possible to fit a single HDD under a full size GPU near the bracket, however the card would need to have a blower style fan so the HDD didn't cover a normal fan and cause temperature issues. Those asking if they could squeeze a taller CPU cooler should understand that the measurements for this case are incredibly accurate. If you use a 58mm cooler, you will have some bowing in your case and some pressure on your motherboard.
Decent Case
Pros: Used this for my first build from scratch and everything fit eventually. Good ventilation, easy to mod.
Cons: I had to bend the mounts for the power supply down to get it to fit which was a bit of a hassle, the covers for the PCI devices aren't able to be reattached which leaves a gaping hole if devices are removed. Mine was delivered with a huge dent which made the backplate for the motherboard not fit well, but that may have been a fluke and not the manufacturer.
Overall Review: System: GIGABYTE Ga-X58-USB3 Motherboard Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06 GHz Processor CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 RAM CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-650HX 650W Power Supply EVGA GeForce GTX 460 Video Card Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RMP Hard Drive SAMSUNG SATA Blu-ray Drive Linkworld ATX Case
AMAZING Motherboard
Pros: Used this board for my first build and worked perfectly. Fits into ATX case with no problem, plenty of PCI options as well as SATA interface. lots of USB as well as USB 3.0 which will be nice for future items.
Cons: Core slot has a lid that wasn't made for i7 cores, it's a bit of a tight fit but it worked, with a little force. Also no q connector for the front pannel connectors so that made it a bit difficult to get tiny connectors in the mobo. These are little things, i still give it 5 stars.
Overall Review: System: GIGABYTE Ga-X58-USB3 Motherboard Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06 GHz Processor CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 RAM CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-650HX 650W Power Supply EVGA GeForce GTX 460 Video Card Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RMP Hard Drive SAMSUNG SATA Blu-ray Drive Linkworld ATX Case
Amazing Video Card
Pros: Used this in my first build from scratch, worked perfectly on startup. Don't forgot to install drivers or else the screen resolution will be very tiny. Runs source engine without a sweat.
Cons: None
Overall Review: System: GIGABYTE Ga-X58-USB3 Motherboard Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06 GHz Processor CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 RAM CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-650HX 650W Power Supply EVGA GeForce GTX 460 Video Card Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RMP Hard Drive SAMSUNG SATA Blu-ray Drive Linkworld ATX Case
Great Power Supply
Pros: Used this for my first build made completely from scratch and works perfectly. Lots of cables, Modular makes cable management extremely easy. No issues, near silent.
Cons: None
Overall Review: System: GIGABYTE Ga-X58-USB3 Motherboard Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06 GHz Processor CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 RAM CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-650HX 650W Power Supply EVGA GeForce GTX 460 Video Card Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RMP Hard Drive SAMSUNG SATA Blu-ray Drive Linkworld ATX Case
AMAZING!!!
Pros: Used this for my first build from scratch and it works great. i7 technology is ridiculously fast, I'm playing on the source engine within one minute of startup.
Cons: None
Overall Review: System: System: GIGABYTE Ga-X58-USB3 Motherboard Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06 GHz Processor CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 RAM CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-650HX 650W Power Supply EVGA GeForce GTX 460 Video Card Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RMP Hard Drive SAMSUNG SATA Blu-ray Drive Linkworld ATX Case