AZZA Solano 1000 Black Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front MicroATX/ATX/Full ATX Computer Case

Pros: My Solano arrived today, right on time, and I was struck by its large stature. Moving up from a Lian Li 351 Mid Tower, this thing is a brute. Quality construction, cavernous interior, gentle glowing blue fans, low price...it's like having a roller derby queen sitting beside you on your desk.

Cons: It cost me 34 smackers to have this thing shipped, which puts a big hole in the $40 rebate, so plan accordingly. The fans can't be controlled by the motherboard. Also, not a big deal, but the manual is in that funny "Alright, who speaks the most English? Okay, your in charge of the manual" translation.

Overall Review: Despite the Solano's larger footprint, in order to utilize the 230mm side fan, your cpu cooler has to be 140mm or smaller, which rules out all of the big daddy towers. I chose to go for the old standby Xigmatek 983 and it seems to be doing fine. Make sure you have enough juice going to a molex cable to run all of the fans.

Pros: This case is very roomy and the fact that you can run cables between the panel and the case makes cable management much easier. The setup where you can remove the box which houses the hard drives is extremely convenient. Overall, it is a very good case for the price.

Cons: None for the time being.

Overall Review: The red on the inside of the case is not as bright as the pictures make it appear to be. Also, I had a bit of trouble putting the side panel back on because I had some really fat cables running through the back side of the case for cable management.

Pros: - Great cooling. With five fans that was the expectation. - Quiet. There is only the low, white noise like, hum of the fans and even that is nice. Once again five fans will generate some sound. - Layout is functional. Everything fit well inside. The HD cages were easy to work with. Cable were easy enough to get out of the way. I like the PSU on the bottom. Big feet with rubber are nice for sound absorption and airflow. - Aesthetics. The Solano is pleasant on my eyes. The all black interior and exterior compliment each other and was worth a little extra money.

Cons: The only con, and I knew this ahead of time so it's my fault, is that the led lights are bright. Most of the time I like the icy blue glow in the room but not at night when I am watching a movie. I wish I could turn the led's down or off.

Overall Review: This was my first build and this case made that effort a breeze. I can't get the audio hook-ups on the top of the case to work. I need to jump back into the case and figure that out. Even if they don't work it would be a minor issue.

Pros: Lots of cooling capability. I especially like the 140mm fans for the two quad-hard-drive cages.

Cons: One big problem for me is that I installed a 159mm tall CPU heat sink (with 120mm fan). After I put everything together, I could not close the lid.... :-( The gigantic 230mm fan on the lid has a 30mm thickness and there isn't room with the CPU heat sink. I will need to replace the CPU heat sink that is no taller than 141mm height.

Pros: Love the coloring on this case. Excellent air movement, haven't got anywhere close to worrying about temperatures yet. Pretty big, but expected for a full tower.

Cons: The cable management system is not as great as i was hoping. The idea of being able to run cables in between the side panel and the outside cover is good, but there just isn't enough space to get some of the power cables in.

Pros: LOTS of space...i mean its a full tower so what do you expect! the top mount and bottom mount fan holder on the bottom was very helpful! CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP! love the mail in rebate...got my case for 65 after rebate!

Cons: THUMB SCREWS!!! There are soooooooooo many but hey it was a cheap case so no worries!!!

Overall Review: FYI! it is possible to remove the hard drive bays through the front of the case...remove both sides of the case and push on the pins holding on the front mesh covering that way you dont damage them and undo the thumb screws holding the hard drive bay and BAM you can take them out through the front without removing the mobo! easy as pie!

Pros: -The case is absolutely silent -Thumb screws for drives/Video Card -Lots of room -Removable drive pays -5 fans (2x240. 3x120)

Cons: -None

Overall Review: The red glow is very sinister when the lights are off ^_^

Pros: Possibly the best case that I have the opportunity to work with. The finish inside of the case is nice and I didn't cut myself on one of the panels. The many fans keep my case cool and quiet. I like that buttons on the top of the case because my case sits on the floor and I have easy access to all of the ports.

Cons: The 230mm fan on the side panel doesn't fit if you are using the Scythe Mugen 2. I am still trying to modify that fan so I can get it to fit but no joy so far. The other problem is that you can't lower the motherboard using different sized standoffs because there are a few built in standoffs. Nice feature but I wish I could lower the motherboard. My biggest complaint is that the HDD activity light is yellow while the rest of the case glows blue and the power button doesn't light up, it looks like it should but it doesn't.

Overall Review: This case is quiet large and there is enough room to install 8 HDD's and still be able to fit a GTX 260. You will have to use right angle SATA cables but it is possible to fit it all inside. Compared to my Dell XPS 730x, got rid of it, this case keeps everything cool. My i7 920 idles around 20 and maxes out at 40 Celsius, about 20 degrees cooler than the Dell. This case is also quieter while having more fans than the Dell. The three top USB ports are nice but they should have added a fourth just to fill the other USB header, also not always the easiest ports to plug into.