Customer Reviews

Ultra ULT33117 MicroFly MicroATX Desktop PC Case with Clear Side (Black)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Firstly, I should say that I purchased this case to build a PC that I wanted to fit into a shelf that's only 13 1/2" high - this case fits without any issue, which is the number one reason I love it.

It's quiet, despite its exceptional air movement and cooling, and is quite attractive.

However....

Cable management, as you might imagine, is quite difficult - however, it's not just due to the confined space in which you're working - for some reason, manufacturers are trying to save pennies by putting front I/O cables in with cables that are barely long enough to support proper use - this case has a slide-out motherboard tray, but if you try to slide it even halfway (with most motherboards) the front USB and front audio cables do not reach - therefore, you MUST connect those cables once the motherboard and tray are installed, and that can be tough in this tiny box.

The only other 'complaint' I have is that with just over 66mm of clearance (on my Athlon 64 board, but presumably close if not the same with Intel) I had a slightly difficult time finding a good CPU cooler that would fit. I couldn't imagine any way to install it with the motherboard tray IN the case, so it must be done prior to installing the tray. I used a ThermalTake BlueOrb II, but even with that, I had to use my Dremel to cut out a filleted corner of the main frame to get this relatively low-profile cooler to slide in (the BlueOrb is squat, but fairly large in diameter).

The long and the short is, knowing what I know now, the case is great...but it would have been great to have information like that which I HOPE I provided in this review before I made my purchase - not that I'd ever think of changing my mind, but because it would have saved me about $30 in parts I cannot use, and about 2 weeks of time waiting for replacement parts to arrive. All in all, great product!!!

THE GOOD:

Transparent pieces: Look the pictures, I am not a fan of cristal things, but it is usefull to see how much dust your case have...

Fans: It has two fans, one normal (like power supplies) on front, and one BIG fan on the back, equal to no heat for your processor. Both fans has MOTHERBOARD PLUGS, so you can plug it directly on your motherboard :-).

Extra stuff: This case has a two temperature sensors, one for the case, one for the processor. It has also a LCD display, for show you the case temperature.

Thichkness: If you are looking for a heavyaluminium case, this is not for you. The thickness if average, but not cheapee.

Size: I read somes reviews on the web, people say that the case is big. But it is smaller for me, I little tall but narrow :-), but it is ok, because uses NORMAL POWER SUPPLY :-), no a special and nonreplacable one for gain space.

Easy to mount: it have a tray, so you can quit your motherboard (without screwdriver), and put it in, quickly and easy.

THE BAD:

Vertical hard disk bay: Only have two hard disk bays, but if you use the floppy's bay (you don't need a floppy if you don't plan to upgrade your bios) no problem.

No enough air holes in front: Only have a few holes, but you can do somes with a drill.

Overall: 4.5
I put 5, because there is not 4.5...

Bough this for cheap htpc and love it. Very easy to work in, plenty of space. It uses a regular size power supply, so replacements are not hard to find and upgrades are easy. The fan is quiet and does the job, but I installed 2 120mm fans because this is going in a stereo cabinet/entertainment center and will get hot. I drilled holes for the fans in the top and right side, and this was easy since it is thin plexi glass. The case is light, but the quality is fine and you can transport it by the handle without fear that it will break. Full size video cards fit fine and there is room for 2 hard drives, a floppy and 2 dvd drives.
My only complaint is that the support bar prevents a large heat sink fan and my LCD screen doesn't work correctly. You can't see the first temperature digit, only half of it appears. This is minor and my case runs cool 24/7. I would recommend and I would buy this again.

I build all my own computers and transferred the parts from a mid tower to this mATX to be used as an HD digital video recorder (HD-DVR). Installed a 35GB system drive and a 500GB SATA storage drive with one DVDRW, video card and TV capture card and a 600W power supply and Vista Premium. It was tight but it all fit in there and works better than any DVR that could be bought in stores. I actually have room for two more hard drives for additional video storage.

jUST LOVE THIS BOX. I have been looking for a long time now because I wanted a different shape for this next computer. All the box's were 100$ and over so I decided to build one out of material myself..Just as I was ready to embark on the project this little item came to my sight. When I ordered it through Amazon it was suppose to be free shipping, but I was charged shipping and it was ordered from a site I wouldn not normally use. This is my only complaint thus far.

This isn't the most solid case I've used, but it wasn't too bad. I had to cut a section of it away to allow for a CPU cooler, but it held up. The rivets on the acrylic windows gave out and they have to be glued sometimes, but make sure you don't use superglue if they do because it leaves a white chalky looking mark. Use locktite flexible waterproof stuff...very good and still cheap glue. Don't trust the handle to hold your PC when you have it completed. It will bow and that scared me, lol. I supported it with my hand when I used it. Otherwise, good price, and trick case!

I wanted this chassis as a demo chassis to show how the device looks on the inside, and even bought glow-cables for the SATA drives and internal LEDS in red, green, and blue to make it look festive, kinda like gamers light up their chassis. The construction is a little flimsy, and a little hard to install the drives (it can hold up to 5). It allows for extra fans (I installed two) and the front panel LCD indicator is a little hard to read, but it does the job. I am planning another device soon, maybe with a different form factor to take more drives. This one may end up being converted to a carry-around system (the chassis has a handle!) for on-site development where a laptop is not suitable. Still, it presented interesting possibilities.

Terrible product. Shoddy construction, badly fitting. It looks good, but then what do a lot of bad deals use to reel you in? I never used the handle, too flimsy. A fully loaded mobo, a hd, and a light drive seemed to weigh much more than that thin little handle could deal with in my opinion. And the see thru plastic sides are just pinned to the frames with thin plastic "bolts", or pins, whatever. One good jolt and one of them came right apart. I bought this thinking it would make a decent gaming rig- NOT HARDLY. It was just one step above paper mache in strength. If you just want a static machine and don't mind rather badly fitting framing & hardware, then I guess this is the case for you. If you like durability in a SFF, get a Lian Li.

I purchased this when I wanted to build a home DVR system. It worked great and is a really nice case. It is short but pretty wide and the temp. gauge worked nicely. It has a handy handle up front but I didn't use it often. MB tray slides out nicely and is really handy.

Ordered for a planned HTPC. First delivery came with broken 120MM fan at mount. Replacement arrived with broken CPU temperature read out (I've seen this commented on before). The 120mm fan is a little louder than I'd like, but perhaps it will throttle down when I finally get the computer fully installed (the second replacement case is on the way!). Tigerdirect was good about the returns.

Good layout overall, with room for stock cpu cooling fan, but probably not for larger unit due to structural beem that runs through the middle of the case. This may also be an issue on larger, or passively cooled graphics cards. Motherboard tray slides out, which is a nice feature, but the front panel cables are not long enough to allow you to connect the cables to the motherboard unless you have it fully installed. I would buy (and have) again.