My number one criterion in a case is that it's very quiet, and this one fits the bill. That huge fan on the side draws lots of air, but it's almost silent. The hard drive mounting system is simple, but very effective at isolating vibration from each drive, eliminating another annoying source of noise. Finally, the double thick walls of the case reduce any residual noises even further. Compared to my old cases, I have to look at the light on this one to know for sure that it's on.
The case is large and heavy. I put it on a stand next to a desk, not on the desk. It's a pain in the back to move, but it's a price I'm very willing to pay for all the advantages of this case.
There is ample room to work. The motherboard, drives, and power supply all feel like they have their own separate neighborhoods. Nothing gets in the way of anything else. The power supply mounts on the bottom, so make sure you use a power supply with long cables. I use a Corsair with detachable cables. The CPU cables are long enough to route outside the main compartment of the case through a hole for that purpose, and back through a couple of very thoughtfully placed holes near the areas on the motherboard they plug into. That makes for a very clean looking install. There is enough room for those thick cables between the case and the back cover. I route the fan power supply wires back there too so they don't get in the way. There are even tie-down straps back there to keep all the cables in place.
The finish is very good on this case. Everything fits well and feels solid. There is nothing flimsy here.
I hate bloodying my fingers on sharp edges. I haven't found any on this case. All of the openings and edges that I've encountered are nicely rounded, keeping cables and my fingers in good shape.
I've seen better mounting systems for removable media drives. These have tabs on each side on the front, so it doesn't look the most finished, but they do work well, are quick to disconnect, and are hidden most of the time behind the front door, so I can't complain much.
I like a variety of drives; CD/DVD, floppy, card reader, and lots of drives for RAID. But I haven't yet filled all the bays of one of these cases.
I use Zalman 120mm 2 ball coolers, which stand quite tall above the motherboard, but there is still plenty of clearance in this case.
I like this case so much, I own three now. I just completed two builds, and I've got one in reserve, just in case it's discontinued. I've got a pile of other cases I've used in the past. All have memorable shortcomings causing many frustrations. I have no significant complaints about this case.
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