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Pastimes : Dream Machine ( Build your own PC ) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: RagTimeBand who wrote (5231)	1/18/1999 3:41:00 PM
From: Paul K	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 14778

These tower style cases now-a-days have a nice mix of features. I wanted my next PC to have case and components that are generic, I'm tired of the Compaq proprietary stuff. This tower is short enough (21") to fit under a desk, yet has lots of room for most components I can imagine... space to work with cables without getting your hands cut up by metal... and space to allow some natural air flow. addtronics.com Initally, I think I can stagger drives with out forcing air directly on them. But if I do end up using most drive bays I can add a fan on each side to blow though the side vents. I wanted lots of drive mounting bays (3 internal + 5 exposed, of various sizes in this unit) and I thought mounting rails might be useful. It has nice clip-on fan holders, like ones mentioned by Zeuspaul earlier, no screws needed to attach front/side fans. The case came with one fan, and I ordered an extra ball bearing fan for $7. The doors are hinged yet can be lifted off the flanged 'hinges', the doors swing out when you pop off the front cover (screws are not required to open/close the case, but it does include a key lock.) You can purchase $5 screw-on casters to replace the leveling feet, though I didn't get them. (they also have a heavy duty caster assembly $25) The case includes several different i/o connector mounting plates for the back panel, you change depending upon which MOBO you use. There is a 3.5" fan mount location on the back panel just above the i/o jacks... I will probably mount one there to help the cpu/video card area. I thought the air filter on the front panel was a nice touch but a little feeble since air can be sucked in from the back/side vents. The MOBO, mounted on it's base plate, slides out the right side when the door is open, probably useful for corp use - you can just swap the assembly of MOBO/cards to get a machine back up and running. (I saw case models from other manufacturers that have mounting plates the are hinged or slide out the back instead of the side. I can't see that it's really necessary for home use though unless the MOBO is obscured by drive bays.) ---------- The case push-botton power switch connects to a 2-pin header on the MOBO (low voltage DC triggering), the board then activates the PS though it's harness... no heavy duty AC wiring required. The PS mounts to the back side of the case with 4 screws that came with the case. The case has a 'golf-ball dimpled' power button but they included a smooth surfaced replacement for owners who aren't amused <g>.