Comments Locked

50 Comments

Back to Article

  • mr_tawan - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    This case has a (Samsung-designed) home button on the top :-).
  • Babar Javied - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    I really wish more cases would loss the 5.25 inch bays. Not only can you then add larger radiators but they will not interrupt the sleek design.
  • Zak - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    Not just that. I want more cases that completely ditch anything beyond 2.5" bays for SSDs.I know there are few like that but I happen not to like the designs overall.
  • Samus - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    Say hello to the ancient FT03-mini, ahead of its time in many ways.
  • Impulses - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    Or the Corsair Air 540, tho you could argue there could be a second 2.5" cage in the mostly empty right hand compartment (cause who doesn't want 8 or 10 SSD!). The current Silverstone Raven would've been brilliant if they just top mounted a single 5.25" bay instead of an oddball sideways laptop slot drive.
  • Gigaplex - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    Having a ton of SSDs in a single case is very niche. It's not cost effective and SATA based SSDs are going to be superseded by PCIe very soon.
  • Samus - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link

    But 2TB laptop 2.5" drives are pretty cheap (not as cheap as 3.5" but still relatively cheap) so unless you need a lot of space (in which case, NAS?) a pair of 2.5" bays made out of one 3.5" bay works quite well for an SSD+HDD. With most high end boards equipped with M2 now, only a single bay is necessary on higher-end builds. I think the days of people putting a bunch of drives in their case is nearing an end. Definitely niche. But at the same time, for some reason, so is ITX. And it shouldn't be. ITX is perfect for 90%+ computer users, most of which will likely never even use the PCIe slot (basic home and office PC's)
  • Jorgisven - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link

    NAS doesn't work as well with the gaming community. If you've got a slow connection, downloading those 40GB games (that you have a dozen or two of, plus 30-50 other smaller games) is a process you only want to do once. While it's theoretically possible to do with a NAS, it gets really complicated in a multi-computer network that shares a steam library via library sharing. Niche, to be sure, but not unreasonable.
  • Haravikk - Wednesday, April 1, 2015 - link

    How many of those games need to be installed at once? A 1tb 2.5" HDD costs what… £40? Or £65 if you opt for the slightly faster SSHD, that's enough for 20-25 games at 40gb each. I can't imagine anyone really needs all of those installed at once, and with digital downloads you can just clear some space and download a title overnight ready to play the next day, if your connection is too slow to handle that, then why is that the case?

    There are also 2tb drives coming soon, and if you still have to you could stripe two 2.5" disks together for extra capacity (and performance) and just use the NAS for backup.
  • NLD - Wednesday, September 16, 2015 - link

    Get an imagination, I have over 100 installed....
    But I do have 12 TB of storage...
    Before you ask I'm a video editor and store GB of data in edit, 12TB is a puppy to me....
  • Haravikk - Wednesday, April 1, 2015 - link

    Agreed. This case is incredibly unremarkable, and until more towers start ditching the obstructive and largely redundant up-front drive bays, we're not going to get much progress in the tower market.

    I don't know any gamers who really need more than two drives, or for whom 2.5" drives aren't sufficient. 4x 2.5" drive bays can squeeze in almost anywhere in a properly designed case, and would still let you have a pair of mirrored SSDs and mirrored HDDs (or striped if you prefer) which is about the most I expect anyone to have these days.

    In terms of optical bays; so few people really use them anymore, meanwhile a slot-loading (or at least low profile) drive takes up hardly any space. The focus really does need to be on big fans up front with as little obstruction as possible.

    Some people might mention fan controls, but any good pro case could include one with a custom fitting. But again, most people don't (or shouldn't) need a fan control, as any good motherboard can drive more than enough fans, so at most you might need a splitter cable, especially since most fans these days are pretty energy efficient, especially larger ones that don't need to spin very fast anyway.

    So yeah, we're stuck with towers constantly being released with an obsolete internal design, and it's really hurting the market. Only smaller designs are really innovating at the moment, and even then some of them are making really weird decisions.
  • NLD - Wednesday, September 16, 2015 - link

    You don't know because you don't know anyone... I'm a member of a gaming community and know over 50 in our community alone.....
  • NLD - Wednesday, September 16, 2015 - link

    get a laptop.
  • Dug - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    Define R5 lets you take all of them out giving you many options for radiators.
    NZXT S340 has no bays at all making the case fairly small for an ATX design.
  • nmm - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    I would usually agree with you, but I tend to agree with some that the sentiment is more appropriate with compact cases. I just can't imagine there being a realistic need for a tower case with the entire front surface covered with radiators in addition to the top/bottom or whatever else. Just the same, I'd get more use out of a mini-fridge on the front of my case than 5¼" bays. That's because I'm not a person who has any need for a tower case, though. I'd rather build an efficient mini-ITX system than a 3 foot tall air circulator disguised as a computer.
  • WithoutWeakness - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link

    I think you're on to something with the mini fridge. Most cases with doors only have them to cover the ugly 5.25" bays. If we pull the 5.25" bays and replace them with a mini fridge that can hold a couple of cans then the door would actually have some functional purpose instead of just being for aesthetics.
  • continuum - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link

    Two went be plenty. Heck, lots of times, agreed that one would be enough, and zero is okay.

    Given it's an E-ATX case for $100 I don't mind seeing one or two (it's certainly big enough!) but yeah, three seems silly...
  • DanNeely - Wednesday, April 1, 2015 - link

    Once you have a single 5.25 bay, you might as well have several, and a mess of 3.5" bays below, since you've stretched your case forward enough to accommodate them.

    The compact (front to back) single 5.25 bay case died when the market decided to move the PSU to the bottom and to use the top of the case for ventilation.
  • NLD - Wednesday, September 16, 2015 - link

    5.25 bays are essential , Fan controllers, lighting controllers, Card drives, audio bays.... if you don't like them use the 100's of cases with no 5.25 bays.... I really think new cases need them, maybe more ascetics and innovation on how you can disguise or hide them is a good idea.

    Needless to say, fans of external Blu-ray players and DVD-HD writers etc... will not care but they are with good cases, 5.25 drive bays will live on.
  • nos024 - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    I like my 5.25 bays...there has to be at least two. I am not ready to give up my ODD and swappable HDD bay. At least for large towers like this, I want to have 5.25 bays. I can see a mid tower case not having it. The point of a full tower case is that you can put ANYTHING you want in it.

    The problem with these large towers case is that the 8pin CPU power cord is barely long enough (and sometimes won't even reach). Given that the majority of PSUs are mounted at the bottom, I think it's time the PSU manufacture give you a longer cord...or the Motherboard manufacturers change it's location, or the case give you a better path. I see that this case has an opening at the top to route the cable to so it won't be a problem.
  • Antronman - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    I would say that 4 5.25 bays is the maximum in this day and age. What do you need more for?

    4 can fit your DVD drive, an OC Panel (if you have one) and fan controller. More is just excessive.
  • Ammaross - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    Unless you wanted to have a 3x3.5" hot swap drive bay which takes up 2x5.25" bays on its own. You can get 5 in 4, 4 in 3, etc. as well. I know I have a 2-in-1 for 2.5" drives...
  • aggiechase37 - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    It's not excessive if you do video editing. Adobe recommends separate drives for OS, cache, source files, project files, and exports. And assuming that you are going to RAID a few drives for something like your exports/project files, we can easily start eclipsing 6+ drives in a system. My current setup is SSD for OS, SSD for cache, SSD for source files, and 3xHDD in RAID 5 for projects/exports. My only complaint is I wish I had more sata ports.
  • Antronman - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    @Aggie
    But this is 5.25" bays.

    @Ammaross
    Alright, if you want/need hot swap docks then sure, you could use more.
  • Dug - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    Or you can buy a $5 ext for the 8pin power cord.
  • Flunk - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    For a longer 8-pin connector you just either need to buy a PSU with longer cables (they exist) or buy a brand that sells longer cables as an accessory. SilverStone, as an example sells longer and shorter cables, as well as custom individually wire-wrapped cables for their modular power supplies (and they all use the same type of cables). You can also get a universal 8-pin cable extender for a few bucks if all else fails.
  • dark4181 - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    The perspective on the box art is so so sooo bad.
  • jabber - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    It's hilarious isn't it.
  • DanNeely - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    Yeah, my first thought was that a trapezoidal case was at least something different; but then the gallery showed a standard box.
  • Antronman - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    It looks like somebody tried to make it in two point perspective but failed terribly.
  • kepstin - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    I think like the drawing on the box was in isometric perspective; the issue is that the picture of the box was taken at an angle. If you look at the side of the box straight on I expect it would look ok.
  • Coffeehead - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    True. It's an isometric projection. The proportional sizes of each line is preserved and each of the x,y,z axes are separated by 120°. It is supposed to make measurements easier to take for engineers, but the visual perspective projection is what we consumers are used to seeing because we want to buy what we see.

    It's also the basis of how the art illusion drawings of M.C. Escher used isometric projections.
  • DanNeely - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    Is the severe face plate damage you're referring to just the scuffed up top front edge; or was something else broken too. The scuffing isn't good; but I'd've expected something to at least be cracked before it was called severe damage.
  • DanNeely - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    I'm not picking on this case in particular, since it appears to be an industry wide problem; but if you're going to build a case around bottom air intakes you need to use feet big enough to lift the case up above a carpeted floor. Having to suck air in through the carpet really reduces the total flow, and even with the case having a built in dust filter, after only a few months the intake of the PSU in a case I had like this got horrifying nasty. I've had boxes that went years before being blown out that had less dust in them. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that case; probably either look for taller aftermarket feet somewhere, or drill new mounting holes in the back so I can flip the PSU over to point its fan up and draw air from the rest of the case instead.
  • BillyONeal - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    That's why Silverstone's FT02 is still one of the best cases ever -- it has its own "channel" in the side of the case to pull air in for the bottom intakes which works great for the carpeting problem.
  • Dug - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    Silverstone FT05 has a flat solid surface for the base, but the bottom case fans are about 2-3 inches up from that so you have air coming in from the sides and then up.
  • bigboxes - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    Funny about the illustration on the packing box. That said, this is one butt-ugly case. That power button is way too small and the top panel connectors should not be hidden under that door. Just something that will be left open anyways.
  • xthetenth - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    The power button isn't particularly small and isn't difficult to hit in the slightest. The door isn't in the way when it's open and being able to close it is kind of nice. I have the Luxe, which is one step up from that, and while I have a few minor quibbles about it, it was amazingly easy to put together a really nice looking build with it.
  • Peichen - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    Such a traditional and old design. I think an ideal case as mATX with 1x 5.25", 2x 2.5/3.5", 4x 2.5" drive cage. 2x 120/140/180mm fans w/filters. Open space around graphic card(s) and CPU cooler otherwise fully sealed to keep dust and sound down.

    Silverstone TJ08B-E is pretty close but the needs to be updated for SSD and better sealed.
  • eanazag - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    But are you using multiple GPUs and have a north of 6 storage drives? I have a hot swap 4 2.5" drive add in that slides into a 5.25" and am considering a second one. I have a DVD burner. That means three 5.25" slots would make sense for me. I can do 2 though.

    I really don't see the point in 5.25" disc drives anymore being that large. I think they all need to be laptop type slim drives.

    This is likely too big for you also.
  • ncsaephanh - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    Love this case! First saw it on Linus tech tips, and used it for my brother's build and was immediately impressed by not only the features of the case, but the roominess. Tons of room for expansion, along with a simple and sleek aesthetic while not sacrificing airflow (the filters BTW are very easy to access). Cable management is also fantastic. Cannot recommend this case any more than I already have.
  • twanto - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link

    Does spell-check not exist for internet articles?
  • bigboxes - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link

    Yes it does. I only wish that douche-check was standard operating procedure.
  • Folterknecht - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link

    When you speak greek (I think it is) as good as the author speaks english you can come back and complain. Until then stfu!
  • Murloc - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link

    that's a 11.16 oz can, it's not 11.2 oz!!!!11
  • gopher1369 - Wednesday, April 1, 2015 - link

    Agreed with you. My gaming setup is ITX: Coolermaster Elite 130 case, 256Gb SSD and 1Tb laptop harddrive. It's great and sits in my AV unit under my TV next to my Xbox.
  • gopher1369 - Wednesday, April 1, 2015 - link

    *sigh* my comment was meant to be a reply to an earlier comment, but it's stuck it on the end. Also no obvious way to edit/delete, anyone?

    I blame my old and horribly locked down work PC with IE8.
  • 46460 - Saturday, April 4, 2015 - link

    I bought the Enthoo Primo about a year and a half ago right when it came out and it's the END ALL of cases. Stock, it can fit 2x480mm rads + a 240mm, but I modded the side and cut out a bit of the drive bays for ANOTHER 480mm rad. So right now I have 3x480mm rads with Delta fans, a huge reservoir with an Iwaki RD20 pump on the back; it's almost powerful to passively cool my overclocked 3930k and an R9 290. The case quality is fantastic. Also, I want to point out that the PWM controller that it came with is AMAZING. Can control a large quantity of fans with your motherboard and OS software real time..really a great feature, along with the quality 140mm fans it included (3).

    All in all, I love my case with all of its space, and despite a front fascia that doesn't quite stick flush I am very happy with my purchase and wouldn't hesitate to buy it again at $250. I must say, however, I underestimated the sheer size of WEIGHT of the unit; fully stocked, my PC weighs like 70 pounds, but it's totally worth it ;)
  • echtogammut - Wednesday, April 8, 2015 - link

    No comment on the drawing on the front of the box? How did something like that pass cursory review?
  • Posaune - Saturday, July 24, 2021 - link

    This idea that ALL cases should ditch older tech storage housing is odd - reality is like this: there are MARKET SEGMENTS; this has 5.25 bays, which I will be filling with an ASUS DVD drive (writer) which allows me to easily play a library of existing DVDs and to rip my pretty large CD library. It's simple I fit in with that segment. There is another segment which does none of this. Think long and hard about tech: there is still terrestrial radio and it remains quite healthy. This is tech of the turn of the last century. Still with us and not going away.

Log in

Don't have an account? Sign up now