|
Xoxide Spiderman Case
Date: Sunday, October 17, 2004
Author: Jsgolfman
Provided By: Xoxide
Page: 1 of 1
|
You've read the comics, you've seen the movies and you've even got the poster. What more could the hardcore Spiderman fan need? How about the coolest looking case on the market? Xoxide has kindly provided me with just the ticket to tingle your spider senses. How cool is it to have the web-slinger himself peering out at you in the middle of the night?
Replete with 4 5.25", 2 visible 3.5" bays and 4 hidden 3.5" bays, the steel construction will give you confidence of it's ability to withstand a little abuse, but at the same time it is still light enough not to give you a hernia. The door is made of plastic, but is in no way delicate. It's solid and sturdy so don't worry about slamming it. It secures solidly also, so there are no worries about it opening and being broken off inadvertently.
Located on the side are USB, audio and firewire ports. This is an interesting placement for me. Since I utilize a roll-top desk, front inputs would have been my favorite location but they still work rather well.
On the removable side panel you can see the web etching and the 80mm clear fan. (Yeah, I know, the wiring is a tad messy.) You will see the illuminated pictures later on and can judge for yourself the effect of the webbing.
Here is another shot of the side panel with the wiring visible. Note in particular the wiring for the led's that provide the cool blue glow for the panel. I had some difficulty getting it out of the way when replacing the panel. It includes a sticky pad for mounting but it still got on the way. It's difficult to replace the panel while trying to hold the wiring in place.
Here you can see the rear 120mm fan, a nice addition, along with the included back-plate. As you can see from the rolled edges of the bays, your fingers are in good hands. As anyone who has ever put together a rig themselves can tell you, one sharp edge can be enough to make you look like you lost a fight with a rosebush.
From the rear of the case you will notice the vent for the exhaust fan, 7 expansion slots, back-plate location and hole for the psu (not included). I used a full size 420w power supply and installation was painless.
In this picture you can see the included flat thermal probe for the LCD temperature display on the front of the case. I simply monitor the case temps for this application because the rig I am building does not have high temperature issues. However, you can place it anywhere you feel the need to monitor temperatures. I like the inclusion of the flat probe opposed to the circular probe. With a circular probe, it generally restricts its use with your hsf.
Here are a few shots from the front of the case. Since the front is plastic, it has a shiny look that really stands out.
Below you can see the LCD temperature display.
Finally, here is a picture of the side panel with the led's working. Sweet! And a shot of the side panel and front led in the dark. Sweeter!
The case accommodates either AT or ATX boards up to 12" x 10". The case is large enough to make installation of a motherboard and all system components a snap. The handle on the removable side panel makes quick work of removal and replacement. The case is very light for those of you interested showcasing it at your next LAN. 7 expansion slots mean you can add almost any accessory card without concern for space. Even though the case comes with a single intake fan on the side and one exhaust (120mm), I was able to keep my case temperatures within 5 degrees of ambient. You can see the temperature inside the case in the picture of the front temperature display.
I was disappointed that the front of the case only had illumination on the display. I was anticipating the white eyes or the red mask to also contain lights. However, this does not detract from the sheer coolness factor. I was anticipating an attractive case and I was not disappointed. Is it on the level of a Lian Li? No, nor is it supposed to be. You won't get all the bells and whistles, but you also won't be paying upwards of $100 either. In fact, you can pick up one of these at Xoxide right now for a mere $59.99. If you fancy a slightly different color scheme, this same case is available in silver and blue. Additionally, you can get them with red eyes and a white mask for $19.99. Xoxide doesn't set out to break any barriers in the options area, but they succeed in providing an inexpensive alternative to the bland beige door stop we have all come to loathe.
Oh, I almost forgot. Kirsten Dunst STILL isn't going to show up no matter how many you buy.
|
|
|
