Cases

Having been a longstanding fan and avid user of the Lian Li line of computer chassis; I find that it is difficult to be absolutely wow'ed by another manufacturer's attempt to overthrow the chassis king. Zalman is not new to the game, having been in business since 1999; they have manufactured products in a slew of different genres starting with quiet computing and traveling into the ridiculously priced. The GT1000 is not a bargain basement chassis but is it worth the $380.00 Price tag?

Having been around the block a few times, and having been burned a few times; I have my preferences in chassis'. I have purchased and used a ton of cases and always seem to go back to my Lian Li PC-70 series chassis. There has been little innovation in this sector and it seems like manufacturers are trying to woo us with fancy designs and forgetting about the simple features that we should have to begin with. There are cases out there that look like malformed bubbles, cases that look like transformers, cases with bubbled water, and my personal favorite the cases that look like "Hello Kitty" (sarcasm). It is refreshing when some case manufacturers get back to the basics and give us usable features and practical designs. Antec claims they can give me hope once again. Enter the Antec Performance Series P180B.

I have seen computer cases of all shapes and sizes and computer cases are what I love about the enthusiast scene the most. I definitely do more research trying to find the right case than I spend picking out my motherboard. After all, the case I pick will have to withstand my brutal punishing nature; the constant upgrades; and my tendency for getting bored very quickly. I haven't been too happy with some of the cases hitting the market today, and some of them just make me angry. iStarUSA claims they have a case that will satisfy my inner geek. Enter the "Super Cooling" Full Tower Nitro AX.

Ingenuity runs rampant in repair shops and a reviewer's workshop. Most of us have been waiting for a company to develop something practical, affordable, and most of all DURABLE! Until now, most solutions were either too expensive or not durable enough for the retail environment. Enter the HSPC Tech Station. This is a bench made of "non-electrically conductive, scratch-resistant, high grade polymers"; it is tough, inexpensive, and practical; but will it be worth it?

If you are a regular to COD, you would understand by now that I am very passionate about computer chassis. A well designed chassis is the basis of a well built system. Today, Thermaltake has once again asked that I examine one of their designs. Enter the Thermaltake Tsunami Dream Aluminum Case.

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?

If there is one thing I love about the computing show grounds, it's the computer cases. With everyone bringing their "A" game these days, it's hard to decide who will end up with a chunk of my earnings. Some cases are flashy, some are simple; today, flashy is the word, functionality is the goal, and price is the key.

Today I will be reviewing the Antec Sonata Mid Tower case. I was immediately impressed when I took the case out of the box. The sheer weight told me that this was a solidly built case. But the thing that took my breath away was the absolute beauty of the paint job. The fit and finish of this case is amazing. The Piano Black paint is buffed to a very high sheen (you can actually see your reflection). I tried to get a picture of this but it wasn't to be. The pictures of it really don't do it justice. It has the look and feel of an automotive quality paint job.

We sink so much into our computers, we research components, shop around for the best prices, look for ways of making it perform better; but we still have a plain beige box with poor cooling properties and NO aesthetics. There are many companies trying to deliver something different to the masses, at a considerably smaller cost then just a few years ago. Yes, that’s right boys and girls; the days of pulling out the jigsaw to put a window in your case is gone. Chieftec isn’t the only company doing this, but they sure do have a very attractive package available for the end user.

Today I am reviewing an aluminum case made by Directron. For an aluminum case it is very nicely built with rolled edges and very few sharp protrusions. It has plenty of room for most users. It also has the advantages of some front ports for USB (2) and Firewire (IEEE1394). And it comes with a side window already installed. All this and more for under $100.00 shipped. (I think mine was right around $90.00 to my door.)