Tag Archives: Mid Tower

If you are a case designer or manufacturer, you must be asking what can you do to differentiate yourself from the rest of the herd? After all, there are a ton of cases out there, but what will make yours stand out? Some may use fancy graphics, some will do it with price, and others will go right back to the drawing board. Computer cases have fundamentally stayed the same over the years. Outside of some minor changes like the PSU being moved from the top to the bottom, there isn't much to guess about. Well, SilverStone has some ideas that may be able to change the way you look at your computer case.

If there is one thing that gets my cooling fans spinning, it is a nice case. Computer cases range from garbage to extraordinary. The wide selection of manufacturers, styles, colors, and features can make picking one a daunting task. Sometimes, an inexpensive good-looking case leaves you wanting features you found in a more expensive, less appealing (downright ugly) case. Well, there are only a few "go to" manufacturers for me, and believe me, Fractal Design is moving up the ladder quickly. After Fractal Designs released the Define R4, I didn't look back. Let's see if they can keep up the good work with the ARC Mini R2.

From what I hear, not all the best cases are made from Aluminum. However, I can't think of the last case I used for my primary workstation that wasn't. Fractal Design has set out to change all that with the Define R4. This case is sleek, sturdy, and may just be the one to displace my aluminum tradition.

My computing world is simple, I don't like things that are too over the top. In other words, I like certain things to be simple... especially my computer cases. The calmer the appearance, the more I like it. If you have some change in your pocket, Lian Li and SilverStone are the ones I look to first. If I need a budget case, the BitFenix Merc Alpha or the CoolerMaster Centurion fits the bill. Today, RAIDMAX thinks they have a budget chassis that can find a place amongst our short list of go to cases.

When it comes to PC cases, SilverStone is a name that comes to mind quickly. During their reign, they have produced some of the most sought after enthusiast cases. With the evolution of the Temjin Series, SilverStone has resurrected the TJ04 and made some enhancements that are well worth looking at.

Generally, many case makers like to feature top notch, expensive high end cases and seem to forget about the majority of people; those of us with a budget! The market is flooded with cheaply made, low cost cases that many just settle on purchasing because they can't afford cases by Lian Li, Silverstone, Zalman, or any of the other top end brand names. Recently, BitFenix has been making some waves by producing their Colossus with the soft touch element. Luckily for us, they want to continue their ways and offer a well designed inexpensive option for us named the Merc Alpha.

We've seen plenty of different ideas from plenty of case manufacturers to differentiate them from others. There are those manufacturers that try to wow you with graphics, those that try to innovate with crazy designs; personally, I like it when they get back to the basics. Lian Li is one of those companies that have been consistent throughout their tenure, with only a few questionable designs throughout the years. With the introduction of the PC-6, Lian Li thinks they can bring this "back to basics" reviewer to chassis nirvana.

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?

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.