Enermax Voltron (CS-800TA-S) Midtower Case

Reviews: Cases

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Richard Poelling
Kurtis
Maxpoint
Jun. 19, 2004

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Opening the Case

This case has a very clean look to it. The utter lack of hard edges gives this case a style that is all its own. It feels very sturdy when lifted, but is otherwise not an overly heavy case for the size that it is. Of course without a power supply, many cases are light. Once all the parts are installed, especially hard drives, the weight will increase. There are three locations to mount fans, one of which is already provided on the side. The front fan is actually behind a very nicely finished grill that should provide very good airflow.

Gaining entry into the case requires the removal of two screws on the back and a quick pull on the attached handle. Be prepared to catch the panel because it will invariably jump off the case and fall over. Although this feature is a nice touch, it could be a bit more refined to limit the abrupt ejection of the door. If you are not paying attention, the side panel will fall and put some serious strain on the wiring that attaches to the side rheostat. From the pictures you can see that I managed to bend the power connection to the fan from just such an incident.

Once inside, you will again be hit with the vastness of the interior of the case. Part of this vastness also comes form the lack of a power supply, as one is not included. The side fan is also located on a side pillar, not connected directly to the side panel. Lifting up and pulling forward on the mounting bracket easily removes it. Another striking feature of this case is the mounting of the HD bay perpendicular to the rest of the case. I imagine this was done to increase the accessibility to the rear of the drives for plugging cables into. Whether or not this feature will prove to be a helpful one will have to wait until I install some hard drives.

Located towards the rear of the case is a fan mount for either an 80 or a 60mm fan. In my opinion, a rear fan mount is almost a necessity these days with the extreme heat loads generated by today's power-hungry processors. Also located in the rear appears to be a retaining clip for the PCI slots. I am assuming this would be used to hold down the AGP and the PCI cards without screws, but I will check that out later in the review.

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Page 2 of 4

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Page 1: Introduction & First Impressions
Page 2: Opening the Case
Page 3: Inside the Case
Page 4: Quality Check & Conclusion

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