




Conclusion
No midi tower succeeds perfectly in reconciling demands for attractive design and quality workmanship. Cases with extravagant shapes and colors may attract attention, but once you open them up and start installing the hardware, it's clear that a lot of second-rate work has gone into them. That includes things like front panels that nearly break off when you open them, or even cases that come apart entirely when unpacked. In this area, all of the manufacturers could stand to learn a thing or two. A study of the target market would surely be a good start. The more conservatively-designed cases also leave much room for complaint. While the amount of sharp metal both inside and out has been reduced, the manufacturers of some cheaper cases still seem like they haven't heard of filed edges.
Our two test winners prove that cases taking very different design approaches can both be good. Jeantech's JNAF600 aluminum midi case is exceptionally well made, although we did not evaluate the cooling system. We really liked the front panels, which, like the rest of the case, are made of brushed aluminum instead of the usual plastic.
The SilverStone SST-TJ06 scores big with its many expansion options, excellent workmanship and simple hardware installation.
- Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
- The Test Candidates In Detail
- Little Room For Drives
- Little Room For Drives, Continued
- Codegen ATX-6089: Lightweight, And With A Handle
- Upgradeable Interior
- Coms-Com CF-707: Lightweight Model
- Enermax: Milk-White Case
- No-frills Interior
- Foxconn TH-202 Electric Blue: Hellish Encounter
- Illuminated Interior
- Jeantech JNAF600 Visco: Aluminum Case With Strange Air Filters
- The Filter System Takes Up A Lot Of Space
- Nexus Breeze: Plastic Case With Soundproofing
- Drives Under Construction
- Pros
- Kingwin Mutant X: Gamer Case With 420W PSU
- Room For 11 Drives Total
- SilverStone SST-TJ06: Totally Tubular
- Upside-down World
- Hard Drives Are Installed Vertically In The Case
- Uneec 602BLK: The Best Of Many Worlds
- Lots Of Room For Drives
- Pros
- XGBox Viper: A Case With A Bite
- Muzzle For The Back
- Bright Red Paint Job Inside And Out
- Evaluation
- Features Table
- Features Table, Continued
- Features Table, Continued
- Test Procedure
- We Used This Hardware For The Test, Continued