Up Close With the Xclio 1000 Case

By Rico Mossesgeld
published

Here's a PC case that has a fetish for fans.

We know the Xclio 1000 has been on the market for quite a while (it currently retails for $200 (opens in new tab) over at NewEgg), but this was our chance to see the case with a fetish for fans up close.

Or was it? The Xclio reps at the company's COMPUTEX 2010 booth were for some reason a bit hesitant to open up the case, so we didn't push it, but we can tell that from the front, the Xclio 1000 looks like the engine array of a starship. Three fans on front, three more on the side, and two on top promise a good amount of airflow for the components inside. The 3.5-inch mounts are directly behind the front fans, all on rails to facilitate installation (the front fans and their filters swivel open individually).

For buyers who want to add even more fans, there are two more spaces on the rear that accept 120 and 140 mm system fans. Unfortunately the fans that are preinstalled on the case are of a non-standard size (180 mm), so it might be hard to locate replacements if the fans break down—a common occurrence according to user reviews on NewEgg.

One more thing: just where do you install that optical drive?

Rico Mossesgeld
18 Comments Comment from the forums
  • DXRick
    A true fanboy case! :)
    Reply
  • Parsian
    it looks cool but i think they are emphasizing more fans than u need :S
    Reply
  • ohim
    imagine the noise ...
    Reply
  • descendency
    Optical drive? Those are dead. (BluRay on PC sucks, and I can't remember the last time I watched a DVD on my PC. I can install windows from a flash key. I can't think of too many other uses for a DVD drive except installing those stupid 5$ screensavers.)
    Reply
  • kewlx
    I have the haf 932 and I have 4 (3000 rpm fans) on the side 3 (1700 rpm red blood fans) on top a 120mm fan on bottom 230mm fan in front and a 140 mm fan at the back and it runs quiet (without the 4 side ones going that is and are rarely used cept for major quick cooling)
    Reply
  • twisted politiks
    "One more thing: just where do you install that optical drive?"

    Personally, I don't even have an internal Optical Drive anymore. I use one External DVD Multi R/RW drive for all of my machines. And this is only used to install the OS. Everything else I have converted to digital format on my storage, using the External drive. Now all I need is Daemon Tools and I'm golden :)

    I see Optical media as a thing of the past now a days.
    Reply
  • Sykar
    I must say, the position of the PSU is freaking stupid, there's a space between it and top fans, why not just put it on the bottom?
    Reply
  • JohnnyLucky
    Doesn't look like a very good design. With six intake fans and only two exhaust fans the airflow is totally out of whack.

    I went over to newegg and took a look at the photos. There's nothing special about the interior of the case.

    The front intake fans are not mounted to the front case panel. Instead they are mounted to plastic doors on the front bezel. Open a door/fan to get to optical drives or other components.
    Reply
  • Kelavarus
    Asking where you install the optical drive on a case like this makes it sound like you haven't looked at the majority of cases available today. Most of them have doors that swing open to reveal the optical drive. Not my preference, but there are a lot like that anyway.

    Xclio has a fetish for non-standard fans. I like their cases, I have friends with them and they offer good cooling, but when those fans die, it's a major pain to replace them.
    Reply
  • gnesterenko
    "Doesn't look like a very good design. With six intake fans and only two exhaust fans the airflow is totally ..."

    Actually, this is excellent design as it creates very strong positive air pressure inside the case = no dust collecting in various nooks and cranies as with most other cases that have more exhaust then intake fans... although that last part is easily fixed by reversing some of the exhaust fans into intake fans. Assuming, of course, that all your intake fans are filtered, positive air pressure is the best way to ensure your case stays dust free for longer. This is the same reason Lian Li cases generally have more intake then exhaust fans.

    All that aside, the interior of this case is extremely lame - disappointing...

    "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."
    Reply