15 Cases For Review

Atech - AFT6551, Continued

Because of the clear acrylic that surrounds the outside of the case, the ability to mod the case and trick it out is somewhat limited. Clearly, style is everything with this case, and that isn't a bad thing. We would have preferred a window placed into the side of the case, and this is apparently something that Atech is considering as an option.

Like the AFT6303, the AFT6551 features one fan in the rear of the case which isn't a necessarily a bad thing, but it does restrict the airflow within the case. We would not recommend the AFT6551 for the overclocking enthusiast.

The AFT6551 also includes the Atech Pro III Multi-Format Flash Card Reader. The Pro III was the winner of a THG editor's choice award in our article entitled Bridging The Flash Format Gap With Multi-Format Readers/ Writers . This handy device was included on the AFT6551 that we reviewed, Though Atech sells the AFT6551 with and without the Pro III, depending on the reseller's request. The Pro III is quite handy, and its inclusion with the AFT6551 for the MSRP of $139 US makes this case quite a value.

A drop-down door exposes the ports of the AFT6551. The door hides the ports when they are not in use, so that you are able to maintain the clear lines of the AFT6551.

The quality of the case is good. No sharp edges or rough areas are to be found. The inside of the case also features a well-designed rail storage system, just like the AFT6303. The 5-¼ bays also feature a cover system, so you don't have to worry about having drives that match the case. Atech again includes an excellent manual, which was rated "best in class" for this review.

We liked the unique design of the AFT6551. It was, by far, the most unique design of the cases that we looked at in this review. What is more interesting is that the AFT6551 didn't weigh much more than then AFT6303, a factor if portability is a concern. We did have one mishap with the case, where we bumped it the wrong way and cracked the acrylic. This might be a concern if you move the case around a lot, but under normal circumstances, this should not be a problem. The bottom line is, if you want something that will really stand out in a room full of cases, the AFT6551 is the ticket. This is a fine effort from the Atech folks, and we look forward to seeing what they will design next.