The Antidote To Tedium: 11 Midi Tower Cases Bring Excitement to the Desktop

Bright Red Paint Job Inside And Out

When you open the case you can clearly tell that it was dunked in a pool of red paint. The Viper's basic frame is red all over. If you take out a screw or remove a slot tray during installation, the missing paint is obvious; a better solution was called for here. This phenomenon is even apparent on the sides, with bare metal concealed under the painted screws.

In addition to the 500W power supply, the Viper case contains two preinstalled 80mm fans that you can set to glow red or blue to match your Viper to your mood. The interior has room for two extra 80mm fans if you want to add system fans at a later time. However, the red LEDs of the hard drive fan aren't very bright and are barely noticeable.

The one-piece mounting cage has room to screw in four 5.25" and six 3.5" drives. This midi case features nothing along the lines of drive rails or acoustic isolation, however. And like back in the old days, the rest of the hardware must be installed with normal metal screws.

Bucket paint job: red paint inside and out

Aha! These bits were mounted to the case prior to the paint being applied

Pros

• Cool design
• Large front display
• Preinstalled illuminated system fans
• Integrated 500W power supply
• Relatively low price (for a case with a 500W power supply)
• Filed case edges
• Back protective bracket
• Handles

Cons

• No dust filter
• No way to install long PCI expansion cards
• Immersed in paint - not all parts covered
• Wobbly panels on front ports

A wobbly affair: the protective panel is sure to break off before too long

Included: a 500W power supply