Enermax Saberay RGB Case Review: Missing the Mark

Features & Specifications

When it comes to buying a new case, people usually fall into one of three groups; those that want pure performance, those solely interested in the look of the chassis and those that want both. That's where Enermax's Saberay RGB chassis comes in. The company promises great thermal performance and flashy good looks for $170. Unfortunately, there are several issues with this chassis that will lead you toward other cases in the same price range.

Specifications

Exterior

At first glance, the Enermax Saberay RGB seems rather large for a mid-tower ATX chassis. Upon closer inspection, however, the interior of the case is much smaller than you'd think from looking at the case's outside. This is primarily due to the 2-inch-tall top panel, 1.5-inch-deep front panel and large feet that elevate the chassis 1.5 inches off the ground.

Measuring 22.3 x 8.8 x 18.8 inches (HxWxD) and tipping the scales at just over 26lbs, the Saberay RGB is constructed of steel, plastic and a tempered glass side panel. The black on black paint scheme is accented by two RGB light bars that span the entire top / front of the chassis. The top portion of this case is made of plastic and contains a plastic and metal mesh insert with mounting locations for three 120mm or two 140mm fans directly under the panel.

At the front edge of the top panel are a pair of USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks, HDD LED, power and reset buttons. On either side of the power button you will find buttons for controlling fan speed and RGB lighting effects. Enermax includes anti-dust plugs for each port to prevent debris from accumulating in the ports when the computer is not in use.

The front of the chassis, by default, features a tinted acrylic panel that, although it looks great, allows no airflow into the front of the case. Enermax includes a secondary metal mesh panel that is identical to the top panel.

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Directly behind the front panel you will find mounting locations for three 120mm intake fans. This case also has a single 5.25-inch mounting location for optical drives or drive bay accessories made of the same polished acrylic material seen in the removable panel in front.

The left side of the Enermax Saberay RGB features a full-cover tempered glass side panel, which is held in place by rubber-coated locating pins and large thumbscrews.

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Push-lock pins hold the acrylic front panel in place The panel is extremely prone to scratches.

The plastic push-lock pins on the top and front do not hold the panels close enough to the frame. The result is panels that do not line up well with the rest of the chassis. The plastic panels are marred with visible casting flaws that have the appearance of rub marks. These marks can only be seen at certain angles, but it is distracting nonetheless.

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The rear of the chassis is home to seven card slots, a motherboard I/O area, an opening for a bottom-mounted PSU and an exhaust-fan mounting location for 120 / 140mm fans.

The bottom of the case has a filter-covered hole for the power supply, as well as two large, rubber-coated plastic feet.

The filtration system on this chassis is a real head-scratcher to say the least. The top filter is metal mesh and does an adequate job filtering larger dirt and dust particles. The problem is that by default, there are no fans mounted in this location.

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To remove the large nylon filter in the bottom of the chassis, you have to access the case's rear, making cleaning a hassle. If you are the type of person that likes to show off your system build, you will need to stock up on canned air because the acrylic front panel does nothing to filter the air from the three included 120mm intake fans. The only other option is to use the included alternate front cover, which is made of metal mesh.

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