Cage Match: Four Open-Air ATX Chassis

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Torture Rack: Evaluation

Once again, we find an open testbed where additional fans have little impact on air-cooled system performance. Yet, those who choose liquid cooling should find side fans next to the CPU socket and DIMM slots helpful in moderating chipset and memory temperatures. Raised sides are less helpful in liquid nitrogen-cooled configurations, since these make access to the CPU socket area slightly less efficient, though slots along the top edge make extremely useful carrying handles.

Pros:

Easy hardware installation
Somewhat easy motherboard access
Excellent viewing of internal components
Supports three dual-fan radiators
Supports eight 120mm fans
Supports two hard drives, one floppy, and one optical drive
Added space between power supply and drives handy for cable storage
Open-frame motherboard tray for better cooling and easier cooler installation
Sturdy 3/8” acrylic construction
Handy carrying handles

Cons:

Acrylic attracts dust
Requires gentle handling to prevent scratches
Lengthy assembly process
High sides slightly encumber motherboard side access
No reset button in basic package
Bulky 14.7” x 12.1” x 14.4” dimensions

Other thoughts:

Optional top and front panels allow transformation to closed case, and Danger Den will even add custom laser-etched graphics for a small fee. With lighted fans, this could be a LAN party stunner.

Best For:

Overclocking competitions (liquid-cooled class)

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
46 Comments Comment from the forums
  • johnny_5
    When I had a desktop I would just leave the door off. It was unfortunately fairly noisy, but these would suffer the same problem anyways.
    Reply
  • 08nwsula
    the antec is the only frame that doesn't look incomplete
    Reply
  • kikireeki
    I though the point of having an open-air Chassis is to be simple and fast but these are far-cry from that! very cool nevertheless.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    kikireekiI though the point of having an open-air Chassis is to be simple and fast but these are far-cry from that! very cool nevertheless.
    I'm using the Torture Rack 2 right now to test several motherboards, I've added two push-through standoffs to keep them in place without screws.
    Reply
  • Onus
    Have you done any EMF testing on these? It seems to me that could be a considerable con on any of them.
    Reply
  • thackstonns
    I wanted the Banchetto 101, but found a skeleton for 100bucks new. A friend won it in a land contest and didnt want it. So I went with that. It is a good case the only thing that really pisses me off is I have to unplug all the front panel stuff to slide the tray out. Also I am building a bench for it to set on out of acrylic to house my radiators and pump. I cant figure out a good way to run the cpu waterblock though. The top cage does come off with 4 screws, But I have looked everywhere and cant find thumb screws that fit. Otherwise I would just use that instead of sliding it in and out.
    Reply
  • dragonsprayer
    whats wrong with a table or desktop with mobo box and antistatic plastin? works great less hassle! here is a photo from years and years ago! best desk to set up is martin lab testing set up (photo of martin lab persmission given to copy his stuff) - this is the s$#t!: http://s63.photobucket.com/albums/h138/4rothrocks/?action=view&current=Worklog15.jpg
    Reply
  • dragonsprayer
    part 2: we build every system on a mobo box with anti static, we burn in the cpu/psu/mob/gou at max oc in the bios for 24-72 hours - i.e. 920 is burned in at 4-4.4ghz air cooled. we have done this since 2003. then hard drives are hooked up and the system programed. this even done for water cooling built with air cooler then converted to water. The gpu, mobo, psu, cpu and hard drives are tested then installed in the case. The system is then run on orthos and 3dmark loops and other tests for up to 7 days. So the mobo box, anti static works great - stick hdd on there bags, use the mobo box from the system.
    Reply
  • jellico
    The Antec rack is the coolest, by far! The rest look like plain, old racks.

    Reply
  • duolc
    I use a Skeleton for my Case. Dust is an issue but a quick shot of air here and there and I can keep it under control.

    I Use an Asus Silent Knight CPU Cooler And It did not fit originally. I had to shave off one of the supports to make it fit.
    Reply