Spring Case Madness: 24 Of The Best

Chenbro PC61319, Continued

PC61319 sports a black finish with silver trim. The case itself is pretty solid, but it has a little bend to the case, but no twist. The inside of the case is a bit plain not offering the level of expansion that is available in other models. The case is roomy, however, which is a very good feature.

PC61319 did pretty well in our cooling tests mostly due to the fact that it can handle 92mm fans rather than the standard 80mm type. The PC61319 is vented well for intake in the front of the case is able to force the air through the case very well. This of course is somewhat a surprise for what is basically a two-can unit. One good thing about the less expansion in this case is that the intake fan in the front of the case has less obstructions to have to go through to push air to the rear of the case.

The side panel of our sample PC61319 was set up for either another small fan or an air channel of some sort. We didn't find much in the documentation to indicate if Chenbro is using this as just a vent, or offering an optional air guide for this panel as well.

In what might be an effort to save money, the motherboard tray in the unit does not use stand off mounting; rather, you just bolt the motherboard to the tray itself. This does make building in this PC go very quickly. The PC61319 was one of the easiest cases to build in of all of the units that we tested. This case could be a good choice for system builders who are looking to a case with some style.

A look at the front mounted ports on the PC61319.

The PC61319 offers front mounted USB, Audio, and 1394 Firewire ports that are hidden by a door. One rather goofy thing about these ports is that they are recessed into the case somewhat and can present issues for jacks or connectors that are not straight, since the ports are so close to the edge. This will only be a problem with the audio ports, as the USB and 1394 Firewire ports are in the center.

Overall, this is an excellent case available at an affordable price. While the side panel doesn't include a window, this is really the only thing that is missing from this case. While it is sort of a no frills design that certainly isn't robust as other cases, it is more affordable, and that is a good thing. We like the look of the case and many buyers will be convinced by that alone.