Aluminium cases were one of the first casing trends to hit the
desktop PC market, the first models arriving well before the
waves of uber-customized cases, windows, cold-cathode tubes and other gimmicks
flooded computer stores near you.
There's a good reason for their
early arrival too, since aluminium makes a lot of sense as case
material.
Besides the aesthetic appeal of brushed aluminium, it's also massively lighter
than steel.
While fancy
plastic and steel cases are now the order of the day, aluminium cases still have
a high-end niche in the market and have retained a lot of their initial cachet
(and high prices; aluminium is not cheap).
Gigabyte seems to have a hand in every conceivable PC market
these days, and cases are now no exception.
Today we'll be looking at
the company's first stand-alone computer chassis, the high-end Gigabyte 3D Aurora
aluminium case which is designed to especially accommodate watercooling systems.
Let's see how it measures up.
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Gigabyte 3D Aurora Aluminum Case |
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Includes |
Instructions and necessary mounting hardware (screws and
rails), (2) serial ATA power adaptors, keys, cable
clips, custom logo window for front light. No power supply is
included. |
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The 3D Aurora case has a reasonable 8" x 17" footprint
and is quite tall at a full 20". While it is considerably taller than your
average computer case, it weighs less than you might think, due to its (almost)
all-aluminium 1mm thick construction.
The front
of the 3D aurora holds its most notable feature. When the case is
installed and powered on, an internal blue LED shines down through a transparent
window on the bottom of the case, displaying the '3D Aurora'
logo on the ground. Great for showing off at LAN parties. Gigabyte also provides
a tool allowing you to create and print customized transparent 'labels' for the
projector, and a clear window plate is included with the case..
The front panel ventilation holes also glow
blue. The front features an aluminum locking swing door which hides the external
drive bays from view. The right side case panel is also lockable.
Three 120mm LED-lighted case
fans are included for case ventilation, and provisions are also made for
water cooling (more on this later). Air intake grills are present on the
front and right side of the case, the front vent includes a fabric filter,
while the side vent uses a plastic grill to keep out larger particles or
insects.
The Gigabyte
3D Aurora case features screwless installation of external drives via
a locking lever system. Five 5.25 inch drive bays are provided as
well as two external and five internal 3.5 inch bays. Seven rear expansion slots
are present. A black plastic 'toolbox' is pre-installed in the 3.5" drive
bays and holds the various accessories that come with the
case.