In the last year, the PC case landscape has changed. No longer is the beige box acceptable; rather, a computer’s abode should have a window to peak through, many fans, a temperature monitor, multiple light sources, at least two Front USB 2.0 ports, and of course, a theme.
A-Top technology has missed none of these points in creating the Z-Alien case. Upon first inspection, I noticed that there were already four clear case fans pre-installed, as well as a power supply fan. The main case fan is particularly large and spins at a considerable speed rate. Upon even closer inspection, I observed the LED’s in each case fan.
The window piece came to me pre-cracked, unfortunately, but I am sure that this was a shipping error, and thus with that point aside, the window looked great. It is shaped like an alien, with window covering the “face” and a vent covering the eyes. Also, on the window piece lays a “lock” which prevents the window piece from being unscrewed if it’s in the “locked” position.
The back of the case contained a pre-mounted motherboard plate and the typical seven expansion card bays. One of the points I particularly noticed was that the cover-plates for the unused bays are well-crafted and indented (such that even after you knock them out, they can be placed in again). One of the things that bothered me was the lack of thumb screws on both sides (there are thumb screws on the window side). Although thumb screws can be cheaply obtained, it’s always appreciated to use thumb screws whenever possible.
On the top of the case is a semicircle-shaped “Front-USB” port that also has two audio ports (one mike, one output) and an IEEE 1394 (Fire Wire) plug. Apparently, the entire case is made of aluminum and is extremely lightweight as a result.
On the bottom are four feet. They simply hold the weight of the computer up, and are rather minimalist. I was hoping for the long, slender feet that make your computer look more like a mammoth than a ballerina dancer, but they work effectively enough.
On the front is a plate that covers the 5.25/3.5 bays as well as the simple power and reset buttons and Power/HDD LED’s. The plate is lit by a blue LED with the Alien logo engraved in it. It looks rather cool. Under the logo is a temperature monitor, which incidentally looks pretty cool as well. To the left are two front USB ports. To the bottom are five air vents where the fan and hard drive area is.
The case itself is very lightweight and it is very easy to assemble a new computer within it. One of the first things you will notice is that there is no need for screws when installing expansion cards or hard drives. Instead, you use hardware either pre-installed or included at the bottom of the case in a small plastic container attached to the case itself. Basically, the concept is that instead of using screws, you use “plates” that tighten and loosen based on the case’s design. Despite a small difficulty getting my Radeon 9700 Pro in, everything else went fine.
Overall, this is an astounding piece of hardware and definitely a great deal for the money. The ease of installation, the style and design, and even the cooling make for an awesome buy for the gamer or workstation owner.
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