A-Top XPlode Gladiator Case

The right side cover has the same design as we saw on the left.  A definite draw at any LAN party.

Open er' up

Removal of the side panel is done via two small thumb screws.  The panel is removed with minimal effort giving us not an inkling of sticking or reluctance in its coming off.  Inside we find a good bit of work room.  Unfortunately what we did not find was a removable mainboard tray.

The layout the Gladiator's rear wall is fairly clean.  Below you can get a better look at the variable exhaust fan mounting area.  We have a clear 80mm installed here for scale.  I'm sure you also spotted this right off; punch out expansion card covers.  Once you pop these puppies off, they're off for good unless you go and pick up some expansion slot covers from you local PC shop.

A-Top really has done a nice job with their signature edition X-Blade power supply.  The windows really bring out the lighting of the fans and LEDs packed inside.  We'll give you a shot of this in a few minutes.  Immediately in front of the PSU is an oversized metal clip covered with a rubber sheath.  An excellent idea that keeps your PSU cables at bay.  By the way, did I mention the PSU lines are UV reactive?  One last cool thing about the PSU is that it has a 3 minute auto-on fan feature.  After your system is powered down, the PSU's fan will continue to spin for 3 minutes to help cool the case down quicker.

Moving forward is a five slot drive rack.  At its base is a thumb screw that locks things down while a small clip at the top of the HDD rack helps keep things snug until you need to remove the rack completely from the Gladiator for drive access.  Not that you will really need to because included with the Gladiator are some tool free drive rails.  Check out the venting holes on the sides of the rack allowing the intake fan to cool any installed drives. 

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