Chenming ATX-301 Aluminum Case

Silver power and reset buttons are a nice touch and the case comes with 2 USB ports. Unfortunately they are only USB 1.1.

My first surprise came when I spun the case around to pull the side panels. There is only one side panel (no thumbscrews), the other side doesn't come off. "Uh oh", I muttered to myself, "This isn't a good sign." Removing the side panel would prove me wrong. The case was set up for ease of use (speed baby!), there isn't any need for the other side to come off. The downside of this approach is the motherboard tray is fixed. No biggie for me but I would be remiss if I didn't mention it.

Like it's high dollar competition this case has smooth, finished edges throughout. As someone who has cut fingers, hands, and wrists on the inside of a computer case, I very much appreciate this feature.

The interior  layout is standard for a mid-tower. There are a few things that aren't standard. The hard drive bay is removable with just the pull of a lever. The 5.25" drive bays secure with one, yes one, screw. This is the one area of the case I have a problem with. Notice the purple rails on the 5.25" bays. After you insert the drive you have to line up the single hole that you can't see and you slide the purple rails forward. This pushes two prongs toward the drive which help lock it in and exposes the single mounting hole. While this does an ample job of securing the drive, ease of use is hurt by having to line up a hole you can't see. I would rather just use 2 screws and forget the rails.

Get tired of hunting down screws when you need them? A handy little feature is a small storage bay on the rear. This piece also just snaps off for easy access to your expansion slots.

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