Kingwin Supernova HTPC Case

Below the cosmetic square acrylic accents is a stealth door concealing two USB 2.0 ports, a Firewire as well as an audio out and mic jack.

The two stealth bay doors for the optical bays on the opposite side of the bezel are rounded on the edges giving them a cleaner more appealing look.  You can see they are labeled in the center of each with 'DVD'.  The hidden rectangular bay just below these opens up to give the end user access to a floppy drive if they choose to install one.  I believe most users very well may use this as a fourth HDD bay.  In the second pic below you begin to get the idea that Kingwin likes the mirrored look.  Check out those bay covers again.

  

Each side of the Kingwin Supernova is constructed of a thicker piece of aluminum with what look like long thick convection fins running lengthwise down each side.  The fins won’t add much in the way of substantial heat dissipation to the case but they do look hip.

The layout of the rear wall had a bit of an awkward feel.  Namely, because of the horizontal positioning for any power supply installed.  Having a PSU in the Supernova mounted vertically would have opened up a little more space and (if your PSU has one) allow a PSU’s bottom cooling fan help assist in cooling the case more by keeping the air current in the case as pure as possible.  Case ventilation is covered by twin 60mm fans set up as exhaust.  Kingwin didn’t miss the importance of installing silent fans in this HTPC case as these were virtually silent under power.

One last stop on the outside before we pop the hood.  Looking at the underside of the Kingwin Supernova we spy a row of vents stamped into the aluminum on its forward side.  These vents are what provides the air intake (passive intake).  The air is pulled through this point at the front floor of the case from the twin 60mm fans we had a glimpse of above to and out of the rear exhaust. 

Removing the top cover to access the interior is a different experience than you would normally be used to.  Three small Phillips head screws, flush against the top edge of the cover hold things in place.  A bit irritating but considering that this is a HTPC, thumbscrews and quick access aren't really necessary here.

In case you missed it in the specifications, the Kingwin Supernova is for Micro ATX boards only.  Looking inside, I don't think there is going to be any confusion.  Smart but tight layout.

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