Sunbeam Transformer Case

Now I didn't notice this until the side panel was removed.  Check out the power connectors for the Sunbeam Tech 80mm LED fans.  Notice how they have connectors to accept three and four pin Molex plugs.  VERY nice!

The 5.25" and 3.5" drive bay area is nothing out of the ordinary except that there are more of them - five 5.25" bays to be exact.  The hard drive rack on the other hand, is set at a 90 degree angle allowing easier access to the drives.  This makes for cleaner wire placement and routing for you neat freaks out there like me.  The beige plastic box you see is a tool box of sorts containing drive rails, mounting hardware and instructions.  The tool box is mounted in place with a screw to either side so that it can be removed from the case assemble at will.  The only concern is that the wall of the HDD cage may restrict cable installation on some boards.  We installed an ASUS P4C800E Deluxe with the side mounted IDE connectors.  While we did have room for installation (1.5" clearance) things did feel a little tight.  A concern worth noting but not enough to be considered a big deal.

  

Light this candle

With everything plugged in we knew we were in store for a treat with the LED fans lighting up the swirl patterned window.  As you can see below, we were not disappointed.  The only problem was that with the included fans (three 80mm and one 120mm fan) the sum noise level of these was loud.  While not clench your teeth loud, it was loud enough to disturb anyone reading close by.

Conclusion

The Sunbeam Transformer is a nice package for $95.  You get lots of features and function for a reasonable price.  The design is bound to attract more than just a few people with its spiral window design accented by the LED case fans.  While the Transformer was lacking a removable mainboard tray, it was roomy enough for to negate this to some degree.  The only other two concerns we had were the lack of fan filters and the noise.  Sunbeam touts the Transformer as high thermal performance case.  It attains this through ventilation.  High flow, low resistance (no filters to impede air flow) insure maximum ventilation but at a cost of sound and dust. 

All in all, the Sunbeam Transformer gets everything in the ball park to satisfy most anyone looking for a high flow case.  Your dollars would be well spent here if you find yourself looking for a case to drop a rig in that is different than the rest of the field.  Thanks again to Sunbeam Technology for making this review possible.  You can find the Sunbeam Transformer in stock over at Sidewinder Computers and NewEgg now.  For areas outside North America, here is a Sunbeam reseller map.

Pros

• Big

• Stylish design

• Great detail on window design

• Four included fans  (Three being LED)

• 80mm LED fans can accept three pin or four pin Molex power connectors

• Excellent ventilation

• Roomy

• Very nice accent lighting

Cons

• Big

• No removable mainboard tray

• No fan filters

• Loud

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