by Brian Tiller (4/7/2003)

Introduction

By now most of you have seen hundreds of case reviews ranging from the top of the line Lian-LI and Cooler Master cases down to your El-cheapo bargain boys. But what makes a case? Four or Five years ago 90 percent of all cases were those plain drab beige things that you kept in a corner and for good reason. But now, we've got windows, colors, lighted fans, CCFL's and all kinds of goodies which makes it hard for manufacturers to bring out something new and exciting. Today we're going to see if the X-Dreamer aluminum case has what it takes to grab your attention. Let's give XP Cases a big round of applause for making this review possible.

Specifications

Let's grab a look see at what this case offers. First of all I'd like to point out that the case comes equipped with a 350W TurboLink PSU. For a price of $65 bucks I sure didn't expect a PSU to be included. I did a search looking for the price of the PSU on the web and the cheapest price I found was about $30, not including shipping, so all I've got to say is WOW!  The X-Dreamer also is available in three color schemes, silver, black, and blue.

Correction (4/7/2003): The X-Dreamer's chassis is steel with an ABS plastic front bezel.  The metal is lightweight to the point its weight is easily mistaken as of aluminum construction.

• Construction: Aluminum with plastic front bezel

• Observed Dimensions: 431(H) x 200(W) x 470(D) mm

• Drive Bays: (4) 5.25" Exposed

• (2) 3.5" Exposed

• (5) 3.5" Internal

• 7 Expansion Slots

• Fans: 1 Top mounted clear exhaust fan, 1 Side mounted Tri-LED intake fan included

• (4) Intake and (2) Exhaust optional

• PSU: 350W TurboLink AMD/P4 compatible

• Build-In Thermal Monitor with Blue Back-Lit LCD Digital Temp. Display 

• Front Panel USB ports

• Front microphone and speaker jacks

• Optional Front FireWire port

• Acrylic Side window

• Dual Drop Down 5.25" drive bays covers for color consistency

• Matching color 3.5" drive bay cover

• Motherboard: Standard ATX

Again, I say "Wow! All those features for only $65." Are we ready to take this baby apart and see what makes it tick??