Overclocker Cafe - X-Pider Case Review

X-Pider Aluminum Case

The first thing I want to point out is that this case was packaged extremely well for shipping. Not only did the box have the requisite styrofoam packing blocks, but as you can see from the pics below, that they also taped up the front bezel and the window to prevent damage. The window had a full sheet of tape, both inside and out, covering it. Nice job.

When I pulled this case out of the box, I have to tell you that my first reaction was "Sweeeeet!". I don't think these pictures do this thing justice, but the color of this case is just absolutely fabulous. And the front of the case really does grab your attention. I was a little skeptical at first since the bezel is made of plastic and not aluminum like the rest of the case, but it really is nice.

The front bezel is a very nice combination of style, elegance and functionality. At the top we have the door which covers the external drive bays and power/reset switches. And don't worry about all those undesirables, i.e. wife, children or dog, getting in because located right below the power and HDD lights is the door lock.

The lower part of the bezel provides a nice contrast to the smoothness of the door. Cut in an arching style, the bezel is designed to provide abundant ventilation without detracting from the style of the case. Centered at the top of the bezel is a small latch that lifts up and into the case revealing not just 2 front USB ports, but connections for speakers and a microphone.

You may be wondering why they chose not to include a FireWire plug-in up front instead of the speaker and mic jacks. I don't really know, but I'm glad they did it this way. I don't personally have anything that uses FireWire, nor do I personally know anyone who uses it. While FireWire is very useful, at the same time it's not very widely used right now. So I say "hoorah" for the speaker and mic jacks up front.

Looking behind the door, we see the four 5.25" and two 3.5" drive bays. The bays themselves are covered with matching faceplates and on either side of the 5.25" bays are little finger holes in them which we'll discuss later in the review. Below the drive bays are the power and reset switches as well as the LED's for the hard drive and power.

Ok, now you know we've just got to look behind this front bezel.

Here we see the cables for the USB and sound, as well as the front fan grills. And I'm sure that you also noticed that there's no filter for the intake fans. Granted it would have been nice had they included it, but you can always make one from a small piece of foam.

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