MGE XG Dragon Aluminum Case

Installation

First things first, attaching the motherboard to the already removed mainboard tray.  Included with the case were all the necessary screws.  The attachment of the mainboard was absolutely painless.

As I began installing the expansion card and water cooling expansion slot cover, I encountered my first and only real problem with this case.  The tool-less slot clamp slides up and down to release and clamp down on the expansion cards to hold them into place.  As I attempted to clamp this down on my AGP 9600XT, it would not clamp.  The card did not fit into the clamp where it should have, and thus I was unable to get the clamp to close down on the card.

This tool less clamp is easily removed with 4 screws from the back of the case.  After removing this, I was able to attach the card and the water cooler slot cover to the case with the standard screws.  Moving along from here, it was smooth sailing.  The wires inside the case offered plenty of length to connect to the mainboard, and there was ample working room inside the case to hook up all the cables once the mainboard tray was reinserted.

Upon finishing up, and turning everything on, I was greeted by an unexpectedly beautiful sight.  The two fans that were included boasted radiant blue LED's, as did the dragon emblem carved into the front of the bezel.  The front LCD panel matched perfectly, and boasts the same dragon logo as on the bezel, only much smaller.

  

The front LCD panel offers a readout in Celsius or Fahrenheit.  There's a sensor included with the case that can be attached to the CPU, or anywhere else you'd like that extra reading.  There's also a clock there for a little extra pizzazz, as well as a readout for up to three fans. 

Conclusion

I was extremely impressed with the XG Dragon.  I can't wait to take it to my next LAN and show it off to all my friends.  Along with the wicked looks, this case packs a long list of features.  The removable mainboard tray was a blessing in disguise.  The 80mm intake and exhaust fans that were included boast spectacular blue LED's as well as directing the airflow.  The included 500W PSU should be enough for any enthusiast, and the tool-less drive clamps were also a definite plus. 

The weight of XG Dragon may throw you off a bit (in a good way), but the construction is solid.  The aluminum chassis provides more enough support, and the handle sitting atop the case makes moving it a cinch.  If you don't mind shelling out the extra money, I would definitely recommend this one.

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