Ultra Products E-Torque Midtower Case

Posted 06/14/2007 at 2:49pm | by David Murphy

0

Comments

Print

Reviewing Ultra Products’s E-Torque case is a bit challenging because this product is a strange mixture of good and great. And we’re not sure if that means it’s “grood” or “goodate.”

The E-Torque could be awesome, but every component seems to have been stepped back a notch. Consider the side window. It’s pleasing to the eyes and even comes with an air duct attached to a mountable grill. But the randomly placed

“VGA vent” below the fan is awkwardly out of place.
Speaking of cooling, the case comes with two awesome 12cm fan mounts. Their screwless, clipable design should become the standard for every case on the market—we love these mounts that much. But this case comes with only said mounts. You’re kidding, right, Ultra? An LED fan or two wouldn’t break the bank.

The front I/O panel doesn’t feature HD audio and is bland, just like the entire front of the case. The E-Torque looks good, not spectacular—only its screwless PCI holders are truly kick-ass. Again, we have yet to see a better design.

But this is the difference between a sprinter and a marathoner. The E-Torque succeeds in small bursts, but these spurts don’t ultimately push the case to the front of the pack.

Tony soprano

Best fan and PCI holders we’ve ever seen, hands down. Hardly a screw in sight.

Tony the tiger

No fans, ho-hum aesthetics,
lacking an overwhelming “cool” factor.

7