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Cooler Master HAF

David Murphy — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:05:49 -0600

Cooler Master’s newest HAF (High Air Flow) chassis is the company’s magnum opus. It successfully unifies the best bits and pieces from a wide variety of Cooler Master’s previous cases under one roof. But more than that, the HAF features a number of unique and helpful additions that truly raise the bar for case design.

Hit the jump for more of this air flow goodness.

SilverStone KL03

David Murphy — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:00:01 -0500

We often jest that SilverStone makes but one case a year—a slight modification of its most recent TJ series case. The company has since proven us wrong with the release of its Kublai series KL03 chassis. But after testing this midtower case, we find ourselves clamoring to go back to the familiar ground of SilverStone’s TJ cases. Given the TJ line’s high level of excellence, the KL03’s deficiencies stand out even more and make this chassis look like an ill-conceived side project.

Find out why we're not vacationing in Xanadu anymore after the jump!

Gigabyte Poseidon 310

David Murphy — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:00:00 -0500

Instead of a god of the sea, Gigabyte’s midtower Poseidon 310 chassis is a petite prince. But that’s merely a reflection of this case’s size, not its prowess. It clocks in at 7.75”x17”x20”—small enough to fit into that nook in your desk or the space under your bed.

Even given its small size, the Poseidon supports up to five 5.25-inch devices. We’re unsure why this case—or any case, for that matter—still bothers with multiple external 3.5-inch bays. You get two helpings of them on the Poseidon. We would have rather sacrificed these and an additional 5.25-inch bay in favor of more internal hard drive space. Though we’re not complaining about what we get for internal storage: three hard drive bays with included rails.

Full review (with a verdict and everything!) after the jump.

NZXT Khaos

David Murphy — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:44:26 -0500

The NZXT Khaos looks like it would be a sleek addition to Maximum PC’s “best of” case club. We like how NZXT is attempting to bring an aesthetical refresh to case construction by toying around with the thick aluminum exterior of the chassis itself: curved edges and indented, grilled valleys add a modernistic look to the otherwise drab framework of a traditional rectangular case.

Check out our full review after the jump!

In Win B2

David Murphy — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:24:20 -0500

In Win can’t resist building gimmicks into its chassis. We first encountered the company’s design oddities with its F430 case (reviewed July 2008), which emits the superloud sound of a car engine when you hit the power button. The company’s B2 chassis isn’t quite as ostentatious—unless you think the motorized front panel that conceals the drive bays is over the top.

So what's to like (or hate) about the B2? Find out after the jump.

Budget Cases Reach New Heights

David Murphy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:58:33 -0500

Selecting the perfect computer case is like scouting the grocery store for a bottle of wine. And as oenophiles of all knowledge levels and palates know, you can’t judge a bottle by its price. In that sense, we’re scooping from the bargain bin in this month’s mega-roundup of computer cases: Only chassis priced at $100 or less are eligible.

Just because a case is cheap doesn’t mean it’s poor. So before you plunk down a pile of cash on your next case, see how these sub-$100 boxes stack up against their pricier brethren.

Lian Li PC-P80R

David Murphy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:56:33 -0500

In July 2008, we tested six sub-$100 budget chassis. For comparison's sake, we also tested one of the most expensive consumer cases on the market—Lian Li’s PC-P80R.

There’s no denying that the PC-P80R makes a statement. And we’re not just talking about its avid ATI affiliation. Regardless of our personal graphics-card preferences, we have to admit that Lian Li’s fanboy chassis looks awesome. What’s more, minus a single, irritating lapse in design judgment, this enclosure’s internal layout is a stunning combination of beauty, foresight, and ease of use.

Hit the jump to see what all that extra jingle gets you.

Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags to Save Frequent Fliers Some Frustration

Pulkit Chandna — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:14:04 -0500

For all their indispensability, airport security checks never feel pleasing. But a security check becomes most nettling when security officials place a request for your laptop to be scrutinized with X-rays. As things stand, laptops can’t be X-rayed properly while still inside a laptop case and have to be removed. But all this is set to change – at least in the U.S – with the Transportation Security Administration having acceded to allowing a new kind of X-ray friendly case that will allow X-ray machines to scan laptops, while still in the case.

Read on merrily as after the jump lies all the information regarding these checkpoint friendly laptop bags including their expected prices. Also don't be shy to join the discussion in the comments section with other typically insightful Maximum PC readers like you.