Internal Design (cont'd)

The expansion slots are also tool-less, using thumbscrews to secure add-on cards in place. Thumbscrews are the simplest, yet the most effective method in securing add-on cards. Each expansion slot cover is lined with holes to allow air to flow past installed cards and passively cool them.




Click to enlarge.


The power supply sits on a platform to help ease the stress on the structure of the back of the chassis. Our PowerStream unit is pretty heavy compared to smaller footprint units.




Click to enlarge.


Another feature that Chenbro has implemented in the GB2 is the Integrated Cable Management system, or ICM for short. Composed of about 3/4" of space behind the motherboard tray and two rectangular holes on the tray, the ICM creates hidden areas to stow away the mess of wiring from the power supply. Though not as advanced as the name sounds, the feature does help with systems that have many components to power, and keeps loose wiring from getting caught in the various fans.




Click to enlarge.


Internal Design Cooling
Comments Locked

42 Comments

View All Comments

  • RuStYwAvE - Wednesday, December 15, 2004 - link

    Just face it, you guys will never be satisfied with any case as long as you get it for free. If you want a case that stand out from the crowd build one yourself or shutup and buy the most expensive case you can find, most likely only a number of you will actually buy it. The fact is most of you won't buy a expensive (top of line case) and would probably just settle with a cheap case and a decent power supply, even if you do have the money for it. Saying that, I prefer the Lanboy or SLK 350 watt model from antec, but that is just my opinion. It is cheap, reliable, quiet, and aluminum depending which one you get; alot of people buy it for these reasons, even though the case does not stand out from the crowd, but who cares. Also, I think that toolless cases are overrated and thumbscrews can be just as easy to remove components and drives from the case around the same time it takes you push a slot or twist a knob. Taking a quick look at the pictures of the cm stacker and chenbro case, it looks to me that you still need to crack open the case to replace any part and the motherboard still require screws to mount them.
  • phaxmohdem - Wednesday, December 15, 2004 - link

    Those B**tards stole my design! And now they insult me by offering it at a meager $260??? This case is worth at LEAST $549.99 Come on!
  • kmmatney - Wednesday, December 15, 2004 - link

    I can't really understand why everyone is ragging on the XSpider case so much. It was actually one of the quietest cases tested, it was well-built, and is 1/5 the price of this one. It didn't look that bad - you can get other colors besides red.
  • Locut0s - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link

    Like others I applaud the review of a nicer, non tacky "metal-head", case. Though there are even nicer ones out there. Personally I don't care for any type of side window, though the one on this case is bareable. However I also agree with others that 240 bucks is a bit much to spend for a case like this, especially considering that you can find many other cases with similar features, some of which look nicer, for a lot less. Still this is a step in the right direction IMO.
  • Bladen - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link

    I knew that price would hurt them, it was supposed to be $200.

    I'm still going to buy one later, which may be sitting im my bedroom until 2006 or later when I will put a new system in it.

    I'll probably mod that top exhaust to fit 120mm fan to put my 4 Blue LED Blackfire A.C. Ryan fan on it.

    Why complain about stock, who uses stock anyway?

    It looks good and is probably solid. The ICM and Fleibay are good for modders who want looks and airflow (although having the HDDs backs facing the motherboard will reduce airflow).
  • ksherman - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link

    no thanks... ill stick to my uber quite Antec Sonata
  • Wolfz - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link

    Would it be possible to have a short follow-up addition about modding this case to fix the noise issues, etc? It shouldnt take that long to do (~2 hours maybe?)
  • diehlr - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link

    ugly
  • Phantronius - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link

    I"ll stick with my aluminum chieftec, thanks.
  • PuravSanghani - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link

    hoppa: We actually did briefly mention this in the conclusion...

    "The GB2 performed extremely well in our thermal benchmarks. Though very loud, the dual 120mm fans helped keep the air flowing to move warm air out of the chassis as quick as possible"

    Hope that helps!

Log in

Don't have an account? Sign up now