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by Chenming USA
Specifications
Introduction Chenming has been in the business of supplying OEM manufacturers with PC cases for many years. One of their popular lines of cases is the ATX-301 series of mid-tower cases. Their latest in this line of cases is the ATX-301KE aluminum case. This is a variation of the ATX-301K series case constructed of steel, but there are a number of cosmetic differences that set the two apart. At first glance, many people might mistake the ATX-301KE with the LANBoy case from Antec. After all, both are targeting the same market of people with a low cost aluminum case that have a set of features that would appeal to the would-be case modder. Some of the similarities are striking, but I will go into that in more detail throughout the review. There are also a number of differences between the two as well. The Chenming case is very much a barebones case sold without items such as fans or a power supply to allow the buyer the option of customizing the case the way they want. The Exterior The unit provided to me for the review is the classic silver color associated with most aluminum construction computer cases. The color is a bit duller than some of the other cases available on the market but it still is attractive. It is likely that the color is a bit duller so as to better match the plastic used to help reduce the overall cost of the case.
The side panel contains an acrylic window that is flush with the aluminum panel and is attached by small white plastic rivets. A small indention exists towards the back of the panel to act as the handle for removing the panel. To remove the panel, simply remove the two back screws and pull the panel towards the back of the case to slide it out of the locks. While this is an effective means of keeping the weight down and reducing the bulk of the side panel, it can be tricky to try and replace the panel back onto the case. One has to make sure that all of the panels teeth are lined up with the proper slots to put the panel back on properly.
The front panel is constructed of plastic in a color that will match the case. In this case it was a silver color that closely matched the color of the aluminum, but the hue was off slightly. The panel door covers 4 external 5.25 inch drive slots, 2 external 3.5 inch drive slots, power and reset buttons. The panel door also has a section that can be removed to customize the case. This piece can be selected from one of 8 colors to give the case a bit more variety. It may be difficult to find a retailer that either offers different colored panels with the case or for purchase separately, but the idea is nice. Below the front panel door is a small flip-up panel that also hides two USB 2.0 and a single IEEE 1394 FireWire connectors. In contrast, the LANBoy case only has two USB 2.0 connectors that are not hidden.
Moving to the back of the case, there is a lot of open space because the lack of a power supply. The top opening is for the back of a standard sized ATX power supply. Below that is the grill for a 80mm case fan and the standard removable ATX connector panel. There are seven available expansion slots for cards inside of the computer. A plastic case encloses the top mounting screws of the expansion slots. This cover also has a small panel that opens to a small storage area to hold all the various screws and connectors for the case. This is very useful for storing those spare screws if the system is moved around a lot and is also found on the Antec LANBoy case as well.
The Interior The case interior is quite spacious for a mid-tower designed case, but a lot of it is appearance because the case lacks a power supply. With a power supply installed in the case, the amount of space in the upper portion would be restricted. The lower section of the case that holds the fixed motherboard tray is fairly open allowing for an easy installation of even standard sized ATX motherboards. Most of the exposed edges are folded back to create rounded edges but there are still some areas where the machined edges are exposed. They are not extremely sharp, but it is still possible to get a cut on a few of them.
Hard drive installation is handled through a very standard removable drive cage assembly from the interior of the case. What is unique about the design of this tray is that the top two are used for the external 3.5 inch drive bays. This means that if you have any external 3.5 inch devices, it will reduce the number of overall possible internal 3.5 inch drives. This will only really matter for those who are looking to use the case for a multiple drive RAID array that requires up to 4 hard drives. The size of the slots also restricts the amount of space between drives that could impact airflow for cooling hard drives.
The 5.25 inch drives all have external panels and are mounted using a single drive rail that installs on the inaccessible side of the drive. The drive rails are stored in a unique location behind the external drive cover and attached to the aluminum blank that is removed when a drive is installed. This is useful for when a drive slot hasn't been used but if you repeatedly install and remove multiple 5.25 inch drives, the storage space will be lost once the blank is separated from the case. When the drive with the slide rail is installed into the bay, the accessible side of the drive can then be screwed down to fix the drive in place.
The case lacks a power supply and can fit any standard ATX power supply in the upper back portion of the case. The design of the slot is effective as the side support rails as well as a tab from the back of the case will support the power supply for installation. It is important to note that before installing any other components into the case, install the power supply first. If a motherboard and drives has been installed into the case already, it will not be possible to maneuver the power supply into its location.
Airflow through the case is limited to the installation of case fans that are not included. The case can support two 80mm standard case fans. The rear fan is mounted via screws directly to the rear panel of the case. The front case fan is mounted in a plastic fan holder that snaps into the lower front portion of the case. While this provides a quick and easy way to install a fan, the fan is generally not well supported and has a tendency to generate more noise inside of the case. There are a large number of sizable air intake holes at the front case fan and at the removable drive cage. This is where a potential problem can be found. While the case is design to allow for a large amount of air to be pulled into the front of the case, there is no prevision such as a filter to prevent dust from coming into the case. This could be a problem necessitating frequent cleaning, especially since the case has a window that will make the dust more visible. Conclusions Overall the Chenming ATX-301KE case is a well constructed case that is going to compete directly with the Antec LANBoy. The ATX-301KE will be less expensive, but it also does not provide items such as a power supply, case fans or a carry strap (for those who want to use the lightweight case for LAN parties). What the case does provide is more flexibility in customizing the case. Owners can select their own power supply, case fans or other accessories to install into the case. The option of the various case colors and insert colors also allows for greater flexibility in making the case stand out against the standard silver colored LANBoy. This makes the ATX-301KE a good selection for someone looking for a low cost aluminum case that they can personalize. |
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