PC Case Review Roundup – Antec, Lian Li, NZXT & More

“The Sniper case brought in was very early sample built on the Cosmos shell this will change as the new Sniper has a completely new chassis with Storm-grade features. This case is the smallest that will be available, with two others increasing in height that'll rival somewhere in the region of the Lian Li X2000, apparently. To counterbalance the loss of stability, Cooler Master said the tallest will also have a fatter bottom too, although we find it hard to imagine what this will look like.”

“Our initial impressions of the XB01 are pretty positive - it looks pretty pimp and should fit much better into a home theatre environment than the vanilla Xbox 360, though we do have a few immediate concerns. The case is made of the same durable black brushed aluminium as many other Lian Li cases we've reviewed recently like the Tyr-X2000 and Lancool K7, so it is still very susceptible to finger prints and scratches and no microfibre cloth is thrown in.

The entire front section of the case is black mesh to help improve on the 360's infamously limited airflow, and the single 120mm cooling fan gets a cooling "hood" to hopefully silence your console while still keeping it cooler.”

“The PC-XB01 is a unique and highly innovative product - one where no one else has dared step, and for that we give Lian Li big kudos. We fully expect there to be a PC-XB02 and even competing models from other manufacturers before too long if this is really successful. The problem is that £70 plus the sacrifice of our precious three year warranty won't be worth the return for many, but for the very hardcore few; you stopped reading at "installation guide".”

“Then again, this is an enclosure at a price point that makes it a very attractive chassis solution. There are very few cases, other than the Antec Nine Hundred, that can match the Tempest and still be able to deliver a product that is big on features and small on price. The Tempest does so much right that it is not hard to see why enthusiasts, especially those on tight budgets, would gravitate toward this chassis. No longer do we associate "low price" with cheaply made cases. The NZXT Tempest has proven that you can take a successful design and make it one of the hottest enclosures on the market by simply listening to customers and ensuring that a quality product is delivered. With that said, it is unanimous here at HardwareLogic: move over Antec, the Tempest is the new king of the budget mid-ATX chassis realm.”

“Is the Twelve Hundred the “Unbeatable Gaming Case” that Antec says it is? Well, it has all the good things and corrected most, if not all, of the flaws of the Nine Hundred. If you liked the Nine Hundred, you will love the Twelve Hundred. As for the rest of us who have not been face to face with a Nine Hundred, the Twelve Hundred has a lot of nice style to it and it is very easy to work with and in. It also lends itself to be more user tailored than any other case I have used in a long while.”

“This Apevia X-Sniper G-Type case is a well built case and has some nice features for a price of around $79.99. I really like the benefits of the sturdy tool free design as well as the speed fan controller and temperature gauge. Considering most people probably don't monitor their computer temperatures it's nice to get a quick look at what the temperatures are inside your computer. The fan speed controllers may not be the greatest, but for most it is sufficient enough to be able to adjust the speed. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Apevia X-Sniper G-Type Mid Tower Case a 10 out of 10 score.”

“I think anyone building a HTPC would be happy with this case, it's only downfall is the price. With a MSRP of $529.95 it is one of the most expensive HTPC cases out there, but you are paying for a great case. Most HTPC cases run about $200-300 so for the extra money I think you are getting a lot of really cool features that you just don't get with those other cases. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Moneual Labs MonCaso 972 HTPC Case a 10 out of 10 score and our Editor's Choice Award!”