"Talking to yourself is a sign of impending mental collapse." - ZORK I:

    Evil Bob: “No, I refuse to let you get a new case from ATXPowerSupplies.com! It’ll allow you to upgrade your computer, make it look nicer and it has better ventilation so your computer will run cooler! Stop! No! Don’t click that….ok, now we have to do a review. I think you should take over now.”

    Kyle: “Thank you Evil Bob.”


Key Features:
 
  1. Dual Front USB, Dual Front Firewire, Front sound & mic
  2. Direct Flow processor cooler
  3. Easy Access Latch for quick entry
  4. 11 Device Bays
  5. Full ATX form factor
  6. Satisfies both desktop and server style architecture


Product Description:

    The 753AB ATX computer case is a hybrid that will accommodate both desktop and server deployment. A favorite among IT professionals and system builders, this ATX pc case offers versatility like no other. With 11 device bays you'll never run out of space in this computer case. All edges have been rolled so enjoy hazard free system building. ATX power supply sold separately.


Technical Specs:

  • 20" Tall
  • 20" Deep
  • 9" Wide
  • Four 5.25" Bays
  • Seven 3.5" Bays, 5 internal & 2 external
  • Accepts ATX, Mini ATX, Micro ATX, & Flex ATX motherboard form factors.


Additional Components Included:

    All accessories included for construction: rubber feet for bottom of case, screws for hardware mounting, extra ATX computer case expansion slot covers, etc...


Packaging:

    Now that the internal dialogue is over, let’s get on with the review. The case I was mailed and asked to review was the 753AB from (you guessed it) ATXPowerSupplies.com. Incidentally, the packaging was decent. The styrofoam did its job nicely and the cardboard had no holes poked in it or dents or any other signs of mishandling. No cracks, scratches, or dents in the case when I got it. Which didn’t last long—I promptly dropped it as soon as I took it outside the box. Let’s take a quick once-over around the outside of the case.

(1) This case came nicely packaged.	(2) That Styrofoam certainly protects the case well.

The case:

    This case has a simple look that I thoroughly enjoy. It is two-toned and it is not wild in colors or designs. It makes for a distinctively elegant look. The only thing that could be classified as even mildly different would be the weird window-style clear plastic chunk around the power/reset buttons and the LEDs. It’s not quite a window; all it shows is a section of the outside of the case. But it does add to the overall look of the case while in keeping with the more subtle overtones the case gives off.

(3) Notice the clear plastic around the power button island thingy.	(4) The inside of the case.

    As we continue our journey touring this computer case, we go on to the inside. The inside of the case looks very functional with the only exception being a cross member that you have to remove to install the motherboard. There are little bubble out pieces (discussed more in depth later) on the motherboard 'tray'. It also has no sharp edges, which is a miracle. I didn’t cut myself putting this computer together. It was such a wonderful experience. It also has a bit of extra pieces. The included...uh..includes the following: PCI slot covers, screws, a little diagram that didn't help much, feet and some little plastic items that I have no idea what they are.

(5) The included miscellaneous stuff.	(6) Partially assembled.

    Since we’re speaking of installing, let’s move on to that. Moving all the stuff into the case was a fairly easy process once the cross member was removed. Removing the cross member however was an exercise in annoyance. The screws did not want to move. I tried multiple screwdrivers for the different size heads, and finally, I got it to move by exerting enough force to move the screw. Once the screws were removed, I installed the motherboard. Now, here’s something interesting that should be pointed out: there is no need for the spacers that most motherboards require. The motherboard tray actually has little bump outs that allow you to screw the motherboard directly into the tray. Since I usually have to use the spacers, I had to wonder why the motherboard wasn’t fitting. But then again, it would be just like me to put spacers where they aren't needed. Maybe a manual would have helped a bit.

(7) Here are the internal connectors for the IEEE 1394, USB and audio connectors.	(8) The connectors are at the bottom of the front of the case, covered by a door.

    Once the motherboard was secured I installed the hard drive, CD burner, floppy, zip, PAC400, power supply and the fans. Here I’d like to thank the makers of this case for putting dual external 3.5” bays. There were no problems there, but I encountered a weird setup for keeping the 3.5 and 5.25 bay objects in their place. There’s a panel that has nubs that fit into the screw holes. You have to unlatch the door and swing it out, then insert the device into the slot. Once the device is there you have to line up the holes in the device with the holes in the rack. Once that’s all set, you push the door closed and the knobs go into the device’s screw holes. It is then latched shut and the device is securely in place. Or is it? I think I’d rather trust my equipment to metal screws then to a plastic knob. I’m going to be extra careful moving this case.

    Well, attaching all the cables and everything else went ok except for one issue. If you notice where the IDE jacks on my motherboard are, you’ll see that it’s really close to the hard drive no matter where I put my 40 gigger. So there were some interesting machinations when I tried to run the IDE cable this way and that. I ended up using a 24" round IDE cable to travel roughly 3". But on the good side: the front jack cables. They are detachable from the front of the case. Since I don’t have headers for sound or Firewire on this motherboard, I just removed the cables to clean the case up a little bit. This will help people who want better airflow and are stuck with an older motherboard that has the same Firewire and onboard sound capabilities that I do.
 

(9) Most of the case and parts assembled with my big hairy toe.	(10) Same picture as before minus my big toe, and add the crossbeam.

    Then it was time to put the crossbeam back in. This is the only part of this case I despise. It’s probably there for a reason but it’s really annoying. Once the crossbeam was back in, I replaced the sides of the case and started my computer back up. Something bad had happened. Apparently, when I was hooking up my 80 millimeter fans I had accidentally wired them into the wrong power line. So it wasn’t getting the full 12 volts. Once that was fixed, the air started to flow and the heating issue went away.

(11) The completed case.	(12) Another shot of the completed case.

    Speaking of heat issues, let’s move on to ventilation. There are places for 4 80mm fans and one is taken up by a fan that is sent with it. This isn’t including the interesting fan/funnel area in the side panel. There are two next to the motherboard connectors and two on the front of the case right, where they can blow air onto the hard drives. This is pretty good ventilation for a mid size case. There’s another thing that helps with ventilation in a more passive way. There’s an 80mm fan hole (complete with screws) on case side. But instead of an 80mm there’s a funnel. And you can’t put a fan between the funnel and the side of the case because the extra length runs into some components on the interior of the computer. But you could just remove the funnel and stick an 80mm fan there which should blow some nice ambient temperature air in the vicinity of the heatsink.

(13) A picture of the ubiquitous funnel.

Good-Bad:

    This case, on the whole, has a lot of good things going for it. The case is aesthetically pleasing and has good ventilation. There are 11 bays total (four 5.25” and seven 3.5”) which is a decent amount and is probably enough for most users. It has quite a few little nifty items that make assembling a computer in this case a breeze.

    On the down side, it has that crossbeam. It’s annoying as…well, me, when I’m in a bad mood. The only other thing I would say wasn’t a good thing was the funnel. It should come as an option and with a mounted 80mm included in that location. But it does allow fresh air to come inside the case toward your CPU.
 

"This case is aesthetically pleasing and has good ventilation."

Closing:

    And for the record, machinations is a real word. I'd like to thank ATXPowerSupplies for sponsoring this case for review. If you didn't catch it already, they have Power Supplies too at very reasonable prices. So head on over there and see if there is something you might need, or like. Recently, they have added lots of pre-modded cases that are becoming more and more popular with those that don't want to spend days modding and painting a case.
 

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