Completing the case!

Total time to this point was about 40 minutes. This included the time to remove the parts from the old pc.

Adding the rear panel nearly completes the case. Once the rear panel was on I snapped the metal I/O panel into place and installed the power supply.

Add a fan and video card...

If you've made it this far you have to be thinking: "Ok, where are the pics with this thing lit up?!?" Well, it's your lucky day. There was a problem with a vendor and the UV lights were delayed, so I ended up taking pics of both normal lighting inside the case, as well as what it is intended to look like once the lighting arrived. Below is what happens if you put a standard fan with LED's in the case:

Here is what happens when you add two cold cathode black lights, a couple UV reactive fans, and round cable. All I could think was how GREAT this baby looks once it's complete! *Each picture is clickable and brings up a larger version. Check 'em out.

You'll notice that I moved the drives around a bit before putting in the UV lighting...that was due to a miscalculation in the IDE cable length. Oops! The red UV reactive IDE cable looks AMAZING in person. I intended to have a UV cpu fan as well, but it did not fit properly...once again, my fault. I chose to mount the cathode tubes vertically, rather than horizontally on the base of the case like most people. I found that the case lit up better with the tubes standing vertical through the middle. Keeping them on the bottom did not provide enough light up top and more tubes would be needed for a bright effect.

Pros

• Amazing appearance
• Fairly easy assembly
• UV Reactive (WOW!)
• 5 fan bays for excellent cooling
• Extra screws in case you misplace one during assembly

Cons

• Not easy to remove/modify drives once assembled
• Cost (no power supply and quite a bit more than a comparable metal case)
• Assembly instructions could show more detailed pics to avoid confusion
• No front USB or Firewire ports (depending on your taste in cases...may not matter at all to some)

Summary

The difference from start to finish is dramatic and makes for a very good cosmetic upgrade to any pc, old or new. This case is true to its intent: flashy and eye catching. If you want to show off and make a statement, this is for you. If you only have one pc and like to tweak your system...it may not be the right choice. Once the case is assembled it is far more time consuming to remove or change drives due to the nature of the assembly. This is more of a "it's assembled--now back away, don't touch it, and enjoy it" type of case rather than a tweaker's case.

Thanks goes to Bullet PC for providing this case for review. Direct link to the Galaxy Blue Acrylic UV Reactive Case. For other color choices, Go Here.