Now does that look sweet or what! I admit, I have an affinity towards blue so this is simply fantastic to me. Imagine this case in your favorite color. ISI Today seems to have about any color you'd want. Then add in some LED fans as I have and a cold cathode, now you have yourself a very cool case and one that will show well at night or in a dark room.

I previously had my main system in a similar steel case but with a smaller side window. The smaller window did block the drive bays from view and that was a good thing since steel drive bays, frankly, don't look good. Aluminum bays, however, do look rather good. Gives it a more shiny look. :D

Final Thoughts~

After owning mostly all steel cases, I was ready for something lighter. This case, while aluminum, was very sturdy to work with. It goes without saying that it is so much easier to move around and work with, especially for one who seems to tinker with their system sometimes several times a day as I do. I'm not sure I could ever go back to a steel case after working with this aluminum one. And since this case is larger than most mid-towers, it can still easily be moved around to things like a lan party without having to be concerned with getting a hernia.

And how 'bout that large side window? With that you can really show off your setup and keep tabs on where all your money went. :P. The front door is lockable as is the side panel. Another thing about aluminum is many say it helps to dissapate heat better than steel. It might do that slightly, but another thing I've found out is it seems quieter than than the similar steel case I previously had my system in.

I previously had thought that the only thing this case was missing is at least one place for a side fan in the window. Preferably over the video card, or perhaps the cpu. The other similar, but steel case I had this system in previously did have a side fan over the video card. However, temps in the same conditions are always 1-2C lower in this Chieftec aluminum case than in the same basic, but steel case. Could it be that a side fan disrupts air flow from the front intake fans, or is it because aluminum really does dissapate heat better. You decide. Interesting outcome though, eh.

As you can see above, this case has a front panel which has 2 USB ports and one firewire port. Great for connecting things like a digital camera, digital cancorder, etc.. Of course your motherboard must have these options, but this case does have the appropriate cables to attach to the mobo.

You do not have to worry about cutting yourself as all edges are rolled. The front bezel is plastic but the rest is all aluminum. I'm not sure how they painted the case but it appears to be a very good quality job. The blue finish not only looks very nice and pleasing, but it hasn't been easily susceptible to chipping or scratches. A similar steel case I was using would scratch too easily.

• Made of aluminum (lighter to move around)
• Purdy Blue Color
• Large side window
• Cooling is excellent with places for 4 80MM fans
• One 80MM fan placement for cooling the hard drives
• Removable 3.5" bays
• Rolled edges
• Lockable side window and front door
• Front USB and firewire connections

• No removable mobo tray

Many, many thanks to ISI Today for supplying this very nice case for review. Direct link to this AX-01BLD Blue Mid - Tower case. Do see their site for other colors you may prefer. And they happen to have these very cases on sale now for just $69! Normally $99. Better hurry. ;)

Considering all the many features this case has, how easy it is to work with, the purdy blue color and that it is made of aluminum I give this AX-01BLD Blue case the PC Abusers most esteemed award: