Enermax Uber Chakra Case

The reset button on the Uber Chakra is ideally positioned if you're going to use the case on your floor, but it'd get incredibly annoying if you had the case on your desk. It's recessed to be flush with the top of the case and, rather than being on the front, is located on the top along with a small selection of common ports.

The problem with this is that with the computer on top of the desk it's pretty much impossible to find the reset button quickly because the case is so tall. However, by now, we hope you've realised that this case isn't designed for being used on your desk. Finding the reset button quickly is one of the first things I look for in a case, mainly because my home PC often needs to be reset thanks to a system that gets crappier by the hour.

Enermax's Uber Chakra is one of the first cases we've seen with an eSATA port included on the front panel ports -- we really like the idea of this, and we hope that other case manufacturers take heed and push the faster bus technology. There are also two USB 2.0 ports, along with microphone and headphone ports that complement the eSATA port, though the positioning of them makes me think they'll fill up with dust faster than I can sneeze, which is an issue since there's no door to cover them.

Odd though it may be, my favourite part of the case was the left side panel. With a large figure eight shaped meshed-over opening in the side it provides amply airflow to the case innards and lets you quickly survey whether the system within needs dusting or not. On top of this, Enermax supplies a decent 25cm monster fan to occupy the back half of the window that circulates air from near the graphics card and CPU.

The fan is complete with blue LEDs to match the front fan and switches on the side panel allow the side fan to be flicked from intake to outtake or simply turned off. The LEDs can likewise be switched off, though again only on the side fan.

Unfortunately, the side panel was practically booby trapped. As anybody who has ever used a side-mounted fan will tell you, you have to be very careful when removing the side of the case. The power for that fan has to come from somewhere and it's all too easy to remove the side hastily and forget that the cables for the side-fan are still attached, meaning that you stand possibly breaking the wires. Enermax hasn't made this any easier and the fans wire is both a little too thin and shorter than we would have liked.

Another nifty feature of the Chakra case is the bottom, where two sets of plastic feet can fold out for some extra stability. They aren't rubberised on the bottom, so prepare your desktop for some scratches if you're going to put this monster on your desk, but they're solid enough to stop any wobble a PC might have. Just be sure to fold them back under before tipping the PC onto its side as you risk damaging them or, worse, snapping them off.