Enermax Uber Chakra Case

Of course, looks and features aren't everything when it comes to cases. There are other factors to consider, like noise, airflow and how easy it is to install a system in it. After all, in some ways a cardboard box makes the best chassis because of how easy it would be to mod or skin. In reality though, a cardboard box doesn't do well in other areas.

The case came packaged with plenty of brass stand-offs and screws, as well as a selection of rails for the various drives to be loaded onto so that the only thing we needed were a screwdriver and a system to assemble inside the spacious box. Our test system in this case consisted of:

CPU: Intel Pentium XE 955 (dual-core, 3.46GHz)
Graphics Card: Sapphire Radeon X1600 XT
Motherboard: Asus P5WD2-E Premium
RAM: 2x 512MB Corsair XMS2 DDR2-667)
Optical drive: Sony CD-RW Drive
Hard-Drive: 1x 240GB Hard drive

No major problems occurred during our system installation, though the supplied I/O plate didn't fit our motherboard and had to be swapped out -- that's fairly normal, though.

The case was so spacious in fact that when installing the motherboard we were able to fit a whole forearm bent inside the case in order to reach the corner screws on the motherboard. Cables were also able to splay out freely, though a few cable ties can take care of that little problem with a minimum hassle.

Once the system was in place we quickly set about a battery of stress tests on the CPU and RAM that were designed to push the temperature of the case and the processor through the roof.

At least, that what we would have done if the CPU had allowed us.

Unfortunately the standard Intel heatsink we had installed wasn't up to the task and the CPU quickly got too hot to handle and crashed itself. With no other option we promptly switched the puny Intel cooler for a more beefy monster; the Asus Silent Square Pro, which we reviewed last month.

The whole system had to be removed so that we could add a new mounting bracket to the motherboard in order to mount the Silent Square properly and it was then that we began to appreciate just how much the various cables can get in the way of a job like this. A box of cable ties really are essential for anyone using this system chassis.