Xigmatek Elysium Review

Xigmatek Elysium Review

Manufacturer: Xigmatek
UK price (as reviewed): £148.95 (inc VAT)
US price (as reviewed): $219.99 (ex tax)

When Xigmatek told us it was working on a large case aimed at water-cooling enthusiasts, our ears pricked up but when we discovered it would cost less than £150 we were even more interested. Could it really offer the same water-cooling potential as a SilverStone TJ07, yet cost nearly £100 less?

We’ve finally managed to get our hands on Xigmatek’s Elysium, and needless to say, it’s a monster. Only just smaller than SilverStone’s humongous TJ11, it dwarfs most ATX cases. The exterior has a brutish, industrial-look and feel to it. Thin bands of stainless steel stretch around either side of the front panel, with hex bolts securing it to bulging sections of plastic that surround the 12 5.25in bays.


The industrial feel is reinforced by Xigmatek's use of steel rather than aluminium - it weighs in at a hefty 15kg as result. Thankfully, it's equipped with optional rotating wheels to make transporting a little easier on the biceps. On installing the wheels, we first found they fouled the case’s large plastic feet. However, several large rubber anti-vibration pads on the feet can be removed, revealing screws that enable you to detach the plastic feet and use the wheels unhindered.


We were a little disappointed to find that the Elysium isn't equipped with a fan controller of its own, though. Instead, two Molex-powered 3-pin fan splitter units are fitted between the motherboard tray and front drive bays, enabling you to power up to a whopping total of 12 3-pin fans. Out of the box, there are two 120mm fans located in the front of the case, each mounted in the front of a separate hard drive cage.

Each drive cage occupies three 5.25in bays, and provides mounts for up to four 3.5in drives. All 12 of the 5.25in bays that run down the front of the Elysium are also outfitted with tool-free clips. These actually worked quite well, although they could be a little loose-fitting. In addition to the two 120mm fans fitted to the front of the case, there's also a single 140mm rear exhaust fan fitted in the roof, and a large 200mm intake fan in the left side panel window. All the fans sport white LEDs, but thankfully the effect is relatively subtle.

Above the stack of 5.25in bays is a large, feature-packed front panel area. There's a flip-lid SATA hard disk dock, which supports both 3.5in and 2.5in devices, a separate eSATA connector, two USB 2 ports, two USB 3 ports and headphone and microphone mini-jacks. Plus there are also the power and reset buttons. The power button looks snazzy, but it's actually a little wobbly, while the reset button is well-placed to prevent curse-inducing, accidental knocks. Meanwhile, the power and hard disk activity strip lights are located on the right steel band and look great when the system is powered on.

Specifications

• Dimensions (mm) 230 x 618 x 663mm (W x D x H)
  
• Material Steel and plastic
  
• Available colours Black or black and silver
  
• Weight 15.4kg
  
• Front panel Power, reset, 2x USB 3, 2x USB 2, stereo, microphone, eSATA
  
• Drive bays 12x external 5.25in drive bays, 8x internal 3.5in drive bays
  
• Form factor(s) XL-ATX, E-ATX, ATX, micro-ATX, mini-ITX
  
• Cooling 2x 120mm front mounts (two fans supplied), 3x 120mm/140mm roof mounts, 3x 120mm/140mm base mounts, 1x 140mm rear mount (fan supplied), 1x 200mm left side-panel mount (fan supplied),
  
• CPU cooler clearance 155mm or 185mm without side panel fan
  
• Maximum graphics card length 430mm
  
• Extras Dust filters, fan splitter modules