A+ Case El Diablo ATX Case
Appearance - I
Published: 17th November 2007 | Source: Nanopoint | Price: £75 |
Due to the amount of lighting built into El Diablo I've divided the appearance section of the review into two sections, this first section focuses on daytime shots:
If you like your PC case to be “in your face” this may well be the case for you. There’s no denying, the name “El Diablo” is certainly fitting, the huge intake fan located on the case’s front coupled with the sculpted front panel and mesh side panel add to the futuristic no nonsense look. The case also features fold-out feet which help stabilise things which I thought was a nice touch when you consider that the case is not exactly tall.
The intake fans looks like something you'd see if you looked into a jet engine.....thankfully, even when running at full speed both fans are nigh on inaudible. In the above image note the two buttons, one located on each side of the fan, these enable the user to power off the front and the side fans. In addition to this it's possible to control the speed of each fan, with a roller adjuster located on the case side as shown here, so if like me you like your pc to be cool when benching/gaming and quiet when browsing the web then these options will allow you to do just that. The panel fit is also illustrated here, as you can see, no unsightly uneven gaps to concern yourself over.
The above image depicts the finish on the steel sections of the case. Looks pretty decent in my opinion. The only downside for me thus far is the apparent bronze/black case colour scheme. Call me a traditionalist but I prefer my cases to be one of three colours, black, black or....black. As you can see below, the 280mm fan mounted in the side panel is a sizeable beast. I had a minor issue with the large side panel mounted fan, when powered up the fan blades were scuffing something. 2 minutes later and all was sorted, the fan blades were contacting the LEDs. A slight adjustment of the LEDs was all that was required to fix it.
Also, as shown in the two images below, each side panel has a sculpted section which doubles as an air channel to allow the cool air from the oversized intake fan to make it's way unhindered into the main compartment. This is a nice touch and should help reduce the internal case temps. It should also be noted that the side panels are also held on with high quality thumbscrews.
The five 5.25 and 3.5 inch drive bays are hidden behind a plastic door, this does the job of concealing the often unsightly optical drives. It also serves to conceal the power on/off and reset buttons. If I could suggest an improvement here I'd say the latch/closure mechanism could do with beefing up a bit. All in all though, the drive bay door does a good job of maintaining the case's futuristic looks.
I/O Panel
Other external features include a top panel mounted I/O panel. The ports are accessed by lifting a small plastic door. I'd have liked to have seen an aluminium door fitted here for durability.
Ports include: mic, speaker, 2x USB and firewire. This image also shows the case finish, I prefer the satin/flat finish of anodised aluminium but have to say, the case still looks good.
So, now we've had a chance at reviewing El Diablo under daylight conditions, let's move to the next page where we'll see how the case looks with the lights down and the LEDs on...
Most Recent Comments
If you like your case to have a presence, take a look here because this case has it in spades!
Nice job dude. Looks like a solid case.
Just if they'd made it out of alu!
Gratz on the 1st review too
Just if they'd made it out of alu!
Gratz on the 1st review too
not a case i'd personally go for
but good job on reviewing it, made a good read
but good job on reviewing it, made a good read
Case is quite ugly, good if your a fan freak though
Quote:
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Originally Posted by name='Ham'
Nice job dude. Looks like a solid case.
Just if they'd made it out of alu! Gratz on the 1st review too |
What a stellar effort on your first review mate. You covered all of the main features/cons and provided good images to reinforce them. Well done ...keep up the great work.
The case actually looks interesting, and those larger fans seem to keep things well cooled. I'm a sucker for an aluminium case, but the steel used here is reflected in the price.
The case actually looks interesting, and those larger fans seem to keep things well cooled. I'm a sucker for an aluminium case, but the steel used here is reflected in the price.
Thanks for the feedback Peevles.
For the price the case has plenty to offer in terms of cooling features.
For the price the case has plenty to offer in terms of cooling features.
Good work mate, very nice first review there
Im still pretty undecided on the looks side of the case though
Im still pretty undecided on the looks side of the case though
My current short list for buying a case is either the el diablo or the NZXT blackline in blue. Any preferences people?
Oh, and im afraid you didnt note that the door is on the left, major irritation, and by the looks, only open 90 degrees.
Oh, and im afraid you didnt note that the door is on the left, major irritation, and by the looks, only open 90 degrees.
Lo matey...hope you enjoyed reading the review
Yes, the door opens up to 180° degrees...I think the image which depicts the case with the door open shows that the hinge is on the left-hand side...
Tough decision tbh as I've not seen a NZXT case in the flesh....I hope the review helps you to make your mind up either way.
Yes, the door opens up to 180° degrees...I think the image which depicts the case with the door open shows that the hinge is on the left-hand side...
Tough decision tbh as I've not seen a NZXT case in the flesh....I hope the review helps you to make your mind up either way.
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