A+ Case Monolize ATX Full Tower Case

The Case - External

Published: 11th September 2007 | Source: A+Case | Price: £70 | Author: Matt Kemp

Close-up Monilith by A+ Case

The external of the case is pretty striking with a plain black look achieved by what looks like matt black powder coating. The front of the case is a matte plastic with a swing door.

I thought I'd use two different styles of lighting to give you a good idea of how the case looks in different situations. When I first took a look at the case and realised the front had plastic on it I was a little skeptical (being an all Aluminium man myself), but the case does look good sitting beside my desk.

Here we see the huge fans that I presume gave the case its name. Large they are indeed, although you do get used to the size after a while. They certainly are a big feature of the case. The fans look a little 'stuck on' when you take a closer look at them. The join in between the case and the plastic shroud used is visible and would irk those who are perfectionists with their cases.

The opposing side of the case has ventilation holes drilled into it at the top and side. At first I wasn't sure what to make of them but as time has goes on I realise the idea is to draw airflow across the case from the large fans through the back of the case. This does actually work and right now I can feel air blowing through the case and out the other side. We will see whether this is effective or not on the test results page.

The front of the case is very reflective on the middle panel. Also note that fingerprints are very easy to imprint on the case and not so easy to get off! The A+ symbol is cut inside the door front and not so easy to see in the light. More on that later.

The matte look continues on inside the dook and I like the look here. The on/off button is fairly solid and doesn't rattle and the same goes for the reset button.

The case front also has buttons to turn on/off the fans and ramp up and down their speed. These again are pretty well made and make a satisfying "click" when pressed. I think this is a handy feature to have on a case such as this.

The side panel is set into the plastic side of the case and could cause hassle if you have a desk that encloses the case at the side.

The case front lights up nicely in the dark. It's a cross between those cases that have too much 'bling' and those that are plain and simple. Having said that, if you do not like branding I don't think this case is for you. Note that there is a button inside the door that turns this light on and off.

The fans also look pretty nice in the dark too. On my case the colour did not quite match on the fans but I didn't notice until I set the case up to take this shot. Again, all of the lights can be turned off.

External Build Quality

The external build quality is pretty nice overall. There is a slightly plastic feel to the front of the case but everything seems to be put together well so it doesn't lose too many marks for that.

Most Recent Comments

11-09-2007, 15:46:50

FarFarAway

Check out one of the latest from A+Case and NanoPoint

click

11-09-2007, 16:18:12

Toxcity

Very well written review, Kemp.. As always!

Looks as though it is a nice case.

Loving the Monster fans!

11-09-2007, 16:31:40

Rastalovich

Meh, not a case for me. Not on the external looks either.

But I`m over 35, so I have an excuse.

In all seriousness tho, the internals of the case closely resemble the Thermaltake XaserII I have laying empty next to me. The lower drive area has been rotated and rejigged, but even looking at the front - it has the same pinching insertion things u stick to u`r devices. (the XaserII comes with a temp and fan control that fits into the top 5.25 bay, which I removed cos I never got it working >.< )

Those pci blank plate things are a pita without the top piece thing, good to see the inclusion of that to the spec.

Looks like a copy to me. Pretty darn heavy solid metally case ?

11-09-2007, 17:25:44

Aqua-Pc's

Would you like some case with your fans

12-09-2007, 08:09:12

mrapoc

Would you class it as heavy? If adding front and rear fans brought cpu coolingness up to scratch I would deffo consider this as a tj05 replacement

12-09-2007, 13:11:06

FarFarAway

Yes it is heavy

13-09-2007, 07:39:29

badsykes

Hey Kempez.. THANK you very much for the review.I tried in the last months to find a review or an opinion on this case and i couldn't found one until now.. THX..i have stupid question:

Can a 61Kg boy raise that case with this rig inserted:

A64 x2 4000+ oced to 3ghz (the 3ghz freq add some kilos i think

)

Dfi CFX 3200 M2/g

2gb ram

2900xt

Terratec aureon 7.1 space

Dvd rw plextor px 740a

benq cd rom

PSU 430w Thermaltake purepower

With my current cheap case is pretty heavy also..

I am aking this because i am pretty skiny at 61Kg and 1.72m height

13-09-2007, 08:55:11

Mr. Smith

LOL! Badsykes - you win the prize for the craziest question asked about a review!

I guess this would all depend on your strength to weight ratio!

I can't imagine a full rig in that case will weigh more than 20-25kg max! More like 20kg max... Whats the most you can lift lol

13-09-2007, 14:06:52

FarFarAway

I reckon you'd be ok, just

13-09-2007, 15:01:17

Brooksie

Haha badskyes best question ever

Get some weights and workout

then you'll be able to lift it with one hand! (Wouldn't suggest it though

)

13-09-2007, 16:33:34

darkorb

if i were you, maybe a new PSU would be at the top of my list

13-09-2007, 16:40:32

badsykes

Quote:

Originally Posted by name='darkorb'

if i were you, maybe a new PSU would be at the top of my list

darkorb: The most boring answer

No offence..

Thx guys..and Mr. Smith give me the reward ... a 2900xt waterblock will be VERY nice... ahhahaa

PS: i discovered all the Q3d Logos also

15-10-2007, 15:45:05

crankfrank

Hi all, can anyone tell me if a ASUS A8N-SLI Premium will fit this case?

Thanks, Craig.

15-10-2007, 15:47:51

FarFarAway

It's an ATX case, so I see no reason why not

15-10-2007, 15:49:38

crankfrank

Thanks bud

11-12-2007, 09:40:56

yibyibyib

Nice review but there's no mention of the noise the fans on this sucker kicks out.

I suppose its pretty quiet having nice large fans plus you can change the speed.

How would you rate the noisiness? Maybe compared to a case with 120mm fans.

Thanks

11-12-2007, 17:40:18

FarFarAway

Did I not? Damn soz I thought I did, my bad.

Fans aren't actually too bad. They're slow spinning but air tends to rush through the vents a bit

I'll add to the review

11-12-2007, 18:06:48

yibyibyib

Thanks for the quick response.

Think I'll treat myself as they're on offer at specialtech.co.uk.

28-01-2008, 14:55:00

james13009

I have brought the case, and tried to mount my motherboard today but can not because there are no raised platforms on which to mount the board. In other words, if the board is mounted its just going to short it self out, all is explained in this picture in the review. How do i get round this. I've got loads of bits all over the floor and feel i am missing something

http://www.overclock3d.net/gfx/artic...203226681l.jpg

James

28-01-2008, 15:10:30

markkleb

Quote:

Originally Posted by name='james13009'

There should be some brass standoffs that first screw into the case and keep the mobo raised. Make sure to put them where the holes in the mobo are so they dont cause a short.

http://www.amazon.com/Motherboard-Screwnut-Standoff-50-PCS/dp/B00008VF6K

28-01-2008, 16:04:30

Brooksie

Yeah there should be some in that white box, mine did with my case

28-01-2008, 16:22:48

FarFarAway

There's some standoffs in the white container, along with a whole load of screws and drive rails

A+ Case Monolize ATX Full Tower Case

The Case - External

Published: 11th September 2007 | Source: A+Case | Price: £70 | Author: Matt Kemp

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