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Chieftec Aegis CX-05B-B
Introduction
Chieftec has sent us a case aimed squarely at the mid-level enthusiast. Let's have a look inside the Aegis, and see if it will hold up, or buckle.
Exterior
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The exterior of this case gives a very no-nonsense impression. Foregoing the flashy chrome accents and bright LEDs featured on some enthusiast cases, the Aegis uses perforated mesh screens as its main accents. The exterior is completely black, with the exception of the bronze-colored "AEGIS" badge, which, appropriately enough, is shield-shaped. Chieftec also makes a silver version of this case, if black-on-black isn't your thing. |
The front panel is pretty standard, with (from left to right) power button, reset button, HDD activity and power LEDs, audio ports, 2 USB and 1 eSATA. eSATA ports are still an uncommon sight on lower-end enthusiast cases, kudos to Chieftec for including it. The front has two doors that swing out to the left. The top door hides the external 5.25" and 3.5" bays, while the lower door conceals one of the Aegis's odder features. Set into the front is a 10 disc CD spindle, with a series of plastic protrusions evenly spaced around it to hold the discs in place. Inbuilt CD holders are useful at LAN parties, where frequent disc swapping is the norm. However, the placement of this one leaves me puzzled. Why put it on the lower front of a case clearly meant to rest on the floor? Regardless, it hides itself behind the lower mesh door, so you can cheerfully ignore it if you wish. |
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Moving to the left side, we see a large mesh panel covering most of the panel. It serves quite handily as both viewing window and ventilation, ensuring that plenty of fresh air gets to your components. The panel is affixed with two thumbscrews, and opens and closes with ease. |
| The left side panel is featureless, except for a vertical strip near the front which houses perforations sized for a set of three 90mm fans. Chieftec offers an optional top panel with affordance for a 120mm fan, but this model's top was flat and blank. |  |