Cubitek Tattoo Pro Case

Conclusion

This case gives me mixed feelings. The frame itself is solid, and the layout is one that has been proven to work in many other cases. The extra USB cable on top is a nice touch, and the fans are only slightly noisy when running.

On the other hand, the metal grilles used to cover both external drive bays and fans do nothing to block noise, and little enough to filter dust. The latches that hold them in place require excessive force to remove, and may in some cases require a flat-head screwdriver or other wedge to lever free. The latching mechanism for the 5.25″ drive bays is stiff, and can easily get wedged in place. The expansion slot latches are weakly hinged, and are useless with any cards that use a shroud. The top fan is worse than useless, with its constant grinding giving you the impression that something is wrong with your system while running.

Overall, while I can appreciate the intent of the design of the Cubitek Tattoo, the execution feels rushed. Cubitek would have done better to eliminate some of the more gimmicky features and focus on making a solid case. With an average online price of $83 at time of publication, this case fails to deliver the expected value for the money.

Editors Note: In a market overwhelmed with offerings and features that are often useless or rarely used it is very difficult to stand out in the crowd.  Our advice to Cubitek and other companies is to offer those features that offer functionality, looks that impress without being cliche or over the top, and price that says “Buy Me”.  A combo hard to come by to be sure, but it has been done before. The Tattoo is worth a look at $83 considering the features and the faults we found, but ditch or replace the top fan before you even power on.

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