|
FIND THE TAGAN EL DIABLO CASE ONLINE TODAY
A Closer Look
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Front | Side 1 | Side 2 | Back |
By far the most distinctive feature of this case is the front intake fan. At 250mm, it is more than double the size of the standard 120mm chassis fan. Above it, the A+ logo serves as a power indicator, with a solid blue bar just underneath acting as the HDD activity light. Looking closer, we see buttons to each side of the intake fan, which supposedly act as on-off switches for the front and side fans. Just rearward of these buttons are a pair of dials, one to a side, that control the speed of each fan.
Moving to the left side, we see the black-and-silver theme continued, with the ridiculously large 330mm fan clearly visible through the mesh grille. The other side maintains symmetry with the rounded silver decoration, but is otherwise blank. The back is nothing special, with PSU bracket, I/O backplate slot, expansion card slots and an exhaust port, which can be fitted with a 120mm fan if further cooling is required.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Front lit | Side 1 lit | Top lit | Side 2 lit |
With the power on, this case takes on a very different aspect. With all four installed fans being lit by 5 blue LEDs each, the case lights up brightly. The rounded accents on either side also light up, and the overall effect is to give a very clear illumination of the case's contents. A cold-cathode light will of course provide better illumination, but for a bunch of undirected LED's, the amount of light put out is impressive.
Of particular note is the top panel, which lights up on top and on both sides from its two 140mm fans. In front, this top panel contains an I/O panel with two USB2 ports, headphone and microphone ports, and an eSATA connector. Next to these ports is a silver knob controlling the speed of the two top fans, and in front of these is an angled bezel with a temperature readout. This monitor is connected to a thermocouple probe that can be left loose to monitor ambient case temperature, or taped down to a component to monitor its temperature.
Decorations aside, the case itself feels very solid, with cold-rolled steel used throughout the frame. The plastic on the external facings has a solid feel to it, especially in the front drive bay door, which closes with a satisfying thump—assisted, in this case, by a pair of magnets in the side opposite the hinge.
Overall, this case feels like it would be at home in any 80's cyberpunk movie. Certainly, an interesting deviation from the square aluminum box look that has become something of a norm in enthusiast cases.
REALTIME PRICING