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LANCOOL K7: Hybrid Aluminum Case
Details
Features:
- Hybrid aluminum case with SECC frame to strengthen the structure by 40%+
- Compact size, big volume inside, fits standard ATX and PS2 power supply
- Optimized cooling performance with two 12cm (120mm) intake fans in the front and one 12cm (120mm) exhaust fan at the rear
- Fits NVIDIA 8800 and ATI 2900 graphics card to max. 288mm long
- Multi-media front I/O and switches located on top of the chassis, easy access
- Tool-less entry, for easy service.
Cosmetics:
Physically, the Metal Boned K7 is both simple and beautiful. Maybe it's beautiful because it is simple. The outside is made from black annodized brushed aluminum, and while the case is a simple box design, it screams "Touch me!". On a side note, the brushed aluminum does a great job at masking fingerprints. It doesn't absorb them or make them invisible, but they are much harder to notice than on a glossy plastic or mirror finished steel case. As there is no side window, a shame really, there is no showing off the goods inside, but with both the left and right sides of the case being attached with thumb screws, getting inside for work or showing off is a simple matter. another point of view is that since the case is very simply laid out and without a window this may indeed be a good case for modding as you will have more options. In this case, I actually feel the addition of a window would take away from the look of the case, by intruding on the smooth, flat aluminum side with a plastic view window.
On the top you will find an equally flat surface, aside from a curious door and the reset and power buttons. Open the door and you find the IO ports. Going from left to right, you have a FireWire port, a pair of USB ports, a headphone jack, and a mic jack. On the underside of the door, you actually have the names of the ports that are directly below. I'm not sure if this is to help you find the port you are looking for, or simply to look cool, but it sure doesn't take away from the sophisticated look of the case. Close the door and you hide the ports again and all you have are the reset and power buttons ...round and proud.
The front of the case keeps up the theme of being simple, gorgeous, and sophisticated. Plain, flat aluminum covers the face, with slots for three 5.25" drive bays, and a 3.5" drive. The bottom half of the front is taken up by a grill allowing air to flow to two 120mm fans, fully equipped with filters. The grill looks as though it were a flap that could be lifted up, aside from the two strong securing connections at the bottom of the case. Below that you have the only part of the case that isn't black; the LANCOOL logo. The only port of the front, and the entire case for that matter, that I do not like, is that the drive bay covers are not actually doors, they are simply aluminum inserts that you then remove when you want to use the slot. As soon as you place an optical drive on the bay, you lose a little bit of the case's charm because now you have this plastic drive in the front, hopefully your optical drive is the same shade of black.
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