Ahanix Romeo DX Case
Review by Joey Keith on 01.09.2002

Case provided by: www.exoticpc.com

At first glance

This case has a nice billet aluminum look about it, and can easily be mistaken for a true aluminum case. The front bezel is available in four different colors (blue, red, green and gold) and are effortlessly removed for a fast color change. The 5.25" bay covers are curved and follow the theme of the case which is a pleasant break from the plain flat covers most commonly used in today's cases. All reset and power buttons are chrome in color along with the trim ring around the unique Romeo DX logo on the front of the bezel. If you noticed there are no LED's on the front of the case for power and HDD indicators. This is because they are mounted inside the round logo and when your computer is functioning they light up the inside of the logo which gives it a cool mod effect. The 3.5" external bay is nicely designed and eject button is color coded to the case. At the bottom of the bezel behind a small "hidden" door you will find the conveniences of two USB ports along with connections for your speaker and microphone. These make it perfect for LAN parties and allow you to get about 24" of that much needed extra wire for your headset.

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On the Inside

Two thumbscrews hold the side panel on and are removed without the use of any tools. The panel doors are noticeably thicker than most cases of this price range and should hold up to any small abuse you can put it to. Upon opening the case you will see a full rack of bays that extends from the top of the case all the way to the bottom. This gives the case a great deal of strength, along with the benefit of being able to add multiple drives with ease. There is a front fan mount positioned at the bottom corner of the case made for an 80mm fan to pull air in and help cool your HDD drives. The rear of the case is equipped with an 80mm fan installed for you. The best feature of the entire case is the slide-out motherboard tray. In case you have never heard of this, the back of the case and the tray that the motherboard mounts to actually "slides out" the back of the case. It makes it extremely easy to install your motherboard and other hardware without being in the cramped confines of a case. The tray is held in place by three screws, so you will need a screw driver to remove it. It would have been easier with thumbscrews, but most likely you won't be removing the tray very often so it's not really a great loss. There is no power supply included with the case.

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Modding Capabilities

This case has some great potential in the mod department. The panel doors being thicker metal make it east to cut a window of any size without loosing too much support. The front bezel is sturdy enough plastic to hold any kind of switches or knobs you might envision. There is enough room in the hidden front USB port compartment to hide a small button or toggle switch to control fans or lights. The bay covers are clipped in a way you could remove the clips easily and attach the cover to your CDROM with some double sided tape for a stealth drive look. The LED's for power and HDD activity are simply pushed into plastic clips and can be changed out for your favorite color or high intensity LED with no soldering. You are able to hide an abundance of wires behind the full rack of bays which gives the inside of the case that "clean" look. There are endless possibilities for mods.

Conclusion

ExoticPC and Ahanix's Romeo DX case hits the bull's-eye when it comes to style, craftsmanship, features and a low price of $58.95. Whether you are the die hard modder looking for the next project or the simple computer enthusiast looking for a great case you will be hard pressed to find one that rivals what the Romeo DX has to offer. Click here to pick one up for yourself and see why you can't go wrong.

Likes

-Slide-out motherboard tray

-Tool-less access side panel

-Heavy gauge metal construction

-Front USB, audio and microphone ports

-Multiple bays for drive storage

Dislikes

-Could have used a few more thumbscrews

-No power supply included