Aspire X-Gear Mini Server Case

External:

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Wow! This is the first instance that I have reviewed a computer case with two blue fans, one an LED fan, and both with neat alien grills. I like the positioning of the fans, one intake fan on the window which blows air into the case. The other fan at the top to exhaust air. Heat rises and the exhaust fan, blow hole, will vent it out; thus, providing a better overall airflow temperature inside the case.

Aspire's X-Gear case includes two front drive bezels that are great for those plain CD-ROM drives which you prefer not seeing.

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To prepare for the transplant of another computer, I found it easy to take off the side of the X-Gear because of two thumbscrews firmly screwed into the case. There are many different hole positions, essential for people who swap out motherboards a lot. There is room to switch from a Micro-ATX to a Full-ATX and vice versa while having holes for standoffs that fit correctly into the motherboard.

Power Supply:

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Included with the X-Gear computer case is a 350 Watt P4 power supply. Six AT 4 pin molex leads provide power. Also included with the PSU is a 12 volt connector that certain motherboards require in order to run. Some power supplies do not have a 12 volt connector and in order to run a motherboard with 12V, you must buy a new power supply which can be quite costly.

This is a computer case review; therefore, I won't go too much into the power supply. The voltages were quite impressive. A power supply should never have greater than 5% difference between actual and stated line voltage.

Inside:

I placed the standoffs on the case to prepare for a Micro-ATX motherboard, one of my test boards.

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Wiring the X-Gear case will be normal because there are no new connectors on the motherboard. I added some nice rounded cables, a CD-ROM, and a hard drive. Find up how it turned out on the next page