CableMart CS7250 Red Extra Midtower

Provided by: CableMart, Inc.'s
Retail: $59.00
Review Date: December 11th, 2003
Written by: Xplicit

Tired of that boring beige case? Looking for all those cool features, but have to stick to a budget? Look no further because this is your lucky day.
CableMart, Inc.'s CS7250 Red Extra Midtower looks amazing, comes with a 400 watt "Pentium 4 Ready" power supply, windows, LED fans, front ports and more. This one's packed with features and sure to fit your budget.

Click on image for larger picture

Packaging:

The case arrived in good shape, despite what I'd consider sparse padding. Many companies are double boxing their cases now due to excessive shipping damage. The whole case was bubble wrapped, with a few pieces of styrofoam for cushion. Despite manufacturer's claims this case of being red, I'd call the finish more of a maroon.

Click on image for larger picture

Manufacturer's Specifications:

CableMart, Inc. CS7250 Red Extra Midtower as seen on CableMart, Inc.'s web site.

• Case Type: Mid-Tower
• Color: Red (maroon)
• Material: Steel
• Drive Bays: 5.25" x4, 3.5" (External) x2, 3.5"(Internal) x4
• Expansion Slot: 7
• Power Supply: P4ATX400W (L&C Model LC-B400 single fan)
• Motherboard Compatibility: ATX, Micro ATX, AT
• Dimensions(mm): 200W x 480H x 450D
• Special Features: Top Mounted Handle, Top Mounted Blowhole With Quad LED Fan, Side Window Quad LED Fan, Front Mounted USB 2.0 And Audio, Top Mounted Logo Window
• Packing Net Weight: 12.43 lbs
• Packing Gross Weight: 14 lbs
  

Exterior:

Immediately drawing my attention was the top mounted ABS plastic handle which I found it to be very sturdy. This molded handle combined with the light weight of the case make this an excellent LAN box contender!

Click on image for larger picture

The blowhole is fitted with a nice frosted Quad LED fan and a rippled window with slat type vents. The window's wave and fan's frost act as light diffusers, spreading the brilliance of the LEDs over a nice wide area, eliminating the need for additional case lighting.

While we're up here notice the little tinted square called a logo window. Since the case came with no manual, I'm guessing this is were you'd put your logo? For you modders out there, this opens up a million possibilities.

Click on image for larger picture

I attribute the CS7250's sleek lines and light weight to the use of molded ABS plastic for the top and front bezel. Inside and outside steel portions are nice and clean with rolled and smoothed edges, which means no injuries for you.

Near the bottom of the bezel resides two front mounted USB 2.0 ports, headphone and mic ports, and a spot for a 1394 Fire Wire upgrade.

The top most bay cover blends in nicely, making it look as though only three bays are externally accessible, but there are actually four.

The bezel includes a molded section for a floppy drive as well as and additional external 3.5" bay. Brightly chromed power and reset buttons balance out the front features nicely.

Click on image for larger picture

The pre-modded window cutout shows good attention to detail; however, the window itself arrived scratched due to no protective covering. Eight chrome plated bolts hold the window on, and each one is backed with a tiny acrylic block to prevent cracking of the window itself.

In the middle of the X shaped cutout resides a very bright and quiet, quad LED fan which is also frosted to disperse light evenly.

Next (Interior & Power Supply)