Two go in, one comes out
Two cases enter, one case leaves: That’s
the gist of our mini-roundup this month. We're still amazed sometimes at the
disparity in production quality between cases. Sometimes, it’s as if
manufacturers really don't even bother giving the case a quick run-through
before sending it off to retailers. Other times, it feels as if manufacturers
go over their cases with a fine-toothed comb, checking every detail and nuance
to eliminate even the smallest of possible annoyances.
We've done our own version of the latter.
Up for battle this month are Rosewill’s Armor Evolution and NZXT's Phantom 630.
Which case will take the prize?
While
the Armor Evolution is nicely adorned, we recommend waiting for the 2.0
version.
Rosewill Armor Evolution
We want to like Rosewill’s Armor Evolution
chassis; we really do. It’s even a credit to the company that some of the
case’s major flaws are elements that Rosewill actually recognizes as problems or
has received plenty of angry emails about and is actively working to fix with a
new revision of the case and/or a promise to send customers parts to patch up
the first-generation chassis.
Nevertheless, there are still a few
unfixable design choices about this mid-tower chassis that leave us a bit
bewildered. We definitely recommend skipping this case in its first iteration;
as to how Rosewill will let its customers know whether they are purchasing a
fixed version of this jet-black steel case, that’s anyone’s guess.
Rosewill
packages the case with five fans, and the case supports a total of 9 fans.
The spacious case feels a bit stout when
you pull it out of the box but, trust us, it’s just short. The case’s depth is
hardly different than most mid-tower chassis you're used to and, to Rosewill’s
credit, the case's shorter height does little to impact its overall capacity.
You get three free, screw less optical drive bays to play with, alongside seven
hard drive bays which still force you to screw the drives into removable trays,
but at least you can do that outside of the case itself.
To get to the bays, you have to confront
Armor Evolution Problem Number One: The case's side panels can be a pain in the
butt to remove, thanks to fairly flimsy locking tabs that bend out of place,
break, or otherwise force you to exert more oomph than you ever would expect to
get the panel off. The panels themselves are flimsy too, easily bulging in and
out at the center with the lightest of touches. We don’t like the hole motif of
the left panel’s grill (we get it; they're fan mounts. Lordy), nor do we like
the very, very tight amount of space Rosewill puts between the rear of the
motherboard tray and the case's right side panel.
We would normally love the fact that
Rosewill packs the Armor Evolution to the gills with fans six in total,
including a huge 23cm fan on the left side panel and two 12cm red LED fans on
the case's front. This chassis is as cooled as cooled can be with air, and it
doesn't explode your eardrums when you have all of the blades A-Spinnin'.
We don't particularly care for the tiny
button that Rosewill puts on the underside of the case's front panel - the one
that lets you toggle the case fans' lighting on and off. Unless you enjoy
lifting your case each time you want to flip on the light show, this could not
be any more annoying a setup. Until you hit the case’s insides, that is: For
whatever mystifying reason, Rosewill decided to make it so that you screw into
rubber grommets for the case's two top fans. This makes both fans easy to
jostle out of security with but a bump; we’d be absolutely terrified to attach
a heavier radiator to the case’s top, which makes its support for liquid
cooling fairly nonexistent.
Everything else about this chassis is
fairly nondescript: two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports on the case's top, plenty
of rubberized cable-management holes on the tray, a decent amount of screw-free
upgradability. In other words, the case runs average-to-good if you take all of
its critical flaws and push them aside.
Assuming Rosewill does that by employing
promised fixes, and cuts the $120 chassis' price a bit, the Armor Evolution
would be worth a spot under your desk. Otherwise, aim for a less-sloppy,
sub-$100 case like the Corsair Carbide 200R, to name one.
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Specifications
§ Motherboard
Form Factor: Mini-ITX, Micro ATX, ATX, E-ATX
§ Drive
Bays: External: 3x 5.25” (includes 5.25"-to-3.5" adapter); Internal:
7x 2.5"/3.5"
§ Cooling:
Front: 2x 120mm intake fan (supports additional 2x 120mm behind drive cage); Rear:
1x 120mm exhaust fan; Top: 2x 120mm exhaust fan (supports 2x 140mm); Side: 1x
230mm intake fan (supports 4x 120mm); Bottom: 1x 120mm/140mm fan mount
§ Expansion
Slots: 7
§ I/O
Port: 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, 1x Headphone, 1x Mic
§ Power
Supply Size: Standard ATX
§ Clearances:
HSF: 170mm; PSUL: 220mm; GPU: 320mm
§ Dimensions:
8.62" x 18.58" x 22.4"
§ 219mm
x 472mm x 569mm
§ Weight :
21.6 lbs. / 9.8 kg
§ Special
Features: USB 3.0 connectivity via internal headers, Toolless 5.25"
drive bays and 3.5" drive sleds, Support for 240mm/280mm radiator in top
of enclosure, Toggleable red LED lighting on front fans
§ Price:
$114
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