A Closer Look - Outside

Having seen images of the case before, the Coolbay HX is an obvious contender to the Antec 900 chassis. It features clean lines, a well designed, unique window in combination with one of two 200 mm fans. The Coolbay HX feels quite sturdy at first sight, but the steel seems to be on the thinner end of things and thus does not give the user the feel of uncompromising quality. This is also due to the plastic aspects of the chassis - especially the top and front elements. They simply feel a bit cheap and hollow.


The front of the case still looks very nice however. The overall look does bear some ressemblance to other cases, but NOX has done a good job so that you won't mistake their case with another offering. One nice design aspect is the all black paint, even in the interior of the Coolbay HX. The rear does have a few unique elements, as the power supply bay is located on the bottom, while the very top still has a few inches of extra space.


Taking a closer look at the front, there is a single 3.5 inch bay cover, which allows you to install such an external device with the use of the included rails. The rest of the bays are of the 5.25 inch variety and one of them holds a small NOX logo. The covers are made of metal mesh and plastic, making them quite sturdy. There are no dust filters on these, so you may find yourself cleaning the interior of the chassis quite often, as dust can easily pass through.


Moving on to the rear of the chassis, the PSU bay on the bottom has two sets of screw holes, so you may mount the power supply with the fan facing upward or downward. The middle area above that is occupied by seven expansion slots for the mainboard, along with two large openings for water cooling tubes. On top is a 120 mm fan and a red switch to adjust the speed of the second 200 mm fan on top of the chassis. You may choose between (L)ow, (M)edium or (H)igh.


One side panel of the Coolbay HX does not have any openings or air vents at all, while the other side sports a nicely shaped window. A large, 200 mm intake fan with blue LEDs is part of the overall design in this area. It is covered by a domed metal mesh - very stylish.


NOX has also chosen to go with a some very unique and extremely large feet. This raises the case about an inch above ground, giving you the possiblity to install a bottom fan to pull in cool air. The I/O is found on top of the chassis, angled slightly forward. There is an eSATA port, three USB 2.0 plugs and the usual audio connectivity. The 200 mm ceiling fan is located right behind the I/O panel. This plastic contraption of an air vent is easily bent with a slight push of a finger. It would have been nice to see a more solid approach for this part of the chassis.