A Closer Look - Outside

Taking a first look at the chassis, the first thing you will notice is the weight. Clocking in at 11 kg, the AI6 is no featherweight. This is a testament to the thick steel used as we will see later on. anidées has clearly kept things simple and understated with the AI6, with round elements along with a few nifty details in the door design.


Taking a look at the front of the chassis it becomes apparent, that the entire front and top is lined with Aluminum. While the rest of these panels is plastic, this material is also of excellent quality. I was not able to push or bend anything out of shape. The rear does not hold too many surprises, but still has a few noteworthy features. It is clear that anidées is not trying to reinvent the wheel, but to go back to the roots in terms of quality.


Both sides of the AI6 are completely solid, but the company has placed their logo on the main side panel. A nice little touch instead of plastering it all over the front of the case.


A door covers the entire height of the chassis. It can be installed so that it opens to the right or left, giving you flexibility in that regard. A definitive weak spot is the plastic spring which you're intended to push up on to release the bottom hinge. It broke apart right away. Luckily, the included screws still hold the hinge in place properly. I actually do not see a reason for such a spring in the first place to be honest.


Hidden behind the door is a weird looking metal mesh part which allows for fresh air to be pulled in by the fans. The extruded shape is a bit too much in terms of a design standpoint in my humble opinion. Having a flat surface here would have been beneficial. Above that are three 5.25" drive bays. Each cover can easily be removed, without having to pull the entire front off to do so. Interestingly enough, each of these covers can also be used for 3.5" drives. For such use, simply remove the metal mesh part in the center - that is it. This is a pretty cool feature, once more giving the user complete flexibility.


Turning the AI6 around, starting at the bottom, there is the PSU bay. It is multi-directional, allowing you to install the power supply with the fan facing up- or downward. Above that are eight horizontal motherboard expansion slots and a ninth vertical one. This means that you can easily install up to four dual height graphic cards in the AI6 and still use that last slot for some sort of connectivity or fan controller. In the very top you will find a 120 mm exhaust fan.


anidées went all out and included six USB plugs in the top of the case. Four of these are USB 2.0 and two are USB 3.0. They are spaced apart nicely to allow for bulky USB flash drives to be connected. The pair of audio connectivity can be found to the right of this array of plugs. Below are the LEDs, along with the reset and power buttons.