A Closer Look - Outside

At first sight the chassis makes quite the impression. It is almost identical in size when compared to the Lian Li PC-V2120, but is consideralbly lighter. Cubitek has refrained from using thick Aluminum parts, instead Aluminum sheets have been shaped to create the rather intricate look of the HPTX-Tank. While the front is made of numerous different parts, it also means that it does not come across as sturdy as the V2120 or Elysium. Some parts, especially the strips running down on either side of the front could be bend out of shape if enough force is applied.


Cubitek has done a great job in giving the entire Tank series a very distinctive look. I am actually quite surprised to see such an elaborate look on an Aluminum chassis. Assembling these at the factory is most likely not an easy feat. Turning the chassis around we are greeted by a silver back, which means that the entire interior of the case is silver colored as well. A large sticker reads "made in China", which is something I would not want to make so blatantly obvious, but as long as the chassis delivers, I could not care less where in Asia it was manufactured.


Both sides of the case are completely solid. I have placed a standard DVD next to the side to give you an idea bout the sheer size of the chassis. Not much to see here guys, move on.


Taking a closer look at the front, it can be visually divided into to areas: the air intake covers the bottom half and also holds the Cubitek logo on the very bottom, while the top is taken by five 5.25 inch bays, one of which has been filled by the afore mentioned 3.5 inch adapter. Little hex screws hold things in place and do give the chassis that slight "tank" or industrial look. While Cubitek did not go all out to convey the image of a tank, keeping things understated is a good thing in my humble opinion.


In the rear, starting from the bottom, we have the primary PSU bay at this spot. It features the same type of holding frame as most Lian Li cases out there, allowing you to install the power supply with the fan pulling air into the chassis from the underside or from the inside of the chassis. Above that are the 10 mainboard expansion slots along with two rubber lined openings to route water cooling tubes out the back of the chassis. Each of the expansion slot covers is held in place by a thumb screw and may be reused if the space frees up again. Next up there is the 140 mm exhaust fan. All of the cooling units within the HPTX-Tank are equipped with red LEDs as we will see later on. The very top has a HDD cage, but may also be used for a secondary PSU bay if needed.


Two little metal handles have been pre-applied to aid in removal of the large side panels. This is an unusual sight, as most manufacturers incorporate some sort of grip into the side panel design instead. Cubitek has placed the I/O on the top of the chassis, which is a good move, as most of us would place the case on the floor next to our desk. The panel is slightly recessed and the power and reset buttons stick out a bit. While this makes it easy to feel for the buttons without looking, pressing the reset button with your fingers is rather difficult, as it is quite small and needs to be pushed fairly deep to react. Two USB 3.0, one eSATA and a standard pair of audio plugs make up the I/O panel.