Test System

Assembly

Installing a motherboard within the Enermax MarbleShell MS340 is done by traditional means. Due to how compact the chassis is overall, things are a little tighter than with other enclosures, but there are no real deal-breakers anywhere. The only edge case would be a long GPU and thick radiator in the front, as some rare constellations of those may not fit.


As there are two ways to add SSDs, we started with the more unique frames placed on the shroud. These are made out of plastic and still require you to use screws to secure the drive to each. However, the frame is spring-loaded and can be popped in and out off the case with ease. Each frame has a corresponding cable-routing hole so that you may get power and data to each drive. I suggest routing those cables first and then placing the frames for an easier assembly experience.


The more traditional method using the metal tray on the backside of the motherboard also requires you to use screws to secure the drive. Once filled, simply slide it back in place and secure the whole thing with its thumb screw.


To add a 3.5" drive, unscrew the white cage underneath the shroud before again securing the drive with screws. Once filled, placing it back where you found it is easy, but still means you need to have the case on its side. I would have loved to see the tray secured from inside of the case instead, which is something we have seen in many other enclosures out there.


The PSU fits underneath the shroud just fine, but with maybe 1.5" between the unit and HDD cage, getting to the modular connectors is a bit difficult. Naturally, moving the HDD cage forward will give you some welcome extra room to fiddle around with or even store excess cables if your PSU is not modular.


With everything installed, the interior is not as clean as we have seen with other cases. This is due to the design of the chassis and a drawback of this layout, which we have seen a few other brands use as well. In the rear, with some creativity and a bit of patience and time, the result looks quite good, working well for the limited room you have to work with. This is mostly because of the number of hooks to which you may secure your zip ties.

Finished Looks

With everything assembled and the system turned on, a blue LED lights up at the top edge of the front panel to let you know that your computer is powered on.


Unfortunately, looking at the front, not as much illumination as I had hoped seeps through. Yes, the bright studio lighting is not helping, and the fact that white does not provide as much contrast as black further adds to this. In fact, there's only so much you can expect with the hub-mounted RGB elements. Because of the clear side glass panel, you can clearly see all the hardware within, however.