A Closer Look - Outside

Out of the box, the iBUYPOWER Snowblind seems quite understated. Large areas of the glass panels are blacked out, which looks a bit out of place for the front. In my humble opinion, and this is purely subjective, it really shows a bit too much of the steel structure as the aim is to ensure the fans are visible. Nice would have been the whole front covered in a cool pattern similar to what some of the Metallicgear cases sport, for example. In the rear everything looks pretty normal with the exception of the pre-installed interface board for the LCD screen.


On the main side panel, the glass essentially just looks tinted when everything is turned off. Two plastic latches hold it in place as it is meant to swing open on the hinges in the rear of the chassis. Looking at the opposite side, it is completely solid, white, and made of steel with two thumb screws securing it to the case frame.


Taking the front cover off, you will notice a dust filter that protects the front intake fans from dirt and grime. It is held in place by magnets, so you may remove it easily as well. Once everything is apart, it becomes apparent why the Snowblind glass front is blacked out the way it is, as it hides all the structural elements of the chassis. iBUYPOWER has also placed their logo on the bottom third of the glass panel, which will light up once the whole system is turned on.


The PSU bay in the bottom of the rear comes with two sets of screw holes, so you may install your PSU with the fan facing up or down. As you have to install the unit through the back of the case, the little frame is removable, held in place by four thumbscrews. Above that are the seven motherboard expansion slots, which come with seven re-usable metal mesh covers and are held in place by thumb screws. A 120 mm exhaust fan set to push hot air out the back of the case has been included as well. There is also a button to toggle the LED lighting on and off.


The Snowblind features embedded I/O in the metal top panel. This approach is not only simple, but looks really good as it goes with the rest of the chassis perfectly. The I/O consists of two USB 3.0 and the usual audio plugs. There is actually no reset button, and the power LED is a ring around the button itself. In the rear is another fan-mounting possibility for a 120 or 140 mm unit.