Assembly

To install the optical drive I removed the front cover from the top 5.25” bay. The drive was slid into position, then the latch was pushed forward. Finally the clip was pushed down to secure the drive in place. To remove the drive just reverse the process.


To install the hard disk two rails were required. Each rail has two pins on it which fit into the screw holes on the drive. While holding the rails against the drive, the assembly can be slid into place. When pushed all the way in, the rails will click into place. To remove the drive, just squeeze the two tabs together and pull out the drive. Unfortunately, the drives cannot be installed backwards to help hide the cables. The rails will not click into place due to the motherboard tray being right on the other side of the HDD cage. Also, the rails are made of a hard plastic which seems durable enough to last a while, as long as they are not abused on purpose.


Next I installed the power supply, motherboard and 3D Core Fan assembly. This time I did not have a problem with the Karajan audio module on the DFI board being right up against the rear 120mm fan, which may be due to using a different DFI board this time around (a CFX3200-DR/G). The 3D Core Fan assembly was a little harder to fit in since it was slightly larger. I found it was easier to install the assembly first and then adjust the top fan's angle.

Finished Look

When everything is installed and the side panel is put back into place, it is even harder to see any of the internal components. The larger 3D Core Fan blocks even more of the view through the small side window. The VGA vent is still well over the top of the video card when using this new DFI motherboard. With the lights off the case fans glow in a nice cool blue.