A Closer Look - Inside

The side panels of the A+ Diablo Advance are easily taken off by the removal of two thumb screws for each panel. The large 33 cm fan can also be easily removed by unscrewing four screws used to mount it to the side. It may be necessary to remove the side fan to accommodate larger CPU coolers.


Having a look at the case with the side panels off shows nothing suprising. It's all finished in grey metal and its layout looks like many other cases. Looking at the backside of the motherboard tray, Tagan has left a couple holes for cable routing, mostly intended for the motherboard 4/8 pin, 4 pin 5.25" and SATA cables.


The 5.25" drive bay area is simple and straightforward. It includes five 5.25" bays and a single 3.5" bay. The metal covers need to be removed prior to installing a device in these bays by simply pressing and twisting them off.


Moving downward towards the HDD bays we'll notice that there is room for six hard disks. There are six HDD trays that are included for each disk. The entire HDD cage sits behind the large 25 cm front fan for cooling. There is a lot of metal in between the fan and the HDD bay which decreases the amount of airflow considerably. However, with the front fan being so large it's not too much of a problem and the hard disks indeed stay cool.


Towards the rear of the case there are the seven motherboard expansion slots all secured with thumbscrews and easily removable. Above that is the self-explanatory fan exhaust location and above that is the power supply mounting area. With two rails to each side for the PSU to rest on, any standard sized power supply should be easily installed.


Resting in the bottom of the case are a myriad of cables and wires which include all of the connections for the fans and fan controls. Tagan has placed a small PCB in the bottom of the case to keep the wires more organized in a central junction block. This comes in very handy when one would need to remove the side panels or fans and can see that all of the cables and connections are clearly marked and in one place.


Looking up top we see the two 18 cm Tagan branded fans and all of the cables that lead from the front of the case to the bottom held in place by a retainer. The fans are large and do a great job of ensuring all heat is quickly exhausted out of the case.