A Closer Look - Outside

The i5 is quite the compact mATX chassis as it has done away with front drive bays. This allows the chassis to be quite short in comparison to traditional mini towers. The overall design looks modern, but a bit generic overall. X2 has done a good job at matching the hues of white between the metal paint and plastic front.


The i5 comes with a large, clear side window, which has been embedded nearly seamlessly inside the metal panel. On the opposite side, the panel is completely solid.


Looking at the front, there are no drive bays, with only an air vent and the logo, while the rear looks to be of the standard variety for a chassis of this size and format with a bottom-mounted PSU bay.


Taking a closer look at the front, the i5 sports a metal-mesh air vent on the bottom half, which does not seem to come with any dust filters. While the mesh will keep the biggest particles at bay, fine dust will easily enter the interior. Behind this, you can see the 120 mm intake fan which comes pre-installed right out of the box. The top half of the front is completely solid and only holds the X2 logo.


In the back, the bottom of the case is intended for the PSU, right under the shroud. You will find two sets of mounting holes and can, as such, install the power supply with its fan facing in any direction you like. Above that are the four motherboard expansion slots. Only the slot at the very top is reusable - you will be forced to break out the bottom three if those are needed. In the very top is a vent for an 80 or 92 mm fan. X2 has actually added two sets of mounting holes for these fan sizes, so you may pick the one that aligns best with your CPU cooler.


In the very top, you will find the only other black element besides the metal mesh in front - a flexible, magnetic dust filter. As the name implies, it is held in place by fairly strong magnetic strips, so you should not have to worry about it falling off during transport. You may install two 120 mm fans or a radiator of up to 240 mm in size in the ceiling. At the top edge of the front is a traditional set of I/O consisting of power and reset buttons, two USB 3.0, and the usual pair of audio connectors.


Flipping the chassis over, you can see the opening for the PSU fan on the right. While there are clips to hold a simple metal-mesh filter in place, X2 has chosen not to include one. On the left are four small, raised platforms on which you may install a 3.5" hard drive within the chassis. Interestingly enough, there are numerous other holes which could serve some purpose. On one side are four mounting points for something like a fan, even though there is no air vent for it, while you could also install an HDD in the space for the PSU instead of a power supply, ignoring the fact that you need a PSU to run the system.