Assembly

Installing the motherboard within the Asgard 381 is done by traditional means using motherboard stand-offs. There is enough space for a large CPU cooler, which is great since it gives users the ability to upgrade to such a unit, or System Integrators the ability to go for large and quiet coolers.


The spot for the 2.5" drive works flawlessly as well, and the 3.5" bay can easily be filled, but the plastic lock holding the latter in place is inadequate. I strongly suggest you use screws to pin such drives down properly. The alignment of the drives may conflict with the installation of large graphics cards, which essentially reduces the maximum bay count for 3.5" drives.


Installing the optical drive is quite simple as the cover protecting the drive bay pops out easily. Once free, simply push the drive into place and the lock down. The same as with the 3.5" bays holds true here: you are better off using additional screws to hold the drives in place.


Installation of the PSU bears no surprises. Just put it in, screw it down, and move on. Nothing else to see here folks - move along.


With everything in place, the system does look a bit cluttered, as there are no rubber grommets for individual openings to the motherboard tray. You should be able to make things look really nice though, but expect to invest a bit more time, patience, and creativity, and a lot more zip ties, to achieve a clean look.

Finished Looks

With everything in place, the Asgard 381 actually looks quite alright. While it will not win any awards visually, it is quite alright for budget builds or first-time builders. You can clearly see the large cooler behind the side panel; it is so close that installing a fan in the top spot of the side panel is not an option. Everything in the rear is where you would expect it to be.


A blue LED lights up after powering the system on, but it would have been nice to see an orange LED to go with the brand's and this chassis' signature hue. You can clearly see all the components through the top of the case. This means that dust may enter freely, while noise can escape unopposed.