A Closer Look - Outside

The chassis is available in four versions and we got to take a look at the variant with silver Aluminum strips and side window. This is also the coolest in my humble opinion, but the all black one is pretty darn classy as well. Xigmatek has kept the design of the Elysium pretty straight forward and functional. Such a choice is by no means a bad thing, on the contrary, it goes well with the massive HPTX form factor.


Looking right at the chassis, it becomes apparent that the entire front is filled with drive bays - twelve to be exact. The Aluminum strips bend across the bottom and top of the chassis and are held in place by cool looking screws. This is a nice touch and gives the case a few nifty details to look at. Turning things around, we have everything where we would expect to see it, considering it is an HPTX chassis - more on this further down.


Even though the case has a window, most of it is taken by the large 200 mm side fan. It has been placed behind a metal mesh cover, so you will have a hard time seeing most of the mainboard and components, but the remaining space is big enough to give prying eyes a sneak peak, so I do still suggest investing some time into a clean interior. Turning the chassis around, there is an opening under the CPU area of the mainboard tray. You can install a fan here with up to 120 mm dimensions. This is actually something that does make sense, as this area of the mainboard does get rather hot during use.


Our sample is not quite final yet, as the printed labels on the Aluminum strips are being changed to look nicer and to have a stronger contrast for easy reading. Two large LEDs for both power and hard drive access can be found on the right Aluminum Strip. Xigmatek has placed their company name on one of the 5.25 inch bay covers, so you are free to move it around or remove it completely if you wish.


Turning our focus to the rear of the case as promised, the bottom is the primary PSU bay. You may install the power supply with the fan facing upward or downward as there are two sets of holes. Above that are the ten mainboard expansion slots, so you can easily use an EVGA SR-2 or XL-ATX mainboard and four dual height graphic cards within the Elysium. This makes the chassis one of three HPTX capable cases on the market. Five water cooling holes allow you to route tubing out the back to an external reservoir or radiator if you wish. Above that is the opening for the mainboard backplate and a 140 mm exhaust fan. The very top allows you to install an 80 mm fan or a secondary PSU if you wish. This may be of interest for those who want to separate the power supply of mainboard/CPU and graphics subsystem.


Even though the chassis is very tall, Xigmatek has chosen to place all the I/O on top of the Elysium. This is a wise choice, as you will most likely not place such a monster on the table next to your monitor. Just make sure you have the height under your table or space next to it. The I/O is protected by a sliding cover. Pushing it up, reveals an eSATA, two USB 2.0, the pair of Audio and two USB 3.0 plugs. You will also receive a 2.5/3.5 inch hot swap bay right behind the I/O. Xigmatek has also chosen to make the power button really big, so that you can easily find it without having to actively look for it.


In the rear is a large metal mesh cover, with the Xigmatek X on it. This has been placed above the top vents which can be used for fans or radiator of up to 420 mm size.


To remove this cover, simply slide the lock behind the I/O bay to the side and pull the entire plastic and metal mesh cover off. Unlike most, this one utilizes a honey comb weave, making it surprisingly sturdy.