A Closer Look - Outside

The case makes a very sturdy impression. A first close look at the paint job does not reveal any shortcomings and no parts of the front or top seem to be of weakly structured plastic.


The entire front of the chassis is filled with drive bays and features straight lines and metal mesh front covers. Turning the chassis over it becomes apparent that Xigmatek has painted the enclosure black on the inside as well, as the exterior sports the same color. Taking a quick peek at both sides, the one with the mesh - which is shaped like an X - can hold four 120 units or a single 200 or 230 mm one. All holes are rubber mounted to kill any vibrations from this area of the chassis. Turning the Utgard over, there are two air vents - one below the CPU area and one next to the hard drives - but no fan mounts.


Moving in for a closer look, one of the drive bays may be used for a 3.5 inch device, while another one holds the Xigmatek logo. These can be freely be moved to any other position. The I/O has been placed on the very top of the chassis, angled at 45 degrees. This should make it easily accessible when the chassis is placed under the table or on the desktop. Xigmatek has done away with the reset button, but has added two eSATA connectors. I do not see the point for a pair of these, as many do not even use a single such plug. There are two dials to control up to six fans, three a channel. This is more than enough and perfect if you decide to fill the entire side panel with cooling devices.


Turning the Utgard around, starting at the bottom we are looking at the PSU bay. You may mount the power supply either with the 120 mm fan facing upward or downward. Above that are the seven expansion slots for your mainboard along with a pair of possible openings for water cooling tubes. The 120 mm rear exhaust fan features the signature color of Xigmatek and there are two further openings for water cooling tubes on the very top. It would have been nice to see four rubber covers for these holes included, instead of just two. You would be left with two ugly holes if you ever decide to move any water cooling tubes from one pair of opening to the other.


The top is covered by a metal mesh cover which may be pulled off. It reveals an area to hold a radiator, which means that such a setup won't interfere with your mainboard. You can also clearly see the 170 mm fan in the ceiling of the chassis.