Aspire X-Cruiser - The Eye Catching Case Front

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Coming around near the front, the side corner of the case has a bunch of handy ports. Aspire has included a Firewire port, two USB 2.0 ports, a headphone jack, a mic jack, a knob for controlling the sensitivity of the VU meter, and a knob for controlling two fan RPMs. Just about everything you could pssibly want quick access to. Needless to say, this is very helpful.

And now it's time for the bling-bling on this case. The front of this case definitely stands out. It features three old-school analog gauges. From bottom to top, because I like to go that way sometimes, you have a fan speed monitor, a temperature monitor, and a VU monitor to measure decibel levels.

I'll talk more about the functionality of these later, but strictly from an aesthetic standpoint these these things are very sexy. Top that off with some reflective plastic highlights, and this case starts looking more like a decked out thermo-nuclear reactor instead of something that houses a computer. Just wait till I show you what it looks like when it's lit up.

Upon opening the door, things looked good. I'm sure you'll notice the 120mm fan grille below, with it's cool throwing-star-like design. Well, not everything is what it seems. The truth is that the grille is merely a façade (as I'll show you when we look inside), and there is no 120mm fan port. Rather, Aspire opted to utilize two 80mm fan ports. Now this is not to say that I don't like the look of the 120mm fan grille; it's just a little deceptive. Also, as shown below, using the supplied LED fans in the front two ports looks very slick.

The drives look a bit off, but I did that on purpose. There were some issues with my hardware. The knobs on my fan controller were hitting the inside of the door when it closed. Also, the CD drive will be stealthed like the third drive from the top is.

The last thing I wanted to point in this section is that Aspire chose a clever magnet method to keep the door closed. I rather like the concept as it's very unobtrusive. Unfortunately though, it seems that the contact points need some type of cushioning system or something. Take a look below to see what I mean.

Shown here are two of the three magnetic contact points, which are located top, center, and bottom. These would work great if the contact point on the door itself were just small squares of metal, but instead they decided to use screws, which obviously take their toll on the magnets after just a short period of time. Of course, this is sort of a non-point since most of time you're going to have the door shut anyway.

Next: Inside the Case >>
 

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Comments On: Aspire X-Cruiser

· That case looks awesome with all the lights on and everything    · In the picture on the last page, that does look good. But Cyd writes, "adding a few...    · I did add a UV CCFL kit to the case. The cooling duct that connects to the window is...    · I was wondering, does someone know whether the power supply that comes with this...    · I don't have this case, but I've seen reviews about the Aspire power supplies and a...    · I bought this case - love the style.Generally, it is decent and I agree with...    · this case isn't that sturdy, but it looks pretty sharp. cools pretty well, too. i...    · I am curious if there is an option to turn off the LEDs. I pretty much keep my...    · in short, no. there is no switch to do this.i think maybe your two options would...   >>> Post your comment now!

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