Enermax CS-10181 Case Review - Finished Product

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Manufacturer:	Enermax
Product:	Black CS-10181 Case
Price:	USD$99 ($125 as reviewed)
Availability:	NOW
Reviewed By:	Jim "Justi" Miller
Review Date:	July 2003

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Enermax CS-10181 Case Review (Black)

Fan Mounting:

There obviously isn't a great deal to discuss when it comes to cooling installation, and that's generally speaking a good thing. All intake fans on this case come with quality filters that are not only easy to install (without tools), but easy to remove for cleaning!

 

   

   

As you can see it's as simple as popping them in and out by lining them up with the holes. Again, design points to Enermax on ease of installation. In this example we chose to use UV LED Fans that we picked up at Xoxide. Considering the application in the window of this case I'm glad we did.

 

   

Cabling Up::

With motherboard, drives, and fans installed, the only thing remaining to do is cable up the system and let 'er eat.

 

 

 

The only I/O port cables we used were the USB cables. Simply put, I don't have a need for IEE or the audio jacks (My Klipsch 4.1's work just fine plugged into the rear. :) )

 

FINISHED PRODUCT:

Now that it's assembled and cruising along nicely at 3.5GHz via my 2.6c CPU, there's not much left to do than to admire the completed case swapping project..

 

 

     

     

     

And don't any of you go making fun of my Cleveland Browns bear either!

FINAL THOUGHTS:

There are several manufacturers out there that release cases that are very similar, if not identical to the eye at least. All companies claim that the cases were built to their specific specs and standards, which I question due to the exacting similarities, but hey, to each his own. So is Enermax the only company releasing this case or one like it? Probably not? That said, I've always believed in buying quality, especially when it comes to a case that probably won't be replaced for several PC upgrades. Enermax is a name that I trust from past experiences both in cases and in power supplies. With pricing so close in this area my money will go to Enermax every time.

I like to write a review in a style that leaves open my conclusion until very close to the end of the review. I simply was not able to do that in this review. There is no denying it, I definitely love this case and will be running it (modified to accommodate water cooling of course, mod article to follow!) as my main box. That is not to say that it is without faults. I would have liked to see the hard drive racks removable instead of riveted into place. I would have LOVED to see more though put into the AGP card retention device. And certainly, though I haven't mentioned it yet, I am disappointed that we again see a quality case without a removable motherboard tray. I will however admit that considering that most modern cases have removable doors it's not as important, but I'm still a sucker for the removable tray from back in the day.

Faults aside, I am overall more than pleased with this Enermax CS-10181 case.

 

CONCLUSIONS:

I'm sure you already are thinking that I'm going to say "run out and buy this case!", well, not necessarily. Does this case fit MY needs and wants in a case? Yes it does. Will it fit yours? Well , that's up to you. I can say that the case is relatively heavy, but in a steel chassis that's to be expected. If you're looking for the perfect LAN box you might want to continue your search as this thing would be a beast to drag around.

If you're looking for a solid case stacked with features and built with some of the highest quality standards we've run across in a while and weight doesn't matter, then this is more than likely the case for you.

I personally chose this case because I just picked up a ViewSonic E90f+ monitor that is black and silver in color, if I do say so myself, this CS-10181 is going to look unbelievable sitting next to it on my desk!

 

HIGHS:

• Truly tooless design.

• Dual door system ingenious

• Excellent quality

• Rotate out fan door in case side

• Easy to cleanly route cables

• Conveniently located I/O panel on top of case

• Simple drive mounting system

• Just an all around nice case
  

LOWS:

• No removable motherboard tray

• Poorly designed PCI card locking system

• Hard drive racks not removeable

That about sums it up from here. I appreciate Xoxide.com working with us to deliver this review. Xoxide has a plethora of PC modding gear including most everything you've seen in this review down to the power supply. Drop by their store and check it out for some window shopping. Good stuff over there. More than anything, I appreciate you junkies stopping by to read it. If you have any questions, concerns, props, or slams, feel free to drop into our forums to discuss this, or send an email. Otherwise, head on back to the OCA front page and check out the other GooSH!™.

DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware.

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