ZXMods SOLID Case Review
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Our good friends @ZXMods gave me a heads up awhile back that they were bringing in a new case that was both sytlish in looks and competitively priced. Of course OCAddiction was more than happy to review the case, so today we present the "Solid Multimedia Case". At this point these cases are relatively unheard of so I was unsure of what to expect. Lets take a look at the case straight out of the box.
Introduction
Our good friends @ZXMods gave me a heads up awhile back that they were bringing in a new case that was both sytlish in looks and competitively priced. Of course OCAddiction was more than happy to review the case, so today we present the "Solid Multimedia Case". At this point these cases are relatively unheard of so I was unsure of what to expect. Lets take a look at the case straight out of the box.
Packaging
Packaging for the Solid case was adequate. It arrived in your standard cardboard box wrapped in plastic and packed with thick Styrofoam. Interestingly enough, the case window still had the protective plastic on it both on the outside and inside to keep from getting scratches and dirty, very nice.
Obviously you can see by the corners that UPS tossed around the box a bit as they always do, however the case was in top top condition when pulling it out of the box. A welcome relief. Again, notice the plastic protective film on the side window. A nice addition showing that Solid took the extra care to make sure you case arrives unmarred. Now that we've seen the first few pics, lets take a look at the official specs of the case.
Features: 10 Drive Bays
5 x 5.25" External drive bays for CD ROMs, DVDs;
2 x 3.5" external; 3 x 3.5" internal drive bays for HDDs
Motherboards: Baby ATX / Micro ATX / ATX. Power supply is optional.
Case Fans: 2 x 80mm rear case fans (optional); 1 x 80mm front fan (optional).
Expansion slots: 7.
Dimensions(D x W x H): 477 x 200 x 440(mm); 18.75" x 7.88" x 17.25".
Also, a few words from the ZXMods site that I just couldn't have put any better. "Mid tower solid multimedia computer system cases with clear acrylic side window, power supply optional. Top two drive bays are CD ready with chrome buttons and stealth pivoting CD tray covers that fold out when the CD tray is opened. Built in matching floppy bay. Additional 3-1/2" bay immediately below the floppy bay. The "SOLID" logo right below the floppy bay pops out to reveal an additional 3-1/2" bay for your ZIP drive or a cool 3-1/2" bay bus. Front USB, audio in/outjacks are stealthfully hidden behind a hinged door at the bottom front. Chromed power/reset switches with power & HDD LEDs."
Yes! One of the coolest options on this case are the 2 CD-Rom Stealth Bays. One of my personal pet peeves when buying any case that is not plain beige is that when you start installing drives, baybuses, etc, everything starts to look rather ghetto. Not so with the Solid Multimedia Case. With the case, you get 2 face plates that are capable of opening up when housing a CD-Rom or similar item. It's hard to tell just from looking at it (which is a good thing) so let me show you here with a couple of pics.
Definitely sweet. Truly a unique idea Solid has on their hands here and I was fairly impressed. The only slight problem I had with the operation, was that my CD-Rom's tray tip would catch on the bay door before retracting back into the CD-Rom drive. This is an easy fix however by simply removing the CD-Rom's tray tip. You won't need it since the drive is hidden in the case and it will make for a completely smooth operation. Simply keep the tray tip to re-install if you ever decide to install the CD-Rom in another case, very simple. Alternatively, you can always just keep a finger on the bay door while the CD-Rom try is retracting and let it close afterward.
Another item of note I would like to mention is the material of which the cases front bezel is made of. It's almost like a rubbery type material and very nice. Grippable and non-slip. It's the same type of stuff that some of the newer electronics are being made with, Palm Pilots, Gaming Controllers, etc. Lets move on to a few other choice features of the Solid case.
Here is where we get the "Multimedia" in the case name. You have w front USB ports as well as microphone and headphone inputs. Perfect for gaming at the next Lan Party. Oh yeah. There is also an empty port setup for firewire should you choose to go with that in the future. All the cables for the multimedia ports are well constructed and have plenty of length.
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