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Chieftec Maxtrix ATX Case, Page 2
Review Date: June 21, 2003
Reviewed by: Dwayne Sessom
Sponsored by: Chieftec USA
This case has room - and plenty of it. The Matrix is a very flexible case that can house everything from AT motherboards to dual CPU ATX boards. The large side window allows you to see most of the interior which is a very popular feature among the enthusiast crowd. As much as I love to MOD cases, I honestly cannot say that I mind having a pre-fab window. That's just less work, and Chieftec has done a superb job on the design of this window. The locking side panel is a very nice feature as well. You can opt whether to lock it or not, but the fact that it latches securely when closed means that you can do without the rear screws if you want to, which is a huge plus if you are in and out of your rig as much as I am.
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Close-up of locking handle. Click for larger view.
With the side panel removed, you get an idea of just how much real estate is actually available inside. There are four fixed 5 1/4" bays, as well as two fully removable bays that can house three 3 1/2" drives each, bringing the total number of drives that this case can house to ten!
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Chieftec is the only manufacturer that I have seen that has these unique removable hard drive cages. They have locking latches that allow to you to quickly and easily remove the drive cages, making mounting and unmounting your 3 1/3" drives a very simple proceedure. It just doesn't get much easier that his.
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Here is a close-up of Chieftecs locking latch. It is a very simple and effective way of securing the drive cages, and one of my favorite features of this case.
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One of the things I hate most about PC cases is having to guess which wire goes where when they are not labled properly. Fortunately, Chieftec kept it simple and clearly marks all wire harnesses, taking the guesswork out of the way.
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Another problem I have run into in the past is cases that come with bag of screws that is just barely enough to get the job done if at all. I was pleased to find that Chieftec packed about 3 times as many screws as I actually needed, plus you will find 2 keys that go to the locks on the front and side of the case inside the bag. They also threw in a Chieftec case badge. Nice touch!
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There are a few things that would have improved this case. The first thing I noticed about his case was it's weight. It is made of steel, and not aluminum, so it is quite heavy. This can make moving it to LAN parties a bit of a drag. The second thing is the fact that this case does not have a removable motherboard tray. Not a huge deal, but some people prefer to have the convenience of a removable mobo tray. The last thing I found that could be improved was the absence of thumb screws for securing the side panels. With the screwless fan mounts and removable hard drive racks, I thought it was odd that Chieftec still used regular phillips screws to secure the side panels instead of the widely popular thumb screws. But as I mentioned earlier, you can remove the screws entirely since the latch on the windowed side panel holds the panel firmly in place.
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That about covers the case itself. Next I will show you the dual fan 420 watt PSU, and get into a bit of modding...
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