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Koolcases Control Server Case
Review Date: December 2, 2002
Reviewed by: Dwayne Sessom
Sponsored by: Koolcases.com
Koolcases.com is a fairly new player in the PC case and case mod arena. They are off to a great start, and the inventory they carry is expanding almost daily. I have to say that Koolcases.com is one of the friendliest and helpful sites I have dealt with to date. I am a stickler when it comes to customer service, and these guys excel in that area.
Today, I am going to take a look at a low priced but feature packed SOHO server case. This is the "Control" Server case. While is doesn't have a window or sliding mobo tray, it has the features you want in a small server case - TONS of drive bays, good fannage, and good looks to boot.
Exterior:
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The first thing that grabs your attention are the blue mirrored drive bay covers - 7 total and all removable! I also like the charcoal metallic gray color. It happens to be one of my favorite colors, and goes very nicely with the blue mirrored drive bay covers. The silver handles are more for looks that practical application. They are made of plastic instead of metal and would probably break off easily.
Features:
- Drive Bays : 5.25" x 7 and/or 3.5" x 1 + 2 (Optional).
- USB Port : Front USB, Mic & Headphone Jack.
- Cooling Fans : Top front & Rear 80mm Fan.
- Screwless PCI port.
- Single Thumb Screw Access Panel.
- 350watt ATX 2.03 Power Supply.
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Since drive bays go from top to bottom on the front of this case, real estate for fans is limited. The Control case has a fan which takes air in at top of the case, a sort of reverse blow-hole which is a good idea since there is no place in front for intake fannage. The only other fans are the PSU fan and a single exhaust fan. This setup is actually sufficiant for most applications. The 2 existing 80mm fans could easily be replaced with 2 Vantec Tornados if the airflow isn't good enough for your taste.
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The Control case has 2 USB ports and an audio input and audio output in the top front. I like this location instead of being right in the front panel. It's out of the way, but still easier to get to than having them in the back of your rig. The power and reset buttons are located at the very top front of the case. They are simple, clearly marked, and look nice without being too flashy.
Just another shot of the top front. I like the simple yet elegant look of this case. It really could be a desktop case, or server case.
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To get inside, there is just a single thumb screw to remove and the top panel slides off. After the top is off, the side panels remove easily by pulling them straight up. Very easy access.
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