GiGabyte 3D
aurora 570
Ho. ly. Cow
before we begin, we’re compelled to set
the stage for an introduction worthy of
Gigabyte’s 3D aurora 570 case. Go to
your CD collection—specifically, the
section of music you haven’t touched
in 10 years. Grab the Jurassic Park
soundtrack. Fire up track two and wait
for that one part. you know, the bit when
the high strings crescendo into the main
theme? yeah. that part.
Now sit back, hit the repeat-track
button, and allow us to present one of
the best cases we’ve seen—period.
removing the 3D aurora 570 from its
cardboard packaging is as awe-inspir-
ing an experience as encountering your
first dinosaur. the case is a triumph of
design, wrapped in a solid aluminum
shell that’s attractively accented by the
glow of three 12cm blue LeD fans.
the front of the case is home to a
key-lockable door that magnetically
“snaps” to the front of the case. it’s a
great solution to the annoying “swinging
door” problem we’ve experienced with
some cases, and it’s a touch that adds to
the overall slick package—no press-in,
pop-off doors on this beauty! a front i/o
panel below the door is set off with styl-
ish blue trim and sports the usual array of
connectors: one FireWire, two uSb, two
audio jacks, but sadly, no eSata port.
one of the more surprising and
delightful highlights of the aurora is a
stealthed logo on the lower front of the
case, which is projected onto the unit’s
resting surface. by default it reads
“aurora,” but you can create your
own design on a piece of acetate
film. it’s a geeky gimmick, for sure,
but neat nevertheless.
out of the box, the case comes
with a grill side panel, but Gigabyte
also includes a replacement window
for enthusiasts who prefer an unob-
structed view of their case’s guts. Now
that’s catering to the consumer.
and the conveniences don’t stop
there, as everything on the inside of the
aurora is screwless—at least the impor-
tant stuff. Sure, you still need a screw-
driver to remove fans, install the moth-
erboard, and remove the crossbar, but
everything from hard drives, to 5.25-inch
devices, to PCi cards is virtually effortless
to install. and speaking of PCi, there’s
plenty of room for all your next-genera-
tion big-assed videocards. the aurora is
anything but cramped for space.
two rubberized water-cooling holes
help round out the list of unexpected
extras. they’re easily fat enough to hold
half-inch tubes, but more to the point,
they look good. this isn’t just some half-
assed, let’s-punch-some-holes-in-our-
case kind of deal; this design makes for
a sophisticated-looking water-cooling
setup and is hardly a blemish for those
folks who choose
to stick with air.
on a macro
level, the aurora is
utterly flawless. but
even in the small
details, Gigabyte
has managed to get
just about every-thing right. and all the interesting little
additions easily shuffle the aurora ahead
of its brethren and more than make up
for Gigabyte’s occasional, ever-so-brief
lapses in case creation.1) Cut a hole in
the case. 2) Put
your tube in the
case....
$170, http://www.gigabyte-usa.comGiGabyte 3D aurora 570^10
MAXIMUMPC
KICKASSapril 2007 MAXIMUMPC
20.5”8”