MaximumPC 2007 09

reviewsTes Ted. Reviewed. veRdic Tized

76 MAXIMUMPC september 2007

I

t’s always fun to see the interesting

(and sometimes bizarre) design deci-

sions that push a case down the dark or

light side of our review scale. Cases being

what they are—boxes for your computer

parts—it’s pretty tough to pinpoint one

flaw that will drag a chassis into the mud.

It’s usually a combination of one major uh-

oh and a bunch of minor ughs that leave

us searching for better enclosures, as is

the “case” with one of this month’s con-

tenders. The other, minus its extreme size,

impresses us greatly.

—Dave Murphy

Dynapower uSa hachiMan

When Dynapower’s Hachiman case hit the

Maximum PC Lab, we were immediately

taken aback by the coolness of its paint

job. We’ve never been fans of anime,

nor do we normally consider a case’s

aesthetics during a review. That said, the

Hachiman definitely gets points for looks.

It’s not perfect; the paint has a bumpy,

orange-peel texture, the decals don’t line

up, and only half of the case’s chassis has

a beautiful black undercoat. The other half

is standard, butt-ugly gray.

Still, it’s a pity that such a nice bit of

work on the exterior is completely and

totally marred by one of the most unpleas-

ant interiors we’ve ever

seen. Where do we even

begin? We’ll start with the

one good note—the case

comes with a 600W power

supply, which is a nice

little inclusion that spares

you from having to buy

one yourself.

Stuffing accessories

into the front panel of the

case requires you to use

the Hachiman’s flimsy,

screwless mounting devic-

es. They work, but not

very well. And they’re ugly,

but that’s beside the point.

The case’s screwless PCI

holders function slightly better, but again,

we’ve seen better designs.

The true deal-breaker for us isn’t the

case’s front-panel LCD display—though

its blue hue destroys the red aesthetic

of the case—but rather, the front-panel

connectors themselves. Unlike virtually

all the other cases we’ve seen, which

bundle front-panel connectors into an

easy-to-connect-to-the-mobo block, the

Hachiman case forces you to bust out

your motherboard’s manual and con-

nect pins one at a time. Weaksauce,

Dynapower.

antec p190

If all the world’s computer cases were play-

ing a game of Battlefield, then the Antec

P190 would surely be one of the tanks. This

thing is a monstrosity of a midtower, though

functionally, it differs very little from every-

thing else in Antec’s P-series of cases.

However, this case does add improve-

ments we’ve been dreaming of since we

first laid our hands on the P180. The P190

comes with that extra bit of horizontal space

that makes all the difference in the world if

you rock extra-long videocards. Previous

models were just too cramped—even if you

weren’t using a water-cooling system.

We love how two in-tandem power

supplies are included in this beast: a 650W

device for your motherboard and cards,

and a 550W one for everything else. That

said, cable management is still an issue

with the P190. To its credit, Antec contin-

ues to try to find better ways to route or

otherwise minimize the impact of the snarl

of cables shooting out of the southern

chunk of the case. But the design still feels

wrong, especially when you have to route

your cables through a tiny rabbit hole, over

a fan, and back through a hole just to get

to the lower drive bay.

At least the case’s airflow is totally

unrestricted, thanks to the whirling power

of four 12cm fans and a beastly 20cm

side-panel fan. They’re all tri-speed fans

too; perfect for the air enthusiast who’s

trying to keep his hearing intact.

Time for a Case Race

Looks can be deceiving, sometimes beauty is just skin deep

it’s big. it’s black. and it’s back. antec’s p190 case

smoothes out some wrinkles but ever so slightly misses

receiving a Kick ass award.

$500, http://www.antec.com

antec p190

white rabbit

Tons of space, snake light

inside the case, easy to

manipulate.

bleacheD bunny^9

Still no switch for the snake light;

cable management could be better

we’re still not sure why Dynapower uSa thought out, but it’s improved.

decided to match a blue lighting scheme

with a bright red case.

$150, http://www.dynapowerusa.com

dynapower usa hachiman

haDoKen

Sweet exterior, marred by the

designer’s sloppiness in not

painting the entire case.

hibiKi^4

Manually connecting single

pins to single connectors just plain sucks.