Installation
To test the fit of a motherboard, we installed microATX motherboard into the unit. As you can see, it’s dwarfed by the size of the chassis. The mATX board installed without any kind of hassle, and there was plenty of room left over for the remaining parts. You shouldn’t have any kind of trouble fitting even the biggest of video cards into this case.
Expansion slots were easily accessible and operate with a tool-less clamp. This clamp was convenient for locking in expansion boards, but would easily come off its hinge and could be finicky to replace.
Mounting brackets for storage devices also use a tool-less design. The mounting rails for the hard disks sat loosely in the screw holes were prone to falling out if the drive was tipped, but once slid into the brackets, they fit snugly with a satisfying click.
Operation
The power and reset switches cannot be accessed without opening the front panel. Thought not difficult to do, frequent access may become tedious. More intuitively, front panel I/O is mounted on the side of the chassis and can be accessed at any time without the need to open the bezel.
This chassis suffers from a drawback in the form of a terribly bright blue system power LED that is capable of illuminating a room. The Chieftec CH-02 does loosely remedy the problem by placing a diffuser in front of the LED when the front panel is closed, but it’s still fairly bright.
Overall airflow was decent, but the fans for the hard drive cage were perhaps unnecessarily noisy. Not overbearingly loud, but definitely loud enough that users will notice. This may be a deterrent for those looking for near silent operation.
Recap
The Chieftec CH-02 is an attractive chassis solution that doesn’t overdo it. It’s visually compelling, but approaches that design in a conservative way thanks to the lack of glowing case fans and other eye candy. That is, this case may not be for those wanting to show off their computer with an array of colorful lighting.
In terms of build, the chassis is solid and quite functional. Its heavy-duty construction lends to its durability. This chassis would easily survive many years of desk service and LAN party travel.
The Chieftec CH-02 can be found online for around $110 without a power supply.
Pros:
- Sleek, modern design
- Very sturdy
- Spacious
- Direct hard disk cooling
Cons:
- Noisy hard drive fans
- Slim assortment of extras
Pages: 1 2