Tagan is a manufacturer of PC power supplies, storage solutions, and cases. The company supplied us with a Monolize-CS tower case, an impressive creation that features two huge 250 mm side intake fans.
At first glance, the Monolize case seems to be the ideal case for an enthusiast on a budget. It fits into the market at the very attractive $100 USD price point while offering a unique cooling system, stylish design, and pleasing lighting.
Let’s delve into the details of the Monolize to see exactly how it lives up to Tagan’s claims.
Specifications
Case construction:
- Case material > 1 mm SECC
- Front material: Silk/rubber skin plastic and acrylic
- Gross weight: 26 lb
- Gross dimensions: 25″ X 23″ X 12″
- Quantity of 5,25″: 5 bays
- Quantity of 3,5″ : 2 bays x external, 6 x internal
- Cooling system 2 x 250 mm side fan, separate adjustable (and on/off)
- Fans 1 x 80/92/120 mm in back and 120 mm in front
- Fans optional 7
- PCI slots 2 x USB 2.0, 2 x audio and IEEE 1394 Firewire on right side
- Motherboard support: Micro ATX Standard ATX, extended ATX (12″x13″)
- Accessories 26 rails for the disk drives, various screws and spacers, piezo speaker and cable ties.
Fan specifications:
- Dimensions: 220x220x30MM
- Bearing Type: Sleeve Bearing
- Rated Voltage: 12.0 VDC
- Start-up Voltage: 7 VDC
- Rated Current: 0.30 A ±10%
- Rated Power: 3.60W ±10%
- Rated Speed: max 800 RPM ±10%
- Air Flow: 150.49CFM Max.
- Static Air Pressure: 0.97mmAq
- Noise Level: 32.1dBA
- Life Expectancy: 30000Hours at 25C/65%RH
Features and impressions
When the Monolize box arrived at my doorstep, my first impression was that the product was huge. This is by far the largest enclosure I’ve ever worked with. In fact, the size rivals shipping boxes that manufacturers like Dell and HP use to ship complete systems.
The box itself is relatively plain but it does contains comprehensive specifications and a representative image of the case.
The case itself comes securely packed with foam inserts and is further guarded with a protective plastic wrap.
Upon freeing the case from its packing we were really shocked by the size of the fans in the system.
The case is truly massive. It dwarfs a 22″ LCD screen and monopolizes the desktop. Aside from imparting confidence due to its size, the Monolize actually does feel solid and well-constructed.
The Monolize features right-facing external Firewire, USB, and audio ports to the front of the system and boasts additional ports on the bottom face of the bezel.
The quality of construction is apparent in small but pleasant details such as front wiring routed through a hidden channel and the bezel’s texturized coating that’s reminiscent of satin-finished paint.
Removing the protective plastic from the case door reveals a mirror-smooth surface with Tagan’s “A+” logo barely visible with the case powered off.
Tagan provides power buttons and fan speed dials for both side fans in a location easily reachable from the front.
The attention to detail carries to the inside of the case, but favors function over form. Tagan provides a spartan case interior that simply gets the job done.
The interior of the case is large and accommodating, with room enough for an E-ATX motherboard as well as up to five 5.25″ drives and eight 3.5″ drives.
Tagan provides a fast and easy retention system for expansion cards: simply lift a handle and swing away the I/O clip.
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