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Sunbeam Acrylic PC Case Review

Sunbeam Acrylic PC Case Review

Supplied by sunbeamtech


Beware! Naked computer pictures!

The Sunbeam
Tech Acrylic PC case
will leave nothing hidden, unexposed or right out front
for all to see. It’s a completely clear acrylic PC case that will delight modders.
The case surpasses the majority of metal PC cases for design features as well.
So it’s time to do the full Monty with your PC hardware!

The PC case comes in blue, red and clear. The supplied manufacturer images
greatly enhance the coloring effect which will become apparent further on in
this review.

case-blue
case-red
case-white

Specifications

  • Dimensions (approximate): 18.7″x17.5″x8.7″
  • Drive Bays: 5.25″x4, 3.5″x7 (5 hidden)
  • Covers: Side Covers to open on both sides. (4 screws on each side)
  • Main Board Size: ATX; Flex-ATX style
  • Expansion Slots: 7 Multi Port: Back USB2.0x2
  • Fan hole diameter: 80mm (1 in back, 1 in front , 1 in top and 2 on side
    panel)
  • All hardware required for construction is included
  • Power supply not included

There have been many PC cases that have arrived at the Short-Media labs damaged
due to poor packing standard. The thought of an acrylic case traveling half
way around the world struck fear into our hearts with thoughts of opening the
box to find shattered remains.

packaging

The package arrived and the first thought was “that’s awfully narrow.”
The box is only 5 inches wide but when the contents are extracted the buyer
finds that the case arrives disassembled and quite securely packed in styrofoam.

packagecontents

Each acrylic panel is individually wrapped in a styrofoam sheet. The contents
were undamaged even with all the apparent abuse the exterior of the cardboard
packing box took.

There is also a smaller box containing all the screws and other parts
needed to assemble the PC case including a pair of white gloves. Why does Sunbeam
include a pair of gloves? The gloves prevent you from leaving your grubby little
fingerprints all over the acrylic panels during the assembly and installation
process unless you enjoy wiping down the entire case with glass cleaner afterwards.

partspackagecontents

Herein lies the first negative comment about the Sunbeam Tech Acrylic PC case.
The included instructions are firstly poor quality photocopies and secondly
lacking in the assembly details required. There are four pages to the assembly
instructions; an image page of the parts box contents, two pages of assembly
instructions and a fourth page of the acrylic parts.

Like most we yanked it all out and dove right in to assembling the case. It
wasn’t soon thereafter that we began scratching our heads wondering what went
where and if we were using the right part. While we were able to fully assemble
the case it was a journey of discovery figuring out just how it all went together
especially when it came to the later stages.

Our suggestion is to actually read the instructions carefully and familiarize
yourself with the parts and their subtle differences. Do not proceed like we
did by “winging” it. Even when we took a closer look at the instructions
there were a few areas of guesswork.

Let’s jump to the assembled case through the magic of “skipping ahead
past the boring stuff”.

wscase

It becomes “clear” that the red acrylic PC case sample isn’t as red
as the manufacturer website images portray. This is actually a pleasant surprise
and only the top, motherboard panel and drive bay doors have a hint of red rather
than a full tint. Our fear before receiving the sample was that “red”
may actually turn out to be pink…which is not a manly color choice.

No fear as the red acrylic pieces almost appeared clear except when looking
at the edges.

The only metal part, besides the brass screws, is the plate for the PCI slots
and and the motherboard backplane guard.

rearslots

The case is held together by a series of screws into an acrylic cube in each
corner. Please notice that this is a well crafted case. The panels mate flush
with each other and each of the screws has an brass anchor instead of turning
directly into acrylic which may give way after time.

cornercubescrews

cucorner

One of the challenges with shooting a clear acrylic case was to show the case
itself. It’s like shooting a piece of glass. How do you shoot something that
is clear? We hope we’ve done our best.

The case has five 80mm. intake/exhaust holes; one front, one top blowhole,
two side panel intakes and one rear exhaust. Unfortunately Sunbeam included
only eight screws instead of twenty (five fans by four screws each). This is
a concern as the normal screws which may come with cooling fans won’t work.
They are too short and the longer screws in the kit are needed to go through
the acrylic to the fans. There are eight screws which will allow for four fans
to be mounted if two screws are allotted per fan diagonally positioned.

cuintakehole

topblowhole

There are self-adhesive rubberized feet which stick on to the underside of
the assembled case. They have a lot of “sticking power” so plan and
position carefully.

feet

The case has four external 5.25″ drive doors and two 3.5″ drive doors
which I have to say are ingeniously attached but a little frustrating. Each
door is held in place at either end by a brass plug that has a rubber washer.

drivedoorplugout

It’s a bit of a trial and error method to “fit” the door into place.
Begin with putting one plug into one side of the acrylic door. Fit that into
one side of the case then work on the other end as shown in the next image.

drivedoorplugin2

It may take a few attempts to get the hang of it. We’re just about there as
shown in the next image but finally we got the drive doors in place and looking
neat and tidy.

drivedoorplugin

frontface

There are several bags of parts as mentioned earlier and the instructions keep
referring to the parts by number which, of course, it would make sense to put
a number on each of the parts bags.

Which, of course, wasn’t done.

After assembling the top, bottom, front and rear panels the challenge is what
to make of the leftover parts like the following.

leftoverspacers

The instructions could be improved upon and will be done after speaking with
Sunbeam Tech. We thought we had come across a major flaw with the case; the
drive bay slots.

drviebayslots

The drive bays are 5.25 inches apart but floppy and hard drives are only 3.5″
wide. How were they to be mounted?

topview

Those darn instructions again and after a bit of head scratching and guesswork
the solution became obvious. Remember those leftover brass standoffs?

floppyspacer

Yes indeed Sunbeam Tech had thought of everything and we were once again off
on the assembly journey. The standoffs provide for a snug fit for any floppy
or hard drive. (please note that the drive in this shot is bass-ackwards and
should have been turned around 180 digress before the picture was taken but
you get the idea.)

mountdrive

Those standoffs also come in two varieties; fine threaded for the motherboard
and coarse threaded for the rest. Speaking of the motherboard the standoffs
screw into the back acrylic panel into anchors embedded in the acrylic. Again
another good feature to ensure a tight and secure fit.

motherboardpegs

Another point to mention is that the standoffs place the motherboard twice
as far away from the case as with conventional metal cases. It’s not good or
bad. It’s just the way this case is designed.

mobostandoff

The post beep speaker and on/off/reset assembly is also included.

onoffswitch

Do not rush the process when assembling and installing parts into this case.
This case leaves NOTHING to hide. If you take your time you will plan, organize
and properly place wires and cables otherwise you WILL end up with a clear case
that allows everyone to see your poor rat’s nest job of cable organization.

profilecasefin

Take a peek at our guide to hiding and organizing those darn pesky cables.
Also pick up some of Sunbeam Tech’s split
loom
(Seen as a red hose in in the previous image.) that provides a very
attractive way to hide those cables in plain sight.

wscasefin

There are a few absolute “musts” for a case like this and those are:

  • The Sunbeam Tech Rheobus to control and quiet those fans.
  • The Sunbeam Tech CCFL fans which are uber cool.
  • The Sunbeam Tech UV CCFL fans for another uber cool variation on PC lighting.
  • And finally Sunbeam Tech CCFL lighting in more color varieties than a 1980’s
    disco.

If you are going to have a see through case then light it up! Up front there’s
the Sunbeam Tech UV CCFL fan.

frontbezellower

And for a blowhole a regular CCFL fan.

ccflfaninstalled

There is a potential problem with the final assembly of this case and that
may vary with individual motherboard/video card combinations. We installed an
ABIT AT7-MAX2 motherboard and a DFI Xaber 400 video card.

The problem was with the PCI slots.

pciprob

The case overlapped the tab effectively making the PCI card (in this case the
AGP video card) extremely difficult to remove. There was tremendous pulling
and “stretching” to get the card out as the back of the case had to
be pushed further back to let the card slip out from under its catch point.

Light ’em if you got em.

listcaseday1

litcasenight2

litcasenight3

And a few images from the Sunbeam
Tech
website.

supplierpic1
supplierpic2
supplierpic3
supplierpic4
supplierpic5
supplierpic6

Conclusion

wscasefin

The Sunbeam Tech Acrylic PC Case is extremely well crafted. The panels mate
perfectly and the color (if so chosen as an option) provides an attractive accent
without being overwhelming. Screws drive into embedded anchors providing a tight
and secure fit without fear of accidentally stripping a screw.

This case puts your PC on display for all to see. Pick from Sunbeam’s wide
variety of CCFL or UV CCFL fans and a couple of CCFL light rods and you’ll be
the envy of the modder’s circle.

There are a few points that detract from a perfect score. The instructions/parts
labeling could be better and Sunbeam Tech has assured us that it will be. Enough
screws for the five possible cooling fans could be included instead of enough
for only two. Remeber that a total of eight screws are included but if there
are four screws per fan and a total of five fans can be installed then we are
twelve screws short. Should this be a concern? Most certainly yes when the normal
screws that may come with a fan bought elsewhere will not suffice. (Fan grills
are a option to protect thy fingers.)

There is also a “fit” concern with PCI/AGP cards and the back metal
PCI plate. This may be or may not be a concern depending on motherboard.

This case is for the anal-retentive organized modder. It leaves nothing hidden
so take your time and organize those cables. It is also a static nightmare for
attracting dust and other junk. Ground out this case or find a way to discharge
the static cling build up. I cringed as my cat walked by and half his fur was
sucked to the case by static cling buildup. So after you finish rubbing it down
with your gloved hands and getting all the hairs and “stuff” out of
it…find a way to discharge the static buildup. Static and PC parts
don’t get along too well.

Finally a word about cooling. There is no need to spend a great deal of time
on cooling performance of this case because it quite simply provides the ability
to run a very cool PC. How cool depends on the number of fans installed, their
CFM rating and the processor/heatsink combination. It is safe to say this case
provides for great cooling because of the holes for a front intake, top blowhole,
one rear and two side panel fans. Those who watercool will find this case somewhat
restrictive but it would be interesting to try.

litcasenight2

Highs

  • Brass and glass (actually …acrylic).
  • Screws have embedded anchors.
  • Parts fit and mate well.
  • Five 80mm. fan holes.
  • A modder’s showpiece!
  • Solid and thick panels.

Lows

  • Instructions could be better.
  • A nightmare for messy people.
  • Got kids? Now you got fingerprints!
  • Must be kept clean. (No hiding those dust bunnies.)
  • Static cling buildup.

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