Gigabyte Triton 180 ATX Chassis

Introduction:

Gigabyte Technology is perhaps best known for its motherboards, but they are active in many other areas. One of them is PC cases, and they are hoping to catch some eyes with their newest series of cases, the Triton 180.

The case market has expanded quite a lot in the past few years; no longer is it adequate for a good case to just be well-built. Not only does it have to look good, but it has to provide a multitude of features such as good cooling, ease-of-access, and a tool-less design if people will be willing to part with their money for it.

Gigabyte hopes to accomplish this with their Triton 180 series, an entry into the ever-popular mid-tower ATX market. With its stylish design, it certainly looks the part - but does it deliver the goods?

Specifications:

The Triton 180 is about average size for a mid-tower case, so it'll provide enough space for most systems. Thus, it'll also fit nicely under your desk. No window or other crazy mods have been included stock, though the side panel has both a vent and a fan duct - which ought to help out in cooling. The end result is that the case looks pretty sleek, and when paired with peripherals that are of the same colour, will fit nicely into most environments.

The case has five 5.25" drive bays, more than most cases of this class, and also two external 3.5" drive bays. Three internal 3.5" bays are also present. Thus, you'll probably have enough space for your storage needs in this case. As for stock cooling, two 120mm fans are included - one in front, and one in back. This is about standard nowadays for cases, as designers have opted for the larger and quieter 120mm fans over the previously popular 80mm fans.

• Full Specifications

No PSU is included with the case - which can be a good or a bad thing. A good PSU would have added significantly to the price, and many DIY'ers already have their own PSU that they'd prefer to use. Adding a cheap PSU would have just been a waste of money, as no one would want to trust something like that to power their expensive, custom-built system, especially nowadays when there are so many power-hungry devices in a PC. Other notable features include front vents with a removable fan filter, and ports for a water-cooling setup.

The case arrived well-packaged, so it'll take a real effort by the delivery guys to ruin your day. When you first look at the case, especially the front-bezel, it appears that this case has much in common with the Lian-Li cases. However, upon further inspection, you'll note that only the front bezel is made of anodized, brushed aluminum, giving it the high-quality look. The rest of the case is made of 0.7mm SECC (steel), that while helping cut down on weight, isn't as strong as 1.0mm SECC. I decided to review the black version of this case, since all my parts are black, and black's a fairly common color. The case is also available in a silver version.

Packaged well.

Well advertised on box.

Black version.

The paint job is a matte finish, making it not very glossy or reflective. On the upside, this means less cleaning since it doesn't attract fingerprints as much. There's no door on the case, but the availability of black components ensures a consistent look. The case is 44 cm in height (about 17") and weighs 8.4 kg (18.5 lbs). This is about standard for a steel case, and so it's no featherweight. Add in a complete system, and you have something that is no walk in the park to move around.

The front bezel is made of aluminum, giving it a nice look. Ports available on the front are pretty standard - two USB, Firewire, and headphone/mic jacks. The audio jacks support both the old AC'97 specification and the new Intel HD, which is starting to show up on motherboards and soundcards. This allows the jacks to work with pretty much any solution supporting front-panel audio. There's no door for over these ports, but they blend well into the front of the case so one isn't really needed. The power and reset buttons are easy press, and don't require tiny fingers to activate.

Black will always be the new black.

Only front is aluminum.

Back of case.

The back of the case has a pre-installed 120mm fan, mounted with rubber grommets to cut-down on noise and vibration. The vent holes appear to be adequate. You can also see the space for an ATX PSU of your choice. At the bottom, there are holes for an external water cooling setup. They are lined with a rubber valve of sorts.

The left side panel features both an air duct and a separate vent. Fans cannot be mounted on these - they are merely vents. The upper circular vent leads into an air duct that will hopefully go right over your CPU's heatsink. Depending on your heatsink's configuration, this may or may not help. The bottom set of vent holes are intended to help with videocard cooling, as far as I can tell. It remains to be seen whether or not these vents will provide a noticeable improvement. Additionally, the "Gigabyte" logo is discretely embossed on the side, a nice touch.

The right side panel is as plain as white bread. Both side panels are held in place by two thumbscrews, and neither can be locked - though this feature is usually only included on server-level cases, which this is not. Both side panels also have an indented handle to make slide-out removal a bit easier, though you do not need to remove the side panel for any regular installation duties. The top is riveted in place and cannot be removed without drilling.

Left side panel.

Right side panel.

Front - five 5.25" bays.

The five 5.25" drive bays take up a majority of the front panel. Centered underneath them are two 3.5" external drive bays, with the "Triton" logo sandwiched in between. You can also clearly see the vent for the front 120mm intake case fan here, which allows for decent airflow. The grill integrates nicely with the look of the case, allowing for a nice balance between form and function. Often, too many cases sacrifice good ventilation just for the sake of looking nice.

The bottom of the case is like any, and feature four rubber feet to keep it in place. As this case isn't too tall, you won't need anything crazy to keep it stable. Overall, I am impressed by the outward look of the Triton 180, as Gigabyte has managed to cram quite a few features into a standard-sized mid-tower, and keep it looking sleek at the same time. Though this case doesn't have a suped-up illegal street-racing look, it does possess a nice, refined quality to it.

Front - two 3.5" bays.

Front fan vent.

Bottom.

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