A Closer Look:

No Thermal Issues Here

My first impression of the Xclio 1000 was somewhere between "Wow, cool, another gaming case!" and "Does this thing fly?" After looking through the box to make sure there weren't any wings, I pulled the case out of the box. It's about 25 pounds in total weight given that it's a full sized tower made of steel materials.

3 - 180mm Front Bezel Fans

Bezel Close Up

The features more obvious than the size of the enclosure are the number of cooling fans built in to the side, top, and front panels. All together there are 8 visible 180mm cooling fans. The front bezel actually consists of three individual mini-doors with one fan centered on each which divides the front bays up evenly. Each door has a power switch for each fan as well as controls for the LED and RPM functions which pull air in to the chassis. The doors have a pretty solid feel due to the size of the hinges.

2 - 180mm Top LED Fans

Top Up Close

The front Bezel is simple to work with, yet some what a pain. Each of the three grills separating the sections are easy to get off and put on. The problem is, they are too easy. It doesn't take much to knock them off center once they're back on and are a little tricky getting properly aligned. The plastic seems far too flexible and don't hook on to the bezel frame very well.

3 Front Doors

Behind the vents, there are three individual plates that seal off the 5.25" bays. After removing a couple screws, you can see each inside tray which are filled with black flexible hard drive trays. Since the fans won't work very well with these plates installed, it stands to reason that perhaps they could be removed once you get the case, or maybe even left out by the manufacturer. Besides, they are hidden behind the black vent plates.

Vent Plate Removed

Removable Bays & Trays

The right panel sports three more 180mm cooling fans. The fans are mounted in place by a clear acrylic frame which is suppose to add a better effect when the LED fans are lit up. It's also a little easier to see through than going with the typical black or gray frame. These fans are controlled by switches and knobs integrated in to the top of the enclosure. Naturally, these fans pull air in to the chassis.

Right Panel & 3 - 180mm LED Fans

The left panel and rear of the chassis is pretty uneventful. I say this because there's obviously nothing on the left side and there's something that appears to be missing from the back. There are two 120mm cooling fan ports that sit empty. This seems a bit odd given that XClio went through all the trouble of integrating fans elsewhere. I say, go the extra mile and put a couple cooling fans in, even if they don't light up. Otherwise, the only other feature added is the two grommet holes for tubing if you feel inclined to water cool your system since radiators are normally mounted outside the chassis.

Left Panel

Back & 120mm Fan Ports

The top panel has two 180mm cooling fans which are also controlled via another power switch, selector, and variable control knob for assigning the fan speeds. The fans are also mounted in a clear acrylic frame to increase the fan's effects. These fans are actually blowing the warm air up and out of the chassis.

Also on top at the very front of the case, you can see the audio, USB, 1394 (Firewire), and eSATA ports. Next to those are the Reset and Power switches. Not a bad placement for the reset and power. But, the front panel ports might get in the way of the doors, if you don't manage your wires. However, it's also nice to be able to see ports easily for quick access, so you'll have decide for yourself.

Fan Power & Controls (Upper)

Audio, USB, Firewire, eSATA, Reset, Power

Upon opening the chassis, you're greeted by a cavernous chassis. The chassis supports motherboard sizes up to what XClio calls, MP Dual CPU for the form factor. Usually, a case can support up to an ATX. But, at 12" x 13", that should just fit something along the size of the Intel Skull Trail motherboard. There's definitely enough room to route wires and what not as well as handle large graphics cards along with that size a motherboard.

The Chassis

There's a huge amount of room above the power supply bay. There seems like there's a lot of space there that could be put to better use besides just huge power supplies. Perhaps they could integrate a large shelf or further slots for more hardware. On the other hand, you can mount any size of power supply. There's enough room to stack an extra PSU if you wanted. (Hint, Hint!)

Motherboards Up to E-ATX

Upper PSU Bay

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