Installation

Installation of your components into this case is a bit different than into other cases, and may be a bit tricky considering that this will probably be the first time that one has done this. But it is by no means hard or distressing. The first thing is the way in which one installs drives. As detailed on the previous page, one removes the front bezel structure by removing the four cap nuts securing it. Then, lay it down on a flat surface. You then insert the drives vertically like in the picture, and secure it with the provided screws. One thing to note is that many different types of screws are included for the many different things that one has to secure to this case. The ones to use when installing a 5.25" drive bay are the short, fine-threaded screws, as shown in the picture below.

CD-ROM installation.

PSU screw on the left, 5.25" drive screw on the right.

From left to right: mobo screw, HDD screw, FDD screw.

3.5" drive installion is a bit more tricky. Because the space between the sides of the front structure is wider than 3.5" drives, you must use the provided spacers and the longer screws to hold the drives in place. First, you insert the screw into the hole, then through the spacer, and then into the drive. You should really do this with all four holes to give the drive the support it needs. It can get a bit tricky when installing drives this way as sometimes it is a bit weird to get the spacers and drive lined up properly.

3.5" drive installation - spacers indicated.

Everything loaded in to the front!

Initially, hold the mobo screws in place with tape.

Motherboard installation is again different, but easier than I expected. The first thing you must do is figure out which holes in the case are to be used when securing the motherboard to the chassis. For most motherboards, this will be the six holes closest to the back. You then insert the motherboard screws, which are the second longest, tape their heads to the back, lay the case back down and put the motherboard spacers on all of them. You can then place the motherboard over them, lining up the screws with the holes in the board, and then you must secure the board to the screws with the included nuts. As always, make sure that it is secure, but do not over-tighten!

Motherboard installed.

Close-up of securing nut.

Rear shot of the mobo with the securing screws and standoffs in view.

After this, the only thing left to physically install into the case is the PSU. The four PSU screws are provided because the screws that came with your PSU may not be long enough to go through the case holes and hold the PSU in place, as the case is thicker than most metal ones.

Sliding the front part back into the case.

Case with most of the components installed.

Again, I have to say that The Upgrade Path came up with some pretty nice ideas for installing components into this case. Nothing is directly screwed into the case, and this feature will prevent wear and tear on the material of the case. No major problems were encountered during installation, and this is quite good considering this is the first production case that The Upgrade Path has produced!

Cooling and Mod Possibilities

The fan placement in this case is pretty much regular when it comes to ATX mid-towers. A single 80mm up front, and an 80mm at the back. What makes this stand out is that you can position your HDD in front of the front intake 80mm, to provide direct cooling for it. Definitely a good idea that all cases should have. With a Celeron 566@850 installed along with the other components, I never noticed case temps move 5C above the room temperature.

It is pretty evident that this case should also be easy to mod provided you have the proper tools. A blowhole or two could be added to the side panel, or a chimney fan could be added to the top! And, it would be a crime not to install some sort of lighting into this case! The Upgrade Path even has 92mm & 120mm fan holes as options on this case, for those of you who like to have their case come tweaked-out :)

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