Once upon a time in computing, the world was beige. Everything, from the monitor housing to the keyboard, and even your computer case was putty-colored beige. Fans? No need. Bays? For a cassette or floppy back-up, sure. Ports? Um, at the rear. Water cooling? Huh â€" you don’t mix water and electronics.

Some of you young readers born in the ‘90’s or later might laugh, but that was the case of the computer case in the early years. That was then, and this is now. 10MHz processors have given way to multi-GHz, multi-core supercomputers on a chip. Graphics cards process as much in a second as that old monochrome EGA card did in a year. Hard drives, opticals, network, you name it. Your computer is packed with stuff, and all of it runs hot. So you need something to keep it cool. You’ll want something to protect your multi-core, multi-GPU, multi drive system, and you want it to look cool as well. And it all has to fit inside. But where to begin? Today, we’ll look at a case manufactured Gigabyte â€" a long time supplier of PC Internals â€" and one of their newest offerings, the Cupio 6140 mid tower computer case.



But this is not the stock Cupio that you might find available at your favorite retailer, this is a custom version that has been modified by Quiet PC USA in order for near silent operation to be another key selling point. We took a look at another custom case from Quiet PC USA about two years ago in this review, and I'm hoping their latest effort is as impressive.

Before taking a look at the sample provided for review, let's look at some information on the Gigabyte Cupio 6140 mid tower quiet PC case as taken from the official product page on the Quiet PC USA website.

Features:

Aesthetic Designed Power Button - Power button illuminated by a blue back light, unconventionally located on the top of the case

Elegant Front Door Design - High quality aluminum front door with unique waved design and an elegant golden lift clasp

Blue HDD Light - HDD activity light with a clean blue glow on the side of the aluminum door

User-friendly Architecture - Multi-media I/O port recessed behind a top-mounted sliding door

Liquid Cooling Upgrade Primed - Dual tube outlets for future liquid cooling support

Internal Liquid System Spacing Provisions - Provisions have been made for the future upgrades to liquid-cooling systems, recommended: GIGABYTE 3D Galaxy liquid cooling system

Tool-free Chassis - Tool-less installation of all devices with clip-lock and lever mechanisms

Cable-managed Interior - Interior cabling all clamped and managed to allow tidy looks and internal airflow

Specifications:

» Model no.: GZ-AABC61-CNB
» Dimensions (W x H x D): 210 x 465 x 486 mm
» Colors: Black
» Side Panel: Ventilated steel mesh
» Front bezel material: Aluminum
» Body material: SECC
» Net weight: 10.1 kg
» Drive bays:
      Â» 5.25" x 5, 3.5" x 1(External)
      Â» 3.5" x 4(Internal)
» Expansion slots: 7
» Form factor: ATX / Micro ATX
» System Fan (front): 1 x 12cm silent fan
» System Fan (rear): 1 x 12cm silent fan
» I/O ports:
      Â» 1 x e-SATA
      Â» 2 x USB 2.0
      Â» 1 x IEEE1394
      Â» 1 x Audio Set (ACÂ'97/HD)