The Basics (continued):
The below left image shows the drive bays, and you can see some more interesting yellow features. The tool-less mechanism for the two exposed 5.25" bays and one of the two exposed 3.5" bays are simple yellow buttons that pop in and out of the screw holes on your drives. Simple and quite effective, although it can be a little tricky to line up the drive's holes and the yellow button's pin. A drive cage for two internal 3.5" hard drives is located below the external bays, and is another nice feature of the In Win Alpha 360. The grey lever next to the bay unlocks it from the "installed" position and allows it to swing out 90 degrees where it locks back into place for drive installation. Very convenient, as it makes drive installation much easier. The only thing that would make it easier is if this portion was also tool-less; you'll need three screws to install each drive.
The image below shows off the front panel connections. You have Firewire, USB, AC'97 and HD Audio, and the typical power and LED connectors. One cable you do not see is the one for the IR sensor. I did not recognize the two pin connection, and the lead was actually too short to reach to show in this image.
The funky yellow device shown in the below left image is another tool-less feature. I had no idea what it was at first, but after pushing and pulling on it a bit, its purpose was made clear. Pulling it out makes the front panel pop off, and you are presented with the steel front as shown in the below right image.
For the last image in this portion of the review is of the removed front panel. When the button is pressed, springs push the whole thing up, and it hinges back over the top of the case. The motion is smooth and quick, and the mechanism shown below is the reason why.
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