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 Posted: August 11, 2003
Author: Jason Kohrs
Manufacturer: Chenming
Source: ISI Technologies
As pictured in the below left image, the rear of the case features a blue plastic panel which was new to me. Besides having a small compartment for hardware storage, it is also the cover for the expansion slot mounting tabs, which are accessed from the outside of the AL-301KE. Most cases have these mounting tabs internally accessible, but by removing the plastic panel, the screws that retain your AGP and PCI cards can all be removed from outside the case. Not sure what the major advantage of this design would be, but it does allow the overall footprint of the case to be just a little bit smaller than usual. The below right image shows the smooth bottom of the case, and the four rubber feet.
 
The exposed drive bays incorporate another feature which is new to me. Releasing a latch removes the plastic drive bay cover, and hidden behind each of the 5.25” bay covers is one drive rail mounted to a metal plate (pictured in the below left image). With the drive rail removed, the metal plate is punched out and thrown away before use. The one drive rail is then screwed to what would be the right hand side of an optical drive, and it is slid into the drive bay (pictured in the center and right images below). The drive rail locks it into place on the one side, and although it is fairly securely attached to the case, you can still use two screws on the left hand side, as you normally would on a case without drive rails (which I would recommend). Although I am very familiar with using drive rails, this is the first time I have seen this asymmetrical approach, which is necessitated by the one side panel being permanently attached to the case.
  
As pictured in the left and center images below, the front of the case features high-speed connections hidden behind a small door. Two USB and one firewire port are available, and the wire leads terminate with connectors to be used on a motherboard header. I prefer this type of connector over ones that would need to be routed to the outside of your case and plugged into the ports on the back. The below right image details the USB and firewire connections, as well as all of the other well labeled front panel connections.
  
 Installation with the case has a few new twists to it, but everything fits and works well. In addition to the unique 5.25” drive mounting arrangement, the power supply also mounts in a unique way. Perhaps due to the thin aluminum skin of the AL-301KE, there is a small bracket that provides more support for the psu than the four screws in the back will provide. After getting the power supply installed, the motherboard installation was a snap, and a few case fans were added to finish everything up.
The final assembly is pictured in the two images below, with the right hand image showing off the effect that three red LED case fans provide. The two 80 mm fan holes in the side window were cut perfectly and installation of those two fans was a snap. Although the window seems strong enough, I would recommend using caution while tightening the screws to avoid cracking it...
 
The overall design and construction of the Chenming AL-301KE are both top notch. All of the seams are very tight, I found no sharp edges, and all of the interconnecting pieces fit together very well. The $84.00 price tag from ISI Technologies doesn’t make it a cheap-o case, but considering all of the features packed into an aluminum chassis, it is very respectable. The attractive styling, oversized window, and availability of several color finishes make this case an excellent choice for someone looking to show-off their system. The extremely low weight will also help that cause, allowing you to carry it with you without a struggle.
The case has many positive features to list, and the only negatives I could see for it might not concern everyone. One issue I have already mentioned is the thin aluminum skin being susceptible to denting and bending. I didn’t have the desire to put my theory to the test, but I am fairly certain that you could damage this case more readily than steel or some thicker skinned aluminum cases available. The side panel on the right-hand side of the case being permanently attached was also a bit strange to me. It makes wire-management (or wire hiding) a bit more tricky, but I believe it was done to help strengthen the case. In addition, the drive rail solution works just fine, but it still requires you to use a screwdriver. I would prefer to have a full tool-less drive rail system featured on a case like this.
Pros:
4A midtower case that offers plenty of room and flexibility inside.
4Lightweight, makes for easy transportation.
4Front door allows you to conceal optical drives (especially if they aren’t painted to match).
4Very stylish, and available in a variety of vivid colors.
4Removable 3.5” drive cage makes hard drive installation easy.
4Large pre-installed window ready to show off your hardware.
Cons:
4Thin aluminum skin may dent or bend more readily than thicker aluminum or steel.
4”Right-hand” case side-panel is not removable.
4Unique drive rail solution is nice, but I would prefer to have the more common two rail design.
Special thanks to ISI Technologies for providing the Chenming AL-301KE Midtower Case for review!
Please drop by the BigBruin.Com Forum and feel free to discuss this review.
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