| ThermalRock Eclipse Mid-Tower Case - Page 2 of 4 |
Impressions:
The first thing you will notice when unpacking the Eclipse case is how light it is. Because the Eclipse comes with no power supply and is constructed of aluminum, it weighs in at only 13.5 pounds. Along with its compact size, it makes it a very good candidate for a LAN party rig. The finish on the exterior of the case is flawless but initially looked just a little too black to my liking, with only the silver arm that holds the CD offering any contrast. However, once I had a system installed and it was powered up that all changed.
The window in the side panel is very large and shows of the bright aluminum interior. The window also has the ThermalRock logo etched in it, along with two latches to secure the side panel with the top latch having a key lock in it. The name Eclipse is also stamped into the aluminum on the front edge of the side panel.
 
Other features include removable drive cages for both the two floppy drive bays as well as the 3.5” hard drive bays. The hard drive cage also features rubber grommets and thumb screws to mount the hard drives thus reducing noise from vibration.
Like many other cases we have reviewed lately, the Eclipse case has a tool-less PCI/AGP expansion card locking system.
Cooling for the Eclipse case is handled by two low speed, low noise 120mm fans. One mounted low in front of the case acts as an intake fan and blows cool air through the hard drive cage. The second, on the rear panel right behind where the CPU mounts, removes hot air from the case.
 
Both fans utilize a 4-pin Molex connector with a pass through connector and have a 3-pin connector with only one wire attached for monitoring speed.
The front bezel hides the 5.25” and 3.5” drives with doors that split down the middle and swing open like saloon doors. Also hidden behind the doors are the power and reset buttons.
The front bezel itself is a door that swings open from the right side of the case. There is a key lock here as well to secure the door. Behind the door we find the EMI drive shields and plastic drive covers that are secured with a single screw. Access to the dust filter is available here, allowing you to keep the air intake nice and clean. You can also see the cables leading to the USB, Firewire, and audio ports which are located on the side of the front bezel.
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