Exterior Inspection:
The first thing I noticed on the front of the case is that there is no plastic on the door. The front door is made entirely of aluminum. The fins on the front of the case give it the look of a shark. One thing I've always disliked about cases made out of aluminum is the lightweight flimsy feel of the door and side panel. Even though this case only weighs 14lbs, the front door is very solid.
While the front of the door is very well made, it's also the source of an issue. There is no latch on it. If you have the case unlocked, and the case is not perfectly level, the door swings open.
 
With the door open you can see the five (5) available 5.25 drive bays, and two (2) available 3.5 drive bays. These are designed to install your components without using tools. Behind the drive bay door cover is where they have placed the tool-less drive rails. This is a nice place to put them, as they are kept secure, and can easily be found when you need them.
 
Moving to the side panel, instead of a pre-modded window, you will find two openings. A “honey-comb” grill covers these openings. This grill is not an add-on, but rather it’s cut out of the case panel. While this offers maximum airflow, I'm concerned about the noise level and potentially more dust in the case. Without anything to block the opening, any noise will be able to escape. Originally, I installed one WD 200GB SE hard drive in the case; in the Antec case it was originally installed in, I could not hear the drive when it was in use. In the Shark I was able to hear it while it was in use. If you are using liquid cooling, you won't have to be concerned about the noise from fans, however you might be able to hear any hard drives you have installed. Secondly, with the exhaust fan being close to these openings, it's possible for more dust to get inside your case. Over the next several weeks I will keep an eye on this to see whether this holds true.
 
On the back of the case, along with the usual items, you will also find ten (10) additional round holes, and one (1) additional rectangle opening. The round holes are for liquid cooling hoses, while the opening at the top of the case is there to install the Thermaltake BigWater Liquid Cooling System. You can also see the large 12cm exhaust.
Turning to the last side of the case you will find two USB 2.0 ports, one firewire port, and a headphone and microphone jack. The only other remarkable thing on this panel is the door lock.
Looking over the paint finish on the case I found it to be very well painted, it's not a high gloss finish, but rather a dull matte finish that is found on many cases.
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