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ALL AROUND THE INTERIOR
The side panels are held in place by four rubber-coated thumb screws. The panels are smooth, and made of thick and sturdy material. They are rigid, having no flex to them, and are extremely hefty as well, all screaming excellent quality:
As with the outside, the inside is nice and clean, with the matte-black colour still present throughout the entire chassis. Just at a quick glance, one will notice the similarity between the XL and BitFenix Colossus, and of course the massive amount of space inside:
COOLING AND INSTALLATION AREAS
Starting from the top, the 230mm Spectre fan adorns the panel, with the rear 120mm Spectre fan right underneath (upgradable to 140mm). The 230mm fan can be swapped should one want to go the water-cooling route, or for three 120mm fans by removing the top panel of the case:
The motherboard area has efficient markings and rubber grommets for wire management. A closer look reveals how large the openings are, being able to run the thickest wire(s), and the different formats for motherboard support (most notably XL-ATX):
To the side are the nine mesh-ventilated PCI expansion slots for better airflow and accompanying thumbscrews for quick and easy installation. At the base is the PSU mounting area, dust filters, and room to install two 120mm fans, or a 240mm radiator. Note the thoughtful addition of four rubber feet for the PSU, which not only prevent scratching, but also prevent vibrations:
If i can locate one in Australia i think i might replace my Fractal Desihn XL V3, as it has more ports on top, proper radiator holder built in (mine is mounted on top on machined holders). I just need to ensure it will hold all 12 HDD’s, 2 SSD’s and the OD. Water cooled 2600K running 4.8GHz, 16Gb 2133MHz CL9 ram @ 2430MHz, Waiting for funds for a 670/680 (currently 570). Mainboard Asrock Extreme 7 gen 3.
14 drives huh? I’d like to see the final build 🙂
Wanted to apologize for spelling and grammar errors. Something went wrong during the port over to the editor. Will have those fixed soon.
too bad im currently into laptop and only laptops, and will most likely not go back to desktop anymore. i do like the desktop cases they do provide more drives, and obviously more cooling and with the latest motherboard/chipset they can have more than two SATAIII ports, which laptop is currently lacking.
nevertheless, great review
Thanks! 🙂
A lot of people share your way of thinking, and I can’t blame them. It’s just more convenient to use a portable device. As you said, the ability to expand storage isn’t quite there yet without giving up the mobility of a laptop, but hopefully cloud-computing gets to a point where it’s possible.
let me know where to send the pictures….
You can post them on our forums. There are a ton of enthusiasts who would love to see a machine like that!