[grogi]

Rosewill R6AS5 PC Case
"To those of us computer enthusiasts that are more on the snobbish side, Rosewill is a brand that is often overlooked. You know, in most aspects of my purchasing life, I buy the generic or the cheapest.but when buying computer hardware, I nearly always buy the "big name" or proven products. I have previously owned one Rosewill product, an IEEE 1394 PCI card, that I bought thinking I would need it to review a Firewire item. It wasn't the cheapest I could find, but it was the cheapest I could find with a brand name I had heard of.

Rosewill makes a wide range of hardware items, and their goal is to build quality merchandise that will sell for a reasonable price. Today, I'll see if the R6AS5-BK lives up to that goal."

Apevia X-Jupiter Jr G Mid Tower ATX Case
"The Apevia X-Jupiter JR G may not be the king of mid range, mid-tower cases, but is it truly a prince? Read on to find out just what we thought of the Apevia X-Jupiter JR G. The X-JUPITER JR is a mid tower that shares the same look and some functions of the X-JUPITER Full Tower but with a much more affordable price. For those who like the style of X-JUPITER case but has the space and budget concern, this is the one. Sturdy construction with tool free design and ample space make your installation easy. Besides the top connections for USB 2.0, firewire and audio, this case also comes with a LCD showing the temperature of whatever the sensor attached to, and a fan speed controller to balance the noise and cooling. The G type has a side window with a 120 mm fan and a 120mm rear fan for excellent airflow. Four colors are available at your choice-Black, Silver, Blue and Metallic Grey. Today we'll look at the Apevia X-Jupiter JR G in Black."

Thermaltake Mozart iP Media Case
"Thermaltake’s latest case, the Mozart iP pushes home theater PCs into the realm of true multimedia. The Mozart iP does this by being the first HTPC case to have an integrated iPod dock. This will seem like no big deal to anyone out there not wedded to "on the go" music but for a lot of folks, it’s a huge deal. HTPC functionality coupled with the ability to pipe your iPod's music through your home is a huge step toward a true home media center. Today, we have Thermaltake’s Mozart iP Case on the review bench for a complete tour. Shall we?"

Zalman Z-Machine GT1000 High End Gaming Case
"As enthusiasts, we're always looking for the next great design in computer cases. We're eager to see companies innovate in various areas of design, including cooling, tool-less installation, and style. When we see a new case hit the market, we often hope that it is made of aluminum, includes quiet 120mm or larger fans, and is easy to work in. We like aluminum because it usually looks good and is typically lightweight. We prefer the convenience of tool-less installation features because we are frequently swapping out parts.

We happen to have a new case in the labs that meets some of these criteria, the Zalman Z-Machine GT1000, which Zalman labels a "High End Gaming Enclosure." This case is made from aluminum, but it bucks the lightweight trend of aluminum due to it being constructed of aluminum that is 4-5mm thick. That alone should make you realize we aren't dealing with an ordinary case here. In addition to its high quality, thick aluminum construction, the GT1000 offers plenty of cooling and innovative tool-less installation.

The GT1000 comes in two different colors: titanium and black. The case features two 92mm intake fans in the front and one 120mm rear exhaust fan. The titanium model features blue LED fans, and the black one sports red LED fans. We have the black model on our bench, and a quick glance reveals that this case has a lot of potential."

Lian-Li V350
"Lian-Li is a Taiwanese manufacturer with a rock-solid reputation for producing high quality aluminium cases. If it was a computer game developer then it’d be Ion Storm (before everything went wrong); the Taiwanese equivalent of John Romero running around shouting that “Design is law!” as minions churn out incredibly gorgeous PC cases of all shapes and sizes.

Because that’s the word to describe the cases on offer from Lian-Li; gorgeous. There’s no denying or avoiding it; the sleek and simple lines of cases like the PC- B25 are instantly and overwhelmingly appealing.

So, when the V350 arrived in the office it’s understandable that the unboxing was quite the occasion. Staff members from both bit-tech and our sister publication TrustedReviews clustered around my desk when I got out my penknife and cut the seal on the V350's cardboard shell. The only thing audible over the sliding sound of metal and cardboard was the collective hum of approval from all around.

And if you think that that’s sad then you should know that even worse is that I’m not exaggerating.

Still, even with a Lian-Li there’s always the chance that the case could be a disaster, so after the initial awe had worn off I came back to the V350 to review it with fresh eyes and steadier hands. Would the V350 be to Lian-Li as Daikatana was to Ion Storm, or could it be the next Deus Ex of PC case design? Let’s find out."