Intro

The need for a stylish case is becoming a necessity. Since not everyone is a case modder, or have the required skill, people want to be able to buy a well designed case that looks good. Case designs are improving by the day. Everyone wants to be different and stylish. High gloss paint, a fancy window cutout, or a designed front bezel, premod cases are becoming more and more ubiquitous. The beige box has just plain disappeared. More companies are showing up with new cases that have a look and style all their own.

So what's the factor for choosing a case? As the consumer, do you want a large case with a lot of fans, or a small one with stylish looks? Little known in the case scene is Ahanix. Ahanix is making what I would have to say, are some of the most stylish cases to date. Some models of their cases come with everything from front monitoring LCD to folding doors. The review item I have here is the new Plasma Micro ATX from Ahanix. A sleek yet stylish case for micro ATX boards only. Let's take a look and see what this case has to offer, and whether you should use it for a living room mp3 server or an office show piece.

The Shipment

The case arrived via FedEx in the middle of a snow storm. When he was leaving, the driver found himself stuck in the street just spinning his wheels. After much sand and a few flattened boxes, he continued on with his daily grind. This is what he dropped off that had caused him so much grief that morning. It's a pretty straight forward looking box that has a list of details about the product on the sides.

The shipping box was in the best condition I have ever seen delivered before; there weren’t any dings or holes anywhere. When I opened the box, I was surprised to see it was just protection for the inner box. It’s nice to see that suppliers are listening to the consumers, it’s either that or they are tired of RMAs.

Pulling the case out of the box, there was the standard foam supports and plastic wrap. Upon removing the wrap from the case I had noticed some tape holding the door closed. If you've ever tried to peel tape off of something flat, you know that you have to be careful not to scratch the surface because the end of the damn tape would stick. What’s that have to do with this review you ask? As I look around the side I noticed they had folded the tape on the side to create a tab to pull the tape off. This is a nice example of watching out for the little details.

Specs

The specs for this case are as follows:

• Micro ATX for boards (9"wide x 10"high)
• PSU sold separately
• 2 Front USB mounts
• Front Fan Mount (Fan Sold Separately) 80mm
• Rear Fan Mount with 80mm included
• 3 External 5.25" Bays
• 2 External 3.5" Bays
• 4 Internal 3.5" bays
• 4 Expansion Slots
• 7.12" Wide
• 13.68" High (With Feet) 13.43" (Without Feet)
• 19.12" Deep
• 9.4lbs Net, 13lbs Gross

Features are as follows:

• Sliding front door
• Reinforced plastics material for a hinge
• Groove inside door for Hard-rack user
• Soft touch buttons
• Side USB ports
• Micro ATX Motherboard only
• 1 x 80mm Fan on the rear
• Twice rounded chassis
• Power supply install guide
• Accessory supporting box