Specs

Here are the specifications of this intriguing rig, courtesy of http://www.aspireusa.net:

• Multi-functional thermally advantaged chassis (I love that description)
• Large see-through side window panel
• Air duct on side panel for high level performance
• Front USB 2.0, Firewire, and audio ports
• Front temperature gauge
• Front fan speed controller and gauge
• Front volume controller and gauge
• 420W power supply (optional)
• 2 x 80mm UV blue LED fans
• Removable motherboard tray
• 11 x drive bays and 7 expansion slots
• Easily removable side panel w/thumb screws
• 2 x specially designed Aspire fan grills
• Roomy w/folded edges for safe and easy assembly

Additional features I noticed on this case:

• Magnetically latched front door
• Metallic paint finish
• Room for 120mm fans, front & rear

The fit was good, and the finish was an excellent Blue metallic that looks fantastic under flash light, but in real life it's not as impressive.

Package

The case arrived from UPS without incident however, I had deja-vu when I examined the packaging. It was mostly intact, but like the X-Q case, there was a puncture in the cardboard on one side. Once is bad enough; but TWICE from the same company? Weird. When I opened the box, however, once again nothing was out of place; the case survived. Evidently, the packaging is adequate enough to survive whatever vendetta my delivery driver has against me.

Aspire included a baggie of screws to hold your gear in place, but again, no zip-ties for wire management. This kind of sucks since so much of the 'guts' are exposed through these large windows; it would have been nice to see some zip-ties included. I like zip ties.

First Impressions

This case just looks fantastic. The front bezel layout with the throwback analog guages is simply stunning. The only disappointment I had was with the paint; it's just not as pimpin' as the Aspire pics (and some of my own) would lead you to believe. That's kind of strange; usually a paint job looks worse when photographed, not better. I'm not saying it's crap, because it's not; it's a great finish and I would be hard pressed to make it look better with rattle cans and 2000-grit sandpaper.

Power Supply

The X-Cruiser has an available 420w power supply but Aspire didn't include one for this review.