When you are in the market for a really hard to find computer part you need to know some places to look that carry those obscure computer parts. Startech.com has been a leader in the industry for some time now with specialized parts. Not so long ago Startech.com decided to take a dip into the current hot scene of modding and thought it would be nice to have products that were designed for the beginning modder. Most of the products carried by the Mutant Mods line are entry level modding products. Some can be adapted to more advanced mods but most are designed with the idea that you can take your OEM PC and turn it into your own. By swapping the case, adding a few lights and fans to improve cooling you end up making the case more your own style... Mind you most sites these days offer products such as fans that light up, clear acrylic cases, PSU’s with lights in them…etc…etc… So what makes the Mutant Mods case so different than others? What makes this the ONE case you must own? Well the answer is a little more along the lines of what are YOU looking for when shopping for your next case? This case has some positive points and a few negative points. Depending on what’s most important to you, well then I guess that will help you decide if you need this case in your arsenal or not.

Package and Contents

The box arrived at my door with the usual use and abuse from UPS. I mean, damn! Sometimes I think they purposely attack every package before they deliver it to my door. Somewhere in a deep underground laboratory at UPS, there must be a 500 Pound gorilla sorting boxes; pounding the ones that say fragile with his big fat hairy fists. Never ever write fragile on the box. Those are the ones the Gorilla has been trained to pulverize first. Thank goodness some companies have the foresight to Gorilla-proof their packaging. The Mutant Mods Acrylic Case came in a very well packaged and colorful box that looked as though it was meant for retail shelves. I don’t think even if our favorite UPS Gorilla sat on this box he would have been able to damage what was inside. The colored box was simply a cover for the REAL box that was inside. As you can tell from the pictures it was professionally and securely packaged using double layer cardboard combined with Styrofoam and bubble wrap (a nice extra for the kids). I know I enjoy packages that come in bubble wrap and not those annoying foam peanuts that stick to the box, your hands and the carpet for months, terrorizing your sweeper, your cat and your toddler. Each piece was wrapped separately with its own protective coating as well as a nice box full of all the other goodies that are required to assemble this case.

When you finally get everything out of the box and get ready to assemble you will notice that inside the white box of goodies an item that I consider to be the most interesting of all. White Michael Jackson style gloves… Please refrain from wearing just one of these fine specimens of 80’s history and dancing around the house with one hand on your lower region and one leg hiked in the air. Your family might not forgive you for it… and it will be even worse if you live in a dorm or barracks. The gloves are for you to wear while assembling this case. They are designed so that you don’t get your pizza stained hand prints all over the sides of the case while handling the panels. I recommend putting these on before you assemble anything or even unwrap the panels.

You will notice from the pics you have 8 separate panels to assemble here, a myriad of assorted screws, slot covers, drive bay covers, support parts and electronics - all of which are required to make this unit functional. Please take good inventory when you open the box to ensure that all the parts are present. Nothing stinks worse then getting to the last few screws of the assembly to realize you might be missing a screw. This was the case with the unit I received. However, it could be said in a house with a toddler, 3 cats, and a small dog that those screws could be ANYWHERE. This includes but is not limited to swallowed, thrown out or in that mysterious dimension that eats all the socks in the house too (or at least one of a pair, :) ). I have seen many things around here MAGICALLY disappear.

I do have a couple other styles of acrylic cases and various parts lying around so I was able to secure the necessary hardware to finish assembly of this case. I really enjoyed the fact that attention was paid to putting labels in the little bags to inform you what screws you were holding. Nothing is more annoying then instruction manuals where you have to put the screw on the paper and compare sizes. As if they ever really match. Kudos on the labels, they make it a lot easier. One special note on the assembly that I feel is pretty important to mention; the brass screws used in this case to fasten all the panels to the cubes that support them in the corners are very soft. You must be very careful not to over tighten them and snap them off. They require a gentle touch and the use of hand tools. I honestly can tell you I used a butter knife to fasten mine down and not a 20 pound craftsman drill with power bits installed. This is acrylic and its finish work. We aren’t fastening lug nuts to the wheel of a car here. The butter knife just fit the screws better then any of the straight slot screwdrivers I had here… Other notes on assembly can be found below as I attempt to break this case into a few manageable sections so you can clearly see what’s good and what’s not so good.