Value Case Roundup: A Look at the Affordable
by Purav Sanghani on February 1, 2005 12:35 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Linkworld 3131G (cont'd)
We have seen the external and internal designs of the 3131G, but how does the entire structure hold up during typical uses of this case?
Construction
The 3131G is made of much thinner steel than in the 268WSP. It's the type of steel that we used to see in older PC cases back in the early 90s, which cut our hands at every opportunity. The 3131G has this same issue with sharp edges. Though the manufacturer has tried to fold over the edges of the steel, there are many areas still unprotected.
Cooling
The 3131G came with a single 80mm fan, which is mounted at the back of the case under the included power supply. The only other area to mount an 80mm fan is at the front of the case. The 3131G may have a hard time competing with the 268WSP's options to mount up to seven 80mm fans.
The 3131G also comes with a 300W P4 power supply. It may not be the best unit, but for the price of the case, it is quite a value.
Installation
As with the 268WSP, there were no special tool-less features that could reduce the total time to install our test bed. In fact, we spent a few more minutes to install the plastic stand-offs, since our motherboard needed a bit more support than readily offered in the 3131G.
We also found it annoying to have to hold a HDD while trying to screw it into the drive bays. Those platforms would have helped reduce tension from this tedious task.
The motherboard connectors for the USB ports were even worse than those of the 268WSP. Though they were labeled, it would have been better to include standardized connectors to reduce installation time
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semo - Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - link
what is up with anadtech and cases...it is either ugly and flashy and expensive or ugly and flashy and expensive and cheap looking or just plain cheap.
and like arfan said... where do you buy these things? here in the uk there are cheap cases, but almost non of the reviewed
suggestions for next case reviews:
cooler master cm stacker
antec P160
i know we all know these are gd cases but its a start imo
ocyl - Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - link
Agreed with Jynx980 here. I am getting tired of all those flashy cases in the market nowadays.Jynx980 - Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - link
Guess I'll be the first one to say somthing positive about this article. It a good roundup for entry level cases. Nice to know what ranks high up when your building something for a friend or family member who really doesnt need a $50-$75 case.kcma - Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - link
OFMG!!!so much ugliness in 1 article!!!
agreed with #4, please do yourself a favor... save some money and stay away from this ugliness by buying a Dell.
aeternitas - Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - link
I'm sorry, but if you are gonna go with something as cheap as these cases, I doubt youll be putting a whole lot of quality inside, thus I reccomend those people to just get a dell.nourdmrolNMT1 - Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - link
this article likes to keep disappearing on me.intriging.
MIKE
arfan - Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - link
there is bad link when i clik to Benchmark-Sound. Please fix it, thxarfan - Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - link
No one in list is available in my country :( We usully buy case only with U$$ 25-40