Gadgetory

all right so welcome to another hardware connects product showcase what we're looking at today is the Xigmatek Midgard with window option another well known for their innovative CPU coolers and they've now dived into the realm of computer chassis the Midgard is the first case from the company and an incorporate sort of a unique exterior design as well as a few internal additions that supposedly make this case very easy to use now it's priced in and around $100 so it could be classified more on the low end of the mid range cases in terms of price but as we've seen with some of the previous product showcases that is definitely not always an indicator of quality so the question is with their focus on cooling and generally good quality with CPU coolers translate into a really good computer case well here's hoping so let's take a look we move first to the outside out on the top we have the power and reset switches and activity LEDs five drive Bay covers with dust filters and four external connections audio jacks a two USB and eSATA below that there is a hundred and twenty millimeter LED intake fan which also has a dust filter wrote into the side panel there's a rather jagged cut plastic side window and space to install any of the popular fan sizes from 80 millimeter up to 140 at the back of the case at the top they've included two holes for water cooling another 120 mil LED fan along the side there's two other optional holes for water coolers well there are also seven PCI slots and a bottom mounted power supply flipping it to the bottom you see rubber feet on the top in order to reduce vibration and to pick the case up off the ground there's space for a hundred and twenty millimeter fan inside the case and these screws can be used to remove the bracket if need be then at the bottom underneath the power supply area is a removable pass filter and some tiny feet now the included accessories are fairly simple with the usual assortment of screws a motherboard speaker as well as some cable retention clips and then they've included a backplate fan controller with both three pin and molex adapters now unfortunately we found that the metal construction of the case left a little to be desired as you can see here with the front panels it's not very rigid and there isn't much in the way of support and this is evident throughout the case removing the side panel take a look inside you'll notice that the interior is completely black now these drive bays use a screw loose tray system that well probably they should have used screws alignment and fitment of the trays is less-than-stellar in the main area or PSU is at the bottom with foam on the back for vibration and an easy clip system in order to install that 120mm fan up the side some bright orange PCI retention clips and then another 120 millimeter fan with brightly colored orange thins and they've also included a rather large CPU backplate opening looking in the back you'll see at the bottom space and to run wires up the back of the tray and trays inset about a half-inch so you're gonna be able to run larger wires they've also put the screwless drive locks on the back as well and this whole section is inset for more room now we get to assembly of the case which is quite the adventure we've managed to bend the drive bays back into position so they're no longer fall down however it seems they're still likely to fall out now one nice feature of the case is that it will support the newly released 11 inch long ATI 58 70s which is great for this mid tower design now in order to install just open up the quick PCI clips and make sure they don't fall out now while making sure the cheap plastic actually stays in reclip them and well maybe go back to using screws in the case does have a hidden gem for water cooling you are able to mount a 120 millimeter rad or a dual 120 millimeter rad internally at the top with two spaces 420 millimeter fans wiring on the case isn't terrible but the bottom 120 millimeter fan area is basically useless because that's where your power supply wires will sit there was there is enough room to route stuff up the back and it keeps the middle area relatively clutter-free for good airflow now airflow in the mid guard is fairly simple in from the front and out the back but if you fill up the three optional fan spots you'll also be pulling air from the bottom and then exhausting it out the top as well so that's a look at the Xigmatek Midgard and here's our conclusion on the plus side it has foam for the back of the power supply lots of dust filters and pretty colors as a downside it has overall relatively poor construction much of the metal is fairly thin and it leaves the case feeling like it doesn't have a lot of support as a result it really makes one wonder why this case is priced at $100 when unfortunately it's real competition is about half that and so that's this episode of the harbor Canucks product showcase don't forget to hit that little yellow button up 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