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Coolerguys.com Wind Tunnel II "Gamer"
Custom Case

Installation:

		One of the nicest things about this case is the included thumb screws, this makes removing the side panel easy and fast, the "LOOP" on the back right in this pic helps too but for the life of me I don't know why they didn't include one on the other side as well for good measure. Though in fairness this is a panel rarely removed. Also in this pic is the wiring harness for the port replicator ready to connect to the USB, PS/2, sound and game ports.

The Case doesn't come with a removable Motherboard tray as mine has, so that was a bit of a surprise and made the install a lot harder then it had to be. My Abit KT7-A "Just" slid in with not a hairs width of space to spare. If my board had been any taller I would have had to remove the PSU to complete the install.

When the board was in and secure, I did notice that all the expansion cards plug in nicely, the case is pretty much perfect dimensionally, as every card locked into place without any issues. This is a good thing, the cheaper cases on the market just never seem to get this right. Installing the drives cables ect, was pretty standard though I miss my Enlight case's rail system, which allows for quick removal of all drives, at the cost of nothing being very tight. In all honesty with the wind this case generates, I wouldn't want a rail system anyway as things would be shaking pretty bad unless it was perfectly made.

The only other problem I ran into was the extreme length of the PSU cables. This isn't a bad thing (better long then short) and the slack tucks up out of the way nicely. The only reason Im mentioning it here is to warn people to be careful not to have any of the wiring near the top exhaust fans because these guys will chew it up pretty fast I would think.

As mentioned all the wiring was pre-run and idiot proof from the factory. No instructions were provided, and none were needed.

Our Wind Tunnel II shipped with a Fortron-Source 400W FSP400-60GN PSU, which is AMD approved, and provides this machine with smooth, stable power with no fades at all.

		Although I would have liked to see more "ease of installation" features for the money, the end result is a tight, clean and secure install and all the wiring runs nicely out of the way if care is taken. When its powered up there are no vibrations or "nasty" noises from the case at all. Just the steady drone of those 5 fans. This tells me right away that the case is put together really well and considerable care was taken in the finishing of it.

 

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