Super Flower X-Mask: Mild-Mannered or Superhero?
by Purav Sanghani on May 20, 2004 12:05 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
External Design
The X-Mask comes in 3 flavors: blue, black, and silver, like the one in this review. The front panel is comparable to the NZXT Guardian with a slight variability in design.The top 2/3 of the front bezel consists of the door, which is light and simple. A Spiderman-like mask decoration is placed at the center, which lights up when the system is turned on. Below this "mask", we noticed that there was a printed design consisting of 8 spider legs. Many enthusiasts prefer to have a cleaner, more mature look when it comes to their PC cases; some may even think the spider theme to be a bit too cheesy for their taste.
Click to enlarge.
There is a front panel key lock for security on the right side below the door to prevent unwanted access to the case's drive bays. This feature seems redundant, since there are no security features to prevent access to the case's internals. Directly under the key lock on the 3rd printed spider leg is the LED for HDD activity. We thought that possibly combining the Power light (mask) and the HDD light into the mask would have made for a more interesting look.
At the bottom of the X-Mask, or what looks to be the abdomen of the spider, are the auxiliary connections, which consist of Audio (headphone, microphone), 2 USB, and 1 Firewire ports. They are hidden behind a small oval-shaped, fold-down panel. The Audio ports are also color-coded as on many other cases to make it easier to differentiate between the two.
Click to enlarge.
Upon opening the door, we see the drive bays and Power and Reset buttons. There are 6 drive bays in total, consisting of four 5-1/4" drive bays and two 3-1/2" drive bays. The Power and Reset buttons are to the right of the 3-1/2" drive bays.
Click to enlarge.
The left side panel has a window and also a fan mounting. The grill on the fan mounting is machined to look like a spider web and has a black spider painted on it to carry on the spider theme. Both side panels are easily removable and are held to the case by thumbscrews.
Click to enlarge.
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LoneWolf15 - Thursday, May 27, 2004 - link
Quoted from the article:"If you like a clean-looking case with features like a tool-less design and top performance as far as cooling and sound goes, the X-Mask may not be the right choice. On the other hand, if you enjoy the Spiderman theme and plenty of storage space, not to mention an included power supply, then look no further."
Hate to say it, but this is the same kind of poor summary statement that Computer Shopper started putting on their articles in the mid 90's when they sold out to their advertisers and became reluctant to use blunt words like "overpriced" "ugly" or, in this case "a silly generic case with a redesigned front obviously meant for fanboys rather than serious hardware enthusiasts". Man, when a case stinks, JUST SAY IT for Pete's sake!
Zak - Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - link
Yes, this thing is hideous. Such review is a waste of resources, frankly. Zak.Dantzig - Monday, May 24, 2004 - link
I wouldn't put that case anywhere that people could see it if I were being paid. I'm surprised that Anandtech didn't just laugh at the "opportunity" to review this thing. Anandtech is a classy site. It's expected that you would have some standards.Operandi - Monday, May 24, 2004 - link
I’ll agree that most pre-modded cases are crap (esthetically anyway) and this is fine example. I mean anything can be done tastefully, windows, neon’s, and led fans included this just isn’t an example of how to do it.The biggest problem we have here is the 5th grade inspired Spiderman theme. Maybe if I was 10 but I’m not, sorry.
segagenesis - Sunday, May 23, 2004 - link
I grow tired of pre-modded cases myself, at least its been going overboard lately with some designs. What matters most is whats *inside* the case, as no amount of lights, windows, decals, paint and stickers will improve airflow or bring in good design automatically. Despite its now plain exterior my Coolermaster ATCS case reminds me of what good case design really is, I would rather not part with this thing.timebecomes - Saturday, May 22, 2004 - link
buleyb - Saturday, May 22, 2004 - link
The SLK3700AMB is a good steal at around $60. Stick a Forton PS (any of them with 120mm fans) and you have an ultraquiet box.TrogdorJW - Friday, May 21, 2004 - link
I agree with all the previous comments. Yuck. Do people actually like premodded cases? And why the hell did they put a power supply with a 120mm fan into the system when the front of the system still includes two crappy 80mm fans?Since AT isn't reviewing anything that I would purchase, how about recommendations from others: I want relatively inexpensive computer cases with 120mm fans, with any special lights. A window is okay, but I don't really want it, and LED fans are garbage. Maybe if you want a night-light for the room, but I want my room to be DARK when I sleep (and I often leave my PC on). I like the Antec Sonata and SLK3700-BQE. Without breaking the bank (less than $125 including PSU), what are some other good, quiet cases?
Linden - Friday, May 21, 2004 - link
Simply the tackiest case I've ever seen. Really, was it designed to appeal to 11-year olds? '...it indicates some jackass marketing flack took a normal case and said "hey let's put a spider-esque print on the front, snap in a custom light and call it a spiderman case' I believe that's exactly what happened.Anandtech - you guys are much too good to be reviewing crap like this. Come one - there are so many really good cases out there that we privateers would love to see opened before us via our monitors. Leave the boy wonder stuff to lesser tech sites.
AtaStrumf - Friday, May 21, 2004 - link
Well, since you asked: I have 5 80mm fans in addition to a CPU, GPU and 2 PSU fans in my chieftec big tower. I sleep just fine thank you very much and my HDDs feel great. If you keep your fans at around 2000 - 2500 RPM and are not suffering from insomnia you should be just fine.