Many of the cases we see here at PC Pro are virtually indistinguishable from each other. It's often only the build quality and colour that differentiates them, and even then not by much, so it's refreshing to see something like this which thoroughly smashes the mould to bits.
The Rogue case is immensely wide - as wide as two Shuttle cases, in fact, and quite imposing in its natural aluminium finish. It's also 10cm taller than a Shuttle and far deeper. If space is at a premium, then this is not the case for you. This bulky footprint is due in part to the finned sides of the case, which make the entire chassis a heatsink of sorts.
Despite the use of aluminium throughout, the sheer size of the case makes it incredibly heavy; even unladen with components it nudges 9kgs. Normally the weight of a desktop case wouldn't be an issue, but this one is targeted at gamers, and LAN party gamers in particular, coming with a nylon carry pouch in which it can be slung and taken from place to place. However, whether you will feel secure carrying such a heavy object in it is another matter. In fact, whether you will be able to lift it at all is a more pertinent question.
There is no doubt that the aluminium chassis looks good, though, and the side-hinged front door helps to cover the clutter of the drives nicely. The front of the case would look out of place with black or cream drives exposed, and it's hard to find aluminium-fronted models. This front door also allows you to lock the drives and power button away from prying hands - it may not be secure enough for security-intensive applications, but it would certainly stop a toddler poking the reset button on a home server. With this door shut, the front of the case features only a pair of easily accessible USB ports, headphone and microphone sockets and, unusually, a single ESATA port.
A Perspex window at the top of the case, the first in such a position we've seen, allows you to peer inside to see the internal components. Windows are normally featured on the side of the case, but the finned heatsink siding makes this impossible. Unfortunately, the placement of the window means that once a power supply is installed it will take up around a quarter of the view. Physical access to the interior of the case is also via the lid, with just one thumb screw needing to be undone to remove it.
Inside, there is a predictably huge amount of space. However, much of this is wasted, and the amount of drive spaces is comparable to many smaller cases we've seen. Two 5.25in drives can be installed alongside five 3.5in drives, though, which should be enough for most users and enough for most standard motherboards, anyway. In a nice touch, all of these spaces have rubber panels running alongside the mounting holes, offering a level of vibration protection that will minimise sound and wear on components.
Thanks to all this space, and the aluminium construction, which acts as a heatsink, cooling is one of the best features of this case. Inside is space for five 120mm fans, three of which are already occupied straight out of the box - one by a transparent LED-lit model, a nice touch considering the target audience of gamers.
This all adds up to an impressive case, both visually and in its features. If performance and brutish good looks appeals more than space-saving and minimal design, then for under £100 this represents a good deal.
Rogue-ish looks but a bit large for the amount of expandability inside.Author: Matthew Sparkes
NZXT Rogue