Aspire X-Dreamer II Case Review
Ever walk in a computer stores with computer cases that are jam-packed with cold cathodes and all this lighting? They all look nice and are mostly light from the inside. Today we look at a case from Aspire that might be the case you want that looks good inside and outside. And it doesn’t hurt your wallet!
The Aspire X-Dreamer II Case arrived in excellent condition. The actual box was within another box with Styrofoam bits for protection. This added protection shows that Aspire took care of their cases and took the precautionary step ensuring a safe arrival.
Specifications
- Main Board: ATX/ BABY AT
- Dimensions(DxWxH): 440x200x430mm
- Color: Black / Silver / Blue / Green / Yellow
- Power Supply: ATX 350 P4 Power Supply(Horizontal) w/ I/O Switch
- Drive Space: 4x5.25" / 2x3.5" / 4x3.5"Hidden
- Ports: 2 USB + Audio (Microphone Jack & Earphone Jack)
- Features: 1)Acrylic Added to Front Panel for Polish Appearance, 2)Front Panel W/6 Blue Led, 3)Side Panel w/See-Through Window, 4)W/2 UV Blue Fan W/Blue Led Fan ---1 on Side Panel Window ---1 on Top Panel, 5)W/2 Custom-Made Fan Grill ---1 on Side Panel Window ---1 on Top Panel, 6)Screwless Side Panel, 7)Automatic Drop-Down Doors for Color Case, 8)Back Lighting Temperature Display LCD, 9)Extended Body for All the Drives and Motherboards to Fit in.
- Expansion Slot: 7 Expansion Slots
- Front Panel Switch: Power / Reset
- Led Display: Power / HDD
- Shipping Weight: 20 lbs
Plastic protects the finish
The Aspire X-Dreamer II case measures 440x200x430mm, handles four 5.25” bays, and two 3.25” to be used. What is really cool with the Aspire X-Dreamer II case is that Aspire throws in two free optical drive bays tat blend in with the case. This enhances the image of the setup so the colors are the same as the case. The only thing that I didn’t expect with the case is the color. On the web, they give you a feeling of a bright green look, but in fact it is darker, like army green. It still looks good but is misleading. The Aspire X-Dreamer II Case weighs in at a relatively heavy for aluminum 20lbs. The body consists of thick aluminum and the side panels are made of steel.
Laying out the case provides you with a nice glimpse of the Aspire X-Dreamer II Case. The Aspire X-Dreamer II Case definitely looks cool and equally is the paint quality. The pain quality is of excellent quality and is semi-reflective.
The frontal madness with its LED's and the rear of the case with it's reusable PCI slot bays
The front portion of the Aspire X-Dreamer II Case features a couple of things. These include the front having plexi-glass overlapping the front. The plexi is here to provide blue LED’s around the case front. Around the sufficient sized power and reset buttons is the LCD. The Aspire X-Dreamer II Case is able to monitor a temperature source via thermal probe and displays in Fahrenheit but not Celsius. The LCD has a bright blue back light so you can read the numbers clearly and easy. Lastly we have the front connection ports with two USB ports, microphone and headphone jacks.
The side panel has a nice rectangular window and what are those? ALIENS!
The side panel has a big window with an integrated 80mm blowhole. The blue tinted LED fan is covered with a funky looking alien fan guard. The fan grill is all looks but blocks some air. The plexi-glass is of good quality and sits on the side panel flat. The panel itself is not flimsy as it is steel.
Another alien on top? I'm getting scared now :=D
The Aspire X-Dreamer II Case is about cooling as the top of the case has another 80mm blowhole with the same alien fan grill.
The rear of the Aspire X-Dreamer II Case has allows for two 80mm exhaust fans but air is really blocked by the stamped fan grills. Cutting them off would be a wise decision with many benefits. You see that the Aspire has thumbscrews on the side with the window but why not the other side as well? It would make sense because the Aspire X-Dreamer II Case has a removable motherboard tray, so why wouldn’t you put thumbscrews on that side?
Inside the case
The inside of the Aspire X-Dreamer II Case is relatively big and has good room. Ease of installation is made possible by the removable motherboard tray. This case doesn’t have any drive rail system or any gadget of that nature but that is understandable by the price.
Hmm ...Looks familiar
The Aspire comes with a 350W Turbolink single fan power supply. The PSU is relatively quiet and will not be a cause for noise concern. It has 1 P4 connector, 1 ATX connector, 2FDD connectors, 4 MOLEX connectors, and 1 AUX connector. The lack of MOLEX connectors pretty much limits you to adaptors on your end of products. Also the length of the wires is very short.
PSU Results
Idle
(30 mins) |
Load
(Toast 5 mins) |
+12V
= 11.90 |
+12V
= 11.85 |
+5V
= 5.01 |
+5V
= 4.99 |
-12V
= -12.04 |
-12V
= -12.10 |
-5V
= -5.14 |
-5V
= -5.25 |
No problems to report with the PSU
Case finished results
YUMMY
Aliens are coming!
The bundle includes some screws, feet and speaker
The connections to make. Notice that the USB ones are bundled together :)
The blue LED fan
LCD and the side panel
Mobo tray
Turbolink PSU
See....Semi-Reflective
The front connections and see the drill holes; cool air goes through, not much but at least it has some
Conclusion
The Aspire X-Dreamer II Case is one nicely executed case. The added value of included fans is real nice plus the amount of fans you can place is nice but most of them are blocked by stamped fan grills/guard. At night, the Blue LED’s shine bright and the included fans illuminate their light well. It’s really a sight to behold. It's some sick sh*t!
Some of the small things that need improving are the LCD which only reads Fahrenheit, stamped fan grills, thumbscrews on both side panels, and the PSU having four measly MOLEX connectors.
At a price of $65.88U.S. (below), this case is pretty darn good and I have no reason to not recommend it as a case to look for if you are in the market for one. Go get one already!
I rate the Aspire X-Dreamer II Case a…
8.5/10!
Pros and Cons
+
Looks striking
+ Construction
+ Paint job
+ PSU included
+ Value
+ Removable motherboard tray
- 4 MOLEX connectors
- Heavy
- Thumbscrews needed on both ends
- LCD reading only at Fahrenheit
Alternative Pricing:
I would like to thank Aspire USA for making this review possible.
