Maxtop CSX-147KBF-WIN Case Review
Ever wanted a case for $50 U.S? Ever thought you had to spend lots of money to get a decent case? Are you on a budget but want a case that looks good, cools well and actually is worth your money? Today we are going to take a look if that $50 can buy something of quality. We are reviewing the Maxtop CSX-147KBF-WIN Case.
About Maxtop
Maxtop Technology Corporation is one of the leading PC and Rackmount chassis manufacturers in the world. Among the PC and Rackmount chassis, we also supply numerous other computer accessories, such as Case Fans, Mobile Racks, and Power Supplies.
Maxtop Technology is a fast growing company and is constantly expanding its horizons. With the new expansion of our warehouse, we are now capable of stocking a greater amount of PC chassis and other computer supplies for our customers’ needs.
First Impressions
The Maxtop CSX-147KBF-WIN case arrived in perfect condition without any noticeable damage. It weighed in heavier than what the Chenming case we reviewed was. The Maxtop weighed in at approximately 14 pounds.
The front
I opened the box and was presented with the Maxtop case that had a two colour scheme going. It consisted of black and silver. The paint quality of the case was really good. The Maxtop case measures in at 7.75'W x 17'D x 18.75'H. The material of choice of that of the Maxtop case is aluminum. Not all-aluminum. The aluminum has a thickness of 1mm (I'm guessing). I noticed that the side panels are made of steel rather than aluminum. This contributes to the overall weight of the case. The case is very strong. Around corners are these things that help stabilize the structural strength of the case.
Blue tinted plexi
Structure
The left side of the case utilizes a side window slightly tinted in blue. I like the way the plexi-glass was constructed and placed flat on the side panel. When the plexi is sitting flat on the panel, it provides greater strength and makes the side panel less wobbly. There are as usual rivets around the window and it blends in with the case colour.
Plexi flat on the panel
Paint job
The other side of the case.
The side panel also sports a quality “Globe” fans that are sleeved and are quiet when operated. This fan pushes good air into the case and is near the CPU area. It is effective in bringing CPU temperatures down to a minimum.
I’d like to say before I forget that the side panels are easy to remove. They slide out effortlessly. Oh yeah again, the case has thumbscrews.
The bottom of the case You need to put in the rubber feet that are included.
The Maxtop case has a top 90mm exhaust fan present dissipating heat away from the case as hot air rises. This is a really cool idea because you don’t usually see a top exhaust fan for a case that is $50U.S or for that matter some $100+ cases as well. The 90mm is also a Globe fan pushing out good air as I stated. This case is looking good I must say. Value. Update: I mentioned 80mm, I mistyped it and the top exhaust is 90mm.
Top exhaust
The front of the case has four 5.25” drive bays for your optical drives, etc and there are two floppy drive bays. The front of the case also sports two USB ports, a reset button and a nice big power button. The bottom portion has these grill holes that look like they provide air to go through the case but that isn’t the case. They don’t have spaces for air to flow in as they are just plain decoration. This won’t provide any cool air to go in the case. Fortunately you can improve things by drilling your own holes.
The rear...Look at those stamped fan grills...
The rear of the case has two places for your 80mm fans. However, they are don’t let effective hot air to be released because of the stamped fan grills. As you can see the stamped fan grill have holes that are very small thus letting ample amounts of air to be released. I would like companies to start adding metal fan grills to the rear of the cases as it provides better air to circulate out. What can you do? You can cut the rear grills off with a tool of your choice to improve air circulation.
What is this you see in the top? Why it’s your very own power supply included with the $50 case. You can cut the power supplies fan grill too if you want to improve air movement. We will be doing a future article in telling you what you can do with this case to improve air circulation. We will see more of the power supply when we dig inside.
Another neat thing of the Maxtop case is the PCI bay bracket. They are not one use break-off bay brackets. They can actually be re-used and not thrown away. I also support this idea.
Goodies included
Connections
Digging deep in the case
This is what the Maxtop case looks like inside.
Lets now take a look at the aluminum power supply.
The power supply has short wires.
The power supply is a QMAX power supply. Never heard of them so they must be a generic brand but at least you get a power supply. It looks cheap and has short cables. There are 1 P4 connector, 5 MOLEX connectors, 1 AUX connector, 1 ATX connector, and 2 FDD connectors. We will be testing the power supply out and seeing if it is any good with our setup.
The power supply voltage ratings look like this:
+3.3V
= 28A
+5V = 35A
+12V = 10A
+5VSB = 2A
-5V = 0.3A
-12V = 0.8A
One thing that I noticed is that the power supply is so small. It isn’t like regular sized power supplies we reviewed. The length of the power supply is 13cm as opposed to the 16cm of other regular power supplies. The power supply is also right next to the top exhaust fan. This means that you will have to use this power supply only because if you don’t you are going to have to remove the top exhaust fan to use your power supply of choice. Or if it is small enough to fit you will be fine.
On to the inside of the case as a whole. There is no removable motherboard tray but you have good room to do what you have to do. The edges have been folded so you won’t get cut, I didn’t.
You have room for one 80mm fan in the front but the stamped grill has to go. It impedes the fan from giving optimum air to pull through. While the fan does still push air, it will be much better if you remove the grill.
During installation of the computer, everything went smoothly without any problems. Installing the optical drives is easy because of the screw holes to put your screw in to tighten the drive to the case. They are each separate.
Everything is set and done
Here are some images of the finished piece of when everything is inside. I added the Spire NeonBar II.
Here are the voltage rails with the system setup using the power supply included with the case
Voltage
Rails (Idle) |
+12V
= 11.74 |
+5V=
4.96 |
-12V=
-12.38 |
-5V
= -4.99 |
Voltage
Rails (Idle) |
+12V
= 11.65 |
+5V=
4.90 |
-12V=
-12.35 |
-5V
= -4.98 |
The power supply went without a hitch or hiccup for a period of three days I have used the case. No sudden freezes or anything. Although the 12V rail looks a bit low and fluctuated, nothing bad happened.
UPDATE: Now I feel dumb...A reader (Dustin) informed me that the case has a removable motherboard tray. I was like, it does? Yes, how could I miss this? Didn't catch my eye. The right side panel has a three thumbscrews right? Look at the rear image, you have to unscrew the one that is connected to the case. Unscrew it with a screw driver, it doesn't have a thumbscrew. Now take off the panel and slide the tray out leftwards and put it in vice versa. This adds to the value and my impressions of the case even more. The case keeps on surprising me. Look at the pictures I took.
It is this screw you have to remove first
Voila! Easier than ever!
Conclusion
I’m leaving this review impressed. I mean really impressed for what you get in a $50U.S. case. This case is strong, cools well (can be improved), and is easy to work with.
Looking for a case? Why not check this case out?
I rate the Maxtop CSX-147KBF-WIN Case a…
9/10!
You can't go wrong with this case. I mean the price and the features...I'm still impressed.
Pros and Cons
+
Cools well
+ Styling
+ 50 bucks!
+ Includes a power supply that works well
+ Strong
+ Aluminum (well most of it)
+ Construction
- Cooling can be improved some more (stamped fan grills)
- Going to be hard to replace the Power Supply with your own
- A bit on the heavy side
Let me thank Maxtop for making this review possible. Visit them at www.maxtop.com.
