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Of the various types of cases JustPC carries, the Gazelle series is most
interesting. This is the particular model we've reviewed.
Many of their products are offered in different color schemes.
This is a two-toned black and silver case:

It comes in a large, corrugated shipping
carton, and is well-supported by Styrofoam blocks.

Here is the case itself, wrapped in plastic
for moisture protection. Note that the case is made of a steel
skeleton with a nice plastic exterior. The plastic is finished
very smoothly, and constructed well. No creaking or loosely
assembled parts were identified.

Here is a close-up of the front panel.
It has both power and reset buttons, and a small flip-open door
concealing USB, FireWire and audio ports.

There are three 5.25" bays, all of which are
external. The top two bays require the use of their
optical-drive front panel, which has a flip-open door and button.
The bottom bay does not require that front panel. As for the 3.5"
drives, there are three bays, one of which is externally accessible
through a sliding front door:

The side panel pops open by unlatching the
handle. It features two fan vents with stylized grilles.
Cool.

Here is the rear panel. Again, it is
mostly covered by the plastic shell. It really makes a difference
in terms of style and appearance. This case has a very fashionable
appearance!

Even the expansion slots have individual
plastic covers. They are not replaceable though. Once
removed, they cannot be reattached.

The inside
of the side door is shown here. The upper vent is 80mm, while
the lower one can accommodate a 120mm fan. Note how the entire
door is a solid sheet of metal. This provides very good EMI/RFI
insulation.

Inside the case, we have a 450W ATX PSU, a box of screws and hardware,
one 80mm exhaust fan, and the drive retention brackets.

Here is a close-up view of the PSU. It is a 450W unit. Not
bad at all!

Here is a view looking into the rear of the case. The exhaust fan
is placed right next to where CPUs would reside, allowing for maximum
hot-air expulsion.

Looking into the front of the case, we see the drive bays and the two
intake fan spots. One is an 80mm at the front panel, and the other
is a 120mm at the floor of the case. This may provide great
ventilation, however a concern here is the amount of dust and debris
that would be sucked into the case.

Lastly, here we have the drive retention brackets. From top to
bottom: 5.25" optical drive, 3.5" HDD, 3.5" FDD. How do they
work? Well, the drive is slid into the bay. These brackets have
small pins which go into the screw threads. The orange knob is
then turned to lock the bracket into place, thereby securing the drive
as well. This is VERY CLEVER, and I wish that all manufacturers
would adopt similar technology. Very simple, quick, secure and
effective. Of course, there are drawbacks, such as non-standard
screw threads, hole placement, lack of holes, etc. on devices such as
Audigy drives, fan controllers, HDD coolers, pull-out HDDs, and such.
Perhaps the biggest hindrance is cost.
 
Building a complete system around this case was very easy and
straightforward. There were no surprises, and the noise level was
well within normal limits. Overall, the Just PC Gazelle GA899ATXBK
case receives as verdict of:
94% |