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Aopen HX08 Server Case
Aopen HX08 Server Case - PCSTATS
There are two kinds of computer junkies in the world when it comes to cases. First there are those of you who cram as much gear as is humanly possible into a tiny, little, puny case...
 83% Rating:   
Filed under: Cases Published:  Author: 
External Mfg. Website: AOpen May 04 2001   Max Page  
Home > Reviews > Cases > AOpen HX08

Special features of the HX08

Probably the most interesting features of this case are the way in which the panels are attached and the extra space devoted to cooling. The slide away side panels ride on small tracks, and slide open to the back. The top of the case does a similar trick (it needs to be removed before the side panels can come off) as well. All of the panels can be screwed down in the rear of the case, but honestly, with a case this size it is worth the time to source out some thumb screws and install them on the enclosure.

The case stands fairly high, so in some situations their may be concerns about it being tipped over or something similar. To combat this problem, the HX08 has four feet which swing out to give it a steady footing. If they tend to be in the way, the feet can quickly be swung inwards and out of the way.

Except for the front area of the case where the knock outs are all the corners are smoothed over, or folded over, making just about any surface a good handhold. While it may seem odd to devote even a second to discussing the sharpness of the cases edges, once you've been sliced by a cheap case you'll understand why. Folding edges over, or rounding over the edges shows effort and reflects the quality of design and workmanship which goes into the case.

Spaces:

With all of the covers off the bare frame of the HX08 shows off some of its huge spaces. The case is sectioned off into essentially two spaces. The top areas holds all the 5.25" drive bays, FDD bay, powersupply, and spare rack for hard drives, or RAID drives. Just behind that rack for the RAID drives is a set of perforated regions for attaching cooling fans.

Since the fans mounts are located towards the top of the case it is always a good idea to mount them so the air is exhausted from the case, rather then blowing in over the drives. If fans were mounted so they pulled in cool air from outside the case it may muck up the overall air flow patter within the case and cause components to rise in temperature.

From the rear angle the 80mm fan mounts are much more pronounced. The case comes with a standard 300W Aopen powersupply, which has an extra long ATX power connector. I highly recommend upgrading to an Enermax. They make all their leads really long, which is perfect for a case of these dimensions.

The motherboard tray pulls out from the rear, which can really help when you have to install a lot of cards into this case. There are a total of 7 expansion slots, and case comes with several different rear IO guards.

The side view better shows how this case has be sectioned off into two main areas. The motherboard and IDE drives are kept below, and the 5.25" drive bays and RAID expansion rack kept to the top. What may seem like a departure for most is the placement of the FDD drive (very top by power switch).

A case speaker and 80mm 12V fan are located on the lower front of the case.

A bonus of the powersupply being located well out of the way of the motherboard components is that large and bulky cooling solutions can be used with ease.

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Contents of Article: AOpen HX08
 Pg 1.  Aopen HX08 Server Case
 Pg 2.  — Special features of the HX08
 Pg 3.  Installing equipment in the case:

 
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