XSPC H1 Cube not so good

I got my H1 cube in the mail today and it was pretty easy to put together but then I started running into some problems as I have stated below.

I can say without a doubt in my mind now that the XSPC H1 Cube is a not worth the price I paid.

I thought that when I had mounted my 5.25" bay devices that maybe the case was designed with a few MM of clearance at the top of but I soon came to realize that it's just VERY VERY bad machining on the part of XSPC, the extra space on the top 5.25" bay was just the start. When I went to mount my motherboard I found that it was very snug. A few moments later I found out that I could not install any of my PCI-E devices as there was no clearance for the card bracket, literally not even 1mm. There was absolutely no space in between the motherboard and the mounting section.

This is unfortunately something that cannot be remedied by loosening the screws and trying to adjust the motherboard but a problem with the screw tappings not being precise to where they should be.

Not to mention that there is no reset button the case. The anodized finish is not the best quality and there Is very little support for the horizontal motherboard tray. The only thing holding it up is a small 3.5" hd rack.

I have to call XSPC later on today and see what the hell is going on.

Poor machining, overly expensive for the quality.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Update: E-mail reply back from Dazhong didn't help much and there was no indication of them sending me a new motherboard tray or a return authorization to FCPU. I was basically told it was user error on my part.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by spotswood

:shocked: Please post pics!

---

+1

im curious!

I continually have pretty terrible problems mounting graphics cards in my H2G0 from Mountain Mods (which, IIRC, is what the XSPC cases are based off, MM not the H2G0 itself) - that problem there has to do with imprecise tapping as well.

Should have done the smart thing and purchased a Case Labs case from the start ;)

Wow, that really sucks. I had high hopes for the XSPC line based on the pics. I wonder if this is a one off or if this will be an issue on all their cases. FYI, for what it's worth, MM cases have the same issue with the 5 1/4" bays where you end up with a little space above or blow the top and bottom slot, it's one of my biggest gripes about MM cases because it takes away from what could be a perfect case. I was hoping that XSPC would have gotten at least that right.

What Case Labs case are you talking about SkitZo?

I've always been curious about the XSPC cases myself - glad to hear some truthful information on the quality. They had seemed like a good alternative outside of the use of thumb screws all over the entire case. I personally think Mountain Mods highly is overrated as well - their stuff is cheap for the kind of money you're paying for what's essentially an un-styled, cut-out metal box with flimsy motherboard trays; especially after recently finding CaseLabs.

I have one of their M8 cases coming, and from all the reviews and build logs not only are they gorgeous but built with extreme precision. These are some serious cases, and have all the options like MountainMods... like a pedestal, and a whole whack of little accessories. Got a feeling these guys will be huge and force these other case manufacturers to wake up.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SkItZo

Should have done the smart thing and purchased a Case Labs case from the start ;)

---

Troll more.

I'm taking pictures right now.

I just got off the phone with someone over at Frozencpu and I won't buy from them ever again. I was just told that they won't refund or exchange me a new case, until XSPC approves it. I have never heard of any business doing returns or RMAs in this fashion, ever. Anytime I have bought something from Performance-PCs and received a defective product I have had a very easy return/RMA process with them. The Frozencpu employee I spoke with was telling me was to contact XSPC directly via e-mail and maybe they could help me resolve my issue or that their boss Mark would have to approve the return (who is apparently indisposed).

+1 for CaseLabs. Love my M8.

Had a minor issue with mine, which is getting taken care of, but it's just an incredible case. Lots of attention to detail and support from CaseLabs has been incredible.

Very competitively priced as well, given the other alternatives.

Wow them cases looks VERY nice... How can we get a hold of the company? Seems like they are just on overclockers.net forum but no official website?

Here are the pictures of the problems, I've been having with my H1 cube. There isn't even a 1mm gap where the bracket can slide down between the backside of the case and the motherboard.

http://img863.imageshack.us/img863/2...beproblem1.jpg

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/5...beproblem2.jpg

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/5...eproblem2b.jpg


Here are the minor problems, they kind of bother me but it doesn't prevent me from installing things. It's about a 2mm gap from the top of the bay to the first 5.25" device.

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/6...beproblem3.jpg

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/7...beproblem4.jpg

That 5 1/4 bay isn't too bad but that motherboard mounting is atrocious.

They need to move the motherboard mount screws just a few millimeters to the right and it'll be fine but that is a HUGE flaw from the get go.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CedricFP

I continually have pretty terrible problems mounting graphics cards in my H2G0 from Mountain Mods (which, IIRC, is what the XSPC cases are based off, MM not the H2G0 itself) - that problem there has to do with imprecise tapping as well.

---

I used to have this problem with my H2g0, until I took the whole damn thing apart, and used a power drill with the a low torque setting to reassemble the damn thing making sure all the screws and everything lined up perfectly. I think one of the main problems is how the screws go into the acrylic mother board tray. And what they shoulda done is make the side panel that the outputs are on 2 pieces, so you can access the bottom of the computer.

wow ...this really blows big chunks ,i feel sorry for you bro and feel your pain
you can try to insert spacers or washers between MB tray and the wall,all tho you shouldn't have to go through this ,the gap above top bay you can fill up with some black caulk ..JK :(
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/6919/xspc.png

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Utnorris

Wow, that really sucks. I had high hopes for the XSPC line based on the pics. I wonder if this is a one off or if this will be an issue on all their cases.

---

I'm with you there.
These are very very new, could be just a QC issue. I'd try contacting their RMA department, and pointing them at this thread. Perhaps they will just mail you the new motherboard tray or so.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ohms

Troll more.

I'm taking pictures right now.

I just got off the phone with someone over at Frozencpu and I won't buy from them ever again. I was just told that they won't refund or exchange me a new case, until XSPC approves it. I have never heard of any business doing returns or RMAs in this fashion, ever. Anytime I have bought something from Performance-PCs and received a defective product I have had a very easy return/RMA process with them. The Frozencpu employee I spoke with was telling me was to contact XSPC directly via e-mail and maybe they could help me resolve my issue or that their boss Mark would have to approve the return (who is apparently indisposed).

---

It's not frozencpu's fault.
And I've had the exact same issue with PPCs. I ordered a Xiggy heatsink and it was damaged (fan broken, mounting brackets missing), the PPC's guy told me to email Xigmatek and to handle it with them because apparently PPC did not have anymore stock of my particular heatsink and they refused to refund it.

Anyways, I hope that this is just one faulty case and not representative of all of XSPC's cases.

If you had to, and didn't want to send it back or anything, could you not tap all the holes 2mm over from where they are?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by schoolslave

It's not frozencpu's fault.
And I've had the exact same issue with PPCs. I ordered a Xiggy heatsink and it was damaged (fan broken, mounting brackets missing), the PPC's guy told me to email Xigmatek and to handle it with them because apparently PPC did not have anymore stock of my particular heatsink and they refused to refund it.

Anyways, I hope that this is just one faulty case and not representative of all of XSPC's cases.

---

Well my reasoning for not buying from FrozenCPU again is basically I don't like to be told that I cannot return something when there is an obvious defect. I have purchased from Sidewinders, PPCs, Jab Tech and whenever I have had an issue with something I was never told that I had to deal with the manufacturer for an RMA, especially when it's within 30 days of the purchase.

I spoke with someone over at FrozenCPU again and they told me that this was the way XSPC required them to handle returns/RMA, which seems a little far fetched to me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wolf132

If you had two, and didn't want to send it back or anything, could you not tap all the holes 2mm over from where they are?

---

I am not overly handy and I'm not going to risk damaging anything, but thank you for the suggestion. I had the same thought but I'd rather not take any chances.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ohms

I spoke with someone over at FrozenCPU again and they told me that this was the way XSPC required them to handle returns/RMA, which seems a little far fetched to me.

---

first off im really disappointed at the case.

it looked hot! unfortunately, we never saw it loaded.

Second, i think frozen is saying that because they dont want to charge u a restocking fee.

If they get XSPC saying ok on an RMA, they would probably wave the restocking fee, vs. you having to pay for it on a straight return.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NaeKuh

first off im really disappointed at the case.

it looked hot! unfortunately, we never saw it loaded.

---

I definitely know how you feel. It looked like an amazing case, but after dealing with all of this and actually having some hands on time with it now, there are just some major QC issues.

The aluminium in my opinion is too thin for the price tag that it carries. The motherboard tray support is very lack luster as well, as I mentioned in my original post.

I loved the fact that it had a horizontal motherboard tray, all the different spots to mount 360mm radiators and that it was the size of a MM Extended U2UFO.

Well I just took it upon myself to fix the problems as I don't want to wait on Mark over @ FrozenCPU or XSPC to get back to me. I used an M4 tap and made the screw hole larger this way I had room to shift the back plate of the motherboard tray 2mm outward to make space between that and the motherboard.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ohms

Troll more.

---

Didnt mean to troll. Sorry to hear about your problems and it sucks balls you had to pay that much for a case to basically be a beta tester for the company (Seems beyond stupid this case made it through quality control)
If you do manage to get a refund i suggest looking into an M8/M10 from Case Labs :yepp:

Best Of Luck....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SkItZo

Didnt mean to troll. Sorry to hear about your problems and it sucks balls you had to pay that much for a case to basically be a beta tester for the company (Seems beyond stupid this case made it through quality control)
If you do manage to get a refund i suggest looking into an M8/M10 from Case Labs :yepp:

Best Of Luck....

---

Thanks but I already solved the issue as posted above. Sorry for snapping at you, I was just very aggrivated after spending that much cash and for my build to be stopped dead in it's tracks by poor QC.

Sorry to hear about your experience ohms. Getting the customer to do final QC check on new products seems to be a recurring theme with XSPC. From what I recall, they do seem to be decent about taking care of those problems though...but the fact still remain that these problems shouldn't happen in the first place. Excellent customer service is not needing a CS department at all.

Also, just an FYI on Mark @ FrozenCPU. He is dealing with some rather inconvenient headaches last I heard. He has some scam artists suing him (among others) over some kind of patent infringement scam and he also is dealing with Fester (and possibly Thermalfins?) over the whole Admiral rad thing. . .so, I'm not surprised that he's "indisposed".

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Waterlogged

Also, just an FYI on Mark @ FrozenCPU. He is dealing with some rather inconvenient headaches last I heard. He has some scam artists suing him (among others) over some kind of patent infringement scam and he also is dealing with Fester (and possibly Thermalfins?) over the whole Admiral rad thing. . .so, I'm not surprised that he's "indisposed".

---

He's always "indispose" when there's a problem... that's what he tells his people to say. The F store has terrible customer service as well as questionable business practices. Scamers suing scamers, what's this world coming to.

Sorry for the rant but many people don't like the F store for a good reason.

This is :banana::banana::banana::banana: luck and all, but maybe this is a 1 off and your unfortunate enough to have bought a defected case. I guess until we see a few more people using them or xspc confirm it is a major flaw and not a 1 off then i think its unfair to slate the case or XSPC. :shrug:

I am not suprised a supplier pointed you in the direction of the manufacturer but when its brand new out of the box it should come under some type of DOA warranty.

Surely hope you didn't buy the $1500 XSPC Cube kit they had on special to find this out.

-PB

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by paulbagz

I am not suprised a supplier pointed you in the direction of the manufacturer but when its brand new out of the box it should come under some type of DOA warranty.

Surely hope you didn't buy the $1500 XSPC Cube kit they had on special to find this out.

-PB

---

Oh, noooooooo. Definitely not, I bought just the case. I don't need a company to overcharge me to help me make decisions on what WC hardware I want to use :rofl:


Well after fixing the problem myself I finally got all my PCI devices in place.

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/6...ternalswip.jpg

Did "fixing the problem" involve bending stuff?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Captain_Harlock

Did "fixing the problem" involve bending stuff?

---

No, it required me to tap the previous holes to a larger oval size so I could move the motherboard tray backplate further out to make space.

Still sucks that you had to mod what should have worked out of the box. As far a Frozen goes, never had an issue, but I understand your frustration.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Utnorris

Still sucks that you had to mod what should have worked out of the box.

---

Indeed!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ohms

Troll more.

I'm taking pictures right now.

I just got off the phone with someone over at Frozencpu and I won't buy from them ever again. I was just told that they won't refund or exchange me a new case, until XSPC approves it. I have never heard of any business doing returns or RMAs in this fashion, ever. Anytime I have bought something from Performance-PCs and received a defective product I have had a very easy return/RMA process with them. The Frozencpu employee I spoke with was telling me was to contact XSPC directly via e-mail and maybe they could help me resolve my issue or that their boss Mark would have to approve the return (who is apparently indisposed).

---

FCPU hates to do RMA's...

I had to threaten them just so they'd RMA my defective $15 Logisys bulbs I could have gotten at PTS for $7. I had to bring this up, PLUS the fact that I was LEAVING on a two week trip within three days and I needed them right away to finish my build. I ended up getting them the morning I left.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ohms

No, it required me to tap the previous holes to a larger oval size so I could move the motherboard tray backplate further out to make space.

---

I've had to tap every single XSPC radiator I've owned. But having to tap a $500 case is nothing short of ridiculous. It is hard to imaging such a monstrously huge flaw could pass through w/o being caught. If the machining has that large of a margin for error, it most definitely should have been noticed.

Wow, really sucks dude. Heads would be rolling if I was in your situation. Hope everything gets resolved asap. :up:

Terrible service. To be honest with you when I first saw these XSPC cases unveiled on specialtech I thought they looked cheap, tacky and poorly designed/constructed. There didn't seem to be much care or well thought out design going in to them just large pieces of metal put together in the cheapest and simplest way possible. When I saw the price I thought how on earth are they justifying that?

Sorry that you got burned on this but you must have known from the pictures what you were getting yourself in to.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vicey

Terrible service. To be honest with you when I first saw these XSPC cases unveiled on specialtech I thought they looked cheap, tacky and poorly designed/constructed. There didn't seem to be much care or well thought out design going in to them just large pieces of metal put together in the cheapest and simplest way possible. When I saw the price I thought how on earth are they justifying that?

Sorry that you got burned on this but you must have known from the pictures what you were getting yourself in to.

---

You can't really see from the images and tell that it is cheap or poorly constructed. As for being poorly designed it actually isn't, it pretty much doesn't differ in the construction of a customized MM Extended U2-UFO with a horizontal motherboard tray.

So in actuality there is no way I could know what I was getting myself into as you say.

I am not defending FPCU per se, but when I had an issue they took care of me with me just sending an email. Anyway, I do not know the full story, but I wouldn't have modded it personally unless I was happy with the rest of the case, which it doesn't seem like you are. Either XSPC or FPCU should have given you a full refund including the shipping for something like that or at the very least, XSPC should be sending you a new MB tray at absolutely no cost to you. I had a broken part on my tech station and I could have just returned it, but Microcool sent me a new part after seeing a picture of the issue, all the way from Europe without requiring me to send the old part back. I for one do not like when companies mess up, especially something like this that keeps it from functioning, and then charges you to ship the part back. They screwed up, it's on them and I would make one of them fix it. That's just me.

I received an e-mail from Dazhong from XSPC and he basically told me in my e-mail that it was user error on my part.


Hi, Tom

From your photos, we found that there was a gap at the back. This is the problem.

Pls check the photos attached. If you can install the case correcttly, there won't be problem.

I suggest you tight the thumb screws at the back first. Then you can tight the screws from the bottom. Just make sure no gap at the back. Then, you can have the slots for PCI brackets.

We did not have complains from other clients. I don't think there is machining errors.

Best Regards
Dazhong

I made it aware to him that I had loosened the thumb screws to see if it helped alleviate the problem but after basically telling me it's user error, I had enough of it and just decided to take matters into my own hands and fix it myself.

I know that I shouldn't feel insulted since there are people out there who don't know how to read/follow instructions so it's something that has to be said, but I still feel insulted as I have been building/modding pc's for quite sometime.

Well you just posting this thread will probably put a pretty big dent in their case orders ... so I wouldn't feel too sad :D

Well, first i would say don't get insulted. Second I would say, did you try what they asked? If you are not going to do what they ask then how can you expect them to help? I am not saying you are not capable of putting this together, but even experts make mistakes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vicey

Terrible service. To be honest with you when I first saw these XSPC cases unveiled on specialtech I thought they looked cheap, tacky and poorly designed/constructed. There didn't seem to be much care or well thought out design going in to them just large pieces of metal put together in the cheapest and simplest way possible. When I saw the price I thought how on earth are they justifying that?

Sorry that you got burned on this but you must have known from the pictures what you were getting yourself in to.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ohms

You can't really see from the images and tell that it is cheap or poorly constructed. As for being poorly designed it actually isn't, it pretty much doesn't differ in the construction of a customized MM Extended U2-UFO with a horizontal motherboard tray.

So in actuality there is no way I could know what I was getting myself into as you say.

---

I have to agree with Vicey on this. As soon as I saw the 84 thumbscrews holding all the panels on I knew this was poorly designed. I've always thought the same of MM. To charge such a huge price for something they can't take the time to come up with an elegant solution to holding panels on is plain lazy and screams sub-standard workmanship...at least to me.

I wish you the best of luck with your build and I wish my initial assessment wasn't accurate but it appears it is. To top it off with the crappy customer service really puts the final nail in the coffin. :shakes:

For the next time Xspc dont copy Mountain mods cases hahaha

Caselabs, mountainmods or this Xspc aren´t good and still need to evolve a LOT, at least for me , you can build a better case for less money and with equal finishing touches:rofl:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Raiden

For the next time Xspc dont copy Mountain mods cases hahaha

Caselabs, mountainmods or this Xspc aren´t good and still need to evolve a LOT, at least for me , you can build a better case for less money and with equal finishing touches:rofl:

---

You're lumping CaseLabs in with MM and XSPC?!?!?! WTF are you talking about? CaseLabs kicks the crap outta the others in terms of design, workmanship, functionality, looks, and customer service. Want to see some customer service? Here's a recent quote from Jim at CaseLabs...

"We're happy to announce that we're lowering the price of the M8 & M10 by $20 (even though the price of aluminum has gone up about 10% since we started).

We're also making the front I/O panel optional, since not everyone needs/wants it and it will bring the base price of all the cases down by $20.

So what if you paid full price for a M8/M10 last month (I always seem to do that )? No worries, just let me know and we'll issue a credit for $20 (Does not apply to orders that received the 15% discount).

The new base pricing:

M8 - $359.95
M10 - $379.95
T10 - $439.95
MH10 - $439.95
TH10 - $479.95

We've also updated the packaging for M8/M10 cases to meet USPS restrictions to help lower the shipping costs on international orders.

I would also like to take a moment to offer my heartfelt thanks to all of you for making this possible - your support is so greatly appreciated! We'll continue to work hard to build the best cases we can!

I'd also like to extend a special "thank you" to our international customers in:
Australia
Canada
Denmark
Finland
Germany
Iceland
Japan
Malaysia
New Zealand
Singapore
South Africa
Sweden

end quote"

How many companies do you know that would bother to do something like that for their customers? Not many.

I'm starting to sound like I work for these guys or something. I assure you I don't. I just think they're currently making the best wc'ing cases available to us right now and they seem to really care what we think and want.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sideroxylon

You're lumping CaseLabs in with MM and XSPC?!?!?! WTF are you talking about? CaseLabs kicks the crap outta the others in terms of design, workmanship, functionality, looks, and customer service. Want to see some customer service? Here's a recent quote from Jim at CaseLabs...

"We're happy to announce that we're lowering the price of the M8 & M10 by $20 (even though the price of aluminum has gone up about 10% since we started).

We're also making the front I/O panel optional, since not everyone needs/wants it and it will bring the base price of all the cases down by $20.

So what if you paid full price for a M8/M10 last month (I always seem to do that )? No worries, just let me know and we'll issue a credit for $20 (Does not apply to orders that received the 15% discount).

The new base pricing:

M8 - $359.95
M10 - $379.95
T10 - $439.95
MH10 - $439.95
TH10 - $479.95

We've also updated the packaging for M8/M10 cases to meet USPS restrictions to help lower the shipping costs on international orders.

I would also like to take a moment to offer my heartfelt thanks to all of you for making this possible - your support is so greatly appreciated! We'll continue to work hard to build the best cases we can!

I'd also like to extend a special "thank you" to our international customers in:
Australia
Canada
Denmark
Finland
Germany
Iceland
Japan
Malaysia
New Zealand
Singapore
South Africa
Sweden

end quote"

How many companies do you know that would bother to do something like that for their customers? Not many.

I'm starting to sound like I work for these guys or something. I assure you I don't. I just think they're currently making the best wc'ing cases available to us right now and they seem to really care what we think and want.

---

Caselabs seems good but it´s recent so not very trusty for me..yeah they seem nice but i dont see many project´s with those due to the fact that it´s still a fresh brand.. and everyone fails remember this..

And why do they put the prices in the case pieces as extra?
It should come everything in the case , not plus 20 dolllars for a ssd cage etç

What i really meant is that if you got the skills you can do better even with half the amount of budget all handmade of course you can do errors and it´s not done with a Cnc machine but hey at least you enjoy a good experience and not a bad experience of paying for a product that isnt well developed.

In terms of Wcing i prefer Dangerden cases there´s nothing better, only need a "darkside" to hide the cable,

And yeah maybe Caselabs while hire you for Pr:rofl:

Raiden, I dare you to go make a case better than Caselabs within a year time frame if not... ever.

Let's see what you've got :) The minute I saw one of the products online from CaseLabs I knew it was high quality. XSPC, DangerDen and Mountain Mods aren't that great. Actually, IMO MountainMods is crap. Guys are having to mod the case with custom brackets just to keep the MB tray from warping and flapping around. Pretty sad for a $3-400 metal box with no real design aesthetics put in place. Danger Den isn't any better. I've owned a couple of their products, and their machining isn't that great and have had my stuff chip.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Utnorris

Well, first i would say don't get insulted. Second I would say, did you try what they asked? If you are not going to do what they ask then how can you expect them to help? I am not saying you are not capable of putting this together, but even experts make mistakes.

---

There was nothing to try as it was not the problem. Like I said, in the picture that I had sent him and the one that I posted it looked as if they back was loosened, which it was by me to see if it would give more headway for space. I did tighten it back up and it did nothing, just as loosening it did nothing the problem was just that the holes that were tapped where the motherboard stand-offs go where off 2mm.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sideroxylon

I just think they're currently making the best wc'ing cases available to us right now and they seem to really care what we think and want.

---

That's your opinion :) I wanted to move away from a vertical motherboard tray so a cube (MM or XSPC) was an ideal choice for me in for a horizontal motherboard tray. I just decided to go with XSPC since their packing looked 100% better then MM. I saw so many horror stories here about MM's bad packaging and customers receiving bent case parts that I did not want to risk it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ohms

You can't really see from the images and tell that it is cheap or poorly constructed. As for being poorly designed it actually isn't, it pretty much doesn't differ in the construction of a customized MM Extended U2-UFO with a horizontal motherboard tray.

So in actuality there is no way I could know what I was getting myself into as you say.

---

Come on seriously? All those thumbscrews just to hold the case together, the lack of LED's or case switches even the quality of the metal panels looks poor and cheap.

These cases are a far cry from a Lian Li or Silverstone case and yet they charge Lian Li or Silverstone prices. And I wouldn't say that it has the same construction as a MM Extended U2-UFO as if it was a good thing because those cases have the same poor design as these XSPC ones do.

Just step back and look at this case logically it is just cut panels with pre-drilled holes and you put it together using thumb screws all over the outside of the case. :down:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sideroxylon

I have to agree with Vicey on this. As soon as I saw the 84 thumbscrews holding all the panels on I knew this was poorly designed. I've always thought the same of MM. To charge such a huge price for something they can't take the time to come up with an elegant solution to holding panels on is plain lazy and screams sub-standard workmanship...at least to me.:

---

This is basically what I meant by my original post with regards to "you must have known what you were getting yourself in to".

The problem with most cases that claim to be water cooling cases such as Corsair, Lian Li and even Silverstone is you are limited to the amount of rads you can put in it. For most this is not an issue as a single triple rad and dual rad will cool the average computer better than air coolers. The problem is if you want to do a build with large rads, multiple loops or multiple pumps you are very limited with the standard tower type case. Granted, from a "Cool looking" perspective a cube is not great, but you do not have to worry about modding it to fit various rads, multiple pumps or several hard drives. With a tower you have to sacrifice something in order to gain water cooling room, just that simple. Look at the 800d, you have to remove the lower cage and cut the bottom in order to fit a second rad. The TJ07 has to be modded, hence is why there is Murdermod, in order to get several rads in there and you lose HD spots. With Case Labs, MM or even the XSPC case you can fit three triple rads without modding, a couple pumps and various other gear. They are not perfect, but Case Labs has definitely improved upon the "Cube" idea. Even though the XSPC case is pretty much a MM UF2O knock off, they made some interesting refinements to their case. As much as I hate wire management in my MM cases, I love the fact it has a horizontal MB tray and has plenty of room and it's modular. I like the Case Labs better, but I already have the MM case, so switching to them would be a tough choice for me. It really comes down to what is important to you, if you want to make a fashion statement then the "Cube" is not for you, get a Lian Li case or Betfinix case and have fun, but if you want room to do stuff, then the "Cube is the way to go.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Utnorris

The problem with most cases that claim to be water cooling cases such as Corsair, Lian Li and even Silverstone is you are limited to the amount of rads you can put in it. For most this is not an issue as a single triple rad and dual rad will cool the average computer better than air coolers. The problem is if you want to do a build with large rads, multiple loops or multiple pumps you are very limited with the standard tower type case. Granted, from a "Cool looking" perspective a cube is not great, but you do not have to worry about modding it to fit various rads, multiple pumps or several hard drives. With a tower you have to sacrifice something in order to gain water cooling room, just that simple. Look at the 800d, you have to remove the lower cage and cut the bottom in order to fit a second rad. The TJ07 has to be modded, hence is why there is Murdermod, in order to get several rads in there and you lose HD spots. With Case Labs, MM or even the XSPC case you can fit three triple rads without modding, a couple pumps and various other gear. They are not perfect, but Case Labs has definitely improved upon the "Cube" idea. Even though the XSPC case is pretty much a MM UF2O knock off, they made some interesting refinements to their case. As much as I hate wire management in my MM cases, I love the fact it has a horizontal MB tray and has plenty of room and it's modular. I like the Case Labs better, but I already have the MM case, so switching to them would be a tough choice for me. It really comes down to what is important to you, if you want to make a fashion statement then the "Cube" is not for you, get a Lian Li case or Betfinix case and have fun, but if you want room to do stuff, then the "Cube is the way to go.

---

I think almost every build on this site is trying to make a fashion statement. No one here is braiding their cables or using expensive bitfinix fittings for aerodynamics or thermal performance they want it to look cool while remaining functional.

I agree with you that normal cases are not well suited to large water cooling builds with multiple radiators but I still think just using some really quickly cut bits of metal and having them joined together in the most basic way possible and then charging the prices that they are is taking a liberty.

What we really need is for some premium case makers to design a large water cooling case with all the finite detail we expect from a normal case I'm talking reset switches, power switches, Power and HD LED's, riveted together chassis and only using thumb screws where it makes sense instead of using them to hold the entire case together.

Of course cases are very subjective and I'm sure many people absolutely love the look of the Mountain Mods cases and they probably see a lot of potential in them for modding and paint jobs and so on. I however don't see that when I look at them I just see something very cheap with an insane price tag and in the case of the XSPC versions not even a well made end result as this thread has shown.

I think the biggest surprise is for all that money spent on this XSPC case the support is non-existent. It's like paying for a Porsche and receiving only the key fob and then calling up the company that sold it to you only for them to say hey not our problem talk to Porsche.

I love how this goes from a thread about my dismay on quality control of a product to scrutinizing my case choice. Gotta love all the trolls that come out of the wood work, especially by sub 100 post / non contributing users.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vicey

I think almost every build on this site is trying to make a fashion statement. No one here is braiding their cables or using expensive bitfinix fittings for aerodynamics or thermal performance they want it to look cool while remaining functional.

---

I think you are also assuming that people do take style over substance here when they do their builds and I can probably say that it doesn't not factor into 90% of the builders here. I am pretty sure that people still want functionality/performance over looks. I'm pretty sure that yes sleeving is probably a little excessive for cable management but for someone who never saw the point of it and then finally doing it, it does make cable management some what easier in the grand scheme of things and does add aesthetics into the mix.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vicey

Of course cases are very subjective and I'm sure many people absolutely love the look of the Mountain Mods cases and they probably see a lot of potential in them for modding and paint jobs and so on. I however don't see that when I look at them I just see something very cheap with an insane price tag and in the case of the XSPC versions not even a well made end result as this thread has shown.

---

Thats your opinion and you are entitled to it but i'm sure many of the builders/modders here would disagree with you. And as for the XSPC, it's bad quality control issue and not an overall crap product, where I don't want to go out on a limb and defend XSPC because of the poor customer service I received on my issue I'm not gonna lie and say that it was an outright horrible product. The panels are pretty thick albeit i'd rather have the heft and durability that comes with the steel that Cooler Master uses on the HAF-X for the metal work but I can guarentee it would probably alot more expensive.

There are a few things that need to be addressed with the case, but I don't think these faults make it a absolutely horrible case from the way you put it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Utnorris

The problem with most cases that claim to be water cooling cases such as Corsair, Lian Li and even Silverstone is you are limited to the amount of rads you can put in it. For most this is not an issue as a single triple rad and dual rad will cool the average computer better than air coolers. The problem is if you want to do a build with large rads, multiple loops or multiple pumps you are very limited with the standard tower type case. Granted, from a "Cool looking" perspective a cube is not great, but you do not have to worry about modding it to fit various rads, multiple pumps or several hard drives. With a tower you have to sacrifice something in order to gain water cooling room, just that simple. Look at the 800d, you have to remove the lower cage and cut the bottom in order to fit a second rad. The TJ07 has to be modded, hence is why there is Murdermod, in order to get several rads in there and you lose HD spots. With Case Labs, MM or even the XSPC case you can fit three triple rads without modding, a couple pumps and various other gear. They are not perfect, but Case Labs has definitely improved upon the "Cube" idea. Even though the XSPC case is pretty much a MM UF2O knock off, they made some interesting refinements to their case. As much as I hate wire management in my MM cases, I love the fact it has a horizontal MB tray and has plenty of room and it's modular. I like the Case Labs better, but I already have the MM case, so switching to them would be a tough choice for me. It really comes down to what is important to you, if you want to make a fashion statement then the "Cube" is not for you, get a Lian Li case or Betfinix case and have fun, but if you want room to do stuff, then the "Cube is the way to go.

---

I do agree with Utnorris on this 100% he hit it on the nail head. Also from what I saw with the Case Labs M8 it costs about $395 and it can fit maybe 3 triple radiators? And if you want to install more, guess what? you have to spend another $159 to buy the pedestal which will give you space for 2 more triple radiators and if you want to run radiators up top you need to buy the extended cover top for another $65. Lets see thats $619 to have somewhere near the same amount of radiator space as the XSPC cube/MM cube and you still are limited with the options of where you can put them. I also didn't have to pay $20 for each window on 2 of my panels and $7.95 for an SSD HD tray.

@ Vicey: I'd also like to point out the fact that I own the product which puts me in a position to make realistic comments about it rather then you who sees it on a website and states it looks like crap. (Not to those exact words, but I'm sure you get the drift)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ohms

I love how this goes from a thread about my dismay on quality control of a product to scrutinizing my case choice.

---

I see it the same way....thread has lived its life.

Thread closed. Ohms, send me a PM if you want the thread re-opened, but I don't see this thread climbing back up Quality Hill.