Directron 8889-AL Aluminum mid-tower case

Today I am reviewing an aluminum case made by Directron. For an aluminum case it is very nicely built with rolled edges and very few sharp protrusions. It has plenty of room for most users. It also has the advantages of some front ports for USB (2) and Firewire (IEEE1394). And it comes with a side window already installed. All this and more for under $100.00 shipped. (I think mine was right around $90.00 to my door.)

Advantages of Aluminum Cases: (1) Excellent thermal dissipation. Greatly reduced operating temperatures for high-speed microprocessors, high-end video cards and high-RPM hard drives. Ideal for overclocking and high-end machines. (2) Very light weight. Great for easy assembling and carrying it around for a LAN party. (3) Shining metallic, futuristic look. (4) Transparent Side Cover (Material: Acrylic).

Features & Specification: Materials: Aluminum. Dimensions: (W x D x H) 8.00" x 18.25" x 17"; 200 x 470 x 425mm. Form factor: Mid Tower ATX. Drive bays: 4 x 5.25", 3 x 3.5", . Expansion slots: 7. Front USB port (without connector and cable). Front IEEE1394. Connector: 4 X IDE, 2 X floppy. Power supply: TigerPro 360W, Model No: TP-360. Material: Aluminum. One 80 x 80mm fan in the front, One 80 x 80mm fan in the rear. Color: Silver-colored.

For a Mid-tower case this one is laid out fairly well. For the Motherboard (Acorp Dual P-3) I used it had it had ample space. Its somewhat cramped compared to the Full-towers I usually use, but I had no problems with any of the installation. I also had no cuts, scrapes or abrasions. The rolled edges and other amenities kept that from happening.

I was going to replace the TigerPro 360 watt that it comes with, as I am an Antec PSU fan. But I thought "why not give it a shot". I did and have had no power related problems whatsoever. The voltages that are delivered are somewhat lower than what I like. But so far it's been fine running 2-HDD's in a RAID 0 configuration, a DVD-ROM, CD/RW, 2-Delta fans on Vantec 6035d HSF's and 2 P-3 800MHz processors.

And to round out the review some more pics and my final conclusion.

All in all a very nice case for the money. I put an Acorp 6A815EPD Dual Motherboard in it with no problems at all. More on that later. My final pic of the case with the mobo and cold cathode installed. Also after my window etch.

Pros: Very inexpensive for an aluminum case.
         Lightweight and well built.
         Plenty of space.
         Decent PSU for the money.
         Fit and finish is acceptable.     

Cons: Some sharp edges, but nothing major.
          Thin aluminum (this is not a Lian Li by any means)
          PSU 360 watt TigerPro No Name (what do you expect for $79.00?)
 

Personally I give this case a 7 out of 10 rating. Price being a major factor. Its cheap!