Time for a true “Gamer/LAN” chassi to enter our test lab. With a good cooling potential and integrated carrying handles this seems to be the case for the demanding user, but does it cut the cake?
Time for another fairly unknown brand on the market which primarily targets the gamer segment. By creating a tight case with a powerful power supply and eat function for carrying the case it is an attempt to break into the market that already is crammed full, but does it have what it takes? This is one of the things we will find out today.
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XG-Viper ATX Blue/500W: Specifications
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| Form factor : |
ATX Midi tower
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| Side panel: |
Window with the Viper logo
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| Measurements: |
254.0 mm ( W ) x 583.0 mm ( D ) x 526.0 mm ( H )
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| Weight: |
8.5 Kg
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| Motherboards: |
12" x 9.6" (ATX),
9.6" x 9.6" (Micro ATX) ,
12" x 13" (Extend ATX)
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| Cooling systems : |
One 80*80*25 mm blue fan on the side panel
One 80*80*25 mm red fan in the front
The possibility to exchange the fan in the front for a 92*92 mm or 120*120 mm fan
Place for two 80*80 mm fans in the front
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| Color: |
Blue/Red
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| Material: |
Steel and Plastic
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Internal units:
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External units:
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4 x 5.25", 2 x 3.5"
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| Power supply : |
500W with a 120*120*25 mm blue LED fan at the bottom and a 80*80*25 mm blue LED fan in the back
+5V – 40.0A
+12V – 19.0A
+3.3V – 15.0A
-5V – 0.6A
-12V – 0.6A
+5V SB .- 2.0A
Max 500W
Max 3.3V & 5V – 220W
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| Other: |
Timer for how long the computer has been running
Temperature display
Temperature alarm
Animated Viper logo in the front
The whole case is painted, even the inside
Sturdy grip to carry the case
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| Price: |
$75-$105
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The Viper case has been designed for gamers and has been created to be light, powerful and above all easy to carry along. When it comes to the power it has chosen to use 500W power supply which should be more than enough. The question is if these are just peak values or really are for longtime load.
The number of places for units are a bit few, but since the case is quite small you shouldn’t really count on much more especially as functionality isn’t one of the primary concerns with this case. The motherboard placement is standard ATX so nothing weird there. Something worth mentioning is that it has chosen to paint the entire inside of the case to improve the overall impression of looking at the Viper logo on the side panel.
The price is varying a lot depending on where you get it.
No more details about XG-Viper no, but lets continue with the review.
Viper is a case which looks very low quality plastic in the front and the strong colors makes it even worse, especially considering we prefer simple, stylish cases. Large sturdy handles on the top makes the case easy to carry, which is perfect for the target consumers. The handles fit the overall design very well, which however isn’t all that impressive.
The Viper logo and the name Viper appears on way to many places, that is if you don’t like running around looking like a big sticker factory. The Viper logo is quite nice to look at though and it has done a great job with the side panel where the window is sensitive to UV light. If you start up the case you also see an animated Viper logo appear and disappear in the little black box down on the left picture. There you also see for how long the computer has been running and what temperatures your harddrives are running at.
Since they have chosen to paint the entire chassi the rear is a strong blue which looks better than the blue plastic look on the front. The power supply doesn’t have a fan in the rear sucking out the hot air but there is only a grid and a fan controller for the other two fans in the power supply. On top of the case we see a nice solution with a small head with a ribbed spine where the hot air can escape.
If you look at the front of this "head" there is a small hatch where we find the start button and USB, Firewire and sound ports. As usual this is a convenient place to keep these things if you have the case on the floor since they have put it at the top, but you can also use them if you have the case on the desk. On the side panel we find not only the beautiful window but also a blue LED fan in the lower left corner to improve the looks and the cooling.
When you get into the case the biggest difference is that you notice that the entire inside is painted, which is not very common and takes some time getting used to. It seems that it hasn’t thought about much other aspects as the case uses rather stone age solutions other than that. The harddrive installation is quite poor as well but really screams low end.
A sleeved powerful power supply with a 120*120*25 mm blue LED fan downwards and 80*80*25 mm blue LED fan in the front which helps with blowing the hot air out of the PSU, which is one of the biggest pros of this case. It has managed to create a relatively nice power supply with lots of power that should be able to handle most systems which might end up inside this case. The fan controller in the back makes the level of noise controllable even though there is no controller for the other fans, which in the end doesn’t do much for the total experience.
This is a very dull case on the inside, as there are no innovative solutions and convenient functions, it seems to be compensating for this with flashy colors, kind of like adding a new paint job to and old car in an attempt to improve the overall impression.
Finally a positive part of this case and here it earns a lot of pros. In the rear there is room for two 80*80*25 mm fans while we have to strong fans on the power supply which helps to suck out the hot air. Together with air holes at the top to let the hot air out and a fan in the side panel that brings in fresh air .
Bringing out the hot air isn’t enough though as you have to suck in fresh on to and only one fan on the side isn’t enough, but it has also installed a 80*80*25 mm red LED fans in the front to cool you harddrive and get better circulation. The biggest pro here is that you can exchange this fan with a 120*120 mm fan instead for completing the cooling with two 80*80 mm fans in the rear to keep the noise down.
The cooling options are enough as they are from scratch thanks to the power supply but if you chose to use the full potential by filling all brackets this is a very good alternative for those who need much cooling.
The design of this case is hard to describe as anything else but a big plastic advertising board, but it has its brighter moments such as the side panel with its different look.
This case is light and has sturdy handles for people carrying around the case a lot. A sturdy power supply at 500W which looks really good and works well with its LED fans and transparent window.
Its really just the cooling that speaks for this case except the power supply. If you exchange the fan in the front for a 120*120 and fill the brackets in the rear you get a computer with all the cooling you might need, as you might prefer air cooling over water if you move it around a lot.
The case has big con though with its interior design which fells completely out of date with no innovative solution for the cards or other units, not even some form of harddrive rack.
For being a gamer case it gives you what you pay for but nothing else. You get a powerful PSU to a computer that will be easy to carry along with good cooling, which is what most gamers want, if you like the design.
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XG-Viper ATX Blue/500W
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Pros:
+ Good cooling
+ Nice side panel
+ Sturdy handles
+ Light
+ Powerful PSU
Cons:
– Plastic feeling
– Screws everywhere
– Few harddrive slots
– No harddrive brackets
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