AOpen Makes Case For Stylish Systems
3:00 PM EDT Fri. Oct. 21, 2005
From the October 24, 2005 issue of CRN
The front panel of the Nouveau B-350B case has a lockable door that conceals four external 5.25-inch drive bays and two external 3.5-inch drive bays. The 5.25-inch bays are used for optical and tape drives, while the 3.5-inch bays can be used for floppy drives, memory card readers and any other smaller peripherals. Inside the case are six internal 3.5-inch drive bays, ideally suited for hard drives or disk arrays.
Below the case’s door are permanently exposed audio ports, four USB ports and one FireWire port. In addition, below all the ports is a circular air vent that looks like a speaker grille. Behind that air vent is a 90mm blue-LED illuminated fan that lights up the exterior grille when the system is turned on.
Like the front panel door, the left-side panel can be locked using the same key. The clear side panel also features a circular air grille with an adjustable air scoop to direct air onto a CPU cooler, which should be mounted on whatever motherboard is used to build the system. The case is compatible with Standard-, Baby- and Micro-ATX motherboards.
Inside the case are seven expansion slots, each with a quick-release tab to lock expansion cards in place without the need for any hardware. The back of the case features an oversized 120mm blue-LED exhaust fan that lights up when the power is turned on. The 350-watt power supply also contains a blue-LED fan. With the clear side panel in place and all of the blue lights turned on, the Nouveau B-350B case looks futuristic.
AOpen’s new offering is far more attractive than a typical, plain white-box case, opening the door for system builders to earn much higher margins. It’s also an easy way for system builders to spice up their lineups and differentiate their products.
The AOpen case has a three-year warranty on parts and labor.
