Impression IM-21 Case Review
Posted by Mike
@ 10:00 P.M. on 11/16/02
Background
Your computer's case is what often represents
your computer. People who don't know what is inside will many
times judge a computer just on how the case looks. If it's an
appealing case they like it, but if it is not appealing then it
is nothing special. Realizing this, manufacturers try to make
a case look as good as they can. Unfortunately while they try
to make it look good manufacturers often use way too much plastic
with the cheapest body they can find. Gladly, that's not the kind
of case we have with us today.
Today we're checking out the Impression
IM-21, sold by our good buddies at PlainLabelPC.
When I first saw a picture of this case, it looked average, A
white case with a light blue front. But when I actaully saw the
case in person, I was impressed. It looks very different from
the picture on Impression's website. Even in my picture you can't
see the metallic finish the body has. Its not just a plain white
case, it's actually silver with a smooth metallic finish. As for
the front, it's not a regular light blue front. There is a piece
of acrylic that covers the whole thing, and underneath there is
a piece of a textured blue plastic.
After closer inspection, I couldn't
resist doing my own "Quality Test." I took the side
panel off, and held it horizontally with one hand on the two corners
nearest me. Then I shook, waved, and did anything to see how much
the metal bent and flexed. On my old case you could hear the metal
flexing inward and outward in the center of the door, and sometimes
it remained bent until pushed back. On this case, the panel is
very solid, instead of the metal bending or flexing inward and
outward when we did our test, it stayed solid and quiet. However,
as expected, if exteme pressure is applied, the side panel will
flex slightly. Of course, no one is going to be attempting to
bend your case, but it is a good measure of how well the case
is built.
Key Features:
ALL chromate chassis, with thick, polished
scratch-resistant coating on outside surfaces, enhancing beauty
and durability
Transparent acrylic front panel
2 USB, 1 IEEE1394, 1 speaker, 1 MIC ports on front panel for easy
access
P/S2 ATX Power Supply (not included)
Removable side cover
Thumb screw on I/O bracket for easy access
Dimension: 200 mm (W) x 430 mm (H) x 480mm (D)
Drive Bays: (4) 5.25" - exposed, (2) 3.5" - exposed,
(5) 3.5" - hidden
Intel P4, PIII and AMD Athlon, Duron compatible
One Year limited warranty
