Exterior

The system with all supplied parts.

The exterior of this case is very sleek and attractive. Aside from the mirror strip and the sound selector buttons, the case is completely black.

Ah, gotta love how the door hides those mis-matched CD-ROM drives.

5.25" bay devices, 3.25" bay devices, and power buttons for hard drives #2 & #3 are hidden behind the X-21's door panel The front of the door contains the thermometer readout (Celsius readings only, sorry America) which is hidden by half see-through glass. The door quality feels mediocre when opened, it is rather light and can shake slightly vertically on the hinges. One problem lies inside this design, when opening and closing the door the cord for the temperature probe is moved, causing the probe to move around if not properly secured. The wire sometimes also causes a very quiet and slight rubbing noise.

Cases with doors always benefit those of us who have CD-ROM drives that don't match the case.

The inside of the door is slightly embossed, which may allow users to have a baybus or other accessory in an open bay (assuming any knobs or switches you have are very small). The door closes magnetically, with a magnet a few inches to the left of the second and third hard drive power buttons. The door magnet is in the lower right corner (if viewed from open position). Both magnets are somewhat powerful, and able to hold a small screwdriver.

After extended use, we started to notice a problem with the door panel. Because the door can be moved a small amount in every direction while on the hinges, the door will occasionally hit into the bottom of the case and does not close. Small marks are also present from the door rubbing on the lower part of the case. We found if you lift the door slightly while closing you can avoid both of these situations.

 
A lot of wires fit in-between the front panel and case chassis, which blocks some airflow.

The side panels are 100% solid, having no holes or any other type of vent. This feature cuts down on noise escaping from the case, but leaves all the cooling power up to the front and rear air vents. In the rear are two fairly unrestrictive fan grills. Most cases that take a stylish approach have seen all have the same major weakness, front cooling. Like many others, the X-21 Trinity does not have a spot for air to enter from the front. Unless you can count the measly gap on the bottom of the case, there is nowhere for air to enter from. The gap is also blocked by the tangle of wires that are in-between the chassis and the front panel which lead to the front power buttons and sound selector / USB ports.

 
We won't count on the tiny piece on the right hand side of the case to protect our system. If anyone really wanted something out of the PC they could get in.

The rear of the case is no different than any other. The only minor differences are four thumbscrews (two for each side panel), and the small lock mount on the right side. Good if you don't want people opening your case, but if someone really wants in your case do not count on it as any protection.