MGE Sidewinder: A Look at a Gaming Chassis
by Purav Sanghani on October 16, 2004 11:31 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
External Design
When looking at the Sidewinder's bezel, the first thing that we noticed is the chrome finished dome, which features the "XG" logo on top. When the system is powered on, the letters light up to match the case's blue-colored fans. Though it is just added eye candy to entice its users and serves no other purpose, it is cool to look at.The bezel features a custom-molded design and comes in 3 different color combinations: silver/black (featured case), blue/silver, and black/red.
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The top half of the bezel features a door that swings open to the left. This door is secured to the bezel by magnets on the right side, and they're strong magnets at that. At about an inch away from the bezel, the door is pulled shut by the magnets behind the plastic.
Click to enlarge.
When opened, the door exposes the four 5-1/4" drive bays as well as two of the six 3-1/2" drive bays directly below. To remove the drive bay covers, the entire front bezel must be removed by unscrewing it from the inside.
The lower half of the Sidewinder's façade features ventilation for the intake fan that is mounted on the inside as well as the power/reset buttons, and the power and HDD activity LEDs.
Click to enlarge.
The Audio, USB, and FireWire IO ports are located on the right side of the bezel and remain hidden when looking directly at the front of the chassis.
Click to enlarge.
The left side panel features a UV blue acrylic window that occupies about 2/3 of the panel. The window is attached to the panel by screws from the inside and can be removed for whatever purpose.
Click to enlarge.
The bottom 1/3 of the panel is occupied by two of the three 80mm fans included with the case. From the outside, the holes are covered by silver steel grilles, which accent the Sidewinder's paint job. The word "SIDEWINDER" is printed on both the left and right side panels vertically at the front.
The paint job is also of a high quality, like the finish that we saw on SilverStone's Temjin 5.
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ciwell - Monday, October 18, 2004 - link
#11, then you would be working for ANTEC. :DLoneWolf15 - Monday, October 18, 2004 - link
I'm starting to think I should go into case design. All I'd have to do would be to make tasteful cases that actually cater to the people who build their own computers, as it appears few manufacturers are actually doing this, including this one. How about designing something with reasonable expansion, front mounted ports, a few mounts for large fans that move lots of air at lower noise levels, out of solid materials, with a modest look but easy to mod later? No aliens, no snakes, no naked chick truck mudflap logos...function first, with just enough basic form to be appealing.ciwell - Monday, October 18, 2004 - link
Good review...I think the last sentence in it says it all.Operandi - Sunday, October 17, 2004 - link
#8 Hmmmmm... Put a $90 PSU in a $4.99 case that seems like a likely scenario.....shabby - Saturday, October 16, 2004 - link
#7 the funny part is that they didnt even use the psu that came with the case, they used an ocz one, check page 8 lolGundamit - Saturday, October 16, 2004 - link
#6 - What's really revolting is the 17A on the 12V rail. Get it? "Re-Volting" It like a ... oh nevermind.diehlr - Saturday, October 16, 2004 - link
Someone please give these case designers a clue. These cases with gaudy X's and tacky colored plastic are asthetically revolting.stephenbrooks - Saturday, October 16, 2004 - link
LOL @ #3I stared deeply into the chromed button and could only see a couple of black chairs in a white office, though, one with someone's coat hanging on it. Which page were you on?
Myrandex - Saturday, October 16, 2004 - link
I am actually glad they reviewed it, because I was considering purchasing it for a computer I am gonna build soon (saw it for sale @ directron). Haven't made up my mind yet, but yea I am glad they reviewed it.Jason
Budman - Saturday, October 16, 2004 - link
I can see a reflection of the reviewer in the chromed button. :)