Ultra Wizard ATX Case MS Blue w/ Blue UV Side Panel Author: jonnyGURU Date Posted:09/01/2005 13:53.27 SLRating: Bottom Line: If you're looking for a smart and durable shorter stature case, with a window and only plan on using 1 external 3 1/2" device and no more than three internal 3 1/2" devices then the Ultra Wizard may be the one for you. Article Navigation Introduction Out Of The Box Side Window Inside The Case Conclusions Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 Discuss This Article

Side Window

First things first, we took the side panel off of the case. The window side panel comes off by unscrewing two thumbscrews and then sliding back the panel. The acrylic for the window is VERY thick. It's virtually clear, but at certain angles it has almost a purple tint to it. Despite the thickness, there was no distortion. In fact, when I put my hand right up to the window, the acrylic actually looked paper thin. I was so fooled by it's clarity that I actually popped the clips off from around the edge of the case and took the window off so I could get a better look at it!

Mounted onto the window is an adjustable air-duct. This air-duct is required to meet Intel's 1.1 version of the Chassis Design Guide. Essentially, if you are using a Pentium 4 on a motherboard that follows Intel's reference design, the air-duct can be extended to just over the CPU fan, so the CPU doesn't recirculate the same hot air over and over again. The duct brings outside air straight into the intake of the CPU fan providing maximum cooling. In a smaller case, like this one, high ambient temperatures can really kick your butt, so having one of these air-duct in the side panel is nice.

Of course, you don't have to have a Pentium 4 to take advantage of this air-duct. Most motherboards put the CPU right in the vicinity of this duct, even AMD CPU's. Another thing you can do is put a fan in between the window and the air-duct and force air into the case. This doesn't always work well, that is when two fans are right on top of each other, but when using a heatsink that doesn't incorporate a fan, like the Zalman Copper Flower, it works perfectly.

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Article Navigation Introduction Out Of The Box Side Window Inside The Case Conclusions

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