Product Reviews

Gigabyte's 3D Aurora is a case designed for those who want to make an impression with their PC. Its sleek, brushed metal front and glowing blue panel certainly make this a case that can't be ignored. If you want to kit the inside out with lights, or simply be able to see the blue lights in the two rear-mounted 120mm fans, there's a Perspex side panel that you can use instead of the regular black grille.

As well as being pretty, Gigabyte wants the case to be used by people building high-end computers. In many ways, it succeeds. There are two holes with grommets pre-cut into the case, so it's easy to run water cooling inside without having to drill yourself. Under the power supply's mount there

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are two hollow rails with cable clips, so you can keep your cables neatly out of the way of the motherboard.

Building a PC into the case is simple, as the five external 5in drive bays and two external 3in drive bays all use a screw-less locking system. Once your drive is in place, moving the slider across pushes out the two retaining metal tabs that lock into a drive's screw holes.

There are four hard disk bays, which require mounting rails. They're easy to fit, but there are no rubber grommets to help keep noise from vibration down. Two bays come occupied with a plastic toolbox that you can use for storing spare rails and cables, but it's easily removed if you want more storage. The motherboard tray isn't removable, but there's lots of space inside the case to fit an ATX motherboard with ease.

The two rear 120mm fans are powered by a single three-pin motherboard connector. If your motherboard doesn't support fan control then there's no manual speed dial, which is a shame. The sides of the case are also a little thin for our liking. The 3D Aurora doesn't feel as rigid or as well built as Antec's P182 (right).

The 3D Aurora is attractive and it's not bad value, but the P182 feels much better built and its understated design will appeal to more people.