The 'other' thing

The other item that can potentially differentiate cases from one another is how the PCI bracket is designed. Early 'tool-free' cases simply used thumb screws instead of small screws, and called it a day. This simply won't fly with today's high end cases, so they are going to have to come up with something a little better...

That's more like it! There are two push-tabs on either end of the PCI bracket. Simply push them both out, and all the PCI slots are unlocked. When you finish installing the adapters, close the bracket up, and lock the two tabs. This is about as simple a PCI bracket design as I've ever seen!

Oh, and one more...

We can't neglect the motherboard tray, especially when we come across one so well designed!

The tray itself comes out without the use of tools - simply pull the tab behind the handle, and slide it toward the front of the case. It takes a bit of effort fitting it back into the case, but it's not too bad.

Motherboard installation itself is also tool-less. The first 3 pegs on the side are looser, so use those first to install the mobo. From there, clip the remaining six tabs onto the tighter pegs.

The first time I installed a motherboard, it took quite a lot of effort getting those remaining six pegs to clip in. After a few installations however, everything is broken in and working perfectly.

My, you're looking rather evil  today!

And here it is lit up in all its evil glory. The power button also has a devil face embedded in it that also lights up, but the LED cable was loose while I took the first round of pictures. The face comes off easily, so we were easily able to fix it of course.

Note that there is no reset button - just a power button. While it may have interrupted the symmetrical design of the case, in the end it's just not worth removing. I really wish CasEdge had figured out some way to incorporate a reset button, as they CAN come in handy.

We can't really argue about the looks of this case - you're either going to love it or hate it, so we'll just have to leave that up to you. If you do love it, then it's up to us to find out if there are other things wrong or great about it, and whether you should give it a closer look.

After installing a few systems into this case, my reactions are somewhat mixed. On one hand, you have a nearly tool-free installation, which makes things an absolute breeze. You'll have a system built and running in no time at all.

On the other hand, the Diabolic Minotaur doesn't lend itself to a clean installation. The HDD bays stick the cables straight out, and there is no way to switch them around. The right side door is riveted on, so you can forget about getting that door off. Many of us use that opportunity to hide extra cables (and today's high wattage PSU's can carry an enourmous length of cables, believe me!).

Overall it really comes down to whether you like the looks of the Minotaur series. If you do, I couldn't find any reason not to pick one up! Price may be an issue to you - at $160 it's not exactly the cheapest case on the planet. It does come with a blue/UV cold cathode, which is a nice touch.