Review on DEEPCOOL TESSERACT Computer Standard Chassis by Michael Boyle

My goal was to find an updated version of the typical old-school standard case that had outdated 5.25-inch optical drive bays and even a floppy drive bay! with floppy drive! This case met almost all of my criteria, including a few bells and whistles, like a clear window to see the guts, and almost tool-less drive bays. Also bottom mounted power supply and internal drive bays aligned for very easy access and replacement! Came with two red illuminated 120mm fans and some mounting hardware. Overall the price was good too. Now the questions: First, damn, was it a lightweight! Maybe just 3 pounds? Ultra thin material was used. A far cry from the old HP and Dell from the 90's! Bus expansion covers are not interchangeable after you break them off to install graphics cards etc. The plastic rack you install on the 3.25" hard drive has these mounting pins that should fit the screw holes on the drive, but they line up at all Not! I had to cut them off with wire cutters and then screw the drive to the carriage posts to fit the hard drives into the bays! The 2.5" bottom bracket wasn't too bad, but you still have to screw the drivetrain in. Next there are 3 front 5.25" connectors that can be removed for optical drives or accessories. The problem, as others have noted, is that the top panel is removable BUT you can't install the unit in the bay! Top panel control cables dangle in space! See attached photo. This means that only TWO cavities can be used! In order to remove the connectors, you must carefully slide out the plastic fastening tabs on the front panel, otherwise there is a risk of breaking them! Covers are not a big hassle and can be reinstalled if needed. All said and done, my biggest complaint is that the top front 5.25" bay is unusable.