Case: Ahanix PlatinumXP

[Neon]

Ahanix PlatinumXP

Mid-tower ATX case

The Ahanix PlatinumXP case is currently in use here at Neon central command, as the housing for the latest system build. It replaces the old Quantex. If you have worked with this case, please vote.

The PlatinumXP is certainly a stylish case, featuring an attractive gray finish, silver painted plastic drive covers, a digital thermometer, and high-intensity blue LED. I chose this case, which is actually a rebadged 3R Systems Neon Light, because it is the successor to their Neon model, which I currently use and like. The Neon Light has received a number of brilliant reviews, including OverclockersClub, AMDZone, HiTechMODs, ExclusivePC, and Tom's Hardware. Do I agree with them? Read on to find out.

Features and Specifications:
* Drive Bay Covers with Hinged doors and Fancy metallic paint
* Digital LCD Thermometer
* 2 x 80mm Two-Speed ball-bearing Case Fans
* Tool-Less Side Panels with Thumb Screws
* 2 x USB, 1 x Firewire Ports on the side of front panel
* EMI Protective Shielding
* Transparent side window available as an option
* Supports all Flex, Micro, Full ATX motherboards
* 4 x 5.25" external bays
* 1 x 3.5" external bay
* 3 x 3.5" internal bays
* 7 x Card Expansion Slots
* Dimensions: 7.75" [w] x 17" [h] x 18.75" [d]

Installation and Setup:
The case (mine came from Multiwave Direct for $75) comes with an extra drive bay cover, bag of screws and studs, and 3 pages of limited directions. An ATX power supply is not included. In general, the steel feels a bit flimsy; the fit and finish is fair, with a few jagged edges, despite being "double rounded". My hands experienced no loss of blood from the installation process.

As the successor to the Neon, I expected the Neon Light / PlatinumXP to be similar, but with minor improvements. Since I own both cases, some comparisons are in order. The PlatinumXP is 1" shorter and ~3/8" thinner than the Neon, but it is roomy enough to accommodate most standard hardware. The PlatinumXP fails to equal the Neon in several ways:
* The fold-out side panels with quick release levers are replaced with cheaper slide-on panels that attach with thumbscrews on the back
* Gone is the removable hard drive carriage
* Gone are the sliding drive bays with extra EMI shielding
* Gone are the headphone and mic jacks on the front
* Gone is the sturdy 1mm steel construction
* Gone is the innovative toolless clip-on expansion card holder

The PlatinumXP exceeds the Neon in a number of areas:
* Bright blue high-intensity LED
* Drive bay covers have hinged doors
* IEEE 1394 port in front
* Better button layout on the front
* Dual speed case fans

The installation took some time to work through problems with alignment of motherboard mounts and fiddling with the drive covers. Although the case has 26 holes predrilled for motherboard studs, only 6 of them line up for an Abit KT7-RAID board. The other 3 mounting holes in the board had to be secured with plastic spacers (not included).

The drive bay is constructed such that mounting screws on one side of all drives are inaccessible. Instead, the bracket uses springy clips that press against each drive on one side, and the standard screws on the other side. Note all of the specs say that the case has five 3.5" drive bays, but I count only four. There are two sets of mounting holes that extend downwards below the bays, and it might be possible to wedge a drive in there between the bays and the front case fan - if you would like to try that.

The drive bay covers are an innovative but poorly implemented idea. The silver painted covers give the facade of the case a uniform stylish look, even if the optical drives have traditional beige front bezels - ooh, la, la, tres chic. There are two types of drive covers. For optical drives, there is a cover for the top two drive bays with hinged doors that open independently when each slideout tray opens, eject buttons, and windows for the drive lights. However, the hinged doors are extremely flimsy in construction and prone to breakage. Moreover, the optical drives must be placed adjacent to each other to use this cover. There are also three standard single bay covers supplied. In the photo above, from top to bottom, are: the bottom edge of a Toshiba DVD, a single bay cover, a HP CD-RW, and a HP Colorado tape drive. These drives are quite common, yet none are suited for use with the drive bay covers - the doors simply don't align. The covers have to be left off. There goes the uniform stylish look. So beware - your drive doors may not align either.

Usage:
The PlatinumXP has a digital LCD temperature gauge on the front, which is wired to a flat thermal sensor that can be freely positioned anywhere within the case. Thus, the temperature may be sampled at whichever location you prefer. For some reason, my display blinks constantly, which seems unnecessary. The power, reset, and turbo button layout is very good - when reaching for buttons in the dark, there is no confusion over which one you are about to push.

The case is set up for good air flow. There is a fan in front to pull in cool air through openings on the bottom and slots along the front panel, and a fan in back to spit out the hot air. The turbo button controls the 2 Fukuryoco two-speed case fans. In high speed mode, air volume per minute increases. In practice, this achieves a CPU temperature drop from 44C to 42C at idle for my Duron 1000. In low speed mode, the fans make less noise.

The two USB ports and IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port are located on the lower right side of the front fascia. The motherboard must have appropriate headers to support use of these ports. Depending on relative ease of access to the front and rear of the case, the location of the ports can be quite convenient to plug in those cables.

The blue power on LED is undoubtedly the star attraction on this case. The novelty and coolness factors are intensely high, and it solves one of my little problems. You see, sometimes I work on the computer into the night, and the lights are off in the room. I get up to go make a sandwich, and when I return, the monitor is in suspend mode, so I can't see anything. Now with the bright blue beacon to navigate by, I have far fewer stubbed toes.

Documentation:
The 3 pages of directions consists of a wiring diagram for the USB and IEEE 1394 ports on the side, a brief rundown of the features, how to take the flimsy CD drive cover off without breaking it, and a warranty statement. There is no additional documentation at the Ahanix website.

Plusses:
Thermometer with Digtal LCD display
Two-speed cooling fans, good air flow
Paint finish
Conveniently placed controls
Extra USB and IEEE 1394 ports near the front

Minuses:
Bay covers do not match all drives
No motherboard tray

To conclude, the Ahanix PlatinumXP is a flashy-looking midtower ATX case with some nice features, although style perhaps predominates over function. The high intensity blue LED highly accelerates its coolness factor, and your favorite 10 year old will appreciate its novelty. To maintain the feature set and style at a moderate price, there are minor compromises in quality and elimination of some good features that were present in the older Neon model. The case should be a good starter for newbie case-modders. Of course, 5.25" bay plates with temperature readouts and case lighting are readily available, but the combination of features offered in the PlatinumXP is hard to beat for its price. I give it 7/10.

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