Imperial Medium Tower:

This case is really cheap in comparison to the other cases but does that mean it"s less good? Let"s find out! When I opened the case, I found some screws, USB cable (for the front connectors) and a fire-wire cable! This is the first case I ever saw with a front fire-wire connector. It’s a very nice feature for a low budget case. And also included in the case: a manual! This is the only case that has a manual included, something I think is very important for new users. So after 1O seconds I already found 2 positive points, 2 things I didn"t find in the more expensive cases.
Of to a good start then!

The case opened and the things I found in its belly.

Picture of the side panel with the USB and fire-wire connectors at the front side

I continued my search for flaws and I found a minor one: there was already a fan installed... OK, maybe this isn"t that bad, but you know what I think about these things. Anyway, the fan is temperature-controlled. I know some of you will like this, and some of you won"t. Personally I don"t like this, but again: that"s something you"ll have to decide for yourself.

(editor’s note: I for one like the included temp controlled fan, it makes the difference between a loud and a silent system and using an adaptor u can hook up your cpu fan to the same temp sensor, making your system totally silent and this for a very low budget! //JMke)


The preinstalled front fan

There is also a case temperature indicator in the front of the case, which is very cool and something I didn"t expect to see on a low- to mid-budget case. Of course, there are a couple of things that I missed with this case. E.g. thumbscrews and the drive rails I found in the Chieftec cases.


The big power button and the temperature indicator in the front panel

The test results:
Fans:
1 in front (case)
1 in back (Enermax@full speed)

Temps:
Room: 22°C
Case: 37°C
CPU: 53°C

As you can see a really bad result... The CPU gets very hot and the case temperature is also very high. This is caused by several things: the performance of the front fan and the air filter in front of that fan. Also the fan in the back can"t perform because the holes in the back plate are too small... Too bad of course, because this case really could"ve been the "most bang-for-the-buck" case I encountered.

But I still think this is a very nice case for its price. If you’re looking for a case that is cheap and offers some nice features such as a fire-wire in the front, this case is for you.


Comparing all the test results:


Self explanatory :)

I hope these reviews have helped you a little bit in your search for your ideal case. Comments and questions can be posted here @the forums.
Thank you for reading

BlackRabbit