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Case, Power Supply, Fan Reviews
  Product:     MountainMods U2-UFO Aluminum Cube Computer Case Part 2  
  Price:     $456 (CAN) / $345 (U.S)
  Supplied By:     MountainMods
  Author:     Hi-TEK
  Date:     July 20th, 2004
  Rating:     star star star star star star star star star

MountainMods U2-UFO Aluminum Cube Computer Case
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MountainMods U2-UFO Aluminum Cube Computer Case
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To access the interior of the U2-UFO Aluminum Cube Computer Case requires separating the one piece "U" shaped top panel from the bottom panel. The top portion of the case does not use a three panel configuration seen on most cube cases currently on the market. The U2-UFO receives its name by using a chassis design typically seen on most desktop cases. There are a total of 14 thumbscrews (7 on each side) that must be removed in order to access the case interior. I still find this type of set-up a little tedious as previously noted with my original U2-UFO review and would have preferred removable side panels. The one piece "U" shaped top panel does not use any clips or hooks to keep it in place, rather it sits comfortably on top of the case chassis and is held in place by the thumbscrews.

Inside the case is an adequate amount of room to install a complete computer system. Chassis construction continues to be extremely strong and should be very accommodating when mounting system components inside this case. There are two areas which make up the interior, where the left side is designated as the motherboard location and the right side for the internal and external drive installation. There are a total of nine 3.5" drive bays available which makes this case suitable for multiple HD or RAID array configurations. Three 80mm fan mounts are available to keep the hard drives cooled and operating temperatures to a minimum. Like the external 5.25" drive bay cage and motherboard tray, the internal 3.5" drive is also removable and is secured using six thumbscrews.

MountainMods U2-UFO Aluminum Cube Computer Case
Click image for larger view
MountainMods U2-UFO Aluminum Cube Computer Case
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Underneath the 3.5" internal drive cages is the location of the PSU mount. The orientation of the PSU mount can handle any type of standard ATX power supply including units which use dual fan configurations. In order to test out the cooling performance of new revised U2-UFO, I decided to add in a few simple mods to handle the task of controlling all 11 fans. I used an old rheobus template and marked specific knob and LED mounted holes that would be positioned underneath the existing Power and Reset switches. The holes were drilled out using a Makita drill and drill bit.

MountainMods U2-UFO Aluminum Cube Computer Case
Click image for larger view
MountainMods U2-UFO Aluminum Cube Computer Case
Click image for larger view
 
I stripped down an old Sunbeam Rheobus#2 and installed the unit into the newly drilled mounting holes. I replaced the standard plastic LED holders with more suitable chrome LED holders and screwed everything into place. The Sunbeam Rheobus#2 would be used to control the four front 120mm fans. I will be using Panaflo FBA12G12H1A High Speed fans which are capable of pushing 103.8 CFM at 2500 RPM with a noise level of 41.5 dBA.
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