[article_overview]
The
Just PC R310 is a nice mid-size ATX computer case. At 18.5" x 7.9" x 13.8" (D*W*H), it is slightly smaller than a normal mid-size ATX case by a couple of inches in depth and height. However, it does have room for a full sized NVidia 8800 video card. The highlights of the case are: excellent paint finish, no sharp edges, unique placement of the power supply, included 120mm fan, LCD display for fan and temperature, and fan speed management.
[/article_overview]
Just PC provides the required case and motherboard screws, two spare
slot brackets, two dvd covers, a six pin to four pin power supply cable
converter for some reason, some thumb screws for the case sides, and
some thermal tape for the thermal probe. The dvd covers have
double sided tape to which you apply to your dvd drive after
installation. Also of note is the power cable extender; which
is kinda unusual in a case, but is needed since the power supply sites
up front instead of the normal back top position. Placing the
power supply on the bottom of the case has the benefit of removing some
heat from the cpu and keeps the power supply fan from fighting the cpu fan
for air.
Here is an angle shot looking at the drive bays and the power supply bay. The power supply should suck air either through the bottom, through the front, or both. The power supply then exhausts the air through the side of the case; the front side of this photo. The power supply bay has rubber cushioned support pegs to allow for varying size power supplies and to reduce noise. There is room for three 3.5" drives and three 5.25" drives. Note the rounded corners; they are not mean to your hands like some cases.
Here you can see three vents. The bottom front vent is for the power supply exhaust.  The bottom back vent is for the video card fan intake. And the top vent is for the cpu fan intake.  The top 5.25" slot of the case is where the dvd cover goes. So your are kinda force to place your dvd player in the top bay.  I guess you could tape the dvd cover in place and use the second 5.25" bay if need be.
Here is the other side of the case. There is a vent hole where you are supposed to be able to put a 80mm fan to blow across the hard drives. The indentation of the drive bay also makes for a nice hole for cables to be placed.
The case full of stuff minus the video card. You will want to insert the dvd player first as there will not enough room with the motherboard and cpu installed. You will also want to install the power supply before installing the motherboard. The case is full but there is still a decent amount of room. Note how the cpu fan blows across the cpu and inline with the 120mm case fan as opposed to the normal blowing down on the cpu. This should allow for better air flow front to back. The cpu fan used is the
Coolermaster RR-PCH-S9U1-GP Hyper TX CPU Cooler Say that three times fast; but it works well. The power supply is the
XCLIO GREATPOWER X14S4P3 550W which draws in air from the bottom and exhausts it from the back, which in this pc case is the front side.
A look inside the drive bays. The bottom drive bay sits right above a hard drive slot. While the power supply is shielded and normally right above the cpu, I still hesitate to place a magnetic drive right next to the power supply.
Ah, that's where all the cables went. Of course now, there is not any room for that 80mm fan to blow across the hard drives.  But that is ok as the air flow should be from front to back. Getting the side cover on was a little challenging as the power supply cables protrude a little too much. But with some gentle pressure, the cover slid on. There are screws which can be removed from the motherboard tray inferring that is removable, but the tray is also welded to the frame. I guess you could dremel it away but there was sufficient space to install the motherboard as is.
Here is the case with the video card.  The Nvidia 8800 takes up allot of room. As I was not planning on placing a hard drive directly above the power supply, loosing the hard drive slot to the video card isn't too bad.
On the bottom of the case, there is a hole and filter for the power supply to suck air in. To increase airflow, it may be beneficial to remove the power supply fan guard as the case already has one. Also, the case uses real rubber feet instead on the normal plastic feet which may be important if you intend to place the case on your furniture.
So a nice small case which can hold a ATX motherboard and a Nvidia
8800. The LCD shows the temperature from a provided temperature
probe. The LCD also manages the speed of the 120mm fan. The finish of
the case is very nice; it seems to be a baked on finish rather than
just painted or raw metal. The case can be had at
NewEgg.com for about
$90 - which is expensive. For your $ you get a unique power supply
placement, a slightly smaller footprint, and a just well built case.
11