Date: August 10th, 2005
Article by: Joe Anderson (Hardware Reviewer)
Edited by: Nathan Glentworth (Owner / Head Editor)
Product was submitted by: Thermaltake / ThermalRock
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PRODUCT COMPOSITION (cont'd)
The doors open from the middle, and can be opened independently of one another.
Four metallic buttons (one each, top and bottom of both doors), in conjunction with magnets behind the bezel, keep the doors securely closed, while allowing easy access to the switches and drives.
With the doors fully open we see a fairly conventional layout with four big bays, two 3.5 inch bays and power and reset buttons. This time, the slots at the lower portion of the bezel are functional, providing air intake for the cooling system. The bezel’s finish is very shiny and, in the correct light, tiny multicolored metallic flakes can be seen. It’s really a very attractive treatment but it requires bright, direct lighting to make it pop. ThermalRock has made no attempt to color match the bezel and panels of the Eclipse. The panels are finished in a black, matte finish and the contrast, while hardly noticeable in normal room lighting, is very appealing.
I enlisted the help of my associate, Mr. Bones, to illustrate just how shiny the bezel material really is. (Mr. B. is vain and self-centered and likes to look at his own reflection. Not much for conversation, he is a snappy dresser and seems to do well with the ladies. Go figure.)
The large power button and much smaller reset button are just to the right of the floppy bays. What appear to be dust specks are actually the “flakes” in the finish. At the far right you can see more plastic film protecting the door panel wiring and bezel from shipping damage.
The aluminum arm of the CD storage feature is hinged and holds the CD securely in place via a magnetic catch. With CDs available in many colors these days, this feature gives the consumer a cheap, easy way to personalize the Eclipse. A CD labeling kit could also provide the more creative among us another way to customize the case.
