Enermax SteelWing Case Review
First impressions when looking at the images is that you get the sense that the case is much bigger that the described dimension of 15.24 inches ( 387mm) Deep x 6.93 inches (176mm) Wide x 11.8 inches (300mm) Height. You can also see that the SteelWing is distinctively different looking than all the other cases Enermax has released in the past. They have stepped way from the basic black case with two highly colored cases. The bright red with black is a new color while we will be highlighting the neon green and silver case for this review.
At the front of the case you get a great look at the name sake of the case. The “wings” make up the grooves for the distinctive look at the front end of the SteelWing. This seven wing/groove setup is were fresh air is brought into the case and gives its the distinctive look.
Just a few slight turns to the right give us a better look at the brightly colored side of the case. This panel is anodized aluminum and is held into place with four slotted thumb screws.
Here we see the business end of the case. The layout is much like your typical I/O but you can see that the power supply it up and to right in the picture. The shape is also a bit different in case you did not notice. A SFX Type power supply is your only option here so be prepared to get one when you order the case. The great thing is that Enermax has the Revolution SFX 650w power supply that fits like a glove for this case.
As we keep the case turning we arrive at the left side where a smoke tempered glass covers, display and protects your hardware. The smoked glass adds a element of contrast from the rest of the bright case.
Like the right side panel on the case the 3mm thick glass is also kept in place with slotted thumb screws and small washers to keep the glass of the aluminum surface. This will help reduce the chance of any scratches or a pinch point to crack the glass.
We are now back to the front of the case at a slight angle and we can see where the hot air is able to escape from the case through a mess screen. If you are willing to try and do some modifications to the case you might be able to place a 120mm radiator here, but Enermax has a better way of doing that.
All the non anodized parts of the SteelWing are “sand blasted” to give it a slight rough look to which greatly minimizes the finger prints marks that can be placed on smooth surfaced cases. With the case being made out of the aluminum you expect the case to help dissipate the up to 3x faster when compared to a all steel case.
Three USB 3.0 connections are available at the front left side of the along with the headset and microphone ports. Just above those is the power button.
Removal of the tempered glass panel allows for a clean look into the SteelWing case. As you can see there is not a lot of items inside the hardware area. The non removable right side of the acts as the motherboard tray while a bracket at the front works triple duty. This bracket can be used to mount a hard drive to, a 120mm cooling fan and where you can mount a 120mm water cooling radiator for an AIO (All In One) or for a DIY water cooling setup. Located at the bottom of the all aluminum case is another bracket that is used to mount your storage drives too. A standard 3.5 and a SSD can be mounted here.
With the bright green anodized side panel removed we can see that its main purpose is to the make this side of the case look good by covering up the motherboard/support panel. There is absolutely no space for any kind of cable management here. You will have to do of that inside the case.