MAINGEAR Shift Case Review
Looking inside the MAINGEAR SHIFT
With the side panel removed we can now see how the inside of the MAINGEAR SHIFT case is laid out. At first glance everything looks to be normal with the ROM drive bays at the top, storage cages below that and the power supply located at the bottom rear. If you take a closer look you see that there is a lack of I/O ports on the rear panel…hmm. Getting past the lack of I/O ports the one thing that stands out the most is the Yellow paint job done to the inside of the case. Not only does MAINGEAR do a fantastic job with the exterior paint they bring that same quality to the inside. Automotive paint with a clear gloss finish is also used here and take the case to the next personalized level.
Let us jump to the top of the case with the top panel removed. Here is were we find the I/O ports so this means that it is what I call a 90 degree case. The motherboard and video cards are all installed vertically with all connection point coming out of the top of the case. With the top cover reinstalled after the cables are all connected you get a super clean look. I once had a case with a similar layout which I really like so this made me think about the interior of the case and with the installed fans being SilverStone I being to look at their cases. What I found is that the main body is from the SilverStone Raven RV01 and MAINGEAR created the SHIFT with custom panels. This is not an uncommon practice and to tell you the truth MAINGEAR made the case look 10 times better.
Looking from the inside of the case towards the top we get a good look at the I/O section and fan installed. The fan here is of course used to help pull the air out of the case while the other installed fans bring air in and push it put the top. You see the case is a positive air case which means there are more fans pushing air into the case than pulling air.
Six plastic storage carriages are placed horizontally under the ROM drive cage. The first two slots are hot swap-able. Each carriage is able to store 2.5 and 3.5 drives.
The right side of the case now has the panel off and we can see the hot swap connection and a few of the other cables. MAINGEAR tried to minimize the amount of cables needed. Also at this view we get a better look at the location the fan and radiator of the All-in-One CPU cooler. The fans draws they air from the bottom and the two horizontal vent in the panels up through the radiator.
What we are looking at here is the place where your power supply will be installed. Putting it in this location and bringing down the rear panel creates a clean look with the PSU tucked out of site. The flat area just above and towards the rear of the case has many large holes in it to allow air into the case. Just above to the rear of the power supply is the main fan used to pull air into the case and past the hardware.
The bottom of the SHIFT case has plenty of openings for airflow. The perforated section to the left in the image is where the power supply resides while at the right is where air is pulled in from the fans inside the case. One of very few plastic pieces on the MAINGEAR SHIFT case is used at the rear as stabilizing feet for the case.
