XClio Blackhawk Color Full Tower Chassis (Page 5)

Inside The XClio Blackhawk Color Full Tower Case

The side door is removed with two thumbscrews. Once that is done the door swings open like a car door. Be careful here, there is the wired connection for the 250mm fan to disconnect.

Same basic layout as we saw in the original Blackhawk, this time it has a very nice looking coat of black paint on all the surfaces. The only parts not to get the paint treatment are the seven expansion slot covers. The hardware for this chassis is held in the purple velvet-like bag tied in the bays.

As it sits you can install three optical drives and up to eight hard drives. Simply removing one of the Smart HDD Modular Systems, offers room for up to six 5.25" bays, while the hard drives are then limited to four.

In front of the bays, XClio put a door for access. At the top, with use of tool-less slides, you can install the OD. The Smart HDD Modular Systems are held in place with four locks each and slide right out through the front. The fans in the door and the drive covers are held in place with Phillip's head screws, but can be easily accessed and removed for cleaning.

The Blackhawk Color ships with no rear exhaust fan, but still offers water pass-through holes and a reversible PSU mounting plate with accompanying support plate on the floor.

I like manufacturers to leave a bit extra in their wiring length. XClio provided that and more here. I remember there was a little extra in the Blackhawk, but in my Color version the wiring for the power, reset, and HDD activity, the 4-pin Moles, and e-SATA wires had to be balled up to get them in an image next to the case.

The length of the two USB 2.0 cables, the audio, and the door fan wiring is just as long. The issue here isn't so much, will it reach, but where do I put the extra wiring.