APEX DM-387 Black Computer Case

Comment:
Overall nice case. After set-up the PC would reboot if I touched anywhere on the front bezel. Had to bend the frame a little to provide more space for the reset switch which was touching the front cover. Routing of front USB wires prevented drive tray from closing tight. Minor issues!

Comment:
I use this case to run Windows Media Center. I was always told that larger fans make less noise. This case has small fans on the case and power supply and it is quieter than any case I have ever had. It is perfect for a media center install. The case is small, but there was room for a Blu-Ray player and 2 hard drives. My only complaint is the front door flap. It is cheap plastic and kind of in the way if you actually use your DVD player. The power supply is kind of small, but was adequate for a Quad Core CPU with Bluray and 2 hard drives. For the money you cannot go wrong.

Comment:
Great looking case that fits great vertically on my desk and takes up about half the space of my old tower. Everything I needed fit in just perfectly, too!

Comment:
The build is quite good and is small enough to make a good home theater hidden behind the TV. It feels solid and a bit heavier than most. I replaced the case fan with a super quiet one, the power supply fan was quiet enough. Be sure to get a low profile video card with low profile bracket.

Comment:
I bought this to build a home theater PC, and I'm really happy with it. It fits on my DVD player shelf and blends right in. It looks smooth and polished on the front, and it's built well. Only room for one hard drive and one optical drive, so keep that in mind. Not sure what the previous reviewer meant about the cover being hard to put on, I thought this was one of the easiest I've had. Make sure to get a small form factor motherboard (a uATX board works, but the narrower the better), and you'll likely want onboard sound and video because of the limited space. My only complaint is that the plastic tabs that hold the bezel on aren't very sturdy. Three of the 4 broke either during shipping or unpacking, but a little superglue made it good as new. The fan isn't the quietest, but it pushes a lot of air and keeps super cool.

Comment:
I bought this case for my home theatre PC. I liked the fact that it is black, and slim enough to fit my space (I keep it horizontally on a shelf under the TV). It is kinda deep in the back, but that doesn't matter since the TV stand is open at the back. The only small inconvenience is that the case fan is noisy. But that's no problem - I'll get a silent 80 mm fan and replace this one (I found good ones at around $20-$30 here on tigerdirect). A good buy, nonetheless.

Comment:
This is a great looking case for HTPC. With a low wattage processor it does the job. The door on the front seems a bit light and might not hold up to ham-fisted users. I've used Apex cases before with good results.Unfortunately I won't be buying any more from NCIX. They seem to think the case can survive a cross-country trip by parcel-smashing couriers in the very light duty OEM box. My first one was crushed on delivery; I begged them to ship the replacement in a sturdy box (yeah, I paid for the "heavy duty" box). They just ignored me and the second one survived but the box is full of holes. I guess NCIX is too big to listen to us customers now. Too bad.

Comment:
What could be better?- the fan is very close to PSU, and the PSU cables are interfering with air flow- the PSU cables could be designed much better, as SATA or old (4P) connectors are on the same branch, so if your CD,DVD,disk require the same connector, you are out of luck. I fix that with conversion from 4P to SATA. This review was modfied by poster m 11-07-09 11:38 PM This review was modfied by poster a 11-15-09 10:49 PM This review was modfied by poster u 11-15-09 10:39 PM This review was modfied by poster @ 11-15-09 10:03 PM

Comment:
Yes it is tight and not many options but the MOBO (GIGABYTE GA-MA785GPMT-UD2H) hard drive (SAMSUNG HD502HI 500GB) and optical drive (PLEXTOR Black BD Combo SATA Model PX-B320SA) fit just fine. Quiet, and power issues. CPU isAMD Phenom II X3 705e.

Comment:
Cover is hard to put on. Thats all I really have to say. I'm not crazy about this case.

Comment:
My case came damaged from the factory, not from shipping. The power supply casing was bent outwards at the back. Installation into the case bent the back of the case. I used a vice to square the power supply and a couple of raps with a rubber mallet to straighten the back of the case. This is poor quality control, the power supply should've never been installed. However, everything else is good. It's larger than I wanted, but the micro atx board fits neatly. Only slimline cards will fit, as the unit is not very high. The bottom is a good heavy gauge, and the motherboard bolts directly to it. No standoffs required. The drive cage is a little tight, requiring some finesse to install the drives. Case comes with a fan. It's a well designed case and quite attractive.

Comment:
Just a tip, if you plan on using this case, then I would get a mobo with integrated sound and video. I bought an ASUS mobo with HDMI output onboard, it works great for running my television. The case is slim enough that easily replaces the space of a DVD player.

Comment:
This case was quite a trip for me. I'll spare the story and get to the moral: OLDER mATX BOARDS DON'T WORK! It was time to upgrade for me. So I bought a new one to go with this case and this case performs flawlessly. The airflow is amazing. Very sleek and stylish. No annoying LEDs. Perfect for a home theater intended for a dark room. Room for 1 of everything(CDD, HDD, FDD) I would highly recommend this case! Worth the money for the reduced space and weight.

Comment:
I really like this case, it looks nice and feels well constructed. Air flow isn't the greatest considering there isn't a spot for an intake fan in the front, but my e2200 processor never gets hot anyway. You will need a slim psu. Also, it's a thin case so full sized video and sound cards are not going to fit. You will need small form factor hardware. Lastly, only room for one hard drive which works for my needs but it's something to consider.