A CABINET (OR chassis, as it is called) does not play an active role in the PC's performance the way RAM or hard disk does, but a good cabinet can make the computer more usable (easily accessible USB and audio ports, for instance) and even prolong the life of the components if it ensures good air circulation. People who fre¬quently fiddle with the insides of their computer will appreci¬ate the ease of working with a 'tool-less cabinet'. Until recently, in India, we had to make do with any cabinet that the shop stocked. Today, we are seeing an increasing number of quality cabinets from Indian as well as international brands. The Gigabyte GZ-X2 is one such model that we received for review. We were pleasantly surprised by pretty much every thing this cabinet has to offer.


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There were no problems in fixing our full ATX sized Intel D975XBX to the cabinet. The mounting points for the screws are where they should be by the ATX specs, and then there are some more to give flexibility in handling any motherboard. Drive bays are ample in number - four for optical drives and six for hard drives. Audio out (for speakers or headphones), a microphone jack and two USB ports form the front panel connectors.

You don't need screws to hold expansion cards or drives in place. Apart from screws to fix the motherboard itself, everything else is tool-free - side panels, disk bays, and holding expansion cards (video, PCI cards, etc). A silent 1l0mm fan acts as air intake at the rear panel, while an air duct to the side panel helps in taking hot air from the CPU out of the cabinet, rather than having it circulate inside.

The case does not flex easily and is fairly sturdy, while it is light as the same time. At a very competitive price of Rs 1,300, it is hard to find fault with this GZ-X2. When Rs 800-1000 is the average cost of a no frills cabinet, it is worth spending a little extra for a good build and ease of use.