A Closer Look - Outside

Akasa offers the chassis in several colors. We requested the golden variant for kicks and because it is a USP (Unique Selling Proposition) for the company. Other manufacturers only offer black and silver, so Akasa does go the extra length for that third, golden color choice. The Newton is slightly larger than Intel's case, but is nearly equal in length and width, unlike other offerings on the market. You will find a USB 2.0 port, both power and HDD LEDs, and a power button in the front. It is nice to see that all LEDs and the power button are in the front, which clearly shows whether the unit is up and running and allows you toggle power easily. The rear has all the appropriate cutouts for our test board, but unlike Tranquil PC, Akasa does not label any of the plugs, which is no big deal. You may also route an antenna out the back through one of the round openings to the left or right.


Akasa's Logo can be found on the heatsink's centerpiece. The logo was not as clean as we would like, which could be due to the fact that we got the unit as one of the first some time ago. Recent retail units do feature a nice and clean logo instead.


The main part of the chassis consists of a single block of aluminum which has been cut to form a heatsink that spans around the left and right edge for the largest possible dissipation area. Both the front and rear panels are screwed into place, giving Akasa the ability to react quickly to new NUC motherboard models by swapping these parts out, as Intel has set the location of the CPU and IC in stone. Lastly, a separate cover on the underside is held in place by four screws. It is nice to see Akasa include VESA mounting holes, which allow you to directly mount the unit to the back of a monitor with the screws Akasa included.