Installing your hardware

I chose to test the case with two setups - water cooled and air cooled.

Water cooled

First, I installed the rig I normally use for water-block testing.


Here, I was aiming for a fully internal setup. Everything fit OK, but in some cases, it was truly a tight squeeze. Here, I noticed that the PSU does not align with the holes on the case, and also, the socket on the PSU hits the edge of the case. It is also important to note that if you want to mount your radiator vertically on the disc-drive side, you will need a short disc drive, otherwise, it will overlap with one of the barb holes.

Air cooled

With the air cooled setup, I tried to do things a little differently. The first step was to house the hard drives externally - I used the cage from my CM Stacker. The PSU still didn't fit though - this time, the holes did align, but I couldn't screw the PSU down, as the socket on the PSU hit the edge, preventing me from fully inserting the PSU, rendering the screws provided too short.

Overall impressions

I installed two systems in the Torture rack, and I must say that installing both was a breeze. Coming from a CM Stacker 810 (the worst case in existence in my opinion) I use(d) daily, this case is a revolution. At first the case might seem small, but unlike the Stacker, it has room in all the right places. Take a look at the motherboard tray, for example - you have about 1" of space between the edge of the motherboard and the case wall. This makes case fan and radiator installation super easy, as you can insert the screws without having to remove the motherboard. Also, routing cables around and behind the motherboard tray is easy due to its construction. I was also impressed by our techPowerUp! logo engraved into the side panel. It was of very high quality, with fine detail.


The case is not perfect though - I think that Danger Den should offer a HDD rack or something similar as an optional item when purchasing the case. If you plan to run one hard drive then everything is OK, but as soon as you have two, I would propose you get an external enclosure. PSU mounting could also be refined. I would suggest a separate plate to which you mount the PSU, and then you mount the plate with the PSU to the case - this would also allow users to choose which way they want their PSU to be oriented - since there is a 120mm fan hole right at the PSU, it might be good idea to use it and allow the PSU to suck in cold air from there (that is, if the PSU has a fan at its bottom). Another thing I missed with the case is the fact that it has no USB ports upfront, yet there are 4 holes for the switch. Here, I think the problem could be solved by offering two USB ports in a switch enclosure. You could then choose where to place the ports yourself, which would allow for versatility.