A Closer Look - Inside

To gain access to the interior, simply remove the pair of thumb screws holding each side panel in place. As expected, the interior is all black, but it does feature some unique approaches to accommodate long graphics cards of up to 315 mm length. Considering the fact that there is only around 10 mm of space between the mainboard tray and case wall, the extrusion of the side panel is not only a visual aspect but a dire necessity. Otherwise you would not be able to really route any cables behind the tray. Even though there is enough space, the holes in the mainboard tray are very small, which should make it rather difficult to fill the entire chassis and route all the cables through them.


Taking a closer look at that funky contraption, the hot-swap bays are on the very bottom. A PCB with two SATA connectors and a single Molex power plug enables this functionality for both drive bays. On top of that Enermax has included two 3 pin fan headers. This should further reduce the cable mess within the chassis. Above that you may fit four additional 3.5 inch drives and two 2.5 inch variants. Installation is completely screw-less. Just open the metal door up, slide the drive into place and close the door. This is an ingenious approach and works surprisingly well as we will see later on. The four 5.25 inch bays are equipped with another system to eliminate the need for any tools. While the plastic mounts may look fragile, they actually hold metal screws. This means you just line them up with the holes of the drive and wind them down to secure it in place. This combines the best of both worlds: real screws to hold things tight and an easy and quick installation method.


Turning our focus to the rear, the PSU bay is nothing out of the ordinary. There is no foam lining or rubber mounts anywhere in sight, so if you have a PSU with a fast fan, you may want to consider something to reduce the chance of any vibrations being passed on to the case. Above that are the seven standard expansion slots and two water cooling holes. The fan utilizes a Molex connector instead of a 3-pin mainboard header, so you can only run it at full speed.


Taking a quick look at the top area, due to the large ceiling cover, the fans can be installed a bit higher, essentially just about the traditional ceiling of the case. You are free to go with two 120 or two 140 mm units. While spacing looks good for a dual radiator, I wonder if it will fit due to the larger dimensions of the radiator itself. As you can see, the PCB for the hard drive dock has simply been screwed unto the metal ceiling here, no guides anywhere in sight.


Before we dive into the assembly process, let us take a quick look at the cables. Here the Hoplite offers everything up in standard variety. The USB 3.0 cables are blue and the mainboard connector is multi-colored.