A Closer Look - Inside

To gain access to the interior, simply remove the pair of thumb screws holding each panel in place. As is the case with most black enclosures in the market today, the DarkForce also features an all black interior paint job. While the basic frame is identical to that of the anidées chassis, the Gelid DarkForce utilizes a different configuration for the drive bays along with a few added features. There is around 20 mm worth of space behind the mainboard tray to route cables in this area. This means that you will need some tough love to close a fully equipped PC up in the end.


There are two hard drive cages, each capable of holding three drives for a total of six units. You may remove each of these individually, which gives you - once more - great flexibility in how you would like to configure things within the case. A single 120 mm fan has been placed in the bottom slot in the front. You may install an additional one right above it to cool the drives in this area as well. Considering the price tag of the DarkForce, I would have liked to see this unit pre-installed for added value.


Above that are the four external drive bays. Gelid has placed a plastic locking mechanism on each of these bays. While this is a nice touch, experience has shown that these do not really manage to hold drives well. On top of that, this version really does not fit the bill, as it can be found on many, much cheaper cases.


In the rear, you have the PSU bay on the bottom. A Velcro strip is used to secure a unit along with the use of traditional screws. This is a pretty cool little touch and should be sufficient for those not planning to move their system much, allowing the exclusion of screws in such a scenario. Above that are the motherboard expansion slots, each protected by a separate cover and held in place by thumb screws. In the top you have a single 120 mm exhaust fan with a 3-pin connector. Interestingly enough, the fan employed by Gelid is a bit simpler with seven fan blades, while the one in the anidées has nine.


You may install two 120 or 140 mm fans in the ceiling of the chassis. Thanks to the perfect spacing, placing a 240 or 280 mm radiator here should not be an issue as well, as long as there is no pump attached directly to the radiator and the connectors face downward.


There are two small PCBs found within the DarkForce. The bottom one has a Molex and four 3-pin connectors. One of these is used to connect to the top PCB for an additional three free connectors for fans. While this is excellent for cable management and should benefit those who will install more fans within the enclosure, the basic setup does not allow the fans to be controlled in any way. This means that all attached units will run at full speed. One could solve this, by attaching one of the 3-pin connectors to the motherboard or fan controller and leave the Molex plug free. If you do so, ensure that having multiple fans connected in such a way does not overload the board or controller. Gelid has each of these PCBs branded with their company logo - something neither anidées or Xigmatek have done in their cases.