A Closer Look - Outside

Taking a first look at the chassis, you will notice its weight. Clocking in at 11 kg, or 24.2 lbs, the AI6v2 is no featherweight. As we will see later on, this is a testament to the thick steel used. anidees has kept things simple, understated with the AI6v2, with round elements and a few nifty details in its door design.


A look at the front shows that the entire front and top is lined with aluminum. While all other panels are plastic, the plastic is of excellent quality. I was not able to push or bend anything out of shape. The rear may not hold too many surprises, but has a few noteworthy features. anidees is clearly not trying to reinvent the wheel and is instead going back to the roots with the build quality.


Both sides of the AI6v2 are completely solid, but the company placed their logo on the main side panel instead of plastering it all over the front, which is a nice little touch.


Hidden behind the door is a weird-looking metal mesh bit that allows for fresh air to be pulled in by the fans. Its extruded shape is a bit too much in my humble opinion. A flat surface here would have been beneficial. Above it are three 5.25" drive bays. Each cover can easily be removed without having to pull the entire front off to do so. Interestingly enough, each of these covers can also be used for 3.5" drives. Simply remove the metal-mesh part in the middle to do so, which is a pretty cool feature because it increases overall flexibility.


Turning the AI6v2 around, there is the PSU bay at the bottom. It is multi-directional, allowing for the power supply to be installed with its fan facing up or down. Above that are eight horizontal motherboard-expansion slots. anidees has gone ahead and removed the ninth vertical slot in the v2 version of the chassis. You will find a 120 mm exhaust fan in the very top.


anidees went all out and included four USB plugs in the top, alongside an SD card reader. Two of these plugs are USB 2.0 and two are USB 3.0. They are spaced apart nicely, which allows for bulky USB flash drives to be connected. The audio connectivity can be found to the right of this array of plugs. Below these are the LEDs and reset and power buttons. A simple but effective fan controller has also been included, making for a well-rounded set of I/O.