Product Review - Azza Genesis 9000B
Today we have ourselves a product review. Why a product review? Because this blog is all about my disseminating information and opinion on things that I have an interest in. As the title suggests, this review is about the Azza Genesis 9000B, the house of my current computer build.
Now, as I noted in my original introduction to this blog 50 some odd posts ago, I have a general interest in computers, particularly hardware. I've been building computers for a few years, mainly for myself and my brother. I'll be building one for my dad later this year so he can finally get off his painfully slow HP and Windows XP. If anyone reading this is interested, they can e-mail me and I can spec out, price, and/or build one for you (the latter for an appropriate price).
My latest build is actually just the newest evolution of a fresh build from about three years ago. Much about that original build has changed, which originally featured a AMD Phenom II 1090T and Radeon HD 6950. The CPU is now an FX-8150 received from another build, the motherboard changed a few times because of failing BIOS, failing SATA controller, and faulty memory slot, said memory was switched out for something faster, and this Azza 9000 is technically the fourth different case I've used.
Now, for the review;
I've had an interest in this particular case since it was first revealed. A number of its features are not unique unto itself, but are not present in cases at it's price point (bought this one for about $140 from Newegg, and am now waiting on my $20 rebate).
Azza's "R-ATX" is immediately appealing. This lets you change the orientation of the motherboard from the
standard on most cases (the CPU near the top of the case, graphics cards near the bottom) to the opposite (CPU near the bottom, GPU near the top). Aside from application of a basic theory for facilitating heat dissipation, this also allows for a little more creativity with aesthetics, moving the window from the left side of the case to the right. Because you can essentially do this on the fly (providing you disconnect appropriate cables first, you can choose either the reversed layout, or the conventional layout, whenever you choose just by removing the motherboard tray and flipping it. Even if you don't want to do that, the fact that the motherboard tray is removable is also a plus when if comes the just basic installation. You don't have to reach down into your case and struggle for room to screw down your board anymore.
The case is big, but not huge. I say big because it is bigger than my original/last case, the HAF 932 from Cooler Master, but smaller to another prior Cooler Master case I used for a bit, the gigantic Cosmos II. It can fit up to XL-ATX, and there are two 200mm fans at the top, with room for up to 4x120mm radiator for water cooling. It has two 140mm fans at the bottom (only one can be used depending on your power supply layout).
Aesthetically the case is nice, though that is obviously subjective based on individual taste. I went with the black and red. They have a white one that replaces the red LED strips and window with a blue. I would have like the blue, but the white of the case was a turn off for fear of dirt and endlessly cleaning it. The LEDs can be turned on or off by a button on the front/top I/O panel, which features the standard set of connections - eSata, USB 2.0, mic, headphone, USB 3.0, reset and power buttons. The same LED button operates a simplistic on/off fan controller that if used as setup can operate to two 200mm fans at the top, the two 140mm at the bottom, and the rear 120mm. It does work, but I have a fan controller of my own, so I'm using that.
The use of thumbscrews from almost everything screw related is nice, though it would be nice if we could one day find a standard that provided the ease and security of thumb screws without having to tear up your fingertips tightening and un-tightening.
But, I have yet to arrive at a perfect case, and this one does have a few flaws, though relatively minor.
First off, this case was designed based on the idea that the power supply would be installed in the front. They do give you the ability to install it in the back like would normally be done (not the top), but realize that this comes with a couple drawbacks. First, as I mentioned, you lose one intake fan that way. The case comes with 2 Azza 140mm fans installed on the bottom. One of those takes up the space where the power supply would be, so you'll have to remove that fan to put your PSU there. That wouldn't be too bad if not for issue number two with that, which is the lack of fron air intake.
Most PC cases use a fan at the front of the case, as close to the bottom as feasible, to pull in cooler air and facilitate circulation. The idea for having the PSU in the front is to have the PSU's fan fulfill that role to an extent, cooling itself first and then pushing some air flow in the case. There are also a pair of 120mm fan slots on the doors, towards the front, which are also supposed to do this (the windowed door has two Azza 120s installed there and calls it HDD cooling).
This, so far, doesn't seem to be sufficient. Now, admittedly, but own power supply is not ideal for this kind of setup. The problem is, as best as I can tell, most people's power supplies are not ideal for this. Ideally what you want is a PSU with two fans so that you can directly create air intake, rather than the passive intake effected by a single fan facing either up or down as in most PSUs.
What you'll probably want to do is buy a 4-in-3 RAID cage and put it in the three lowest 5.25" bays (hopefully you don't need them for anything else). Install a good fan on the front of the RAID cage (most this size seem to have a spot for one), and let it pull some air into the case for you that way. I have a Cooler Master unit that fits the bill, so that's what I've used.
My second peeve, which I knew before even buying this, is the increasing trend in PC cases for cases of this size to lack any casters. The bottom of the case, which is removable for access to the fan screws for the bottom 140mm fans, is flat with rubberized feet pads. That is great if you have this thing on your table and don't want it sliding around. It's terrible on carpet. Furthermore, a full-sized case like this, laden with components, including custom water cooling components, inside, is not the easiest thing to be sliding on carpet, or lifting when you have no handles. In short, it can be a chore moving this case if you need to re-position it or service it for any reason. As I said, I knew about not having casters or handles beforehand, but It still would have been nice if they but some wheels in the box. The Cosmos II was similarly cumbersome, having those handrails but no wheels on a near 50lb empty weight case, and the Xigmateck Elysium case I had was a nuisance with its wheels, because the case was too heavy for the casters they gave it.
A general issue most cases tend to have is space between the motherboard tray and the door. Many doors tend to have trouble even getting on because of the thickness of most PSU's 24-pin cable. The Cosmos II probably has the best doors period of any case I've seen or used in a build for myself or anyone else. The Cosmos did have plenty of space between the door and motherboard tray, and I wish more case manufacturers were willing to make their cases at least an eighth of an inch wider to allow a little more space back there. The Azza needs this little extra room, as do most other cases.
All in all, I think this Azza Genesis 9000B is a fantastic case. The build is functionally complete, but is not optimally complete. That basically means that it's to a sufficient state that it can be used without any concerns, but isn't to a place where I actually want it. Because of the relatively little space between the back door and the motherboard tray/5.25" bays regular fans are a tight fit. So, I will be purchasing a couple Scythe Slip Stream Slim case fans to fill those spots. I also need a 200mm fan for the door.
A little later down the road, I will be replacing the 360mm radiator I currently have at the top with a 400mm one, at which time I will need some 200mm fans for a push-pull setup for that. Then I will replace the 140mm at the bottom with some Bit Fenix fans once I add a 280mm radiator there too. Finally, I will be considering another 120mm radiator at the exhaust. Beyond that I need to replace my current pump which has weakened considerably, and I want to replace my current tubing with something larger. So, that pretty much amounts to a complete refresher on my water cooling loop, which won't be any cheaper than it was when I originally constructed it, so I'm hoping to offset as much of that cost as possible through selling stuff.
Pending any issues develop, I think I would give this Azza case a 9 out of 10. It is a very good case for its price, nicely constructed, nicely featured. The lack of wheels right now is my biggest detraction, even though I knew about this ahead of time. I don't subtract much for the lack of a true front intake fan because, again, I knew this ahead of time and I understand the theory that led to that choice. And finally, there is a bit of a tight fit between the motherboard tray and the back door, but it's not as bad as many other cases, and is a common issue with all but a few cases, or a non-issue if your power supply's 24-pin ATX cable happens to be a little less beefy, or alternatively if you get particularly creative with the cable management.
That's my review. Here's today's sample track, from a 90s soundtrack (happens to be another of my most favorite songs).
Now, as I noted in my original introduction to this blog 50 some odd posts ago, I have a general interest in computers, particularly hardware. I've been building computers for a few years, mainly for myself and my brother. I'll be building one for my dad later this year so he can finally get off his painfully slow HP and Windows XP. If anyone reading this is interested, they can e-mail me and I can spec out, price, and/or build one for you (the latter for an appropriate price).
My latest build is actually just the newest evolution of a fresh build from about three years ago. Much about that original build has changed, which originally featured a AMD Phenom II 1090T and Radeon HD 6950. The CPU is now an FX-8150 received from another build, the motherboard changed a few times because of failing BIOS, failing SATA controller, and faulty memory slot, said memory was switched out for something faster, and this Azza 9000 is technically the fourth different case I've used.Now, for the review;
I've had an interest in this particular case since it was first revealed. A number of its features are not unique unto itself, but are not present in cases at it's price point (bought this one for about $140 from Newegg, and am now waiting on my $20 rebate).
Azza's "R-ATX" is immediately appealing. This lets you change the orientation of the motherboard from the
standard on most cases (the CPU near the top of the case, graphics cards near the bottom) to the opposite (CPU near the bottom, GPU near the top). Aside from application of a basic theory for facilitating heat dissipation, this also allows for a little more creativity with aesthetics, moving the window from the left side of the case to the right. Because you can essentially do this on the fly (providing you disconnect appropriate cables first, you can choose either the reversed layout, or the conventional layout, whenever you choose just by removing the motherboard tray and flipping it. Even if you don't want to do that, the fact that the motherboard tray is removable is also a plus when if comes the just basic installation. You don't have to reach down into your case and struggle for room to screw down your board anymore.The case is big, but not huge. I say big because it is bigger than my original/last case, the HAF 932 from Cooler Master, but smaller to another prior Cooler Master case I used for a bit, the gigantic Cosmos II. It can fit up to XL-ATX, and there are two 200mm fans at the top, with room for up to 4x120mm radiator for water cooling. It has two 140mm fans at the bottom (only one can be used depending on your power supply layout).
Aesthetically the case is nice, though that is obviously subjective based on individual taste. I went with the black and red. They have a white one that replaces the red LED strips and window with a blue. I would have like the blue, but the white of the case was a turn off for fear of dirt and endlessly cleaning it. The LEDs can be turned on or off by a button on the front/top I/O panel, which features the standard set of connections - eSata, USB 2.0, mic, headphone, USB 3.0, reset and power buttons. The same LED button operates a simplistic on/off fan controller that if used as setup can operate to two 200mm fans at the top, the two 140mm at the bottom, and the rear 120mm. It does work, but I have a fan controller of my own, so I'm using that.
The use of thumbscrews from almost everything screw related is nice, though it would be nice if we could one day find a standard that provided the ease and security of thumb screws without having to tear up your fingertips tightening and un-tightening.
But, I have yet to arrive at a perfect case, and this one does have a few flaws, though relatively minor.
First off, this case was designed based on the idea that the power supply would be installed in the front. They do give you the ability to install it in the back like would normally be done (not the top), but realize that this comes with a couple drawbacks. First, as I mentioned, you lose one intake fan that way. The case comes with 2 Azza 140mm fans installed on the bottom. One of those takes up the space where the power supply would be, so you'll have to remove that fan to put your PSU there. That wouldn't be too bad if not for issue number two with that, which is the lack of fron air intake.
Most PC cases use a fan at the front of the case, as close to the bottom as feasible, to pull in cooler air and facilitate circulation. The idea for having the PSU in the front is to have the PSU's fan fulfill that role to an extent, cooling itself first and then pushing some air flow in the case. There are also a pair of 120mm fan slots on the doors, towards the front, which are also supposed to do this (the windowed door has two Azza 120s installed there and calls it HDD cooling).
This, so far, doesn't seem to be sufficient. Now, admittedly, but own power supply is not ideal for this kind of setup. The problem is, as best as I can tell, most people's power supplies are not ideal for this. Ideally what you want is a PSU with two fans so that you can directly create air intake, rather than the passive intake effected by a single fan facing either up or down as in most PSUs.
What you'll probably want to do is buy a 4-in-3 RAID cage and put it in the three lowest 5.25" bays (hopefully you don't need them for anything else). Install a good fan on the front of the RAID cage (most this size seem to have a spot for one), and let it pull some air into the case for you that way. I have a Cooler Master unit that fits the bill, so that's what I've used.
My second peeve, which I knew before even buying this, is the increasing trend in PC cases for cases of this size to lack any casters. The bottom of the case, which is removable for access to the fan screws for the bottom 140mm fans, is flat with rubberized feet pads. That is great if you have this thing on your table and don't want it sliding around. It's terrible on carpet. Furthermore, a full-sized case like this, laden with components, including custom water cooling components, inside, is not the easiest thing to be sliding on carpet, or lifting when you have no handles. In short, it can be a chore moving this case if you need to re-position it or service it for any reason. As I said, I knew about not having casters or handles beforehand, but It still would have been nice if they but some wheels in the box. The Cosmos II was similarly cumbersome, having those handrails but no wheels on a near 50lb empty weight case, and the Xigmateck Elysium case I had was a nuisance with its wheels, because the case was too heavy for the casters they gave it.
A general issue most cases tend to have is space between the motherboard tray and the door. Many doors tend to have trouble even getting on because of the thickness of most PSU's 24-pin cable. The Cosmos II probably has the best doors period of any case I've seen or used in a build for myself or anyone else. The Cosmos did have plenty of space between the door and motherboard tray, and I wish more case manufacturers were willing to make their cases at least an eighth of an inch wider to allow a little more space back there. The Azza needs this little extra room, as do most other cases.
All in all, I think this Azza Genesis 9000B is a fantastic case. The build is functionally complete, but is not optimally complete. That basically means that it's to a sufficient state that it can be used without any concerns, but isn't to a place where I actually want it. Because of the relatively little space between the back door and the motherboard tray/5.25" bays regular fans are a tight fit. So, I will be purchasing a couple Scythe Slip Stream Slim case fans to fill those spots. I also need a 200mm fan for the door.
A little later down the road, I will be replacing the 360mm radiator I currently have at the top with a 400mm one, at which time I will need some 200mm fans for a push-pull setup for that. Then I will replace the 140mm at the bottom with some Bit Fenix fans once I add a 280mm radiator there too. Finally, I will be considering another 120mm radiator at the exhaust. Beyond that I need to replace my current pump which has weakened considerably, and I want to replace my current tubing with something larger. So, that pretty much amounts to a complete refresher on my water cooling loop, which won't be any cheaper than it was when I originally constructed it, so I'm hoping to offset as much of that cost as possible through selling stuff.
Pending any issues develop, I think I would give this Azza case a 9 out of 10. It is a very good case for its price, nicely constructed, nicely featured. The lack of wheels right now is my biggest detraction, even though I knew about this ahead of time. I don't subtract much for the lack of a true front intake fan because, again, I knew this ahead of time and I understand the theory that led to that choice. And finally, there is a bit of a tight fit between the motherboard tray and the back door, but it's not as bad as many other cases, and is a common issue with all but a few cases, or a non-issue if your power supply's 24-pin ATX cable happens to be a little less beefy, or alternatively if you get particularly creative with the cable management.
That's my review. Here's today's sample track, from a 90s soundtrack (happens to be another of my most favorite songs).
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