Sytrin Nextherm ICS 8200 Intelligent Midi Tower

At the top of the ICS 8200 chassis are USB2.0, IEEE1394 (Firewire), and audio/speaker ports. Also accompanying these I/O ports is a small area where there are a number of small holes to allow for some added ventilation. Due to its steel construction, it would be nice to have a case handle in order to facilitate transportation of the case to and from LAN parties. On the bottom side of the Sytrin chassis are four adjustable case feet, similar to the ones found on Chieftec server chassis’ except that they are larger and can pivot 360 degrees rather than just 180 degrees. Found towards the front bottom side of the chassis, is the heat exhaust for the thermoelectric cooling system. A small V-shaped brace holds back the chassis from resting any lower than the case feet, to prevent the exhaust area from being blocked. The blocked exhaust could cause warm air to leak into the system rather than forcing it away.

Opening up the side panel, we see some key items worth mentioning. First, we are able to see that all four 5.25" drive bays are tool-less via the use of screw-less sliding rails. This is roughly the same as the rails on the Chieftec server chassis, except with the Sytrin screws aren't necessary to attach the rails against the devices. Due to the abnormal amount of space that the AirCon takes up in the front of the chassis, only two 3.5" drive bays can be found for both internal and external devices. This may upset some, but most users should be fine with only two bays. Next to the 3.5" drive bays is a plastic latch, to easily remove the front bezel. Upon removing the front bezel, the PCB for the LCD panel and gauge are visible. Towards the bottom of the exposed area, is a thumb screw, which once removed allows the 3.5" drive bay frame to slide out, in order to secure the other side of your devices. Below the 3.5" bay the first signs of the TEC PC AirCon are visible. From the front of the case, with the front bezel removed, the intake fan along with a thermal probe can be seen. The intake fan is rated for 3400RPM at 38 dBa. The TEC provides a SCP (System Cooling Power) of 120 Watts while only consuming 54 Watts of power. The actual cooling system weights 1.40 kilograms with dimensions of 215 x 161 x 144mm. Moving back inside the case, we get a better look at the cooling system. A number of copper fins are atop the TEC chip, while behind that is a small ramp to allow the freshly cooled air to flow towards the VGA, Northbridge, and CPU. The TEC system is fairly large and after further investigation, it appears to be able to produce a good amount of cold air.

Next, we come across the tool-less/screw-free expansion slots. The overall construction of the plastic units that lock the expansion cards in place, appear to be built well and shouldn't break easily. As we had mentioned when we were checking out the rear of the case, located above these expansion/PCI slots is the 92mm exhaust fan. One of the final components with examining the ICS 8200 is the power supply. The connectors available are one universal main connector (24/20 pin), one 8-pin power, one 4-pin power, six 4-pin molex, two FDD, two SATA, one PCI Express, one fan monitor, one main power PC AirCon connector, and a PSU signal output. Two of the nice features about this power supply are that ALL of the cables come sleeved and the molex cables offer easy-grip connectors for easily removing them from devices. Some of the other features include Active PFC (Power Factor Correction), dual fans with automatic speed adjustments, and the universal main connector to offer ATX12V/EPS12V compatibility, similar to the connector on ePower power supplies.

Opening up the other side panel, we see none of the drive bays can be accessed from this side of the chassis. However, from this side of the device we do see the wires leading down from the multifunction panels at the top, down to the PC AirCon. Overall, the number of tool-less features in this chassis was very useful as they make for a very simple and fast installation process. With this case being constructed mainly out of steel, it's quite a heavy but the build quality is first rate. Now finishing up the tour of the entire Sytrin Nextherm ICS 8200, it's time for some testing!