Asus Vento 3600
Features and Construction
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Now that we've taken a look at the outer shell of the Vento, let's take a look at the inside construction. No screws or other tools are required, just a turn of the knob and the door slides open. Flipping the door over, we saw that a small duct was attached to the vent, which funnels the incoming air to the heatsink over the CPU. The door is lightweight, consisting mostly of plastic, and although easily removed it's a little tricky to get it back on track. This, however, is common with many cases that have sliding doors, so we won't fault Asus on this matter. There's also a sensor near the rear of the door opening that can be used with most BIOS menu options, to detect instrusion into the chassis.
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The interior of the Vento 3600 is relatively plain and simple in contrast to its exterior. Steel cages are the mainstay here with four bays for 5.25" drives, one 3.5" bay suited for a floppy drive, and finally a removable hard drive cage. Unless other measures are used, only two hard drives can be installed, which limits installation options somewhat. Rubber grommets are implemented on the hard drive cage which should reduce drive vibration. Locking mechanisms are used on the 5.25" bays as well as on the floppy drive, although it's still recommended that screws be driven into the drive to prevent them from coming loose. Beneath the hard drives is a fan used in conjunction with the front vents. However, as it is placed sideways, it's function seems merely to promote intake from the left vent and push it out towards the right. It's too low to actually cool off drives or other components, which diminishes its value.
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Keeping in line with the tool-less installation, the slots have a plastic locking mechanism. Simply pop the top of the latch, press down the card into an open slot, and then push back down to lock the card into place. A collection of wires hung off of the front of the Vento, although a speaker connection was not to be found. Overall, the Vento appears to be quite roomy inside, which will make it easier to install the motherboard and other hardware. The steel construction is a bit of a throwback, making the case heavier, yet stronger than others using an aluminum frame. On the bright side, there didn't appear to be any sharp or jagged edges to cut the unwary builder.
One final note we made when finishing our inspection was that the front and middle pieces of the outer shell were not only slightly disjointed, but the paint color didn't match either. It might be hard to make out in the last photo, but the shade of red on the front panel is noticeably brighter than that used on the top piece. It's attention to details like this that Asus will need to improve on when introducing a new product lin
