iBuyPower Gamer Paladin F970 System

Name: iBuyPower Gamer Paladin F970 System - Page 2
Brand: iBuyPower

by Jennifer Johnson — Friday, April 10, 2009, 11:40 AM EDT

Article Index

Design & Build Quality

As we mentioned, our Gamer Paladin F970 system came in a Cooler Master HAF 932 Full Tower Case, which is the same case we reviewed here, but with a custom paint job.

The Gamer Paladin F970’s HAF (High Air Flow) 932 is a big, full tower chassis that has a front 230mm red LED fan, a side 230mm fan, a top 230mm fan, and a rear 140mm blue LED fan. Combined, these fans push a lot of air over the system components inside the case. The benefit of using large fans such as those included in the HAF 932 is they can spin slowly while still pushing a lot of air. As a result, you’ll enjoy a comfortable noise level (Cooler Master's website claims the large fans are rated at 19 dBA). In the pictures, you’ll also notice that both sides of the case have five slits near the base to improve airflow.

iBuyPower used the HAF 932’s 5.25" to 3.5" drive bay cover and the bottom bay to house the 12-in-1 Media Card Reader/Writer. The top bay housed the LG 22x DVD±RW Dual Layer Burner. Although it’s a minor point, the camo paint scheme surrounds all of the empty bays, but it does not surround the 5.25" to 3.5" drive bay cover on the bottom bay, as you can see from the pictures below. The empty bay covers are mesh and not solid like you typically see in other cases.

Above the LG burner you’ll find the front I/O panel with four USB 2.0, an IEEE1394a, an eSATA, mic, and audio ports. To the right of the mic and audio ports are two blue LEDs to indicate power and hard drive activity. These lights are especially bright, and could become a nuisance for anyone planning to sleep in the same room as this PC, at least while it's running.

The power and reset buttons are located at the top of the case, which will be convenient for users who plan to keep the system on the floor next to their desks. Behind the buttons, you’ll find an inset square with a small, rubber mat. You can store flash drives, remotes, or other small objects here.

On the back of the system, you’ll notice the tool-free design with two thumbscrews for each access panel. Near the top rear, you’ll also see two external radiator tube ports with rubber bushings. These ports are not used by the Gamer Paladin F970 we evaluated, as it came configured.