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The Cubitek M4 case is supplied in a large brown cardboard box, sandwiched between two slabs of polystyrene for protection. This should prevent any damage to the case during transit. The box is decorated with an interesting black livery that seems to depict a gun surrounded by various different crosshairs.
Inside the box we find a number of accessories which are supplied inside the case. These include all the required screws for installation, some hard drive mounting rails, a 5.25″ drive bezel for 3.5″ drives, a couple of cable ties, a case speaker and a Mini-USB to Micro USB adapter.
It's clear that Cubitek are trying to make this case stand out from the crowd in terms of design but we feel they should have done this in a less controversial way. We're sure that some people will appreciate the case's aesthetics which make it look a little like something out of Transformers. But we have had a hard time adapting to the overall design ethic.
The front panel of the case is constructed from a combination of plastic and mesh which should give the system good airflow. But there isn't an intake fan included as standard so you'll need to purchase one separately if you want to cool your system as effectively as possible.
In front of where the front fan vent is located there is a plastic flap which folds down and can be used to store CDs and DVDs. The power and reset buttons are located about half way down either side, protruding out in small cylinders.
Like many cases, the CubiteK M4 has it's front panel connections located on top of the case. We would normally be feeling a little underwhelmed by two lonely USB2.0 ports and two 3.5mm audio connectors but considering the price of the M4, the lack of further connectivity is not surprising. Alongside these connections there is a Mini-USB cable coming out of the chassis which will save you from having to use up one of the USB2.0 connections for charging devices and connecting external drives.
Cubitek include a small adapter which converts the Mini-USB connector to a Micro-USB connector so you will be able to connect the latest devices including a wide range of smartphones and MP3 players.
Moving away from the front of the case, the design gets much less interesting. The entire case except from the front fascia is constructed from SECC Steel which gives it a robust feeling. There isn't a roof exhaust vent in the case so we can only use a single exhaust fan in the rear of the case. Cubitek include a 120mm fan as standard which should provide enough airflow for low-mid power setups.
Clearly im weird because I actually like the appearance. Many cases at this price are VERY boring.
That is one weird looking design. its certainly eye catching, but im not sold on it.
I was looking at another of their cases with a cool tatto in the window. This doesnt appeal to me. its too cluttered looking. I am glad Zardon didn’t review it however, he seems to like weird looking things, like that Antec Dark Fleet 85.
For the price many of the issues can be overlooked. THe front panel is one of the ugliest looking things ive seen in recent years.
It looks like our bin in the kitchen ! seriously !
dearie me. that is one ugly son of a bitch
Ah come on, its not that bad, at least they are trying to do something different
Some parts of it I like, such as the top panel. insides are ok, and compromises will happen due to price point with routing etc.
That front section, man, im not sure what to think about that. its like someone went nuts with the CAD program.
No one can get a good case at this price. no one else can do it. silverstone thermaltake, all crap at this price point. its just not possible. people who buy this wont care how it looks, it will go under a desk and house a low end system. just the way it is.
Kudos to them for trying to make it stand out. it certainly does.
@ Jon: Well … even the cheapy users like their system “stylisher” than this. So for us folks who prefer raw power (eg. i5-2400, 16 GB RAM, Asus Mobo, 24/7-certified HDD + SSD) over good looks, this is the ideal bargain 😉
So far, this case has been one of the better ones I had during the last 20 years (aside of the regrettably quite thin steel), esp. thanks to the fact that it actually is one of the quietest systems I ever had (even compared to my T61). Other cases that I thought of using were eg. the Chieftec DF-02B-B or its big brother, the Chieftect CH-09B-B. But both weren’t available when I went on the intarwebs for ordering my system components, so the Cubitek “Tank” case was the winner 😉
@ Mr. Henry Butt:
The post says on page 3: “Unfortunately, the side panels are secured by normal screws rather than thumbscrews (…)” – this is wrong. Either you got the “developer / PR kit”, or Cubitek listened to your complaints; whatever the case, my case clearly has panels which are secured by (black tinted) THUMBSCREWS.
cu, w0lf.