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We would like to thank Xigmatek for supplying this case at such short notice, just for this review.
The Gigas case looks sleek and elegant in a brushed aluminium finish that would look very appealing in a home cinema setup. The build quality is sturdy and solid, with substantial aluminium extrusions used for brackets and support rails.
The Xigmatek Gigas normally comes supplied with two 120mm 800 RPM fans, with optional support for two additional fans. These fans were supplied with the review sample we received and although the system didn't really require them, we used them anyway, as they would add to the overall power requirements.
What we found a little odd was that the case only supports three fans with the supplied fan controller. Therefore you have options to plug the 4th fan into a spare motherboard fan header, install an aftermarket fan controller or use fan splitters to get all four fans running. This is a possible oversight on Xigmatek's part and full support for four fans as advertised on the box should really have been provided.
That being said, the case is not without issues. The main issue is one that can be applied to many compact cases … there is very little room to work with when installing components.
Those with larger hands may find installing the motherboard a struggle and a magnetic screwdriver is a must, as putting screws in by hand could prove to be very difficult.
We found installation of the motherboard interesting, to say the least. The unique design of the drive bay cages that are supported by a spinal column, meant that the support column and cages had to be removed, to allow sufficient access to install the motherboard. We then had to re-install the rails and cages to install other components, a somewhat time-consuming process that is typical with small form factor cases.
When it comes to the subject of cable management, it's fair to say that it's difficult in such a small form factor case. This case is pretty well packed with everything installed, with little spare space available to hide cables. We struggled to find routing for unused cables from the power supply that didn't foul the CPU or case fans, or that didn't adversely affect air flow to some components.
Fortunately the system we installed was not a particularly hot-running one, the air flow in the case managed to provide sufficient cooling via the four fans, that were barely audible when running. Cable management and air flow could be improved by the use of a modular power supply, allowing for unused cables to be left out.
The Gigas case provides support for USB 3.0 on the front of the case; unfortunately, we were unable to test this as the system under review did not support USB 3.0. You can buy this case from Overclockers for £89.99 inc vat.
£50 for the cpu and £50 for the gigabyte mobo is pretty good isnt it ? id always been put off bying a system like this for my tv as the motherboards were often well over £100 even if the processors were cheap.
im tempted now. shall try and talk my credit card into accepting the charge.
Nice setup on Dabs for these, makes it easier to work out where to get the bits,
only thing is, they should have made some complete systems with memory, power supply etc, took a few quid from them. would have worked a lot better. seems a bit ‘half assed’ having a page with the A4’s and motherboards and nothing else. these are ideal for students who maybe need the help
Hybrid crossfire has always sucked, glad to see it hasnt gotten better all of a sudden.
not a bad deal for the price, but its probably slow as molasses for a work machine. Adding a cheap SSD might help.
Im curious, can it be overclocked?
its pretty good value for money. Not sure id want one, but would be good for a server system
I have that proc. and Gigabyte MB and i am very satisfied with that. Plus i got Ati Saphyre graphic card with 1 GB. As it was said, it is really good for lite gaming, and very cheap. And @Brian, yes it can be overclocked! 🙂
Is there such a thing as an intel atom quad core? The 6450 is pretty puny so really adds not very much except heat and cost. A 6670 or better would kick things up a notch/