Xion Dazl Case Review

Fielding · | November 20, 2007

Exterior Impressions

Does the Dazl dazzle or is it all frizzle-frazzle? At first glance, the Dazl screamed generic to my eyes and reminded me a lot of a typical case: blue LEDs check, side panel window with 80mm fan check, two front USB and audio ports check. However after closer inspection, it is apparent that Xion has tried to one-up the exterior design while sticking with the budget of a generic case.

The front door is something I haven't seen before though it's clever enough that it must exist elsewhere; it's translucent black plastic that lets you see the various drives when the case door is closed. In addition, the door is held in place by two magnets instead of a clip, which feels strange at first but afterwards turns out easier to use. So far, the magnets don't appear powerful enough to wreak havoc with hard drive data.

There is also a slit-window facing upwards that allows the inside of the door to be illuminated by the blue led fan at the front of the case. Again, something I haven't seen before in a case.

The rest of the case exterior is mostly designed with no frills. There was the exception that the ridges on the side panel added a lot more grip when removing it during installation.

The back reveals the ugly side of the Dazl, where its malleable tin-like skeleton shows itself and where the line between generic and first class is defined. There is an unappealing indent that goes from under the power supply, through the 80mm fan slot all the way to the bottom of the case. The indent would likely help with structural integrity but not aesthetics. Fortunately, the back side is usually tucked away towards the back of a desk.

Interior Impressions

The inside of the case is bare functionality rather than flash. The hard drive rack is one solid piece, which is better for stability due to the materials used. Xion cleverly included a clip beside the power supply to hold back cables. The only downside to this is that if you put in a power supply that has the cables come out on the window side, the clip is unusable.

The Dazl features three 80mm fans although with some ingenuity and or case modding you may be able to fit a 120mm fan between the hard drive rack and the front panel. Since the fans are only 80mm instead of 120mm (or perhaps a whopping 200mm), the air flow inside isn't the best so don't go overboard installing tons of components.