Usage

Before powering on the system, I tried to hide as many wires inside as I could. There's no simple way to hide everything, but the empty space under the powersupply and optical drive are ideal for hiding any unwanted wires. If you're running a SATA DVD-ROM, you'll probably be able to hide the wires even easier. Remember that trying to hide a lot of these wires, or atleast removing them from the middle of the case is important. Since this is a small case, you want there to be as much airflow as possible.


Let's see what kind of setup we're dealing with:

• Antec 500W Smartpower PSU
• Intel P965 Motherboard
• Core2 Duo E6300 @ 1.86GHz
• 2GB Crucial DDR2-800 Ballistix Tracer RAM
• MSI GeForce 8500GT
• Creative Soundblaster Audigy
• Hauppauge PVR-150 TV Tuner

With this setup, the processor temperature never got higher than 49C, and the ambient case temperature remained around 45C. For a tight case, these temperatures are fairly impressive, and comparable to how this system ran in the Thermaltake Soprano DX. I'm not sure, however, that I'd put a high-end videocard into the system. I think it might push the temperature up much more. A second exhaust fan would be helpful, to say the least.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Overall, I found the GMC C-50 to be a very, very, sturdy case, despite it's lightness. This is a very well built and quality case, deserving of anyone's attention. Installation was straightfoward, but a more in-depth manual would have been nice.



While there are several vents on the case, more fans are a MUST if you want to fit a high-end system in to this box. There is nothing channeling the heat out of the rear of the powersupply to the bottom of the case. Thankfully, the CPU was both an exhaust fan and air duct near it for better cooling. Despite this, there is nothing stopping the case from making its way to your home theatre or desktop.

As of yet, this case is not available from any of the major American retailers, and I think GMC could really get it's name out there if it started selling its cases on NewEgg and TigerDirect.

Pros

• Slick Design
• Reflective Coating = Awesome
• Straightforward Installation
• Unique powersupply mounting
• Front Ports

Cons

• Slightly snug fit
• Soldering on the front panel broke
• Not sold at American retailers yet
• Could use slightly more cooling options

Rating

8/10

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