First, here is a closer look at the length of the female front-panel header cables. Not good, considering that many mobos have their male header connectors nearer to the front bezel than they are further away. The Abit AN-M2 that I'm using for this build does, at least.
Second, here is a closer look at the front bezel's intake vents.
As you've been told, most of the fresh, cool air comes from the sides of the front bezel.
But as can be seen when the case stands on its head, the vent directly under the bottom of front bezel is no slouch either.
It is very open and will provide additional air intake for the lower-front fan:
Facing the front of the computer, here is the left side.
Inside you can see the grill for the bottom-front 92mm fan, part of the chassis itself:
The side vent remains largely unrestricted from top to bottom on the right side:
On the right side, however, it is mostly blocked.
The plastic that houses the power button completely fills in three rectangular vents:
The usb/firewire/sound jack headers mostly block seven of the side vents below on the left side:
Third, here is a closer look at the HDD bay that sits on the bottom of the case.
It can also be seen that this case passed QA on Nov. 8, 2007:
The soft white grommets extend through the bottom of the case entirely:
The case feet are still much taller than the grommets, so the grommets will never touch the surface the case is resting on:
Fourth, here is a closer look at the underside of the upper HDD bay.
With the case standing on its head, the bottom of the upper-bay grommets can be seen:
In the upper-right corner of this pic is one of the few holes between the upper and lower compartments of the case. It's small enough so as to be easily patched. Overall, Antec did a good job creating distinctly separate chambers.
Fifth, here is a closer look at the PSU.
The rear fan-guard can be easily unscrewed for smoother airflow:
Screwing the fan back in, however, required me to open up the PSU so I could hold the backside of the fan in place.
This brings me to another observation.
For those worried about flipping this PSU upside down to get the power connectors closer to the upper-bay opening, the actual components of the PSU won't be fighting gravity when you do so:
The PSU is "ATX400w rev. ?? 2006.09.25". The Revision number is obscured by the capacitor in this pic, but it is obscured by some gooey glump to me as well:
PSU fan is an ADDA model AD012HS-A70GL:
I haven't heard anything about this fan.
Sixth, here is a closer look behind the non-removable motherboard tray.
There is plenty of space behind there to stash unused power cables, if only you could.
A hole could be cut directly across from the adjustable exit hole for the cables on the other side:
Finally, here is a closer look at the front chassis intakes. As you are aware, they fit two 92mm fans.
Placing a 120mm Scythe Slipstream over one of them reveals that a 120mm fan hole could be cut to fit.
Two 120 fans, however, will not fit:
. Placing a 120mm fan on the bottom (or top) intake will also take away the mounting holes for the remaining 92mm intake:
In my humble estimation, however, three case fans should not be needed for most setups. I'm only considering adding a second one to be run during games or HD playback when it is less likely to be heard.
So far I am very pleased with this case. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I haven't installed any parts yet.
