Anidees AI-4 M-ATX Silenced Chassis Review

Peter Donnell / 11 years ago

Final Thoughts

Price

At £79.90 from Overclockers.co.uk this case is pretty expensive when compared to other similar specification products on the market, brands like Corsair and Coolermaster have very capable and great quality cases in this size category for around half as much, but I think the Anidees still represents a good return on investment. Sound proofing, three pre-installed fans and a lavishing of aluminium go a long way to justifying the extra cash. Of course you could always save some money by opting for the version that doesn’t have sound dampening materials installed, as that only costs £69.90.

Overview

The Anidees AI4 isn’t the sort of chassis I would personally invest in, for me it is simply too small for the kind of high-end system I like to build, but were I in need of a more compact solution, the AI4 would easily be on my shopping list. From many angles it looks very understated, almost like the kinda of dull style systems you would see in offices, however that couldn’t be any further from the truth. It’s been really well made from thick cut steel, treated to some very high quality brushed aluminium on the front and top panels and even the plastics are nicely finished. It may be understated, but you don’t have to look hard to see the premium build quality and finish.

Packed full of features such as three good quality 120mm fans, a built-in fan controller to help balance cooling performance and noise, room for a few hard drives, a couple of 5.25″ devices such as an optical drive and card reader, thick coatings of sound dampening materials, four front USB ports, a compact design and an easily accessible dust filter; all these things add up to why the retail price is so high and after spending a day with the chassis I think it’s worth every penny.

It doesn’t matter if you’re building a system for business use, gaming or even a HTPC, the AI4 has got plenty on offer for each of them. The only thing missing is better support for a decent 120mm water cooler in the back and maybe a little extra cable management space behind the motherboard, of course the trade-off there would be that the case would have to be slightly larger, and we wouldn’t want to go ruining its very compact, sleek and clean design.

Pros

Gorgeous exterior design
Very easy to work with
Three 120mm fans pre-installed
Integrated fan controller
Compact design
Sound dampening material pre-installed
Dust filters

Cons

High price may put people off, even if it is a good investment
Cable management may get tricky with all storage bays saturated

“The Aindees AI4 is one of the smartest looking small form factors cases on the market, its high price may put some people off, but for those who do invest, you will not be disappointed.”