BeanTech, ClearPC, SunBeam, and Logisys: Another Look at the Acrylic Arena

BeanTech BT-85 Construction (cont'd)

On the bottom right of the case are the USB and firewire ports. The USB ports connect directly to the motherboard while the firewire port connects to an external firewire port at the back of the case. We were disappointed that audio ports were not included in the BT-85, since they are standard on many other cases nowadays.

The side panels are held to the case by 4 screws each, and required a Philips head screwdriver to remove them. Thumbscrews would have been a better, more preferred method of attaching the panels. The current screws can be replaced by thumbscrews, so we're not all out of luck.

The best feature of the BT-85 is its sliding removable motherboard tray. By removing a total of 4 screws, 2 on the back and 2 on the side, the motherboard tray slides out with add-on cards still attached to the motherboard. The cabling for the front panel LEDs and power/reset buttons is also detachable for easy motherboard removal. The tray uses metal standoffs to mount an ATX form factor board. We have yet to see a tool-less/screw-less solution to mount motherboards in acrylic cases.

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

The back panel of the tray is much stronger than that on the Secret Agent. The add-on card mounting (where add-on cards are screwed into) is just as strong as the rest of the chassis on the BT-85 to support the heaviest of PCI and AGP add-on cards.