Hardware Review
Asys Freedom Tower
We have looked at several cases from different manufacturers now. Tonight we'll take a look at ASYS' Freedom Tower case. BTX compatible cases have been out in the market for quite some time now. We have become accustomed to reviewing Mid-Tower cases so far, so I guess looking at a Full-Tower case is somewhat new to us. Though we have not come across ASYS’ products before, the spec sheets and initial impressions were very promising. We would like to thank the ASYS team for making this review possible.
As we dragged the case's box into our test area, we were very surprised with its weight. The case itself was wrapped in a plastic bag, supported by foam end caps to protect the front and back of the case. Un-wrapping the case, we have unveiled the true size of the case. It is massive, the largest case we have reviewed so far. Here are some specs of the case:
| MODEL | Freedom Tower Series (CK-1022-6) |
| CASE TYPE | Mid Tower ATX Case |
| Motherboard | Micro ATX & Extended ATX (P4 Ready) |
| Power Supply | None |
| DRIVE BAY - FRONT ACCESSIBLE - INTERNAL |
6 EXTERNAL 5.25" DRIVE BAYS 1 EXTERNAL 3.5 " DRIVE BAYS 4 INTERNAL 3.5" DRIVE BAYS SCREWLESS RAIL DESIGN For 5.25" and 3.5" Bays |
| Expansion Slots | 7 |
| EXPANSION SLOTS | 7 |
| Side Open | Yes |
| I/O Interface | USB x4, Fire wire, Audio input & output |
| Cooling Fans |
Front: 12cm x1 (included), 12cm x2 (optional) Side: None Rear: 12cm x1 (included) |
| Dimensions (DxWxH) | 20.0" x 8.0" x 21.0" |
Click the image to see it full view...
Looking at the exteriors, there are a lot of nice additions to the case. Nice panel handle, a mesh grill, I/O panel as well as hinged covered side edges for easy access to install or remove drives. The feet can also be rotated to increase stability.
Click the image to see it full view...
Inside, the case is very roomy. Within the case is a very quiet 120mm rear exhaust fan which is rated at about 39cfm and 23dB. The riser slots have snap-out blanks as well as a screw-less card mounting system to ease installation. The manufacturer also provided a front slot card support for use with extra long server cards via a hinged mesh panel. The hinges can also be easily removed if necessary or if not needed. The hard drive cage uses four slots to mount hard drives with the screw less rails and locking tabs. Just under the front panel resides two 120mm fan filters to keep off dust inside of the case and it also makes it easier to clean.
The removable motherboard tray was a bit troublesome to use. After finally getting it off the case and placing my motherboard, putting it back was near impossible. I finally decided to just take out my motherboard and place the tray back to the case. Placed at the bottom of the case is a panel that has 10 moving LED lights and is controlled by a small dial. After putting all the parts inside and powered up our PC, the LEDs are very beautiful to gaze at.
The Asys Freedom Tower is a very solid case. Because of its weight, it is not a very practical case to bring at your next LAN party. If you’re looking for a robust case for your room or office, this case is a very good choice. With the amount of room available inside the case, a water cooling kit would be a very good addition. Transforming it to a BTX case is also a good feature if you're looking to upgrade to a BTX motherboard. The numerous number of drive bays will allow you to add extra swappable drives and optical drives. I would've liked to have seen a better implementation of the removable tray, making it easier to install motherboards. After all issues are factored in, I'm giving the ASYS Freedom Tower a score of 8 out 10 gears.
Pros:
Very solid design
Plenty of room inside
Screwless drive mounting system
Moving LED lights
BTX support
Front I/O Panel
Locking AGP/PCI clips
Cons:
Extremely heavy to be carried to a LAN party
Removable motherboard tray almost impossible to take out
Manufacturer Link:
