$55 mATX Case with Hinged Glass Side Panel - The DLM21 by Darkflash

[trs96]

Just got the case today.

I'll be interested to hear about how much air actually gets through the front mesh panel. Is it just a gimmick or is it really a must have feature ? Does it make the fans sound louder ? Can you actually see through it as depicted below ?

 

[vlad1966]

I'll be interested to hear about how much air actually gets through the front mesh panel. Is it just a gimmick or is it really a must have feature ? Does it make the fans sound louder ? Can you actually see through it as depicted below ?

I'll actually building my Hack today, as soon as I go to Micro Center, install Win10 to test, then install Catalina, I'll report back in a couple of days. I'm debating getting 6 120mm Arctic Cooling F12 Fluid Dynamic Bearing PWM Case Fans with the white fan blades. MC has them for $9 each. Would've looked nice in the White case. Or I might splurge for some Corsair 120mm white LED fans. I think white LED looks pretty classy, & is really the only LED color I can stomach when it comes to fans.

PS: right now I have the empty case sitting on my desk. Loooking thru the front of it, I can see my wall & bookcase off to the rear right through it. There's a plastic honeycomb grating behind the metal mesh on the front of the case that can easily be seen. I'm thinking just by the looks of it, it should provide very good airflow into the case, especially since 3 120mm fans can go into the front.

 

[trs96]

I'll actually building my Hack today, as soon as I go to Micro Center

How did the build go in your new DLM21 case ?

 

[vlad1966]

How did the build go in your new DLM21 case ?

Really well, except had a hard time connecting the 8-pin & 4-pin ATX power cables to the motherboard, along with a fan connector on the top rear corner of my Gigabyte Z390 M Gaming mobo. Not really the fault of the case. There is plenty of space to route those cables, however the Scythe Mugen 5 Rev B HSF I'm using is 154mm tall, so makes it difficult to squeeze my hand into the top rear corner to plug in those cables. Had to temporarily remove the rear fan to get those cables in there.

I decided to go with 6 of the 120mm Arctic Cooling fans for the case instead of the Corsair White LED fans. One of those Corsair fans would've cost me as much as all 6 of the Arctics. Really happy with their sound profile, and they seem to move a good amount of air.

Really liking the case. For the price, it's a lot more solid than I thought it would be. Especially the glass door with magnets.
Thought wish I'd gotten white like I ordered isntead of black, but the black is starting to grow on me.

 

[trs96]

I decided to go with 6 of the 120mm Arctic Cooling fans for the case instead of the Corsair White LED fans. One of those Corsair fans would've cost me as much as all 6 of the Arctics. Really happy with their sound profile, and they seem to move a good amount of air.

I've used those fans too. They are really a great value at around $4.40 each. You can't beat that price.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NTUJRHK/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

If this were a high budget build in white, I'd add their BioniX F12 fans for case airflow. They cost a lot more but have a 10 year warranty too. They're pretty close to Noctuas in noise levels when under PWM control. At 900 RPM or less you really won't even be able to hear them at normal distances.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082VJ7YZ4/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

 

[trs96]

The black and white mesh front panel versions have gone up to $65.99 on Newegg. They go for 5 dollars less on Amazon. If you need high air flow for whatever you're doing it's worth the extra 10 dollars to get the mesh in front.

 

[trs96]

Addressable RGB Fans
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Really nice price at Newegg.com for three fans from Darkflash. Cost is less than a single Corsair RGB fan. If you are really into RGB then these make it much easier to brighten up your build. A "Today Only" Shell Shocker deal.

https://www.newegg.com/aigo-dr12-case-fan/p/1YF-00A4-00045?

 

[trs96]

Here's how the RGB case fans might look and sound if you install them in your DLM21 or 22 case.

 

[trs96]

If you want really low cost single color LED fans, here's another option. These are best mounted vertically.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HK9CDWY/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

 

[trs96]

Here's some pics of a completed build with the DLM21 White Mesh version. These are not of my build. Found them from a local online seller. Looks amazing. Look at all that room above the mATX motherboard.