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Xigmatek are known for their bold and rather dramatic box designs. The Utgard is shipped with a ominous black stone fantasy castle on the left and images of the product on the right.
The case is shipped between two heavy duty pieces of foam. It is also covered in a thin layer of protective plastic to help stop minor abrasions.
Inside we have a little manual, necessary mounting screws, a speaker, rubber covers for watercooling and cable routing clips.
The case looks very attractive, with a very evenly balanced paint process applied. The plastic areas are well constructed and will be able to take a fair amount of abuse.
The front of the case is completely composed of drive bay slots, featuring metal mesh covers. One of the drive bays can be used for a 3.5 inch device and another holds the Xigmatek logo. These can be moved to suit specific tastes.
The I/O at the top is fully loaded and angled to give a more attractive appearance. Xigmatek have not included a reset button which is an unusual design decision and some people may be annoyed at this omission. There are two eSATA connectors which is again a rather unusual choice, but one I personally appreciate, as I use several eSATA based peripherals.
There are two control knobs to adjust the speed of up to six fans, three per channel. 4 USB 2.0 ports are also included with a power switch and audio and headphone connectors. One of the best front panels we have seen in a long time.
From a top down view the case has a slightly menacing look, with two vents on the motherboard side to allow for improved air flow. The top mesh section can be removed, but more on this later.
From the other side, we can see two fan mount locations, which when not occupied does look rather nasty. We think people have no option but to fill these, otherwise the case will look really ugly when the final build is completed. Xigmatek do include several fans with the purchase, but none on the side panels.
Underneath the case we have four rubber feet with a removable dust filter protecting the power supply. A fan can also be mounted next to the power supply, internally.
The rear of the case has a 120mm exhaust fan mounted with 7 expansion slot locations below. There are also options for watercooling, when using the supplied rubber watercooling mounts.
Removing the top section grants access to the 170mm exhaust fan. This area can be used to hold a radiator so it won't interfere with your motherboard fitting.
