Spire Sonex 6010 Case Review

[siopao1984]

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One of the most important parameters when choosing the components of a computer system is, without any doubt, the monetary budget. Enthusiasts frequently spend substantial amounts of cash on computer components and thus can afford high-level parts. When assembling a low budget gaming system however any enthusiast knows that cannot afford to spend a third of the entire budget on an expensive chassis, which led several well known companies to release cost-effective enclosures. Today we are going to examine the features and performance of such a product from Spire, the new Sonex 6010 gaming chassis.Manufacturer’s features and specifications

• Cool & versatile gamer chassis design
• Front top Blue LED glow
• Front and rear pre-installed 120 Blue LED fans
• 0.6mm SECC Steel structure
• Cool aluminum all meshed front panel
• Front-Top USB2.0*2 and AC'97 & HD Audio connections
• Front-Top Card reader: SD/MMC/MS (Optional)
• Tool-free thumb-screw access side panels
• Efficient Air In-take, rear, front and side-panel
• Optimized internal space, fits large CPU coolers and long VGA cards
• Mainboard cut out for easy mounting of CPU cooler with back-plate
• Prepared for water cooling tubes and units
• Supports up to six (6) 3.5-inch & four (4) 5.25-inch drive devices
• Quality backed by 2 year manufacturer warranty

Product Specification
Features	* Strong 0.6mm SECC Steel structure * Tool-free thumb-screw side panels * Excellent thermal solution * Stylish, unique design for real enthusiast * Front mesh and fence design for excellent ventilation * Dust-control filters for all meshed areas * All edges debarred for safely assembly * water-cooling holes are pre-drilled to support water-cooling systems.
Dimensions	467*185*445mm(L x W x H)
Material	Structure Info: SECC 0.6mm
Colors	Black
3.5 Bays	6--- 5 internal, 1 external
5.25 Bays	4--- 4 external
Mainboard	ATX / Micro ATX
Power supply	ATX
Bracket slots	7
Cooling	Pre-installed fans: Rear: 1*12cm Black fan Front: 1*12cm Blue LED fan Additional option: 2*12cm fan on side-panel
Front panel connection	USB2.0 * 2, Audio x1, Mic x1 (Supports AC'97 & HD Audio) Top Card reader: SD/MMC/MS (Optional)
Certifications	CE/ROHS/TUV
MTBF	5 years
Operating Temperature	-20 to 70 oC
Storage Temperature	-20 to 70 oC
Warranty	2 years
Packaging type	Brown carton
Package Includes	* Case * User installation manual * Warranty registration card * Pouch with Screws , MB Stand-Off, Cable-Clips
N.W. Weight	6.5kg
G.W. Weight	7.5kg
UPC Code	6943051261256

Read more: Spire Sonex 6010 Case Review by VR-Zone.com

[siopao1984]

Spire rarely wastes funds on fancy packages and the box which the Sonex 6010 is supplied in is no exception. The cardboard box is generic, with no artwork besides the company logo itself. However it is more than capable of protecting the case during transport. Inside the box we found the gaming tower protected by two polystyrene foam slabs and wrapped in a nylon bag.



The company supplies a very basic bundle with the Sonex 6010 gaming case. The bundle consists of a very basic black and white manual, a warranty card, black screws and mounting hardware, a small speaker and an orange nylon pouch which has a multitude of uses.

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Measuring 45cm high, 47cm long and 18.5cm wide, size-wise the Sonex 6010 is not a very large case but displays good aesthetic and performance potential. The design is futuristic, with straight lines and sharp edges, yet not excessively complex or aggressive. From first sight it becomes clear that Spire worked on improving the thermal performance of the Sonex 6010 by simply reducing airflow restrictions. The company perforated a large portion of the left side panel and installed a faceplate mostly comprising of a metallic mesh.



While the frame of the faceplate is made of plastic, most of the faceplate’s surface, including the external drive bay covers, is being covered by a metallic mesh which allows fresh air to freely enter the case. Strangely, the mesh is not following the common honeycomb design but a pattern of rounded holes. The case features four external 5.25” device bays and one external 3.5” device bay. The plastic frame is sprayed with a highly reflective black paint.



In order to make this case a little more attractive to gamers and modders, Spire installed some lighting options as well. As a result, when the system is powered on the front intake fan will light up blue, as well as 6 small stripes right above the intake fan and a long stripe at the top of the faceplate.



At the front part of the top side of the case Spire installed the necessary buttons and front access user interface ports. The large power on button stands out in the middle of the setup, with a much smaller reset button on its right side and a small red HDD access LED on its left side. Right behind the buttons the user can find two USB 2.0 ports and the two common 3.5mm headphone jacks. There also is a space for a SD/MMC/MS card reader, although the sample we receive did not have one installed.



The rear of the Sonex 6010 is fairly plain, revealing only that Spire sprayed the entire chassis with a matte black paint. The layout is classic, with the power supply bay being above the motherboard’s tray.



What is fairly interesting about the Sonex 6010 is that Spire punched two watercooling hose holes at the lower rear part of the case for those who would like to use external watercooling systems, a sight uncommon among cases of this price range. The holes are covered by elastic grommets.



The left side panel of the Sonex 6010 is relatively simple, aside from the fact that a large portion has been punched full of round ventilation holes. Unfortunately there are no side panel fan slots, since the Sonex 6010 apparently is not wide enough to support those, yet the ventilation holes alone should aid the component coolers dramatically.

[siopao1984]

The interior of the Sonex 6010 is all black, sprayed with the same matte black paint as the rest of the chassis. Although the motherboard tray layout is fairly common, Spire cut open the area behind the CPU in order to allow the installation of large coolers without the user having to remove the entire motherboard. The disk drive cages are facing towards the front panel of the case. This case allows the installation of graphics cards up to 31.5cm long; however such a long card will also block at least the one drive bay in line with it. The drive bays do have an opening for plastic “tool-less” locks, yet none of those come with the case; all drives are being installed with the use of old-fashioned screws.



A simple black sleeve bearing 120mm exhaust fan can be found installed at the rear of the case. Not a fancy solution or anything excessive, yet it will get the job done.



The card expansion covers unfortunately are not reusable; they were part of the original metal sheet where the rear plate came from, it takes some force to remove them and they cannot be attached again once they are removed.



The PSU compartment can be found at the top of the case, above the motherboard tray and the 120mm exhaust cooling fan. The PSU is being held into place with the aid of two metallic stands on which Spire installed foam tape to prevent scratches on the PSU chassis.



Spire punched an opening next to the PSU, allowing the user to route a few cables from the rear of the power supply tray and down to the 3.5” cage or the motherboard’s bottom. The clearance is only a few mm and a thick cable like the 24-pin ATX cable will certainly not fit, while the routing of PCI Express power cables will also be problematic, yet not impossible if the power supply is not using thicker than standard cables.



Our ICTT system fits inside the Sonex 6010 very well, although we would not claim that to be a very comfortable fit. A full ATX motherboard would end right where the drives begin. Installing a very long GFX card or any other long expansion card will block the HDD drive slot in straight line with the card’s slot. It is not a very roomy case, neither designed for the quick and easy removal of all components, but it certainly fits a normal ATX system without trouble.

[siopao1984]

In order to assess the thermal performance of the case we will be using our Integrated Casing Torture Test (ICTT) system to take readings over a period of one and a half hour. All of the case fans are operating at their maximum speed during the test and both side panels are closed. The exhaust temperature probe was placed above the rear fan of the case.



The thermal performance of the Sonex 6010 case is not setting any milestones, with the case performing precisely as we expected it to. While the good ventilation certainly helps and prevents the system from overheating quickly, it struggle to cope with a massive heat load over a prolonged period of time. Of course our ICCT generates more thermal load than a fairly powerful system with four GFX cards installed, a configuration the Sonex 6010 is certainly not meant to cope with, which is why the temperatures between the GFX cards has risen dramatically during our testing.

Always keeping in mind the class and price range of the Sonex 6010, the acoustics performance of the case is very good. With its fan running at maximum speed, the Spire Sonex 6010 generates 32.1dB(A), an audible yet very comfortable figure. The fans themselves are not noisy at all, however the many openings which are meant to improve the thermal performance of the case at the same time do little to trap/reflect any noise generated inside the case.

[siopao1984]

Quality (30% of the total score)

Quality wise, Spire did a fine job designing and manufacturing the Sonex 6010. Although the company’s engineers had their hands full trying to combine low cost, good aesthetics, acceptable thermal performance and production quality, the Sonex 6010 came out very well. The case is aesthetically attractive and well made, with no sharp edges or manufacturing imperfections to be found. The 0.6mm steel body and panels are not exactly meant to withstand severe punishment, yet the mechanical cohesion of the chassis is acceptable. To summarize, the overall quality of the Sonex 6010 cannot be compared to that of much heavier and more expensive cases, it however is fairly good for a product of this price range.

Quality Score 8.0/10



Performance (30% of the total score)

Although Spire designed this to be a gaming chassis, we need to define that this case has certainly not been designed to provide for powerful, overclocked and/or multi-GFX systems. With the aid of the two 120mm cooling fans the Sonex 6010 will certainly be able to cope with the thermal load of a standard gaming system, consisting mainly of a strong CPU and a single good GFX card; however, it is not meant to handle the thermal load multiple GFX cards or highly overclocked processors may impose and unfortunately there is no way to improve the thermal performance of the case itself any further, except perhaps from installing and external watercooling system.

Performance Score 8.0/10



Aesthetics (30% of the total score)

The Sonex 6010 case has been designed to be an aesthetically attractive product for entry-level gamers and enthusiasts on a tight budget. It features a sharp, aggressive design and lighting which are not excessive, matching the style modern environments and should prove to be very appealing to younger audiences. On the other hand, the Sonex 6010 will most likely look out of place in classic and certain professional environments.

Aesthetics Score 8.5/10



Value (10% of the total score)

As we mentioned before, Spire designed the Sonex 6010 to be an entry-level gaming chassis, combining performance, aesthetics and quality with value for casual gamers and enthusiasts on a budget. With a MSRP of 69.95$ USD/48.99€ (about SGD 88$ at the time of this review) and an actual street retail price as much as 30% lower than that, the Sonex 6010 offers excellent value for money, leaving us unable to complain about possible functionality and/or quality improvements.

Value Score 9.5/10