Introduction
MetallicGear is a sub-brand of Phanteks so you may have heard of them, but you’ll most likely know Phanteks. Sub-brands are popular for a number of reasons, including expanding a market share, breaking out of a stereotype, research and development, or possibly an acquisition. Phanteks are an award-winning company so they will know a thing or two about design and what a good chassis looks like.
So when Phanteks decide to create a sub-brand, it’s worth a look. Metallicgear sent us the Neo Micro ATX Mid-Tower Chassis for review, and it’s been a while since we looked at a chassis. The Neo product line consists of Mini ITX, Micro ATX, and Full ATX cases. There are only silver and black themes at this time, but maybe a white version will be on the cards at some point. This is a tempered glass design, with dual glass doors and a solid front and top.
| Neo Series | |
|---|---|
| SKU | MG-NE410_BK01 |
| Series | Neo Series |
| Form Factor | Mid-tower |
| Motherboard Support | Micro-ATX, Mini ITX |
| Material | Aluminium, Steel, Tempered Glass |
| Dimensions (mm) | (WxHxD): 190x 410 x 385 |
| Front Panel | 2x USB 3.0, Mic, Headphone, Reset Button, RGB LED Switch |
| Cooling Fans | Front: 2x 120mm (1 included) Rear: 1x 120mm |
| Radiator Support | Up to 240mm (Front) 120mm (Rear) |
| Drive Bays | 2 x 3.5", 2 x 2.5" |
| Max Graphics Card Length | 360mm |
| Warranty | 5 Years Limited |
A smaller chassis, this is a Mid-Tower capable of supporting up to Micro-ATX motherboard sizes, and graphics cards of 360mm in length. No optical drive and some glass side panels finish off the minimalist external looks.
MetallicGear sent us this review sample, and we have had this running as a test rig for some time, so we have got to know the Neo Micro ATX Mid-Tower Chassis really well, and there are some good points, and a couple of points to note which may detract from the overall experience depending on how you intend to use it.
Metallicgear Neo Micro ATX Mid-Tower Chassis
Packaging - 7
Features - 8.2
Build - 8.2
Component Compatibility - 7.5
Consumer Experience - 7.5
7.7
This chassis is a well thought out chassis, with built-in cable management, rather than it being an afterthought. With dual tempered glass doors, you can also get a lot of lighting out of it, and it has a good few options for airflow in the main section of the chassis, helping cool the motherboard, CPU and memory, graphics card and anything else you want to install.