Shown in the dictionary alongside ‘Redonkulous’. See also: build quality, poor; material choice, odd; construction, rickety.
People, being people, have varied tastes in what they like. While you might absolutely adore that LED-studded CCFL'd Christmas tree that you call a case, others might prefer a subtle approach, heading for smooth curves and understated looks. Logic would dictate that most cases fit somewhere between these two schools of thought but in this case, logic doesn't apply. GMC's X-Station (gallery here) is an approach that grabbed us by the crotch, poured a container of itching powder on it, and then lit our crotch on fire.
We do try to look at stuff objectively here at Atomic, but this isn't a case we can bring ourselves to like. We'll start at the front of the case, where two orange plastic reflecty strips have been randomly attached. Why are they here? What do they want from us? Why did GMC bother attaching them when neither makes it look better, or even perform a useful function?!?
There's a ridiculously large series of vents on either side that belie reason, and they're so large that they give an uninterrupted view of the bare steel beneath. There's a 120mm intake fan behind here, but due to the gaping maw that's been slapped onto this mishmash of a front, it's able to suck up carpet fluff, hair, small animals and children without anything to stop it. To top it all off, it's made from cheap, nasty plastic.
The left-hand sidepanel isn't much improvement either, with a gigantic plastic extension that looks like an army barracks tried to mate with an industrial factory, and it doesn't look good or function well. Contained in this plastic lump is a fan controller that has either 'fast' or 'faster' speed settings, powering an 80mm intake fan whose inclusion feels token at best, and almost useless at worst. Continuing the trend of design 'features' that make us want to headbutt the nearest brick wall, there's stupid amounts of ventilation at the bottom of the panel, in the form of unfiltered pea-sized holes.
The rear of the case is plain, and probably the area of the case that we hate the least. It's an archaic design that insists on the power supply sitting at the top of the case, but at least it's got a 120mm exhaust fan. It's clumsily made from steel with a matte finish that leaves something to be desired, but at least thumbscrews hold the panels on.
Inside the case is a cabling nightmare; though the power supply pictured is not included in the retail case, half the cabling mess is attached to the tiny LED screen that sits at the front of the case. This screen does an admirable job of letting you know that the system is definitely running, and that the fans are at 100%, but ultimately it's stuff you can actually hear and see - making it incredibly pointless. The orange glow it emits is also much too powerful, and when you add in the red and green lights dotted around the case, nothing here seems to add up to a coherent theme.
Internally it's like being plunged back into the Dark Ages, with every tooless convenience sorely missed, and a build quality that smooths only some of the sharp edges. Our sample had what appeared to be signs of rust on the HDD cage, where the coating had failed to cover the material completely, and we also found random pieces of cardboard left inside the case.
Some might say that this case isn't that bad, and the asking price is only a hundred bucks. However, in the light of the immense pressure of all that failure building up, we really can't recommend this to anyone. Ever.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012