Introducing the Diablotek Reaction Budget Gaming Case.

I’m sure a lot of you are fully aware of the Diablotek Reaction because Diablotek states it is scheduled to be one of their best selling designs incorporating two USB 3.0 ports at a price point “ that wont be beat”. However with the first iteration of things, there are little issues that come about as people try to stuff more and more components into these mid-tower chassis.

Some of the most common complaints people  usually have with lower priced cases have to do with the lack of room for performance video cards, ease of use, lack of tool-less features and the last drawback was if you wanted to run water cooling, you had to punch your own holes to get the tubing outside of the case. Diablotek took a different direction by throwing all that in and still managed to keep the case at a reasonable price.

This time around it seems Diablotek really listened to there users and took the chassis back to the drawing board to see just what they could do inside of the same sized chassis, yet offer everything today’s users are demanding of manufacturers in the feature set at a reasonable price. With the newest version, the optical bays and hard drive bays have gone to a tool-less solution and the hard drive rack even has been equipped with what they are calling a RVP Plate.

If I have spiked your interest thus far, I really recommend you stick it out and keep reading as I go into detail about the Reaction CPA-8817d3 mid-tower chassis from Diablotek.

Reaction Specifications:

Model

CPA-8817D3

Type

ATX Mid Tower

Power Supply Mounted

Top

Motherboard Compatibility

Micro ATX / ATX

External 5.25″ Drive Bays

3

External 3.5″ Drive Bays

1

Internal 3.5″ Drive Bays

5

Expansion Slots

7

Front Ports

2 x USB 3.0, AUDIO IN / OUT (HD Audio)

120mm Fans

1 x 120mm Rear Fan

Side Air duct

Yes

Dimensions

18.70″ x 7.28″ x 17.64″

Weight

7.7 lbs.

Features

0.5mm Thick SGCC Steel Case Material
Best Air Flow
1 x Pre-Installed Rear 120mm Fan
2 x Optional Side 120mm Fan
Top Mounted IO ports
Easy Assembly for 5.25″ Deviced & 3.5 HDDs
USB3.0 Ready

Exterior VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Measuring 18.70″ x 7.28″ x 17.64″ inches, the Reaction case is very compact for a case that can accommodate a full-size ATX motherboard. While its 0.5mm cold-rolled steel construction gives it greatly enhanced durability and reduced vibration compared with aluminum. The case is painted with a classy -black finish, inside and out.

Interior VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Despite the case’s relatively compact size, it can accommodate even large graphics cards as this case features Diablotek’s RVP Plate allowing you to literally open up more room for your performance graphics cards as illustrated in the image below.

Because of this we were able to install a AMD Radeon HD 6990, one of the largest currently available cards, with more room to spare at the front edge of the case.

The front ports sit just above the 5.25-inch bay. Along with dual USB 3.0 and headphone and microphone jacks.The Reaction sacrifices some drive bay capacity compared with earlier models, but it is well worth it for real gamers on a budget. Still, the case continues to surprise as it does a good job of keeping noise down, has enough room inside to accommodate typical PC setups, and is both stylish and compact. It’s a worthy choice for housing a quiet PC, particularly if you were going to provide your own power supply anyway

Conclusion:

Diablotek has a lot of good ideas in the Reaction case. Which is why I am forced to give it a bit of an odd recommendation. The case is the least expensive case we’ve tested, but in terms of build quality and aesthetics it easily competes with the In-Win BUC. With a little bit of thermal re-engineering and maybe an extra front fan, this could be a stellar case.

With the Diablotek Reaction you’re getting a $75 case at a modest $44.99 price point. –and there’s currently a $10 mail-in rebate on it. The point is the Reaction case is the best deal for any case featuring full length VGA support, 2 USB 3.0 Ports and tool-less. This is why we here at Inside Industry News are proud to award the Diablotek reaction case with the Best buy Award.

Pros:

– Sleek clean design

– Pleanty of air flow

– RVP Plate, is awesome for full length VGA

– USB 3.0

– Great Price point

Cons:

Would be better if second front 120mm fan was included.