Installation

One of the best and most convenient features of the Samurai is the fact that it is tool free, making hardware installation or changes very easy. There is no need to fiddle with screws unless you are installing a PSU or motherboard, as all drive bays use sliders to secure the drives. All you have to do is insert a drive into its normal position, push the slider forward and lock it with a catch. This system works very well, as all drives are locked into position in a snap. This proven system is used by several other manufacturers, with good reason.

Installing a video card or PCI device is also done without the use of a screw driver, as seen from the picture below. Press the plastic arm to release it from its locked position, pull it gently to the side, install the device and push the arm back and lock it. It hardly gets any easier than this. Sunbeam did well in adopting this feature.

There is not much room between the top of the motherboard and the PSU, which could restrict cooling for some cooler and motherboard combinations. The lack of height is somewhat compensated for by plenty of depth, giving a little extra room near the drives so they do not interfere with RAM slots or large video cards.

Cooling

There is room for four 80mm fans within the Samurai: 2 rear, 1 front and 1 in the side panel. The two fans in the rear are to be placed in a plastic cage, which is (of course) tool free. A total of four fans should be enough to create sufficient ventilation for most computers, yet except for the fan in the side door they are all too restricted in the Samurai to deliver maximum air flow. This is indeed a great shame, as unrestricted air flow would offer much better cooling performance and lower noise.

Conclusions

Overall, the Samurai is a fine case with lots of modding options, and a pre-fitted window. We particularly like the fact that it is tool free, which is certainly one of its greatest advantages.

If you want a more traditional looking case there are other alternatives that will suit you better, but if you like a more unique look this case deserves your consideration.

Price is £44.99 including VAT at Gladiator Computers.

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