ASYS Freedom Case

Rob Williams · 01-15-2006, 08:47 PM

ASYS is a newcomer in the computer tower market, but their Freedom case is a great way to make a name for themselves. It's packed with functionality and very well built. Let's take a look and see if it has what it takes to battle with the big boys.

Discuss the review here!

Jakal · 01-15-2006, 09:26 PM

Nice review. It looks as though that case would be great for almost anyone. The prices I've seen put it anywhere between 120 and 150 which is decent. It's style, like you mentioned, is just like the Thermaltake Armor case. I think the video card holder is a good idea just hard to implement. It's a shame about the motherboard tray, because those are a very good addition.
The led option is a really great idea itself. With it being a steel chassis I'm glad to see it include adequate cooling. I like the vertical hard drive mounting option, personally.
How was the paint and finish on the case? Any sharp edges or other obtrusions?

Greg King · 01-15-2006, 10:15 PM

The paint was top notch. There were no scratches, dings or anything that might take away from the total aesthetic package.

Also, I couldn't find a single sharp edge anywhere on the case.

The video card brace is a good idea, I do agree with you on that, but just took up room in the case. I am sure that many people will use it and love it but for me, the only reason I would use it would be to cover up some of the mess made by the wires and cables.

All in all, I really liked this case and with the option of converting it to a BTX case, it is useful for a much larger market than a strictly ATX or BTX case would be. (BTX has finally caught on hasn't it?

)

01-16-2006, 02:01 PM

When I first saw the case, I though, wow, another CM Stacker rip-off. It looks the same, same basic layout and even uses the same fan cages. However, it doesn't have the dual PSU capability as CM Stacker (1st gen) has and motherboard tray is useless, unlike that one of a Stacker.

Good review though.

For myself I concluded that this case is all style, no substance. I'll take Stacker over it any time.

Rob Williams · 01-16-2006, 07:51 PM

I do agree that it looks quite similar to the Stacker, but it's still a pretty solid case

madmat · 01-16-2006, 08:11 PM

I think it shares more with the Armor/Kandalf series than the Stacker.

If the PSU was sideways and it had the top HDD gondola it'd be nearly the same case.

Greg King · 01-16-2006, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madmat

I think it shares more with the Armor/Kandalf series than the Stacker.

If the PSU was sideways and it had the top HDD gondola it'd be nearly the same case.

In all honesty, the case does have a top bay mounted HDD gondola. There was a black faceplate for the slot where my ZIP drive goes. Remove the ZIP drive, install the HDD and replace the cover plate and you are good to go.

Yes, I know that ZIPs are dying but I use them a lot for school. LOL @ me...

madmat · 01-16-2006, 11:20 PM

The gondola I'm talking about is in the rear of the case next to the PSU. Look at the buildup I did for Vince, the Big Bombastic Bastich thread in general hardware...

Greg King · 01-17-2006, 12:00 AM

Ahh, my mistake. Thaks for clearing that up. And for also indirectly calling me out for not doing my homework before replying.

madmat · 01-17-2006, 12:10 AM

Sorry about that man...I wasn't trying to be negative, I know the 3.25" gondola you're talking about, the single drive jobber is in the Tt case as well.

The reason we went with the Armor though was because of the rear gondola since 6 of the front bays were going to be taken up with a 2x120mm rad

It's the same reason I'd like to get my hands on one for future upgrades, I'd like to migrate to an all internal WC setup plus I miss having a bigger case.

Greg King · 01-17-2006, 02:22 AM

Nothing to be sorry for bud! I like the case quite a bit more than I thought I would when I ran into the mobo tray problems. I am still using it actually but only because I am way to lazy to switch over to the Antec P180.

Maybe tomorrow......

10-17-2006, 10:05 PM

Yes, I agree it's a nice BIG case. Plenty of room to do just about anything. Except use the extra bays. There's only one set of guide rails for one device that was included for me. What about an extra 3.5 device cage? The Asysusa.com site currently doesn't have these parts online to purchase. I emailed them and hope to get a positive reply. My project is on hold...

Greg King · 10-17-2006, 10:35 PM

If you sign up and PM me, I can see what I can do for you with Asys.

It's been so long ago, I don't really remember what all came with the case but everything that did come with it was enough for me.

12-06-2006, 01:36 PM

I now own 2 of these cases and love them. I built one for home and one for work.
It did help that I got them on sale for only $50 each.
At that price they are fantastic

Greg King · 12-06-2006, 01:38 PM

These cases are indestructable and at that price, I dont think you could have found a better case for the money.

01-15-2006, 08:47 PM	#1
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	ASYS Freedom Case ASYS is a newcomer in the computer tower market, but their Freedom case is a great way to make a name for themselves. It's packed with functionality and very well built. Let's take a look and see if it has what it takes to battle with the big boys. Discuss the review here! __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

01-15-2006, 09:26 PM	#2
Jakal Tech Monkey Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Missiskippy Posts: 634	Nice review. It looks as though that case would be great for almost anyone. The prices I've seen put it anywhere between 120 and 150 which is decent. It's style, like you mentioned, is just like the Thermaltake Armor case. I think the video card holder is a good idea just hard to implement. It's a shame about the motherboard tray, because those are a very good addition. The led option is a really great idea itself. With it being a steel chassis I'm glad to see it include adequate cooling. I like the vertical hard drive mounting option, personally. How was the paint and finish on the case? Any sharp edges or other obtrusions? __________________ Intel C2Quad Q9400 @3.6Ghz \| Asus PM5Q Deluxe \| OCZ Reaper HPC PC2-8500 8GB \| XFX Black Edition 260/216\| knobs are great for twisting, turning, squeezing and pulling... especially your own..... that's how doors open \| Chaos Havok: grrrr im lagging me \| <@Deathspawner> I wish I was in Windows :-/

01-15-2006, 10:15 PM	#3
Greg King I just kinda show up... Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 2,081	The paint was top notch. There were no scratches, dings or anything that might take away from the total aesthetic package. Also, I couldn't find a single sharp edge anywhere on the case. The video card brace is a good idea, I do agree with you on that, but just took up room in the case. I am sure that many people will use it and love it but for me, the only reason I would use it would be to cover up some of the mess made by the wires and cables. All in all, I really liked this case and with the option of converting it to a BTX case, it is useful for a much larger market than a strictly ATX or BTX case would be. (BTX has finally caught on hasn't it? ) __________________ "It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan System: Intel i5 2500K \| Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 \| 16GB G.Skill DDR3 \| Crucial M4 128GB SSD WD 1TB Black x1 \| WD 2TB Green x 1 \| XFX Radeonn HD 6850 \| Corsair H80 Water Cooler Fractal Design R3 \| Windows 7 Ultimate x64 \| Dell 2410 x 3 @ 1920x1200 ESXi Host: Intel i7 920 @ 3.0 GHz \| Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P \| 24GB Patriot DDR3 \| WD 1TB Black x 2 Last edited by Greg King; 12-06-2006 at 01:42 PM.

01-16-2006, 07:51 PM	#5
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	I do agree that it looks quite similar to the Stacker, but it's still a pretty solid case __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

01-16-2006, 08:11 PM	#6
madmat Soup Nazi Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: No soup for you! Posts: 1,636	I think it shares more with the Armor/Kandalf series than the Stacker. If the PSU was sideways and it had the top HDD gondola it'd be nearly the same case. __________________ M4N82 Deluxe Phenom II 940 Black Edition quad core @ 3.5Ghz 2x1 gig OCZ PC26400 Platinum, 2x1gig GSkill PC26400 EVGA GTX260 Buncha drives, Some other stuff, Even more stuff, If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside. --Robert X. Cringely, InfoWorld magazine Sign Me!

01-16-2006, 02:01 PM	#4
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	When I first saw the case, I though, wow, another CM Stacker rip-off. It looks the same, same basic layout and even uses the same fan cages. However, it doesn't have the dual PSU capability as CM Stacker (1st gen) has and motherboard tray is useless, unlike that one of a Stacker. Good review though. For myself I concluded that this case is all style, no substance. I'll take Stacker over it any time.

01-16-2006, 11:20 PM	#8
madmat Soup Nazi Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: No soup for you! Posts: 1,636	The gondola I'm talking about is in the rear of the case next to the PSU. Look at the buildup I did for Vince, the Big Bombastic Bastich thread in general hardware... __________________ M4N82 Deluxe Phenom II 940 Black Edition quad core @ 3.5Ghz 2x1 gig OCZ PC26400 Platinum, 2x1gig GSkill PC26400 EVGA GTX260 Buncha drives, Some other stuff, Even more stuff, If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside. --Robert X. Cringely, InfoWorld magazine Sign Me!

01-17-2006, 12:00 AM	#9
Greg King I just kinda show up... Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 2,081	Ahh, my mistake. Thaks for clearing that up. And for also indirectly calling me out for not doing my homework before replying. __________________ "It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan System: Intel i5 2500K \| Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 \| 16GB G.Skill DDR3 \| Crucial M4 128GB SSD WD 1TB Black x1 \| WD 2TB Green x 1 \| XFX Radeonn HD 6850 \| Corsair H80 Water Cooler Fractal Design R3 \| Windows 7 Ultimate x64 \| Dell 2410 x 3 @ 1920x1200 ESXi Host: Intel i7 920 @ 3.0 GHz \| Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P \| 24GB Patriot DDR3 \| WD 1TB Black x 2

01-17-2006, 12:10 AM	#10
madmat Soup Nazi Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: No soup for you! Posts: 1,636	Sorry about that man...I wasn't trying to be negative, I know the 3.25" gondola you're talking about, the single drive jobber is in the Tt case as well. The reason we went with the Armor though was because of the rear gondola since 6 of the front bays were going to be taken up with a 2x120mm rad It's the same reason I'd like to get my hands on one for future upgrades, I'd like to migrate to an all internal WC setup plus I miss having a bigger case. __________________ M4N82 Deluxe Phenom II 940 Black Edition quad core @ 3.5Ghz 2x1 gig OCZ PC26400 Platinum, 2x1gig GSkill PC26400 EVGA GTX260 Buncha drives, Some other stuff, Even more stuff, If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside. --Robert X. Cringely, InfoWorld magazine Sign Me!

01-17-2006, 02:22 AM	#11
Greg King I just kinda show up... Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 2,081	Nothing to be sorry for bud! I like the case quite a bit more than I thought I would when I ran into the mobo tray problems. I am still using it actually but only because I am way to lazy to switch over to the Antec P180. Maybe tomorrow...... __________________ "It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan System: Intel i5 2500K \| Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 \| 16GB G.Skill DDR3 \| Crucial M4 128GB SSD WD 1TB Black x1 \| WD 2TB Green x 1 \| XFX Radeonn HD 6850 \| Corsair H80 Water Cooler Fractal Design R3 \| Windows 7 Ultimate x64 \| Dell 2410 x 3 @ 1920x1200 ESXi Host: Intel i7 920 @ 3.0 GHz \| Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P \| 24GB Patriot DDR3 \| WD 1TB Black x 2

10-17-2006, 10:05 PM	#12
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Extra Parts...like where are they??? Yes, I agree it's a nice BIG case. Plenty of room to do just about anything. Except use the extra bays. There's only one set of guide rails for one device that was included for me. What about an extra 3.5 device cage? The Asysusa.com site currently doesn't have these parts online to purchase. I emailed them and hope to get a positive reply. My project is on hold...

10-17-2006, 10:35 PM	#13
Greg King I just kinda show up... Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 2,081	If you sign up and PM me, I can see what I can do for you with Asys. It's been so long ago, I don't really remember what all came with the case but everything that did come with it was enough for me. __________________ "It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan System: Intel i5 2500K \| Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 \| 16GB G.Skill DDR3 \| Crucial M4 128GB SSD WD 1TB Black x1 \| WD 2TB Green x 1 \| XFX Radeonn HD 6850 \| Corsair H80 Water Cooler Fractal Design R3 \| Windows 7 Ultimate x64 \| Dell 2410 x 3 @ 1920x1200 ESXi Host: Intel i7 920 @ 3.0 GHz \| Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P \| 24GB Patriot DDR3 \| WD 1TB Black x 2

12-06-2006, 01:36 PM	#14
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Freedom tower I now own 2 of these cases and love them. I built one for home and one for work. It did help that I got them on sale for only $50 each. At that price they are fantastic

12-06-2006, 01:38 PM	#15
Greg King I just kinda show up... Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 2,081	These cases are indestructable and at that price, I dont think you could have found a better case for the money. __________________ "It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan System: Intel i5 2500K \| Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 \| 16GB G.Skill DDR3 \| Crucial M4 128GB SSD WD 1TB Black x1 \| WD 2TB Green x 1 \| XFX Radeonn HD 6850 \| Corsair H80 Water Cooler Fractal Design R3 \| Windows 7 Ultimate x64 \| Dell 2410 x 3 @ 1920x1200 ESXi Host: Intel i7 920 @ 3.0 GHz \| Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P \| 24GB Patriot DDR3 \| WD 1TB Black x 2

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