Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
When I started first reviewing cases, one thing I did not like was how some cases looked like mini refrigerators with a relatively boxy design and not much else. While the MetallicGear Neo has some fridge like styling, it also has some subtle details that make it one of my favorite cases I have used in a long while. The Neo has a very minimal look in both the lines and styling on the case. There are no weird designs or extraneous pieces to its look. Everything is seemingly functional while keeping a clean look. To me, Phanteks has never really been too outrageous with their case style, but the Neo is on a whole other level. For example, you probably cannot see any branding here, but there actually is a very faint logo right near the bottom of the front. We received the MetallicGear Neo in this silver finish, but it is also available in black. Otherwise, the sandblasted aluminum front and top panels are polished well while keeping away any fingerprints. I also really enjoy the subtle curves around the top and bottom edges that wrap over to the sides. These small details may not seemingly make for a functional difference, but these edges make it easy to grab the case by the sides. Overall, I really like the Neo, as it looks clean and tidy with some small style elements.
From here, you can see the front does not have any perforation or air intakes. The bottom does have a bit of a cutout to allow its power LED to shine through, as we will see later on. As for the top panel, there are also no ventilation holes there for top mounted cooling. There are only two circular buttons near the front. The larger one is the power button, while the smaller one is for cycling the LED colors. As for the dimensions, the MetallicGear Neo arrives in a very compact mid-tower size with dimensions of 210mm in width, 450mm in height, and 400mm in depth. Comparatively speaking, the Fractal Design Meshify C, the other compact ATX case I looked at, is slightly larger in all dimensions. In addition, at a net weight of around 8kg, the case is as I would expect for one made up of glass and aluminum.
From here, you can see the left side panel, which is a pretty heavily tinted glass. The glass is held onto the sides with four thumbscrews. Each thumbscrew is padded with rubber washers to prevent vibration between the glass and the steel frame. However, the other detail to look at exists on the right side of the photo, which is the front I/O. We have pretty standard set of inputs and outputs, which include a headphone and microphone 3.5mm audio jack, a reset button with a disk drive activity LED, and two USB 3.0 ports. Unfortunately, we do not have any USB Type-C ports, something I think should be more prominent. Underneath, we have a mesh finish to allow some air through the side into the front panel. We have a similar effect on the other side with mesh filtered intakes at the front there too.
From the back, you will see a relatively expected design with a power supply opening at the bottom and motherboard opening near the top. The power supply opening is framed by a PSU bracket, which means you will mount the power supply outside the case before sliding it in from the back. Sandwiched in between these two openings are the seven expansion card slots, which is pretty standard for an ATX motherboard. There are some more openings at the back, including a 120mm fan mount at the top right side. Interestingly enough, we do not have any spacing between the motherboard opening and the top of the case. Again, this is because we do not have any opening at the top or mounting options at the top. Otherwise, from this side you can see the other glass panel, which is identical to the one on the left side.
The silver finish continues to the bottom of the MetallicGear Neo, where you can find some other interesting aspects. In each of the four corners, there is an extended foot and rectangular rubber pad to lift the case up while preventing vibrations between the case and wherever it sits. The extra lift should also allow for enough ground clearance required for air intake near the power supply. MetallicGear has also included a nice removable filter at the back to prevent dust from entering the power supply. Finally, the front has a small slit where the RGB power LED shines through. We have seen more and more case manufacturers put their power LED to shine out the bottom and I think this is a pretty neat effect.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
