If you’re looking for an entry-level server case, the ITower 930 may well pique your interest. You can fit a full-sized ATX motherboard or a CEB server board inside, but the real highlight is the quad of hot-swap hard disk caddies at the front.

A smaller door opens separately to the main aluminium door to allow access to the bays. Four screws are needed to secure each disk to its caddy, but then it’s simply a case of sliding it home. Only SATA disks are supported, so EIDE disks will have to be fitted into the 5.25in bays. Only one of the six has a 3.5in mount, and that’s intended for a floppy drive.

The hot-swap drives plug into a circuit board that only requires two power connectors, yet it also boasts four 3-pin fan headers – handy if your motherboard doesn’t have enough. It’s worth checking your motherboard and RAID controller’s manual for hot-swap SATA capabilities before pulling disks out, though.

A plastic shroud clips over the circuit board and houses a 92mm fan. Airflow is restricted by the board, though, and the bulky shroud may prevent longer graphics cards being fitted. A 120mm fan is fitted at the rear and plastic ducting directs cool air to the CPU through the side-panel vent.

All six 5.25in bays and all seven expansion slots have quick-release mechanisms, but the designers didn’t think of everything: you can’t open the front door with anything plugged into the ports, as a plastic bar gets in the way.

Overall, the CoolerMaster has some unique features, but it lacks a well thought-out design.