Final Thoughts
This being the first case from AZZA that I’ve had the chance to review I am very impressed. Let’s start by talking about the size of this case. This is a full tower case no doubt, but I would call it a super tower, meant to be in the same category as a case like the Cooler Master Cosmos II. Being this big it really gives you a lot of options. This is one of the only cases available that supports both a top mounted 480mm radiator and a bottom mounted 240mm radiator. The case has support for normal ATX motherboards, but also XL-ATX and E-ATX motherboards. A great indication of how much room is inside is how open the case felt once I installed my system inside.
With this large of a case you need some pretty good cooling and AZZA has you covered with a total of 7 included fans. You have two very large 230mm exhaust fans on the top of the case, two 140mm bottom mounted intake fans, two 120mm side panel mounted cooling fans for your hard drives and a single 120mm exhaust fan on the back of the case. All of these together will provide your system with great cooling. During operation the fans are noticeable, but if you are gaming or listening to music they are not that noticeable at all.
The actual design of the case aids in cooling. AZZA suggests you have the motherboard tray installed in a reverse ATX fashion. This will allow for the best cooling of your components. The motherboard tray is not only one of the most useful features of this case, but one of the most unique. As I said motherboard trays are something they we really have not seen that much of lately. They make installing and working on your PC much easier as you can remove your motherboard, CPU and expansion cards from the system very easily. What is unique about this motherboard tray is that it is reversible. That means you can install it on either side of the case. So if it is installed on the right side of the case it will be in reverse ATX mode and if it is installed on the left it will be in normal ATX mode.
The VGA card stabilizers are a great thing to see. If you’ve ever had a long VGA card in a system you will notice after a while it will start to bend. These stabilizers will keep the card level. Like all new cases you have USB 3.0 and eSATA connectivity on the front of the case for easy access. I also noticed that this case has a very nice paint job, both on the inside and outside. The clear coat was very thick it would not scratch easily like we have seen on cheaper cases.
The are only really two issues I have with this case, the biggest is the front power supply installation. This is something that should take only 5 minutes, but can take up to 20 minutes. The fact that you have to take off the entire bottom of the case (4 long screws) to even get to the bottom fans that need to be removed is just a lot of work. AZZA could have made power supply installation much easier if you were able to slide the unit through the front of the case. Also I did not like that the hot-swap panels used molex connections rather than SATA power connections.
AZZA has really shown us a lot with the Genesis 9000. They are really giving users the most options available in a single case. Some of the larger case manufacturers better watch out! Right now you can pick up this case at my favorite online retailer for $149.99 ($179.99, $30 MIR), which is a great deal for a full tower case with all of the features that the Genesis 9000 has! Overall ThinkComputers gives the AZZA Genesis 9000 a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!
Pros:
– Lots of room to work with inside
– Supports 240mm and 480mm radiators
– 7 included fans
– Removable motherboard tray
– Motherboard tray can be installed on either side of the case
– Support for XL-ATX and E-ATX motherboards
– Price
Cons:
– Front PSU installation require you to remove at least one of the bottom fans
– Hot-swap panels use molex power connectors
