Rosewill ATX Case, Mid Tower Case with Blue LED

Rosewill ATX Case, Mid Tower Case with Blue LED

Rosewill ATX Case, Mid Tower Case with Blue LED

OUR VERDICT

If you don’t mind fighting your case to install hardware, the Rosewill Cullinan offers great looks, good external features and average performance. Cheaper than some of its tempered-glass competitors, it’s still too expensive to excuse a list of minor but troublesome design cons.

FOR
Great appearance with tinted, tempered glass
Good noise deflection
Supports two large radiators
Top-panel dust filter
Good USB port selection
Useful fan controller
Three 2.5” and two 3.5”/2.5” combo trays
Tinted panels give lighted fans a soft glow.

AGAINST
Steel structure feels a little weak in places
Riveted power supply shroud complicates modular cable connector access
Cardholder slot too narrow to easily install cards
Mediocre cooling performance.

Introducing The Cullinan

Many brands got started as “house brands” for major sellers, and while some have stuck (Craftsman tools anyone?), others have spread out. Beginning life as the better-value brand of Newegg, Rosewill quickly picked up several other sellers as it added premium parts to its product line.

The Cullinan makes a bold statement about Rosewill’s premium product strategy by using tinted glass panels on three sides. Thick 0.20” (5.2mm) tempered side panels add rigidity without the need for frames, while the moderate weight of the front panel indicates a thinner glass insert.

The front panel ports are more typical of high-end cases, with two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks, and a two-speed fan controller. Both the power and reset buttons have black-anodized aluminum caps, and the rings surrounding these light up in blue (power) and red (HDD activity).

Apart from the position of the removable warning sticker, both side panels are identical and secured identically with slotted thumb screws upon rubberized locator pins.

The rear of the case shows off the 2.2” of above-motherboard radiator space, along with a pair of knock-outs for external radiators. The included 120mm rear fan can be upgraded to 140mm, and slotted fan mounts allow vertical adjustment to ease the installation of various rear-mounted radiators.

The Cullinan’s top panel and front panel use magnetic filter sheets with rounded edges to provide an inset appearance. The top panel is shorter and only able to support two 140m (or three 120mm) fans, while the front supports three fans in either size. Builders who would like to place two enormous radiators in both locations should consider possible tank clearance issues at the Cullinan’s upper-front corner before selecting radiators.

A power supply intake filter slides out from behind the bottom panel.

The Cullinan has only 0.5” of cable space behind the motherboard tray, and a large portion of that space is consumed by three 2.5” drive trays. A 2.5”-wide support section between the motherboard tray and front panel is inset a full 1.0” to provide additional clearance for the main power cable, but routing in that way forces it under the two 3.5” hard drive trays. And that’s where the third 3.5” drive mount resides, bolted through rubber grommets to the bottom panel via shoulder screws.

Powered by a four-pin ATA-style power lead, the two-speed fan controller is delivered with two empty headers. We used one of those for the rear fan. The L-S-H markings of its top-panel switch correspond to low-stop-high, and both its low-speed and stop settings disable fan LEDs.


Building With The Rosewill Cullinan

A power supply shroud covers cables and stops exactly 1.5” short of included fans, so that any 1.5”-thick radiator placed there will touch it. That shroud is also riveted in place, further restricting access to a modular power supply’s cable connections.

A plastic shroud helps builders conceal even more cable length. Removing it provides space for full-EATX (13” deep) motherboards, and the installation kit even includes the extra standoffs.

Located 10” forward of the power supply mounting flange, the lower drive cage does not have any backplane connector, nor rear access to drive cables, so anyone who needs to reach their cables will need to point the interface towards the right-hand panel, where cables are visible through the Cullinan’s tinted side panel. These trays also have 2.5” mounting holes, although these are inset too far to work with right-angle cable connectors.

A cardholder bracket slides open 1/2” to allow card installation, which is unfortunately 1/8” less than the space required to slide a PCIe graphics card over its slot. After wiggling and jamming our test card through that access hole, I was happy to find regular slot screws in addition to the clamping mechanism.

Cables include an ATA-style 4-pin power connector for fans, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, HD Audio, and the switch/indicator cluster. The Power LED connector is split to fit both standard 2-pin and Asus/legacy AT 3-pin spacing. Builders must be advised to attach an ATA power cable to their modular power supplies before shoving it into the limited-access power supply bay.

Roswill was kind enough to include both thumb screws and standard #6 case screws for mounting a power supply, where the thumb screws match those of the Cullinan’s side panel. Shoulders on the 3.5” HDD screws prevent them from being over-tightened against vibration-damping grommets.

One thing Rosewill doesn't mention in the manual is that the upper cable cover also acts as a card brace. The circuit board of our test card wasn’t long enough to reach it, but it still mated nicely with the card’s cooler support frame.

Other than minor cable access difficulties and a card tab access hole that wasn’t large enough to fit a card, component installation went smoothly. I mounted our 2.5” test drive behind the motherboard tray, and removing another 2.5” tray made space for the EPS12V lead.

Testing Methods, Results And Final Analysis

In spite of any installation woes, the finished product looks great! FYI, the grey reflections are cast by the table it’s sitting on, and the off-white reflection is from a light under that table.

Rosewill ATX Case, Mid Tower Case with Blue LED

Great looks and photographic augmentations aside, we really want to see how Rosewill’s Cullinan compares to other cases. To the point, I found two vastly different cases of similar size with which to compare the excellence of its glass panels and the inconvenience of its riveted-in power supply shroud/drive cage.

Great looks and photographic augmentations aside, we really want to see how Rosewill’s Cullinan compares to other cases. To the point, I found two vastly different cases of similar size with which to compare the excellence of its glass panels and the inconvenience of its riveted-in power supply shroud/drive cage.

Test hardware and methods remain consistent from the earlier review, and have been kept that way for over a year so that readers can compare data from any of our recently-tested mid-towers and full-towers.

Test Results And Conclusion

We continue to use our reference PC with its reference overclock for case testing, apart from replacing the X99S XPower AC with the X99S Gaming 7. That replacement has allowed us to compare tighter "Standard ATX" cases, since the XPower motherboard is oversize.

Noise is measured .5m from the case's front corner, on the side that opens. The numbers are corrected to the 1m industry standard -- used by many loudspeaker and fan manufacturers -- by subtracting six decibels.
Drivers And Settings

Chipset	Intel INF 9.4.2.1019
CPU	4.2GHz (42x 100MHz) @ 1.2V Core
Motherboard	Firmware 17.8 (02/10/2015)
RAM	XMP CAS 16 Defaults (1.2V)
Graphics	Maximum Fan for Thermal Tests | Nvidia GeForce 347.52

Test Results

Similarities between Cullinan and Z9 Neo temperatures can probably be attributed to fan arrangement. The Z9 Neo may be cheaper, but it does have one more (low-cost, non-controllable) fan.

The Cullinan’s fans aren’t exactly quiet, either. Its tempered glass side panels do a fairly good job of blocking in graphics noise, but so does the Z9 Neo’s plastic panel.

Focusing on performance similarities between the Cullinan and Z9 Neo hasn’t put much light on Enthoo Evolve ATX Tempered Glass performance, but we can see in the cooling-to-noise chart that its lower average temperatures and similar average noise levels produce a far better overall performance profile.

Rosewill quotes a Newegg price of  the Cullinan, where the Enthoo Evolv ATX TG sells for  more. The 27% additional cost can’t be offset by a 12% gain in overall performance, so the Cullinan takes the value lead between the two tempered-glass cases. The Z9 Neo, being a far cheaper case with plastic and steel panels, isn’t competing for the same buyers and was only included because of similarities in both size and internal construction.

That last part puts Rosewill in a bit of a bind. While the Cullinan has some high-end features such as the tempered glass side panels, front panel glass insert, better fans, and better port selection, it still has a few design and manufacturing shortcuts that let us know it’s not a complete contender for the tempered glass version of the Enthoo Evolv ATX. For example, I really despised the abuse I had to put my graphics card through to get it past the small opening for its screw tab. I reached maximum frustration after forgetting to add an ATA power cable to my power supply, since there isn’t enough room inside the riveted-on power supply shroud to fit my hand in and insert the cable end. I even had to ditch one of the case’s SATA trays just to make room for the EPS12V cable. While any of these flaws may have been mere annoyances on a case half its price, each of these are potential deal-killers in the high-end market.

And then there’s the missing eighth slot. It’s even missing from the more ergonomically-designed Enthoo Evolv ATX. We all know why some high-end system builders might need it, and that case makers consistently give us additional mounting space in the other direction because motherboard manufacturers keep labeling 10.6”-deep boards as EATX (13”) rather than XL-ATX (which requires an eighth slot). A case manufacturer could indulge a few extreme builders by adding that slot to its EATX designs, but even that wouldn’t have been a big enough move to mitigate all of the Cullinan’s other hardware installation difficulties.

For those who are not aware of how Rosewill came to be, let us lay down the ground work for you to wrap your head around. Newegg has seen many products on their shelves, and any smart company can see what products make money, and why not try for a piece of that pie, rather than getting a small percentage of each product sold. That led to the development of their in-house company Rosewill. Over the years, we have seen a pattern of taking some of the better products on the market and making them their own. Some of these products are direct copies without any changes other than names, while others do offer some minor changes in features, but at the heart of it all, these are cloned products. The primary goal with Rosewill, at least from what we were told long ago, is that while these may be copies of someone else's ideas, the previous trend is to try to offer said products with less cost involved as well. This brings us to the steel and glass chassis we got our grubby little mitts on now. While there is no doubt in our minds that this is a clone of the AI Crystal from Anidees, which we just reviewed previously to this chassis. Having the original so fresh in our mind, we will have no issues pointing out what is the same in this design, and what features have been changed along the way, to give this mid-tower chassis from Rosewill an identity all of its own. The AI Crystal comes highly recommended from us, so as long as Rosewill didn't throw a wrench into the works, it is hard for us to see where they could go wrong in this deal. Today we bring you the Rosewill Cullinan, a mid-tower chassis which sports tempered glass not only on the sides but the entire front panel as well. There are indeed some minor changes in what we will soon see, and as we had hoped, Rosewill did not mess with anything major. This means that you are essentially getting the Anidees chassis, but we do have to say that Rosewill may have one-upped them with their version. While the changes are subtle in the Cullinan, we feel what Rosewill has done to elevate the design are all things worthy of attending to in the first place, and somehow, they even made the Cullinan more aesthetically appealing too.

The Rosewill Spectra X with its tempered glass side panel, mesh front panel, 4 included rgb fans and coming in at seems like a great deal but is it worth your hard earned?

Like the popped collar on our jean jacket the Rosewill SPECTRA X is fly! Unlike that popped collar we wont be the only ones to think so.

I recently put a build together in this case and found it easy to work in. It has a nice layout for cable management rubber grommets on the cutouts plenty of room for the components and room for upgrades. The basement was large enough for the power supply which can be an issue when looking at similar cases from other manufacturers. Lets take a look at the specifications from Rosewill.

Rosewill Spectra X Specifications

Weight	17.20 lbs
Dimensions	17.56 x 8.74 x 19.02 in
Case Type	Mid Tower
Case Material	Steel, Plastic, Tempered Glass
Motherboard Compatibility	ATX, Micro ATX, Mini-ITX
With Power Supply	No
Power Supply Mounted	Bottom
Side Panel Window	Yes
LED Color	RGB
Internal 3.5″ Drive Bays	5 (1)
Internal 2.5″ Drive Bays	3 (7)
Expansion Slots	8
Front Ports	2 x USB 3.0, HD Audio In & Out
Fan Options	Front: 3 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm fan (3 x 120mm RGB LED fan pre-installed)Top: 2 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm fan (optional)Rear: 1 x 120mm RGB LED fan (pre-installed)
Radiator Options	Front: Up to 360mmTop: Up to 280mm
Max GPU Length Allowance	330 mm
Max CPU Cooler Height Allowance	170 mm
Max PSU Length Allowance	220 mm
Features	NOTICE: Please make sure your motherboard is equipped with on-board USB 3.0 socket before purchasingTop I/O Panel: 2 x USB 3.0, Audio Out, Mic In, LED Switch/Reset120 mm Fans: – 3 x Front RGB LED (pre-installed) – 2 x Top (optional) – 1 x Rear RGB LED (pre-installed)140 mm Fans: – 2 x Front (optional) – 2 x Top (optional)Water Cooling Radiator: – 360 mm in Front (optional) – 280 mm on Top (optional) – 120 mm in Rear (optional)Supports 330 mm long VGA CardSupports 170 mm high CPU CoolerSupports 220 mm max length PSUBottom Mounted PSU and HDD/SSD Shroud28 mm Panel for Organized Cables/Cords/WiresMesh Front PanelFull Size Tempered Glass Side Panel WindowTop and Bottom Dust Filters

Cooling

The Rosewill Spectra X does a good job of keeping all your components nice and cool. Thanks to its mesh front panel and 4 included fans, you wont have to worry about heat issues. The included fans seem to push enough air and are quiet enough. I had this build running next to me for the better part of a day while testing and did not find myself wanting to move it further away because of noisy fans.

Cleaning

Keeping your components dust free should be fairly easy as the Rosewill Spectra X has dust filters top and bottom and the mesh front panel comes of pretty easy for cleaning.


Cable Management

Managing the cables for this build was pretty straight forward. I didn’t find myself wishing there was more room or a tie down spot here. It cleaned up nice and the finished results looked great!

the rubber grommets in the main holes was nice to see, a lot of cases at this price point skip the rubber. I am not sure how much they save by doing that but it can’t be much.

Rosewill Spectra X Front I/O

The front I/O is pretty standard, there is two USB 3.0 ports, Power button, mic and audio ports which is good if you prefer that. I actually prefer the combined port some companies are now using but not a big deal as most headsets that use these come with adapters. The reset button has been relabeled and re-purposed to be the led modes button.



Final Thoughts

The Rosewill Spectra X overall build quality is good with plenty of boxes ticked that people now look for in an ATX mid tower in 2019. Its got plenty of air flow, quiet fans with room for upgrades. I would have no issue recommending this tower to anyone looking to spend around  on a case. The market is dense at this price point giving us PC builders and lovers plenty of good options and this one is one of the great options.

Rosewill Spectra X Gallery






Packaging

The packaging is plain, no doubt about that fact. There is a large rendering of the front panel off to the left of this front panel, leaving the right side for Rosewill to put their name and logo at the top, and the Cullinan name more near the center. We also see that this chassis is made in China, just below the box with no real information in it.

Five icons run across the top of this side panel, noting which way is up, not to let it get rained on, that it is fragile, maybe that it needs two hands to carry it, and possibly that it is not intended to be trash. The lower section offers the case name, its weight, as well as the Rosewill website address.

While the back panel is identical to the front panel, it does give us time to mention something overlooked the first time. In the rendering, we do see the Rosewill name at the bottom of the front bezel. However, it is not that easy to be seen, as it is painted on the inside of the tinted glass panel.

Every last bit shown here is identical to what the opposing thin side panel had shown us.

Our pre-release sample was shipped with additional dense foam packing at either end of the chassis, as well as down the sides, but this is a view of what the retail packaging will consist of. There is no plastic clinging to the glass panels like what Anidees did, but there is a plastic liner surrounding the entire chassis. The last measure of protection is the use of dense foam at the top and bottom of the Cullinan, to let it arrive as ours did, in great shape

Rosewill ATX Case NAUTILUS

The Rosewill NAUTILUS is a gaming mid tower provides you tremendous capacity. The NAUTILUS has 7 expansion slots, and can fit a card with maximum length up to 380 mm. With the help from the honeycomb air vents on the front and top panels, the air flow in the NAUTILUS is adequate to keep your system cool and under control.

Features:

Top-mounted I/O Ports: USB 3.0 x 2, USB 2.0 x 2, Audio In/Out
Side Window Panel
Honeycomb Air Vent
Pre-installed 3 Fans: 120 mm Blue LED Fan x 2 in the Front, 120mm Fan x 1 in the Rear
Supports up to 154 mm CPU Cooler
Supports up to 380 mm Graphics Card
Supports 240 mm long Water-cooling Radiator on the Top

Rosewill ATX Case, Mid Tower Case with Blue LED

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