Xigmatek Octans Review

Xigmatek Octans Review

Manufacturer: Xigmatek
UK price (as reviewed): £35.99 (inc VAT)
US price (as reviewed): $64.99 (ex TAX)

If you're keen on building a decent gaming PC but need the dimensions kept to an absolute minimum, then you have plenty of great options when building a system. There are loads of good mini-ITX motherboards these days and cases too are really taking the fight to larger form factors. Xigmatek has quite a few cases to choose from here although its £35 Octans has some stiff competition from the likes of SilverStone, Antec and Cooler Master.


Price-wise, the Octans is very competitive, and easily a match for the likes of Cooler Master's Elite 130, while coming in a little lower than SilverStone and Antec's offerings too. Xigmatek has always managed to add a certain uniqueness to the aesthetics of most of its cases and the Octans is no exception. The plastic exterior gives a decidedly stealthy look but does add considerably to the case's dimensions.


As a result, despite the interior being of similar size to Cooler Master's Elite 130, the Octans is much larger in every direction overall. This won't pose too much of a problem if you intend to place it on a desk or on the floor, but if your requirements are otherwise limited - perhaps you want to place it in a TV cabinet as an HTPC or just need the case to be as small as possible, then the Octans isn't particularly efficient here.


The good part is that the case is fairly attractive and with no fans or grilles at the front of the case, it's likely to be quieter too. The price does dictate a pretty minimalist theme throughout the case, with just the bare minimum of two USB 3 ports and audio minijacks, along with power and reset buttons, on the I/O panel. The only bit of pizazz is an illuminated corner light similar to the Nebula C we looked at recently.


There's plenty of ventillation though, with vents on both of the removable side panels plus two large vents in the base of the case too, with these sporting dust filters. They do have fan screw mounting holes but as the PSU and motherboard rest directly above them, we're not sure why they were included. Combined with the other vents, we do expect the case to deal very well with negative air pressure, especially as these lower vents can come into play if you use the included rubber feet.

Specifications

• Dimensions (mm) 284 x 397 x 220 (W x D x H)
  
• Material Steel, plastic
  
• Available colours Black
  
• Weight 3.44kg
  
• Front panel Power, 2 x USB 3, stereo, microphone
  
• Drive bays 1 x internal 3.5in/2.5in, 1 x internal 3.5in
  
• Form factor(s) Mini-ITX
  
• Cooling 1 x 120mm top fan mount (fan not included), 1 x 80mm rear fan mount (fan included)
  
• CPU cooler clearance 140mm
  
• Maximum graphics card length 300mm
  
• Extras None