Chassis tour - part one
At first glance, the boxy chassis takes some getting used to, and you begin to wonder if a single-smooth front face would have been easier on the eye.
Get past that initial impression, though, and you come to realise that the unusual design actually has a purpose. The silver Ikonik-branded rectangle that you see actually doubles as a power button - dubbed "kick start". The idea, then, is to have the Zaria A20 SIM placed under the desk where you'll be able to turn it on by simply stretching out a leg.
Not a whole lot of finesse involved, we must admit, and unless you're incredibly lazy, the novelty soon wears off. Fortunately, a standard power button is available on the top I/O, too.
Behind the brushed aluminium front door are the chassis' four 5.25in optical drive bays, and a single external 3.5in bay. Where are the power and hard-drive activity LEDs? They're cleverly placed behind the "kick start" panel and illuminate quite nicely.
Over to the left side of the chassis, and we see the dual 80mm blue-LED fans. We'll see how they perform later, but it's immediately apparent that their placement will be partially obstructed by a top-mounted PSU.
Over to the other side and we have Ikonik's ventilated mesh panel, allowing both air and unfortunately dust into the chassis. Should the latter be a concern, Ikonik also includes an interchangeable transparent window in the bundle. A useful inclusion, we feel.
At the rear it's a fairly basic affair. The Zaria A20 SIM keeps its PSU mounted at the top, and it's able to rest on anti-vibration rubber pads to help reduce noise.
The rear 120mm exhaust is also equipped with a blue LED, and below that you'll find seven expansion slots and pre-drilled holes for external water-cooling systems. Each side panel is easily removed via two thumb screws.
On the top rests a somewhat unusual I/O panel. Rather than have the chassis' selection of ports out in the open, Ikonik has seen fit to cover them with a magnetised rubber panel which it claims will help keep dust out. Although easily removed or rotated, we found it to be a little fiddly for our liking.
The I/O panel itself, however, is well equipped. The Zaria A20 SIM provides audio ports, two USB ports, FireWire, eSATA and a power button.
