In case you're interested, here's some more details.
-The internal case. The more I goof with it, the more the old field engineer in me likes it.
Here's a good video I found on the internals. Note that this example runs a Core i7 while mine runs a Core i5.
The case internals are pretty much the same so you get a good idea of what its like to slide off the side panel.
The location of the NVME drive had me confused at first, but its really quite logical and easy to access. There's also a nifty "pocket" built into
the side of the internal case if you want to add a normal SSD (power and data wiring is already provided).
The power supply is still
small. It isn't meant to be replaced or up-graded, (IMO) so you'll want to make sure any future upgrades don't suck a lot of Watts. Try to spot a cooling fan for the PS, I
dare you..
That means you can forget about running twenty yard's worth of ribbon LEDs OR any GPU that uses more than one fan (there also just isn't enough room for a GPU that won't fit on the palm of your hand).
Internal cable management boils down "whatever works" on the assembly line, so expect some surprises.
I knocked loose a mystery cable for some type of networking connector (that isn't even shown on the Amazon link) when I added the fan-less (cheap) GPU. No big deal to re-attach it, but still. This is
not the type of rig where you proudly use glass side panels.
Speaking of the link, I shopped out something close to what I ordered for some time. The two things that sold this tower were the CPU clock speed and the internal/included optical drive:
Prices are the normal "it will change in 15 minutes, anyway" Amazon standard, so if you're interested keep checking on the link.
Operation so far has been great. Grafting in the GPU happened with minimal hassle (I didn't even unfold any of the internal chassis hinges) although I may swap out the el-cheapo nVidia fan-less card for an el-cheapo AMD version. I like to keep my tower close on my desk along with the the monitor, key board, and track ball so noise tends to be a big deal and this thing is
very quiet. Heck, it only has
one fan. It went into "leaf blower mode" a couple of times during the Win11 install but, over-all its quieter than my current Win10 daily driver. Case lighting is super simple and subdued. The dot above the i in "Thinkcentre" glows red and there's also a tiny white LED below the power button that shows the main drive is hustling. On the back, all you get is a tiny yellow LED for your web connection. If you're used to parking your tower on the floor or in a drawer, this might not be the case you want. Air flow is effective but pretty minimal and that power supply looks like it won't tolerate a lot of cat dander.
Let's see, what else is important? The keep alive battery is a very standard
CR 2032 and its mounted at roughly the center of the mother board. Performance? Well, I just (mostly) finished the OS install so it isn't fair to post a reaction yet. Bare bones FS9 runs well at 60 FPS in 1920X1080 mode but I haven't dive bombed any clouds yet. You also get an optical (wired) mouse and a small keyboard. They'll look good sitting on a shelf until I have to use them.
So, this rig isn't "boutique" by any standard. If that's what keeps you going, that's fine. I don't drive a car that can run the quarter mile in seven seconds when I only want to go to the store, so your mileage will probably vary. The one thing that
may be a weak spot is the power supply but if this thing can last 4-8 years as a daily driver with some gaming on the side, I'll be more than happy.
I'm getting used to it and after an 18 hour shakedown, the updates are almost done.
