Rosewill Blackhawk Ultra Case Review

Introduction

The Rosewill Blackhawk Ultra is a gigantic full-tower case supporting EVGA’s Classified SR-2 motherboard, which at the moment is the only motherboard in the world based on the HPTX form factor. It also supports E-ATX, XL-ATX, and smaller motherboards. This case has 10 expansion slots, 10 internal 3.5”/2.5” storage bays, one external 3.5”/2.5” docking bay, and supports the installation of two power supplies. Let’s take a good look at this unique product.

HPTX (High Performance Technology eXtended) motherboards measure 13.6” x 15” (345 x 380 mm) and E-ATX (Extended ATX) motherboards measure 12” x 13” (305 x 330 mm). XL-ATX (eXtra Large ATX) is not an official standard size: Gigabyte defines it as 12.8” x 9.6” (325 x 244 mm) while EVGA defines it as 13.5” x 10.3” (343 x 262 mm). The Blackhawk Ultra supports both.

The first thing we noticed about the Blackhawk Ultra is that it is based on the same platform as its main competitor, the Enermax Fulmo GT. In other words, both cases are manufactured by the same company in China, but they carry a different set of options. In this review, we will be discussing the differences between the two products.

Figure 1: Rosewill Blackhawk Ultra case

Figure 2: Rosewill Blackhawk Ultra case

The Blackhawk Ultra has a big mesh on its left-side panel, which comes with one 230 mm fan (Rosewill DF2303012SELN-GP) that glows red when turned on. It is important to understand that “230 mm” is the size of the frame of the fan on its longest side; the blades of this fan measure 190 mm. The manufacturer doesn’t state the technical specifications for this fan, which uses a standard fan three-pin connector, but you can connect it directly to your power supply using the included adapter. You can also install five 120 mm fans on this panel, or nine if the 230 mm fan is removed. All holes for screws feature rubber rings to reduce the vibration of the fans.

This configuration of the left-side panel is one of the main differences between the Rosewill Blackhawk Ultra and the Enermax Fulmo GT. The case from Enermax comes with two 120 mm “VEGAS” fans with blue LEDs and has room for two optional 180 mm fans.

Figure 3: The left-side panel

The reviewed case also allows you to install a 120 mm fan on its right-side panel, to cool down the underside of the CPU. This feature is also available on the Enermax Fulmo GT.

There are no air filters on the side panels.