Rosewill Conqueror Case Review

[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

Conqueror (a.k.a. RPS-01) is an entry-level mid-tower case from Rosewill with some interesting features usually found only on more expensive models, like meshed bay covers with dust filters, three 120 mm fans and two removable hard disk drive cages. Let’s take an in-depth look at this case.

Conqueror is available in black with two options of color for the front panel opening, black or silver, and with or without a transparent side window. We reviewed the black-panel version with a transparent side window (a.k.a. RPS-01-W BK).

Figure 1: Rosewill Conqueror case.

Figure 2: Rosewill Conqueror case.

As you can see in Figure 1, you can add a 120 mm fan on the transparent side panel if you want extra cooling.

This case has a front door, shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Front door.

In Figure 4, you can see the front panel with the door opened. This case has nine 5.25” bays and all of them can be used by 5.25” devices, however the case comes with two removable hard disk drive cages that take three bays each (we will talk more about this later). The bay covers are meshed, which improves the case internal airflow (the front door would block the air intake, however the door has an opening as you can clearly see in Figure 4) and each one has a dust filter. Notice how the first cover has a 3.5” bezel.

Figure 4: Front panel.

[nextpage title=”Introduction (Cont’d )”]

We removed all covers to see what is behind them, see Figure 5. By default this case comes with its two hard drive cages installed on the lower bays, but you can move them around. Conqueror has two 120 mm frontal fans, which are attached to the hard disk drive cages. Even though this case does not feature a speed controller for its fans, all fans use a three-pin connector, allowing you to install them on the motherboard and thus monitor their speed. These fans glow blue when turned on. We were surprised to see that the fans used are from SilverStone (FN-121BL).

Figure 5: Front panel.

In Figure 6, you can see some of the bay covers, notice the dust filters.

Figure 6: Bay covers.

The small panel containing the audio and USB connectors is located on the top of the case. This case comes with one FireWire port and two USB ports. The two USB ports are very far away from each other, allowing you to install two “fat” USB devices at the same time.

Figure 7: Available connectors.

The rear panel from Conqueror can be seen in Figure 8. This case uses meshed slot covers, which is great to improve the ventilation inside the case. It also comes with a rear 120 mm fan and what is really interesting about this case is that it has a big open hole in front of the rear fan. Several cases found on the market have several small holes in front of the fan instead of having one big hole, what blocks part of the airflow produced by the fan. The left side panel is attached to the case using thumbscrews, but the right side panel uses regular screws. Conqueror uses the standard ATX layout, with the power supply going on the top of the case and seven expansion slots.

Figure 8: Rear panel.

Now let’s take a look inside Conqueror.

[nextpage title=”Inside Conqueror”]

In Figure 9 we can have an overall look inside Rosewill Conqueror. Even though we can remove the right panel the motherboard tray is permanently attached to the chassis.

Figure 9: Inside Conqueror.

The material used inside the case is the same one used by low-end products and even though the edges are rounded to avoid you from cutting yourself we were afraid of getting cut (this didn’t happen, though).

As you can see, no screwless mechanism is used to fast disk drives or daughterboards; they must be fastened to the case using regular screws.

Figure 10: Rear panel, inside view.

Now let’s take an in-depth look at the disk drive options from the reviewed case.

[nextpage title=”The Disk Drive Bays”]

This case has nine external 5.25” bays and they don’t come with any screwless installation mechanism. On the default configuration the bottom six bays are used by two removable hard disk drive cages, so if you keep the default configuration you can only three 5.25” bays available.

Figure 11: Nine 5.25” bays.

Each hard disk drive cage holds three hard disk drives and comes with a 120 mm fan, as already explained. No screwless mechanism is used here as well. These cages are removable, meaning that you can remove them completely from the case (if you need more 5.25” bays) or you can change their position, for example moving one of the cages to the top part of the case.

Figure 12: Hard disk drive cages.

This case also comes with two 3.5”-to-5.25” adapters. So you can install floppy disk drives and memory card readers on this case. Notice, however, that this case comes with only one 3.5” bay cover.

Figure 13: 3.5”-to-5.25” adapters.

As you can see, Conqueror comes with many drive options, making it a very flexible product. If you use the two adapters you can have up to eight hard disk drives and one 5.25” unit, which is more than enough for even the most hardcore user. On the other hand, if you need lots of 5.25” bays you can remove the cages and have eight 5.25” bays and one hard disk drive bay (using one adapter). And, of course, there are lots of other possible configurations in-between.

[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

Rosewill Conqueror case main specs include:

• Style: Mid-tower
• Application: ATX and smaller form factors derived from this one.
• Material: Zinc-coated steel (SECC).
• Power supply required: Doesn’t come with the product.
• Available colors: black with black or silver front panel detail.
• Side panel: Solid or with transparent side window.
• Dimensions: 19.5” x 7.854” x 18.11” (49.5 cm x 20 cm x 46 cm) (H x W x D).
• Net Weight: 17 lbs (7.7 Kg)
• Gross Weight: 20.3 lbs (9.2 Kg)
• Bays: Nine external 5.25” bays and six internal 3.5” bays in two hard disk drive cages (which one using three 5.25” bays). Two 5.25”-to-3.5” adapters.
• Expansion slots: Seven.
• Fans: Two 120 mm on the front (each one attached to one hard disk drive cage and glowing blue when turned on) and one 120 mm fan on the rear.
• More Information: https://www.rosewill.com
• Average price in the US*: USD 65.00

* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

Rosewill Conqueror is a mid-tower case targeted to the average user that wants an inexpensive case with features usually only found on high-end models. Here is a summary of what we found about this product.

Strong Points

• Light.
• Amazing number of hard disk drive bays that will please even very high-end users.
• Excellent flexibility for the disk drive bays configuration.
• Meshed bay covers with dust filters.
• Big open hole for the rear fan.
• FireWire port and two USB ports that are far away from each other, allowing you to install two “fat” USB devices at the same time.

Weak Points

• No speed control for the fans.
• No screwless mechanism for fastening daughterboards or disk drives.
• No anti-vibration mechanism for the hard disk drives.

The maximum suggested retail price for this case (USD 110) is completely out of reality. This case is a good pick if you can buy it for around USD 60. In fact it is sold at Newegg.com for USD 65, which is not a bad price at all. At this price point it competes with Tagan A+ Curbic, a mid-tower case that we reviewed and liked a lot. Compared to this model from Tagan, Conqueror has the advantage of coming with an amazing flexible disk drive configuration, while A+ Curbic has on its side the presence of speed control for its fans. Rosewill Conqueror is certainly a very good option for the regular user looking for a good priced entry-level mid-tower case with features usually found only on more expensive models, and that is why we are giving it our "Golden Award" seal. But, of course, if you prefer a case with a better construction quality you will have to buy a more expensive product.