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[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

XG, a division of MGE, has just launched a new all-aluminum case with a cool snakehead design, hence its name, Viper 2. We took a look at this new case from XG.

Figure 1: XG Viper 2 case.

This product is available in four colors: red (the one you see on our pictures), silver, blue and black.

Viper 2 is a very light 4-bay all-aluminum ATX case (four 5 ¼” bays, two 3 ½” bay plus four internal 3 ½” bay). One of the frontal 3 ½” bays is used to hold one mic input, one headphone output, two USB ports and, what is really cool, one FireWire port, a not so common feature. A door protects the bays, as you can see in Figure 2.

Figure 2: XG Viper 2 front panel.

This case carries a really cool display that monitors up to three fans, CPU temperature and comes with a clock. It also has a blinking snakehead figure (frankly, what is the point of having this feature?). On the front of the case you will also find two lamps that glow blue when the system is turned on.

Figure 3: XG Viper 2 display.

In Figure 4, you can see the back of Viper 2. It comes with an aluminum power supply, which helps a lot making this case very light, a place for installing a 120 mm fan (which comes with the case and glows red when the system is turned on) and seven slots for installing expansion boards.

Figure 4: XG Viper 2, back view.

[nextpage title=”Inside The Viper 2″]

You can see how Viper 2 looks inside in Figure 5. This case comes already with a 400 W aluminum power supply. Since it is aluminum made, it helps a lot making the case lighter. It has seven screwless slots for expansion boards, meaning that you can install daughterboards without needing to use a screwdriver. You can also see on Figures 5 and 6 the back fan, which glows red when the system turns on.

Figure 5: Inside Viper 2 case.

Figure 6: Back fan turned on.

In Figure 7, you can see the 120 mm front fan that comes with the case turned on (it also glows red when turned on). It helps cooling the hard disk drives installed in the internal 3 ½” bays.

Figure 7: Front fan turned on.

[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

Viper 2 main specs include:

• Application: ATX and smaller form factors derived from this one.
• Material: Aluminum.
• Power supply: 400 W in aluminum.
• Available colors: Red, silver, blue and black.
• Size: 16.5” x 10.2” x 21.3” (42 cm x 26 cm x 54 cm) (H x W x D).
• Weight: 17.6 lbs (8 Kg)
• Bays: Four 5 ¼” bays and two 3 ½” bay plus four 3 ½” internal bays.
• Expansion slots: Seven.
• Fans: Two 120 mm fans, one at the front panel cooling two of the 3 ½” internal bays, and one at the rear, which glows red when the system is turned on.
• Extra features: Two lamps that glow blue when the system is on, display showing fan speed, CPU temperature and a clock.
• More Information: https://www.xgbox.com
• Average price in the US*: USD 140.

* Researched on Shopping.com on the day we published this First Look article.

[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

Viper 2 is a really cool all-aluminum case, with a very different look. What is really awesome about it is its aluminum power supply, which helps a lot making it lighter than competitor products: it weights only 17.6 pounds (8 Kg). Aluminum cases from other manufacturers weight more than that without the power supply. Since many aluminum cases come without the power supply, you will need to buy it, and you will probably buy and install a steel power supply, making the system heavier.

We think the price is right for this product. Even though you can find good aluminum cases quoted around USD 100 and this one costs USD 140, you should keep in mind that Viper 2 comes with a power supply, which is not true for other products. So, to the USD 100 you need to add the cost of a good power supply (and as far as we know MGE/XG is a really good power supply manufacturer).

In summary: cool look + very light + correct price = great product.

The only constructive criticism we have to MGE is to use only one name as the brand name. Using MGE and XG at the same time is confusing. Even though XG is a brand name of MGE, the vast majority of users don’t know about this and can question if they bought the correct product or not.