Normally I'm not a big fan of the full size tower cases. I like to be able to tuck my computers out of the way so I'm not banging my shins or kicking the case when I move around my desk. The trade-off is of course you don't have as much working space inside and room for components. But my prejudices on size aside, I think the Tagan El Diablo makes for a nice full-tower case.

What I liked about the El Diablo most was the style. There's definitely a wow factor with the huge LED fans filling the front and side panels of the case. They manage to incorporate the front fan with sculpted vents on either side to take up the extra width and the mesh used on both front and side panels is very open and should not inhibit airflow much at all. Both fans do a good job of keeping things cool and the oversize side fan has the benefit of feeding air to both the CPU and GPU areas. Both fans were fairly quiet even on high and can easily be adjusted to your preference with the built-in dials. Card slots and drive bays are tool-less, and the front panel door as well as the rest of the case is very sturdy and the finish is attractive and durable.

There were several things I did not like about the El Diablo, the worst of which is the number of power connectors required and the fact that they are not pass-through. Needing to use six +12v molex from your power supply is just not acceptable, some units may not have enough to power everything plus drives and other devices too. It also creates a wiring mess that is not easily hidden with the large mesh opening on the side panel. Speaking of which, case airflow would undoubtedly improve if the mesh were only covering the side fan. That way exhaust is routed properly out through the 120mm rear and power supply openings, rather than coming back out through the side panel. The side panel fan did have a bit of a "rattle" at full speed, possibly bearing related, which led me to think about where you would ever find a replacement in the event that it died. The fan speed adjusters did not seem to have an "off" setting even though Tagan claims the fans can be turned off completely. Finally the front panel door only opens 90° and seems to want to close part-way on its own.

The Tagan El Diablo sells for right around $120 which is comparable to similar full-tower cases, and features such as the unique oversize fans set this case apart. They really need to come up with a better wiring scheme though.



Thanks to Tagan for providing the El Diablo case for review.