Spire Sonex 6010 Chassis

The first thing that jumped out at me was the clean look of the front bezel.  The black mesh, shiny plastic and the top control panel all really stand out.  The Sonex 6010 is completely black inside and out except for the silver power button on the top control panel.  I always prefer a chassis with a uniformly painted rear and interior because I think that is a sign of quality and attention to detail. When the system is powered the front intake fan emits a blue glow and there is additional blue lighting from the power button, above the fan and under the control panel.   

The Top control panel has a brushed metallic power button, reset button, HDD Activity light, two USB 2.0 Ports, MIC and headphone connections (HD Audio and AC’97).  There are dust filters behind all the front panels that will help keep your system running clean.  There is also a spot for a SD/MMC/MS Card Reader, but this particular chassis did not have one installed.  There is an alternate version called the Sonex 6010 Plus that includes the Memory card reader, so if that is something you require I would suggest checking out that model or just installing one into the external 3.5” drive.

The front side of the chassis has ventilation holes that could support two additional 120mm fans for additional intake for your graphics card and CPU Cooler.   I usually like to have more ventilation on a gaming rig and would personally add an additional side fan.  I’m always cautious about temps, but the default configuration will be more than enough for most people.

The rear view shows the PSU placement at the top, one 120mm exhaust fan, motherboard I/O panel, seven expansion slots, two diamond shaped air vents, two water cooling ports w/rubber grommets, and a tab that can be bent out and slid through the side panel to lock the system down.   Once you pop out the expansion slots you can’t put them back, so make sure you only pop out the ones you need.

With the side panel removed you can get a clear view of the motherboard tray and the drive bays.   The motherboard tray fits up to ATX boards and has a large opening for installation and adjustment of aftermarket coolers with motherboard installed.  There are four 5.25” bays and five internal 3.5” plus one external 3.5” bays.  All the internal metal openings have rolled edges, so you don’t have to worry about cutting yourself or your cables.

Included is an orange pouch with a manual, warranty card, Motherboard Speaker and the necessary accessories to get your hardware installed.  I always appreciate the accessory bag being included because it gives me a place to store all the extra screws, connectors and whatever else I might need at some point in the future.  I usually just end up putting everything in the bag and taping the bag somewhere inside for safekeeping.