Final Words & Conclusion
Final Words & Conclusion
While looking at it, you probably do not expect it, but the QuadStellar actually makes a lot of sense from a design overview. It's spacious, can house pretty much anything you want, and yeah airflow isn't that bad either TBH. The case is definitely a bit noisier compared to what we are used to these days, but if that bothers you, just lower fan RPM to 500 or swap out the fans for some quieter ones. The SSD/HDD storage space is near silly, the biggest PSU you can purchase fits as well as the finest motherboards. The front side mechanically opening airflow intakes are funky, but more of a gimmick really. But all that is irrelevant as this chassis is about just one thing, aesthetics. And yeah I know, some of you will dislike this design, but ever since I unboxed it, I cannot get my eyes off of it as it is something so unique and gorgeous looking.
Aesthetics
When TriStellar launched, it went viral like crazy, a design like never seen before. Based on that DNA the QuadStellar was born. Imho, it's better as DeepCool took the time to really think things through. The four separated compartment work out well in usability and of course design. DeepCool added a tempered glass see-through window per panel and thus compartment. This is dark coated glass, so if you do not apply some sort of LED inside that compartment, it mostly remains dark, which brings in a very subtle and mystifying feel. However, if you like to place emphasis on say your motherboard, just add a LED strip, the same can be said for the graphics card compartment. Once you do that at twilight or night time, your components will reveal themselves. And albeit taste differs, I love that top side compartment for just the graphics card. It's a little freaky to see to have its position away from the motherboard. BTW I ran some tests, I can not detect anything worrying by extending the PCIe slot with a cable. These riser cables are heavily shielded.
DeepCool tops it all off with the four mechanically opening airflow intakes. Look at the video on page one to get an example, it's a bit gimmicky I agree, quite noisy when they open up or close as well. But hey it does bring in a certain X-factor that is hard to describe. Like it or not, you just can't argue taste as it is the most subjective thing and does not make the job this reviewer any easier. Each and every little aspect of the chassis has been thought through really well. The design of the chassis has been made to make your life a little easier while combining the best features an enthusiast crowd seeks in a chassis. But yeah, this is a well thought through concept with decent cooling, dust filters, USB 3.0 integration and relatively tool free design. The glass panel inserts and glossy all dark front panels obviously give it the killer looks.
G0t problems?
Yes, a couple of things. I would have liked to see better options for liquid cooling. You need to stick to 120mm fans and radiators (and multitudes from that ) to get something adequate in there, missing thus is 140mm/280mm which has grown to become a very popular mounting size. At the front side there, however, is plenty of space for a 120 up-to 360mm radiator. My second issue is the APP control. The management control unit of this chassis only works over WIFI in combination with your IOS or Android Smartphone, there is no other way to communicate with it through say your PC. Basically, you need to setup 2.4 GHz wifi on your phone, connect to that. Then in the DeepCool APP you add the SSID and password info to the wifi network and then scan for the control unit. So, what if you are unable to connect? Well, then you'd be stuck as you cannot address the management console from anything other than that WIFI connection. It works well though. Last but not least, I have to mention overall installation can get a little bothersome. It is, of course, the nature of the design and installing components is simply put, a little weird. This will take up way more time compared to your regular chassis. Everything can be reached and /or removed and you have good space to work in. But if hardware installation will be on a higher level of comfort compared to a traditional chassis, if that is not your thing, this chassis might not be the one for you. Oh one last thing, the chassis does not have reset button, just the power on/off. DeelCool wanted as little as possible visible to not destroy the looks of the chassis.
Features
Let's talk about features, we just can't complain here? Big motherboards fit, you get more storage space options than you'll ever need, you can insert a Diesel powered PSU and it would still fit. Yeah all great, the one slightly limiting thing is maybe the CPU cooler height being limited due to the compartment height. But I assume anyone who purchases a 399 USD case, is also going for liquid cooling. Which fits in 120/240/360cm radiator sizes. Though there is just one riser kit included, multiple more lengthy graphics card will fit as well. The chassis has nice motherboard cutout and there's enough but not plentiful space left for cable routing through the grommet holes, all in that all-black interior. The overall build quality of the chassis is good, you do need to pay attention to the compartment panels while removing and inserting them based on the paint job and scratches. Here again, that is the nature of the design, as any chassis has that as a similar problem. Build quality wise everything is sturdy and thick, no complaints there either.
The Verdict
I spilled the beans in the first paragraph already I guess, next to actually being a good chassis, the QuadStellar simply is all about offering stunning looks and that x-factor, quad-factor perhaps is the better description. As a chassis, it does that job well, very well even. You have plenty of storage options alongside very manageable cable routing. Weirdly enough everything seems to sit in the right place as well. The airflow, albeit difficult to measure is enough for any decent build as all compartments have its own fan, and there are little gaps everywhere to provide the chassis from cold air. When you do need more airflow, the frontside mechanically operated airflow intakes can be opened up, these air intakes are covered by a magnetic dust filter you can clean out. So your bases are covered. While I can write up an intensely long conclusion we all can quickly agree that QuadStellar is not your average product. At 399 USD it certainly is out of reach for many (albeit it's looking cheap now compared to a GTX 1080 Ti now eh? :). Please do realize the QuadStellar isn't intended for a huge crowd either. This is all about getting something special out there, as such I expect maybe a couple of hundred of these units built worldwide. You cannot argue taste though, I mean I am seriously impressed at what I am looking at, and it's not even a final build with liquid cooling just yet. Perhaps I'll order some more LCS kitty and make a new build based on my Threadriper 1950X / Zenith setup, as that gear deserves an extraordinary housing. My main quirk with the Quad Stellar is that you can only use the management unit to control fans/LEDs/air-intakes with a WIFI Smartphone app, there is no alternative. It works well though, the LED strips amazing with fade/visor/rainbow effects and what not.
Concluding; while slightly subjective, you probably can read through the lines that I am really digging the Quad Stellar and hey, like it or not, you have to give DeepCool credit for designing something so unique. It comes with a few quirks, might not be the most silent one or best airflow performing one, but these key points are all more than adequate enough. The design, the compartments and that separated graphics card compartment, really make up for some of that smaller stuff. The QuadStellar is all about its design, and to my friends at DeepCool, respect, that design is amazingly impressive .. it is stellar.
- Sign up to receive a notice when we publish a new article
- Or go back to Guru3D's front page
