GMC Bulldozer R4 - Computer Case Review?!

Page 2 - Packaging, general appearance

GMC Bulldozer R3 arrived in our lab in surprisingly lightweight box. Upon opening it the reason for that became evident - GMC use an interesting packaging – the standard styrofoam is replaced by packs of compressed air. Being made from sufficiently thick material they are sturdy and provide excellent protection. Practical solution that will create less of a mess when it time to be thrown out (popping them is fun, honestly :) )

But enough about the wrap, let us remove it an admire the result:

Naturally there is more stuff coming along with the case - such as a PCI slot cover, manual, advertisement leaflet, speaker for the motherboard and of course the inevitable screws and nuts:

Now for more detailed look at the Bulldozer from all the angles. Its panels are made from standard Korean alloy sheets (SECC), common in cheaper cases. The right side has a opening around the hard drives position, above the motherboard. On the left one we have an interesting plastic superstructure that not only serves as air intake but also hosts the thermometer and fan controller (for the additional 80MM fan on the inside of the panel). There are pictures around the net showing the case without this superstructure, but we assume they are from an earlier or "beta" version of the product:

The front panel is made from black plastic. At it is the unique bay for the optical drive along with the hydraulic piston imitation that actually takes care of its cover. Below it is the grill for the provided 92mm red LED fan, the on/off and reset buttons, the multi port and another digital thermometer:

The back panel is pretty standard, the thing that we found puzzling though is the fact that it is apparently designed to house two 80mm fans yet uses a single 120mm. Not that this is much of an issue, but still, a part of the air flow of the bigger fan will get obstructed leading to increased noise and unwanted flow whirling. Again - not that much of a problem, but annoying nevertheless. Apparently the back panels are of the "one type fits all" kind:

The bottom of the case is also provided with opening for a cooling fan (80mm).