AOpen Nouveau Tyldesley
The Nouveau available in Tyldesley might have a shortsighted name, but it's actually a good case that will be able to take upgrades for a few years to come. There are plenty of drive bays for additional storage, and the cooling is good, although a 120mm fan at the front would have been preferable to the 92mm mount.
Media & Data Ltd
01942 888373
01942 888373
19 Oak St
Tyldesley
Tyldesley
Risk Station Ltd
01942 797766
01942 797766
168 Elliott Street
Tyldesley
Tyldesley
Compurange Ltd
01204 651212
01204 651212
337 Derby St
Bolton
Bolton
Eventura Ltd
01204 392900
01204 392900
Croft Ho St. Georges Sq
Bolton
Bolton
At Solutions Uk
01942 525445
01942 525445
84 Market Street
Hindley
Hindley
Digitopia
01942 879879
01942 879879
242 Elliott St
Tyldesley
Tyldesley
Modus IT
07952 940259
07952 940259
42 Mancroft Avenue
Bolton
Bolton
Button Basher Games
01204 656939
01204 656939
312 Derby St
Bolton
Bolton
PC Solutions
01204 370655
01204 370655
Bolton Market,Unit 9 Ashburner Street
Bolton
Bolton
Laptop Repair Bolton
01204 770305
01204 770305
11 Great Moor Street
Bolton
Bolton
Provided By: 
AOpen Nouveau
In what could possibly be an attempt to attract a classier type of customer, AOpen has chosen the French word for 'new' as the name for its smart case. It's a slightly dubious proposition, because a name such as 'Nouveau' can't last long. You don't have to be Sartre to realise that as soon as the next design comes out, the existing one will no longer be fresh. Still, we can all be glad that they didn't call it the 'Nouveau Extreme Ultra'.
The case itself is a standard midi-tower unit, finished in a metallic graphite grey and constructed entirely of aluminium, apart from the front bezel, which is plastic. Both the metal and plastic have been painted so they blend together well.
The front of the case has a door covering its top half. Doors always have the potential to be irritating and, unfortunately, this one can't be removed without making its absence obvious. Concealed behind this door are four external 5.25in drive bays and two 3.5in bays.
Below the door, inset in the bezel, is a handy cluster of ports: four USB 2, one FireWire, and headphone and microphone jacks. Below this is a large circular grille, surrounded by plastic chrome. It resembles an earpiece on a giant 1970s Bakelite telephone, but is in fact a grille for the 80mm fan positioned behind it. A blue LED fan is supplied, but the case also supports 92mm fans. When the blue fan is lit up, the front of the case looks less awkward and more stylish.
In order to fit an optical drive, or change the front fan, the entire front bezel needs to come off. Don't despair, though, as the Nouveau's design is one of the cleanest and easiest ways of removing a fascia we've seen, and there's very little chance of breaking any fiddly plastic bits.
The side panel is pre-fitted with a window and a ducting system to draw fresh air straight over the CPU. The positioning for CPUs isn't the same on all motherboards, so getting this to line up can be a bit hit and miss, but when it's correctly hooked up, it can help to keep your CPU much cooler. The side panel is removed using a chromed plastic lever that we were a little worried about snapping.
Inside the case, there's nothing but rounded edges, which was good news for our delicate fingers.
In addition to the two external 3.5in bays, there are six internal 3.5in bays available to fit hard disks. All of the bays use a quick-release system that involves attaching two screws to the side of the drive, onto which the case's mechanism then latches. Despite this use of screws, AOpen describes this as a 'screwless' drive bay mechanism. Go figure. It's a fairly average system - not as horrific as some, but not as easy to use as the quick-release system of Cooler Master's Stacker case. The Nouveau's PCI slots are also quick-release, but you need a screwdriver to remove the blanking plate in the first place.
As well as the 80mm fan at the front, a 120mm fan is supplied at the back of the case. This is good news, as 120mm fans are an excellent way of achieving good airflow without involving ear-shredding noise. Also included is the AOpen Prima 400W PSU, which we haven't yet seen sold separately. The Prima is a more than capable 400W PSU, with two 12V rails, one supplying 14A, and the other 15A. It has a 24-pin ATX connector, but the extra 4-pin module slides off for compatibility with motherboards that only have 20-pin connectors.
Thankfully, the PSU already has a PCI-E power connector, as well as S-ATA plugs. It's cooled by a 120mm fan, with a variable resistor for adjusting the speed to keep noise at a minimum. Normally, we aren't fans of bundled PSUs in cases, as they tend to be very cheap and miserable. The Prima, however, is a cut above the normal dross bundled free with cases, and it could power a mid-range PC.
Finally, there's also a lint-free cloth supplied, for keeping the window and chrome bits all shiny and spangly, adding to the slight ponciness of the Nouveau's name.
CONCLUSION
The Nouveau might have a shortsighted name, but it's actually a good case that will be able to take upgrades for a few years to come. There are plenty of drive bays for additional storage, and the cooling is good, although a 120mm fan at the front would have been preferable to the 92mm mount.
The biggest downside is that it has a posh price to go with its posh name.
The case itself is a standard midi-tower unit, finished in a metallic graphite grey and constructed entirely of aluminium, apart from the front bezel, which is plastic. Both the metal and plastic have been painted so they blend together well.
The front of the case has a door covering its top half. Doors always have the potential to be irritating and, unfortunately, this one can't be removed without making its absence obvious. Concealed behind this door are four external 5.25in drive bays and two 3.5in bays.
Below the door, inset in the bezel, is a handy cluster of ports: four USB 2, one FireWire, and headphone and microphone jacks. Below this is a large circular grille, surrounded by plastic chrome. It resembles an earpiece on a giant 1970s Bakelite telephone, but is in fact a grille for the 80mm fan positioned behind it. A blue LED fan is supplied, but the case also supports 92mm fans. When the blue fan is lit up, the front of the case looks less awkward and more stylish.
In order to fit an optical drive, or change the front fan, the entire front bezel needs to come off. Don't despair, though, as the Nouveau's design is one of the cleanest and easiest ways of removing a fascia we've seen, and there's very little chance of breaking any fiddly plastic bits.
The side panel is pre-fitted with a window and a ducting system to draw fresh air straight over the CPU. The positioning for CPUs isn't the same on all motherboards, so getting this to line up can be a bit hit and miss, but when it's correctly hooked up, it can help to keep your CPU much cooler. The side panel is removed using a chromed plastic lever that we were a little worried about snapping.
Inside the case, there's nothing but rounded edges, which was good news for our delicate fingers.
In addition to the two external 3.5in bays, there are six internal 3.5in bays available to fit hard disks. All of the bays use a quick-release system that involves attaching two screws to the side of the drive, onto which the case's mechanism then latches. Despite this use of screws, AOpen describes this as a 'screwless' drive bay mechanism. Go figure. It's a fairly average system - not as horrific as some, but not as easy to use as the quick-release system of Cooler Master's Stacker case. The Nouveau's PCI slots are also quick-release, but you need a screwdriver to remove the blanking plate in the first place.
As well as the 80mm fan at the front, a 120mm fan is supplied at the back of the case. This is good news, as 120mm fans are an excellent way of achieving good airflow without involving ear-shredding noise. Also included is the AOpen Prima 400W PSU, which we haven't yet seen sold separately. The Prima is a more than capable 400W PSU, with two 12V rails, one supplying 14A, and the other 15A. It has a 24-pin ATX connector, but the extra 4-pin module slides off for compatibility with motherboards that only have 20-pin connectors.
Thankfully, the PSU already has a PCI-E power connector, as well as S-ATA plugs. It's cooled by a 120mm fan, with a variable resistor for adjusting the speed to keep noise at a minimum. Normally, we aren't fans of bundled PSUs in cases, as they tend to be very cheap and miserable. The Prima, however, is a cut above the normal dross bundled free with cases, and it could power a mid-range PC.
Finally, there's also a lint-free cloth supplied, for keeping the window and chrome bits all shiny and spangly, adding to the slight ponciness of the Nouveau's name.
CONCLUSION
The Nouveau might have a shortsighted name, but it's actually a good case that will be able to take upgrades for a few years to come. There are plenty of drive bays for additional storage, and the cooling is good, although a 120mm fan at the front would have been preferable to the 92mm mount.
The biggest downside is that it has a posh price to go with its posh name.
Author: Andrew Spode Miller
