Rosewill Line-M Case Review: Wherefore Art Thou Micro-ATX?
by Dustin Sklavos on February 26, 2013 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- MicroATX
- Rosewill
Conclusion: The Line-M Almost Hits Its Mark
My instincts when I saw the Line-M hiding in Rosewill's suite during CES 2013 turned out to be pretty much on the money. Rosewill has produced a budget case that is exceedingly effective at cooling hardware, producing competitive if not superior thermal performance even with some heady overclocking going on under the hood. This is by no means a perfect enclosure, but it's definitely a strong one and worthy of your attention.
Part of the reason why the Line-M is so effective is the simple and smart cooling design. The conventional ATX cooling design is honestly pretty awful, and even most case designers will agree. Bottom-front intake to top-rear exhaust is inefficient design, and you really do need to create a pretty strong updraft to get the air to move the way it needs to. Silverstone advertises natural convection as being one of the reasons why its rotated motherboard cases are as effective as they are, but it barely comes into play; the reason those cases are so good at cooling hardware is because there's nothing between the intakes and the hardware. Air just moves in a straight shot through the tower cooler and blower and out of the top of the case. Rosewill's Line-M doesn't have to rely on convection either; cool air comes in through the front and has almost a straight shot through the coolers.
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Where I think Rosewill starts to miss the mark is that the Line-M is too conservative in some ways. Silverstone's excellent Temjin TJ08-E featured a vent in the top of the case and allowed you to flip the power supply so that you didn't run the risk of pushing hot air through the PSU's components. I would've liked to have seen better cable management features in the Line-M as well, although that would undoubtedly add to the size of the case. I'm also perplexed by the use of an LED fan in the front. It sticks out like a sore thumb when the rest of the case is really quite staid.
Finally, while I don't think $55 is too much to ask for the Line-M, I do think it's not as competitive as it ought to be. I'd like to see this about ten dollars cheaper to be honest, and hopefully NewEgg's regular sales will drive it down to the price range it probably needs to be in. For the price, the Line-M is within range of Antec's more ostentatious but also more flexible GX700, though Antec's case is also much larger. Performance is comparable between the two, though, and the GX700 can do its job more quietly than the Line-M can.
When all is said and done, though, I do think the Line-M is a very strong choice for a budget build. For bottom-line enthusiasts it offers compelling thermal performance, while for office builds it has the potential to be a basic, reliable enclosure with the minimum needed trimmings. The Line-M could stand to lose the LED illumination in the front fan and does ask for a motherboard with some kind of fan control to spin down the fans when the system is idle. Despite these qualms, though, it's a pretty solid offering at $55, and if it shows up on sale for south of $50 it's going to be tough to beat.
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paulshardware - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
"...there's really no way to not do a messy job with this case, though, so keep that in mind."I beg to differ!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H51pFVZ0M14
;)
- Paul
Dustin Sklavos - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
It's a little shady to promote your own reviews on someone else's review.beemeup - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
I think he was just trying to make a point that even small enclosures can look tidy with modest effort. Though I suppose posting a picture would've sufficed all the same.I still prefer video reviews though. They help you get a better "feel" for the case in a way that pictures alone just don't do.
CeriseCogburn - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Anyone notice there's a giant gaping cutout for the motherboard ? (in the video vs in the review the whine there is not hole for cpu hs mounting)No of course not, you're all too busy complaining and moaning.
I started reading the review and though what a spoiled brat bad mouther of a review it is.
So if it is the same case, expect either a cutout or not. I will say I've seen this type of thing occur, as you don't always get what you order.
God forbid one would have to use screws to mount 5.25 bay items...
I mean this case is no where near barebones, nor as barebones as it gets.
SPOILED WHINING BRATS - that's what I see and hear.
uditrana - Wednesday, April 24, 2013 - link
Calm Down.I doubt anyone will respond but what Corsair PSU were you referring to. I would like to get it but m confused in the sea of PSU's
WeaselITB - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
I don't really see it as that much neater, anyway. He routed the 12v line a little different and doesn't have a graphics card with two power plugs hanging out in the middle of the case, which makes a big difference in terms of appearance.-Weasel
CeriseCogburn - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Why the blue case fan the review whines....Because all the little crazy PC brainwashed idiots on every website in the world squeal it must be BLACK and any leds are preferred BLUE.
That's why, we have a populace of lemmings and parrots who think they are in with cool as their personal tastes are declared completely in line with the "popular cool" line of total frikkin BS for no reason pop culture stupidity.
Black makes it very difficult to see and assemble, and with all the assembling WHINES in every freaking direction, one would think the idiot masses could choose another color more in line iwth correcting their constant complaints.
But no, BLACK is "cool" no matter what, and BLUE must be the LED color.
There you have it, the RETARDS of the world on fire for their proclaimed "personal preference" which is nothing more than an absolutely thoughtless regurgitation of the pop culture.
That's why "amd fanboyism" has been and is the scourge it is as well, too.
Ricadan - Sunday, March 3, 2013 - link
Why do you have to be such a damn supremacist? Just because some people may think blue LEDs on what is clearly an office-style case is ridiculous, that makes them a mindless sheep? Just because your opinions are different than what is popular, doesn't give you the right to feel superior. People have different opinions, deal with it.Also, why would you use the Fan LEDs to light the case up while assembling rather than just working in a well lit area?
Ilias78 - Friday, March 1, 2013 - link
He did a 10x times better cable management on that little case than you will ever do. Instead of criticizing the man, how about getting better at your work?ilihijan - Sunday, March 3, 2013 - link
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