darkFlash DK431 PC Case ATX Mid Tower Case High Cooling Performance High Compatibility Gaming Case with USB 3.0 Interface (Black)

Update: I was incorrect about the gray mesh front, it’s made of aluminum or some other light alloy, I was able to fairly easily pry up the prongs and it lifted out easily, the other filter is held on with magnets, solid design. The last picture is of the front after I painted it black, I think it looks much better, getting it back together was just as easy as removing it. This case rocks!This thing is amazing. Let me preface with I’ve built in the hyte y60, and the Corsair obsidian 450D. Let’s start with the negative, cause it’s easy. The materials used are lightweight and not very strong, I bent the metal slightly while installing a fan, not damaging, but it’s pliable. And the color of the front is kinda ugly. Now to the good stuff. The drive cage was the easiest to remove bar none, one screw, a tab and done, I also removed the sata tray cause I don’t use those either, freeing up more space for fan hubs. The hinged glass door is solid and closes firmly without rattling the glass, costs were cut for the handle as it’s just a small piece of folded material prolly glued under the glass, it works, but I wouldn’t lift the glass using only that to hold on to. Standoffs are clearly marked for appropriate motherboard sizes, and extra standoffs are included, likely for eatx builds. There appears to be enough room at the top for a 360mm aio as there is about 2 inches from the top to the inlets for cables, should just clear. I can confirm 3 140mm fans will fit in the front, something else I came across which intrigued me, is the clearance from the front panel of the case to the fans on the front was really small, so I threw some fans in using only one screw each, they were wobbly and had to be held in place to get the front on as I said there isn’t much clearance. The surprise came when the front snapped on and the fans were held in place so firmly that they could no longer be wiggled, so I’ll likely be running the front fans just using the included plastic fan holders, looks like there’s 4 of them, I’m guessing for the hard to reach places instead of using screws you could use these. I’m gonna run 2 on the bottom and one on either of the other two fans, and secure them with the front panel, should save me like 10 minutes of screwing and bending my arm like a worm. Plus it keeps the fan screw holes in perfect shape, win win. The depth on the backside is no joke, there is room for whatever you might want to throw in there. After removing the HD tray I am left with about 8 inches of open space which is hidden by the shroud, perfect for extra PSU cable management, instead of having to route along the back the slack can just be hidden underneath. There is also quite a bit of flat space on the walls to mount an rgb strip, if you wanted to have multiple lighting zones, although with the 3 fans mounted to the shroud it might be hard to see light underneath. The sata location is primed for 2 Corsair commander pros, since psu cables are going below, I’ll be able to use all available mounting points for sata power and fan cables, which should make the whole thing look much cleaner. After removing the HD tray there are 4 holes on the bottom of the case, allowing for slightly more airflow, although I might purchase some mesh and magnets just to cover them a little so the shroud fans don’t pull in too much dust from below. There is no usb-c, but pretty much every motherboard has it on the back, so it’s not a deal breaker, and an obvious way to save money. Here’s some stuff if anyone from darkflash reads this. It would be cool if the gray front part of the front panel was removable, I was thinking instead of the brackets that hold it on, maybe magnets, my reasoning is I would like to paint over the gray, I don’t like it, however it’s attached to the mesh making painting it very difficult, and I’m concerned about trying to bend the brackets cause they look like plastic and I don’t wanna break them. It seems like it would’ve been cheaper to go with standard pci slot covers instead of the break away ones on the back, but I see the utility of covering the vertical mounting section as well as retaining what’s already in place. Or perhaps include some extra covers so when they want to re-sell the case, it doesn’t have a couple horizontal holes in the back. Oh and just an idea, but your logo is kinda neat looking, perhaps you could make the logo out of some sort of foggy plastic on the psu shroud, then if someone puts rgb strips in the shroud, your logo would light up. Prolly add cost, but it would still be cool. If this case cost me $150 I would prolly be kinda irritated at the quality and some of the design choices. For $54 after taxes, this might be the best computer case ever made!

I haven't had any complaints with this case and find it spacious enough to accommodate everything I have added to it for my system. Although one can spend their money for a (very) similar Corsair case, for the price of this case, you get a great layout, good access to all the components you need to reach, and the freedom to customize it as you wish. Buyers complaining of hard to reach areas, limited ability to add components, and poor quality of materials should understand:1. This is a computer, not a hot swap network rack meant for you to change out components monthly because you are looking to upgrade instead of taking the time to design, configure, research, and then purchase components. If you have the money to throw at upgrading every month, perhaps another case is for you.2. Any case out there can be modified. I have cut cases, added switches, modified panels, and designed fully watercooled systems before cases were designed to be watercooled. If you are comfortable with a dremel, tape, and some time, you can modify anything to fit. I haven't had to modify this case, because it's arranged well.With that said, here's my review of the case.The pro's:- I have been able to successfully install a 360mm radiator in the top of this case. I have also been able to move the radiator and install it in the front of the case. The front is preferred depending on the thickness of the radiator. I didn't have to modify the case to make it work.- The case supports micro through EATX sized boards. No issues with the ATX boards I have used, that's my preferred form factor.- The case is capable of supporting 12 fans. I use 10 due to the radiator in the front and I am unable to install two in the side (unless I feel like modifying the side panel and mounting them externally).- The front mesh panel is a real nice touch with RGB fans and adds to the beauty of the case.- The magnetic filters are really nice to have as they can be easily removed, cleaned, refit.- Soundwise, the case is faily quiet, no complaints. I overclock my systems, I expect my fans to run a bit louder than most.The cons:- Someone earlier commented about the expansion card tabs and the locking door over it. The tabs are bend/break tabs. Would have been nice to have designed it with removable slots that can be screwed back in when not populated. The big door on the back of it is pointless, I took it off and have left it off.- If you have fans on the top of the lower compartment, you will have to remove 1 or 2 if you plan on using a PCI slot in that region, it is definitely tight there.- The power supply compartment is really nice IF you dont plan to have any drives in the cage included with the case. Although you might be able to mount it inside of the case, it looks crummy and depending on design, it looks out of place. If you use a radiator on the front, forget it, it wont fit. Cramming cables in the area is convenient, but trying to cram the case in there with PSU cables is impossible.- The top connections are outdated. They should consider including USB C ports in the top to get modern.Overall it's a good case. I like it with the options you have to customize your layout. Have had ZERO problems mounting a 360mm radiator and 280mm (dual 140mm fan) radiator within the case. The lower compartment needs to be reconsidered, but for the price, this is a great case that gives you the ability to spend your money on quality fans instead of buying a case because of a specific brand.

Cheap metal case, which I was fine with, what is not okay is the fact that it came with 0 fans! Nowhere did it mention this. Unbelievable!

I initially wrote a review raving about this case. It was literally everything I had wanted, it was perfect.. at first.-This case advertises full ATX Mobo and 360mm radiator compatibility... but this is not true.The length DOES permit a 360mm AIO, however, the WIDTH does NOT. Not in the front, nor the top (44mm / 50mm)-The side panel fan mounts do accommodate fans.. but not if you have a GPU beyond 360mm long.-The fan brackets at the bottom are the only silver lining.. but not for a modern build with 13th gen CPU that demands high quality AIO.Here's the thing with Darkflash: I absolutely love their case designs. All the way down to their cheaper models, they have always put out promising cases at solid deals. I grabbed the DLM21 mesh back in 2019(?), and to this day it remains one of my most favorite cases.But between then and now, something has changed. Darkflash released a SLEW of INCREDIBLE cases (see: DLX21 MESH, DLX22 MESH, DLM200) from 2021 - 2022, and then, right as I came back to the market for my next build... they decided to pretend those cases don't exist anymore.Customer service is nonexistent, only willing to promote Montech. I've sent upwards of 13 emails at this point trying SO HARD to get some help, but it just doesn't exist anymore, instead I get ad emails about cases and such that I have no interest in.I would give ANYTHING to get my hands on a case that Darkflash made prior to this year.. but no such Darkflash exists anymore.