Hiper Osiris Mid-Tower Case Review

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Hiper Osiris HTC-1K514 Mid-Tower Case Review

Manufacturer Product Page: HIPER - PRODUCTS - HIPERCASE - OSIRIS
Product Number:
Silver: HTC-1S514
Black: HTC-1K514
Availability: Now
Warranty: 3-Year
Price: $160 - $200 USD.


Here at Hardware Canucks we are somewhat choosey when manufacturers approach us with new computer cases they want us to review. This is mostly because there really hasn’t been much innovation in the realm of enclosures in quite some time but at least you know that when we review a new case, it will be something which looked interesting to us and therefore will probably stand out to you the reader. This is why when Hiper asked us to review their new Osiris case, we jumped at the opportunity. After taking a look at their very fist case in our http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru.../2863-hiper-anubis-mid-tower-case-review.html, we came away with an extremely positive impression even though Hiper was still a complete newcomer to the enclosure market. While the Anubis was a very good case, there were some very minor issues which could have been prevented with a little more engineering and careful study. Both reviewers and users alike submitted their impressions about the Anubis directly to Hiper and in doing so have helped make this next foray into the enclosure market that much better.

This new product we are talking about is the Osiris mid-tower case that incorporates all of the lessons Hiper learned from the Anubis plus a few other extras thrown in for good measure. Naming an enclosure after the Egyptian god of death, life and fertility may seem a bit odd but we are guessing Hiper was better off with this name rather than calling the case after Osiris’ mythical mother; Nut. Interestingly, Hiper seems content to keep naming their cases after various gods of death and the afterlife so we wouldn’t be surprised if their next product is called something like Hades or Odin… so stay tuned.

Cases are a dime a dozen these days in a crowded market where it seems like every company imaginable is vying for your attention and hard-earned dollars. Hiper has waded into this market face first and is banking on their design prowess to draw the customers towards the Osiris instead of competitors’ solutions. Like the Anubis before it, the Osiris is a mid-tower case with Hiper not willing to test the waters of the full-tower enclosure market just yet. While it should be interesting to see what they do if or when they release a full-tower case, this is what we have for now. That being said, the Anubis garnered enough of our accolades that we are excited to see what the Osiris has in store for us.

Before we progress too far into this review, there is something that we have to get off our backs and that is a mention about availability for the Osiris. Even though Hiper has stated to us quite a few times that they have had stock of this particular enclosure for some time, finding one at major etailers here in Canada is next to impossible. This is extremely unfortunate since there have been quite a few mentions of this case at the various Canadian forums we visit and for all intents and purposes, there seems to be next to no Hiper presence here. If by some act of God, you do happen to find the Osiris for sale expect retail pricing to be between $160 and $200 which makes it slightly less expensive than the Anubis. Hopefully this unfortunate situation will come to an end soon since there are plenty of people out there who want Hiper products.

All right, with that off my back let’s get this show on the road!!

 

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Specifications

Specifications

 

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Packaging & Accessories

Packaging & Accessories

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The Hiper Osiris is packaged in a remarkably compact box which is a huge departure from some of the behemoths we have seen in the past like the infamous Thermaltake Sword M. There are quite a few great shots of the case itself, a full listing of the specifications and even a fairly accurate representation of the god Osiris himself lounging back on a chair. The predominantly black color scheme does quite well in conveying the over look and feel of the product which is packed securely within the box’s protective confines.

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Inside of the box we have the Osiris which has its top and bottom protected by a pair of foam inserts and is additionally wrapped in a thick plastic bag. It is a bit disappointing to see that the sides of the case are not protected by foam as well since we have received quite a few packages in the past which have some pretty nice holes punched in their side. However, the protection afforded this case can be considered adequate for long distance shipping.

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Much like we saw with the Anubis, all of the accessories are packaged in what looks to be a slim pencil case. This is actually quite convenient since when not being used for accessories it can dub as a temporary holder for your tools.

Inside of the case you get a good number of high quality accessories and various screws and standoffs which are all in individually-marked bags. This makes finding the right screw blissfully simple and we have to tip our hats to Hiper for thinking of this most basic convenience that makes our lives that much easier. Other than the screws and standoffs, you get an Osiris keychain, amazingly horrible velcro tie-wraps, expansion slot covers and a pair of 3-pin to Molex adaptors for the fans.

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The keychain is quite a large affair with a profile of Osiris on one side and your individual serial number on the other. Since this is supposedly a “limited” run of cases, each Osiris case has a number associated with it but since this can go up to 999,999 we wouldn’t call this limited at all. Basically, don’t expect this case to become a collector’s item or anything.

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The fold-out instruction manual holds a step-by-step instruction process for installing your components into the Osiris. Unlike many other such manuals floating around out there, this one is in clearly-written English with perfect diagrams.

As already mentioned, there is also a trio of perforated expansion slot covers included. These are needed since the existing expansion slot covers on the Osiris can be removed but not put back into place so these ones can easily be subbed in. The also provide a bit of additional airflow which is usually sorely needed in cramped mid-tower cases.

 

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Exterior Impressions

Exterior Impressions

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Here we have our first look at the Hiper Osiris and upon first glance it looks like a towering black monolith. Gone are some of the unique design elements which made the Anubis stand out from the crowd since it looks like Hiper was aiming for something a little more mundane this time around. While the design may appeal to a broader range of consumers, it also makes the Osiris look like so many other enclosures on the market. This is a bit of a shame since we were hoping for something a little more interesting. That being said, there are still plenty of features which differentiate this product from the rest of the pack.

Since this point is highly subjective I’ll tread a bit lightly by saying that I happen to like the look of the Osiris since I absolutely hate loud, flashy designs and much prefer the understated elegance this case has. The only thing that feels a bit different this time around is that the Anubis felt like it was built to withstand a nuclear blast but the Osiris is a bit more flimsy and light.

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Both side panels of the Osiris have handy latches on them which securely hold them in place and completely eliminate the need for thumb screws. On one side you have an acrylic window which is backed in perforated aluminum and the other side has a plain black façade.

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The back of this case gives us the first clue that the Osiris is not laid out like most other enclosures on the market. Rather, it uses a reverse mounting method where the power supply is located on the bottom instead of the top which moves all the other items on the back a bit higher up. There is also the notable absence of a motherboard backplate but this is perfectly fine by us since it is next to impossible to make a universal backplate these days anyways.

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As already mentioned, the power supply mounting location is at the bottom of the case and has a number of accurately-placed thumbscrew locations to secure any PSU on the market. Meanwhile, Hiper has also supplied a pair of rubber water cooling tube grommets on the back but as you will see later, as with all mid-tower cases space is at a premium inside the Osiris. Thus, there really isn’t much space to mount your water cooling kit.

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Continuing on our tour of the back of the Osiris, we come to the 120mm fan mounting location. This size of exhaust fan has pretty much become the golden standard in the enclosure industry and Hiper has also added mounting holes for 92mm and 80mm fans as well.

There is also a small plaque which identifies your case as being somewhat “unique” in the grand scheme of things. It is a good feeling when you think something is special so this alone may sell may sell more than a few of these cases…even though they are not particularly part of a limited run.

 

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Exterior Impressions pg.2

Exterior Impressions cont.

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The front of the Osiris continues the somewhat unexciting exterior design scheme but at the same time it holds at least one interesting feature. Hiper has designed the top two 5.25” bay covers to act as doors which swing open when you press the built-in eject button. This button presses on the eject button on the drive itself which will then push open the cover. This conveniently covers any unsightly white-faced disk drives you may have and also continues the overall design intent throughout the whole façade. There is also a small logo in the upper right-hand corner depicting a pair of hieroglyphs along with a bottom-mounted grille for the included 120mm intake fan.

Up on top of the case, we see a bit of a different layout from most ATX cases. There is a 120mm exhaust fan along with all of the usual controls one would normally find on an enclosure.

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The top panel includes the usual audio in / out connectors along with an on / off switch and a reset button. Hiper has also included a pair of USB 2.0 connectors and an eSATA port if you happen to have an eSATA hard drive enclosure or other device. Upon first glance, this placement may look perfect for accessibility and you would be correct if you have the Osiris placed on the floor or on top of the desk where the top panel is easily accessible. However, if you are like me and place your case inside of a desk where there is only about 2” of clearance between the top of the case and the bottom of your desk, you are in a bit of trouble. Inserting a USB flash drive becomes a lesson in futility and you will continually find yourself groping around for the on / off button.

The top exhaust fan is placed here due in part to the Osiris having a bottom-mounted power supply. The reason for this is that in a standard ATX case with the PSU at the top, the power supply fan is supposed to act as part of the nominal airflow scheme. Since the Osiris has the power supply located at the bottom, Hiper added a 120mm exhaust fan to pick up some of the slack.

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The bottom of this case holds a quartet of self-leveling feet that have soft rubber applied to their undersides. Not only does this rubber cut down on the natural vibrations that go through any chassis but they also make it a breeze to slide the Osiris from one place to another.

 

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Interior Impressions

Interior Impressions

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Once the side panel is unlatched and pulled free, we are greeted with a pretty spacious interior considering the Osiris is a mid-tower case. Instead of the usual drab grey interior we see with many enclosures on the market, Hiper has finished the drive bays a matte black while the motherboard tray is powder-coated a dull silver color. Overall, this makes the Osiris look quite stunning both inside and out.

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The bottom of the case holds an opening covered by a filter for the power supply fan. In testing, this filter caught quite a bit of dust from going into the power supply and was easily cleaned with a wet rag. However, with many power supplies going towards massive 140mm fans, this intake is a bit on the small side even though it will not overly hinder airflow.

The drive bays have small slots in them which are made to accept the included thumb screws to secure the drives in place. The ones you see above are holding in the hard drive cage and the 3.5” drive bay. This is supposed to be a tool less installation but we found these thumbscrews were tightened a bit too much and needed to be removed with a screwdriver.

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The expansion slot covers are not what one would expect since they are of the remove and throw out variety which means that once you remove them, they can’t be reinstalled. This is why Hiper has included a trio of extra covers just in case you go from something like a dual GPU solution to a single GPU.

Meanwhile, the drive cage is loaded with soft rubber rails so your drives can easily slide in and out without scratching their finish. This also works very well to absorb the vibrations of any disk drives. It is small, flawless touches like this that contribute to make this case reach for greatness in a crowded marketplace.

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There are quite a few multicolored wires coming from the top panel and unfortunately there is no way to access the underside of it in order to remove some of the connectors. These cables and their blaze of colors can play havoc with clean black and grey color pallet inside of the Osiris even if they are routed with the utmost care. It would have been nice to see at least the SATA cable from the eSATA port finished black, but it was not meant to be.

 

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Interior Impressions pg.2

Interior Impressions cont.

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One of the major critiques we had about Hiper’s first foray into the enclosure market was the lack of fans on their Anubis case. Sure, the mounting holes were there for a number of fans but unfortunately only a single 120mm fan was included. This time Hiper got it right by including not one but a trio of 120mm fans which leaves not a single fan mounting location for the consumer to populate. Each has a 3-pin fan connector but two of them can also be equipped with the included adaptors to attach them to the Molex connectors on your power supply.

All three fans are identical HA1225L12S 120mm units which are rated to operate at a constant speed of 1500RPM. After a little digging, I couldn’t find the exact manufacturer of these fans but the product number seems to trace back to a sleeve bearing Hong Sheng unit which is available at either 1200RPM or 2000RPM. It could be that this fan was custom designed for Hiper by Hong Sheng but I wouldn’t put much money on that assumption.

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The motherboard tray is non-removable and has all the offset holes needed for ATX, Flex ATX, mATX and Micro ATX of which each is clearly labeled. However, if you were hoping for easy cable routing behind the motherboard, you are in for a nasty surprise since there is a small lip which prevents any cables from being passed where the sun don’t shine. However, there are other options for cable routing which we will discuss later.

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Once the back panel is removed we can see that there are plenty of places to route cables behind both the motherboard tray and the main drive cage. There is an additional lateral support running the length of the Osiris and runs below the motherboard tray which once again blocks cables from being passed between the tray and the back panel. However, as you can see in the right hand picture above there is an indent where you can pass a cable or two.

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The entire front panel is easily removed by firmly pulling on the bottom in order to reveal all of the drive bays plus the single removable 3.5” bay. In order to install any of the drives you have to remove the front panel but to be honest with you, it is a dream come true to be able to just pull the bottom and voila, instant access.

 

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Interior Impressions pg.3

Interior Impressions cont.

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In the last section we told you that the front panel of the Osiris can be easily removed but at the same time it is securely fastened in place so it doesn’t pop off of its own accord. To do this Hiper installed four slightly beveled inserts which slide into the aluminum skeleton of the case and then slightly open to lock it in place. It is a brilliant system that eliminates any headaches that may come to the forefront when you need to install drives.

On this front panel there is a pair of spring-loaded drive doors which slide open when you press the pre-installed eject button on the front. If you don’t want to use these drive doors, you can get rid of them by simply removing the four corner screws.

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The eject button on the front of these drive covers is not particularly long and we had some issues with it not touching the eject button on one Samsung and one Pioneer drive we tested in the Osiris. However, this is not to say that issues will present themselves to everyone using the Osiris since an ASUS DVD drive worked without a problem as did a BenQ model. We would have liked to have seen this button have a rubber stopper on the end in order to give a bit of a buffer zone in case your drive’s eject button isn’t as long as Hiper hopes it is.

All of the other drive bay covers are held in place via a pair of screws. Hiper would rather you use the top two bays with their drive-doors (which can of course be moved) but if you have a fan controller, you will want to use one of these bays instead.

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The hard drive cage has a front-mounted 120mm intake fan and can easily be removed once the front panel is taken off. It is an extremely impressive and high-quality piece of engineering that has rubber rails built into its aluminum frame to absorb any vibrations from the hard drives.

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The final stop we have is the single removable 3.5” drive bay. You have the option of using this or completely removing it if you need the extra space. Having a little-used drive cage in this format is perfect for those of you who never use their 3.5” bays and have always wished for a quick and easy way of removing them.

 

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Installation

Installation

Before we go through our usual process of showing you how we went about installing components into the Osiris, a mention has to be made about the general installation process. While everything is well laid out, I personally can’t stand a case layout with a bottom-mounted power supply. This is just my personal opinion and I know plenty of people out there who love this type of layout since it offers them a good amount of flexibility when installing components. Unfortunately, a layout such as this has to be executed perfectly for it to be a viable option in my books and while Hiper did a great job with the Osiris, as you will see the execution could have been better. Let’s get moving with this so you can see what I am talking about.

Here are the components which were installed:

CPU: Q6600 w/ Thermalright Ultra Extreme & Noctua NF-P12 1300RPM fan
Motherboard: ASUS Blitz Extreme
Memory: 4x1GB Corsair Dominator DDR3 1800Mhz
Graphics Card: EVGA GTX 280
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 320GB
Power Supply: Silverstone DA850

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To begin installation, we installed the motherboard in order to make sure that the side panel would close with the oversized Thermalright Ultra Extreme heatsink installed onto the CPU. Luckily for us and Hiper the side panel closed without any problem at all and there was actually a good ¾” to spare. Installing the motherboard went without a hitch with all of the standoffs attaching with a minimum of fuss but we soon encountered a few issues which were due to the bottom-mounted power supply…

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I’ll be honest with you here: attaching or installing anything into the upper left-hand corner of the motherboard is a bloody nightmare in this case. As you can see, due to the proximity of a large heatsink to the top of the case, I gave up on installing the screw into the standoff (yes, even with a magnetic screwdriver) since there is zero space to work. Luckily, this didn’t cause a short but it is NOT recommended; either don’t install the standoff or try to work around your heatsink.

The same thing goes for attaching the fan and 8-pin power supply connector. With the TRUE installed you will get some cuts trying to install a power connector but with a Scythe Ninja installed, it is next to impossible. This is due to the fact that a standard enclosure gives you room to work with before the power supply is installed but this one has you fighting with the roof of the case or the pre-installed fans from the very beginning. To avoid this, make sure you plan very well what you will be putting in this case.

Note: with a modular 8-pin CPU cable this becomes a lot easier since you can attach the connector to you motherboard, install the board and only then attach the cable to you power supply. We showed you this situation to illustrate the situation many of you will encounter.

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The next step was to install the power supply and the graphics card. Seeing a long card like the GTX 280 fitting into the Osiris with plenty of room to spare is definitely an amazing sight and we really have to give credit to Hiper for making a mid-tower case with this kind of interior room. It should also be noted that there is plenty of room for all those extra large power supplies on the market as well. While there isn’t enough room on the floor of the case to install a 2-fan radiator, there is more than enough space to store any unused cables.

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One of the main complaints with the Anubis case was the fact that the hard drive cage was designed with very tight tolerances so some hard drives would fit while others wouldn’t. Well, Hiper listened to everyone’s cries of pain and slightly modified the cage’s rubber drive rails so the previously uninstallable Samsung Spinpoint 250GB drive fit without any problems.


Installing drives into the 5.25” bays is a simple matter of sliding in the drive fro the front and attaching the necessary thumb screws. Then, once the hard drive cage is put back in, all you have to do is push the front panel back onto the case

 

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Installation pg.2

Installation cont.

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Cable routing with the Osiris isn’t too much of a chore but you should be aware that the Velcro tie-wraps you get aren’t worth you even looking at. Calling these “Velcro” is like calling the sun black since they are made of some cheapo imitation material which sticks about as well as a puddle of spit. Do yourself a favor and buy some black zip-ties from your local Home Depot and save yourself a world of frustration.

As you can see, there is place behind the motherboard tray and the drive cage where you can route and hide your cables. For this installation, I decided to take all the unused front panel connectors and pop them behind the drive cage while running the 8-pin CPU connector behind the motherboard. It should be noted that if you are considering this case, you should look for a power supply with at least a 20” CPU power connector.

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The only other small hiccup which I encountered was the length of the front 120mm fan’s connector cable which was almost too short to reach the rightmost fan header on the ASUS motherboard. Since many of us using modular power supplies avoid Molex connectors like the plague, we don’t want to plug in a Molex cable into the power supply just for the sake of attaching one fan. So, it would definitely have gone a long way for Hiper to have extended their fan cables by a good 3”-4”.

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After only a few minutes, you can make the interior of the Osiris look pretty uncluttered with most of the cables being stored at the bottom of the case. Considering the Silverstone power supply we used doesn’t have fully sleeved cables, things here may look a bit messier than I intended but that’s life and it goes to show why you should look carefully at all the components you are buying before putting money on the table.

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Other than the major issues I had with installing the CPU power connector, the entire installation process as quite uneventful which is always a good thing. The final product looks quite good with enough space for extra long graphics cards along with plenty of space for future expandability.

A Quick Note about Acoustics

When testing the three pre-installed fans on their own, they exhibited very little noise considering their speed is low enough for acoustics to stay blissfully out of the equation. Those of you who want a completely silent system will probably find them slightly too loud and hook them up to a fan speed controller or replace them altogether. However, when you install a full system into the Osiris, you will quickly find the three 120mm fans are completely drowned out but the racket of a stock GPU fan. This means that for me any noise Hiper’s fans produce is a complete non-issue.