The PC case market is certainly competitive with manufacturers always trying to outdo each other. Most PC cases are comparable over a small set of features such as the number of fans and extension slots, easy access to the computer’s internals, and aesthetic design that can make a PC look modern and differentiate it from the original beige-colored designs. GMC’s R-2 Toast PC case, offers many features, a nice design, and a vertically positioned optical drive that you won’t find on any other PC case today.

However, before we talk about the optical drive, let us look at the overall technical specifications for this PC case. First, the R-2 is a mid-tower ATX case which unfortunately comes in only one color, white. It comes with two 80mm fans situated in the back panel providing enough cooling power to house middle-level CPU and peripheral component configurations. Additional cooling is provided by a PCI express air hole on the side panel which is designed to meet Intel’s CAG 1.1 specification. The side panel is also perforated in order to improve the airflow and improve the cooling performance. GMC preferred to create a functional side panel rather than a stylish one so they forwent the need to make it see-through.

The tower supports any ATX, Micro ATX, and Full ATX motherboard. Interestingly, GMC decided to make this case a bit smaller than we would expect for an ATX rated case. The end result is that it only has enough room for one optical drive (we are coming back to that in a minute) and 2 internal hard drives. Now, considering that a single hard drive today comes with a capacity of several hundred GB, it is hard to imagine anything but a very specialized application that would need space for more than 2 of these. So, I wouldn’t consider this to be a big problem for the vast majority of people.

At the front, there are two USB 2.0 ports along with an audio and MIC port. Other buttons include the traditional power switch and an eject button for the DVD player. A stylish blue light adds to the case’s aesthetic component although I have to admit that GMC could have spent a bit more time designing the R-2’s look. The one element on the front panel that GMC clearly invested some thought and time in designing is the position and access of the optical drive. A standard DVD player can be found mounted on the R-2’s front panel in a position perpendicular to the case; the vast majority of cases mount the DVD drive horizontally. Access to the discs are provided via a sliding door that always remains within the case. The drive illuminates in a light blue color giving the case a more modern look. The optical drive design certainly differentiates this case from others in its class.

The GMC R-2 Toast PC case is a very affordable one. In quantities of 20, it sells for $600. Now, I know you won’t buy 20 of these in bulk but stores will and this means that you should expect to pay $30-40 for one at your local computer store. This is not a bad deal if you ask me considering the good quality of the R-2 Toast case for mid-range computer systems.

Case supplied by: GMC

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