MetalFish PC chassis and aquarium hybrid tested According to Japanese tech site. PC Watch Satoshi Hinuma found the finished build to be an unpleasant mix of inner healing and PC component/fish anxiety. Japan had to face additional natural challenges.
In August, we first reported on the MetalFish Y2 Fish Tank Chassis. If you don’t already know the name, this was a hybrid of his Micro-ATX PC chassis and aquarium. Readers were concerned about both the PC components under the tank and the fate of the fish being heated in the tank. So it’s interesting to consider the results of the first professional tests of the MetalFish chassis, but with the added concern of unpredictable earthquakes.
First off, it’s clear that the PC section of the Y2 Fish Tank Chassis isn’t that big (about 12 liters), but the PC build doesn’t seem overly complicated or limited when using compact, SFF-friendly components. I didn’t see it. A PCIe riser cable is also included so you can install a modestly sized graphics card under your aquarium. Even after the PC is fully assembled, the owner has very easy access to her PC components. This is because the motherboard and component tray can be slid out after removing a few screws.
With the PC build layers complete, the reviewer started with the aquarium section. Below are some key concerns and interesting observations from this part of the build process.
- A crack entered the screw hole of the acrylic top plate.
- You can choose between aquarium insulation or a more attractive RGB LED view.
- The brightness of the LEDs on the top of the tank was very high and not adjustable. It was not integrated into the PC’s RGB LED control.
- The vents in the PC case added to the worry of spills and splashes from the aquarium above.
- The glass water tank weighs 12 kg (26.5 lbs), and when you add the recommended 10-12 liters of water, the fragile box weighs about 24 kg (53 lbs), making it difficult to move and re-use your PC. The placement becomes very unstable.
- The locality of the earthquake area amplified concerns about water runoff. Even a slight shake can cause a spill.
A few tom’s hardware Readers were worried that their PCs were under stress. It probably spent hours processing games and videos to heat up the fish in the upper tank. PC Watch saw what happened with some temperature readings.
MetalFish provides a white insulation sheet to be placed between the acrylic panel top PC and the aquarium section. However, this significantly dims the upward glowing LED lighting ribbon underwater. During testing, the top (tank) compartment of the Y2 tank chassis was observed to rise 1.4 degrees Celsius (25 to 26.4) after 30 minutes of loading without insulation installed. This test appears to have been done without water in the tank, which is still a concern if you’re working on your PC for hours at a time.
Video closed captions with English translation available
In conclusion, PC Watch does not recommend using this hybrid case in an aquarium section full of marine life. Instead, we recommend using the top tank for small gardens/terrariums.
