CONCLUSION

   For good or bad in order to keep a low cost most manufacturers don't really go the extra mile when designing their products and this can be easily seen especially with PC Cases since here we take into account quality, features and design. Unfortunately although the X2.6018b is a nice looking midi tower in the end it's not really special in that regard and since there's only a handful of cases out there that have gone beyond the "typical" design (CM Cosmos II/TT Level 10/LL PC-888 & PC-U6) I’d really like to see something new here as well for a change (that of course applies to every manufacturer out there not just Spire and X2). However the largest drawback the X2.6018b currently has (up to X2 to change that) is the total lack of fans. I've been testing PC Cases for many years now and this is the first time i see a case that comes without any preinstalled fans whatsoever. Granted for most people that will not be a bad thing since preinstalled fans are mediocre in performance and noise levels at best so swapping them for better ones is the obvious choice however that's not what everyone out there is willing or is able to do (many may never even add extra fans) and thus even a single fan would be a lot better than none at all. Another issue is the very limited cable management space behind the mainboard tray and although this may not affect casual users in any way (limited hardware thus very few cables) it will certainly affect gamers so i certainly hope that X2 will improve on that with their next solutions. On the other hand the X2.6018b has room for up to 4 fans (front/top/rear) ready with a fan controller at the top I/O, has a total of five 5.25" drive bays (4 usable, 1 for 1.44 FDD/3.5" HDD), has four 3.5" drive spots, features a tool-free design and has plenty of space in the interior so the end result is not really bad.

   Price is really what saves the X2.6018b in the end since its recommended price tag is currently set at USD69 inside the USA and at around 50Euros inside the EU so you will probably be able to find it for even less when availability gets better. After reading the recommended price tag I’m sure you all realize why they decided to skip on fans all together and give consumers the chance to pick their very own but like i said some people will probably not like this at all. Still we are talking about a quality PC Case with a nice assortment of features and a very low price tag so if you do like the design and you don’t mind purchasing fans separately (or if you'd swap the preinstalled ones either way) then be sure to check it out since it might be exactly what you're looking for. 

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design (For Some)
- Five 5.25" Bays
- 4 Fan Spots With Air Filters
- Top Fan Controller
- Tool-Free Design
- Price

CONS

- No Bundled Fans
- Limited Space for Cable Management
- Position of the 3.5" Drive Cage
- Current Availability