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It didn't need the space, per se, but it offered too much utility not to do. You get:Space for intake fansAdditional drive mountingA third expansion slot, which is useful for some 2- and 3-slot MDTX/small mATX motherboards, or for fan controllers, or even for moving the GPU down via a flex riserSpace for a bottom slim rad (not something I intentionally designed it for, but how a lot of people have nevertheless used it)Space for a standalone pumpCable spaceFront I/O is below the GPU, allowing for longer cards and easier installationAll that for just 20mm of height, which is really not much in the scheme of things, and has enabled so many great and creative builds. Of course there've been people that complained that this made it bigger than it strictly needs to be, and the ever present "just add one more slot and it would be mATX!", but there will always be critics. I think in the end I made the right choice, and it wouldn't be all that it is had I done otherwise.
It didn't need the space, per se, but it offered too much utility not to do. You get:
All that for just 20mm of height, which is really not much in the scheme of things, and has enabled so many great and creative builds. Of course there've been people that complained that this made it bigger than it strictly needs to be, and the ever present "just add one more slot and it would be mATX!", but there will always be critics. I think in the end I made the right choice, and it wouldn't be all that it is had I done otherwise.
