Specs: Dimensions: 24 x 24 x 9 inches (HxWxD); Material: Aluminum; Form factors: up to XL-ATX; Bays: 3 5.25-inch, 3 3.5-inch

In the February 2009 issue (see page 28), Mountain Mods made an impression with its massive Ascension CYO (Choose Your Own) computer case, which you could order with your choice of panels, window designs, personalized etchings, and fan configurations.

Mountain Mods’ latest offering, the Pinnacle 24 CYO, is not quite as physically imposing as last year’s, but it takes the firm’s hyper modular philosophy to new heights thanks to the Flash-based CYO Picker, which lets you go online and choose from multiple side, front, back, and top panels; a half-dozen acrylic window finishes; a handful of case finishes and paint options; and a number of etchings. To check it out for yourself, visit www.mountainmods.com/CYO_picker.php, click a model, and then start checking boxes to visualize your ultimate case.

The Pinnacle 24 we created has an anodized black aluminum finish, a neon orange side-panel window, and the compulsory CPU Magazine etching. We ordered our Pinnacle 24 with an XL-ATX motherboard tray, so we could turn this system into our 4-way SLI/CrossFire beast.

Assembly was fairly intuitive, which is good because the generic assembly instructions failed to point out the pitfalls specific to our Pinnacle 24. Case in point, we installed the front and back panels on the wrong sides of the bottom panel but only discovered our error when we tried to secure the motherboard tray with the corresponding bracket. Total lost time: about five minutes.

But the positives of interchangeable parts that you can swap and rotate at will far outweigh these minor gripes. Maybe it’s our latent love for all things Lego, but we have to admit we thoroughly loved building our Pinnacle 24. If you’re looking for the ultimate in DIY modularity and customizability, look no further than Mountain Mods’ CYO line of cases and the Pinnacle 24.

by Andrew Leibman