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Who says cutting edge cool has to be expensive? The Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000SWA knocks that idea out of the park! This affordable case doesn't need any fancy words to show its edge of cool. One picture is more than enough. But don't think this is just another pretty face. With four external 5.25" drive bays, two 3.5" external drive bays, and five internal 3.5" drive bays, this case has room for whatever you need in there.
The Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000SWA features two 120mm fans: one at the rear and one in the front as well as a 90mm side fan for maximized air flow to make sure the heat from this system is just from its looks. The transparent X-type side panel window lets you have a direct view of the system including the blue fan LEDs for eye-catching fun.
The entire case is made of lightweight aluminum to keep carrying the case from becoming a burden. With all this, what more could you want? This could indeed be the case you've been looking for.
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- 5
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- 68%
- 4
-
- 23%
- 3
-
- 7%
- 2
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- 1%
- 1
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- 1%
| Product Rating: |
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| Total Reviews: |
212 |
Testing proved reviews wrong.
- Comments: My System Specs:
MB: Asus P5WD2 Premium
CPU: P4 Prescott 3.6Ghz Eng. Sample Running at 4.1Ghz.
Memory: Corsair TWIN2X10245400C4PRO
PS: Antec Phantom 500
HDD's: 2X WD Raptor 75GB RAID 0
HDD: 1 WD2500JS 250GB Serial ATA II 7200RPM
HDD: 1 WD 85 GB EIDE in 5.25” Plug out HDD Bay. (Running SuSe)
1 TEAC FDD
Vid Card: Asus 850EAX Pro
Cooling: Coolmaster Aquagate R120
Sony DVD R+- RW
This case is without a doubt (with the exception of the front door) the cheapest case I have ever purchased. I have been building my own PC's since 92' and I have never found one with such poor air flow and cheap Aluminum construction. If you plan to install one HDD, one floppy, and one CD/DVD player then this case might work OK. If however you have several 10,000 RPM drives a high end video card with a 500W PS and want to do any Overclocking this is not the case for you. It is hard to know where to begin. The airflow is terrible; the low speed fan in front does not pull in enough air flow to keep everything cool. My coolermaster 120mm fan in back is running at 3000RPM and still doesn't overcome the ineffective air flow from the front fan. It doesn't help that the front panel slots prevent full air flow because they mask out so much surface area. It also doesn't help that they pushed the cheap Pie Tin thin HDD rack right up against the side of the MB leaving little room for cables and allowing the cables even in an efficiently wire managed system to further block air flow. After installing 3 HDD’s the rack was so warped that I could barely slide it back in without flexing the FDD bay upward. The rubber grommets are not recommended by HDD manufacturers, I removed them when I read this. Most new cases mount the HDD's width wise so the cables are pushed up against the right side of the case panel leaving free air flow from front to back. This also allows more room to plug cables into the MB. I also had to dremel out part of the upper U cross-bar to allow the Coolermaster radiator to fit so the back fan grate lines up perfectly with the fan/radiator assembly. The back of the case is also Pie Tin thin and I had to reinforce the PS mount with stiffeners because the PS was sagging due to the weight. The front door is really sturdy though, you will never mount anything to it but it is sturdy. The side panel fan should actually be blowing out because the front fan is so blocked off that two fans blowing out is the only way to purge the system of hot air. I used a dräger air flow leak detect kit to see the airflow and it is pathetic meandering path out the back of the case. This is similar to what auto makers use in a wind tunnel. The smoke is very white and can easily be seen. I hooked up a Fluke Thermocouple module to my Fluke 87 with an Omron K-type TC and closed it inside the case with all fans full on and idle running windows. The ambient Air temp was 28C and the internal case temp continued to rise all the way to 48C. This is running idle only. I have pictures of all the modifications that I have made to make this case run cooler but I think that I will be getting rid of it if I can’t keep the case air temp in the mid to high 30’s. This is not CPU temp or MB temp, this is just the case air temp. It is no wonder that the case is such a hot box; the thin grade aluminum doesn’t do much to conduct heat away from the components. It is really a joke that this company calls themselves Thermaltake. The thermal energy has not been taken anywhere but inside the case. I will definitely return to my Antec cases that I have purchased so many of over the years. They aren’t as slick looking but they are well made and efficiently cool your hardware. If any of you have any questions about the testing I have done feel free to post. Newegg did an excellent job shipping my goods on time but I did a terrible job picking my case. I won’t rely on reviews or pictures in the future to purchase a case. I will return to looking at a flo
Great Case
- Pros: Quiet, sturdy, light with great air flow. The first time I spent a little more on a case and boy is it worth it. Everything pops in an out without a screwdriver - very nice.
- Cons: Two things. First, I had to remove the little nub off of my AGP card to get it in the case. Not a big deal, but I did have to cut my card - may hurt resale.
Second, and this is my own dumb fault, I ran the wires from the top USB/mic port BEHIND the mother board (well clear of the processor) this resulted in a small fire in the case and burned completely through the wires (not to mention it fried my mobo) - top ports are all useless now. Yes it was dumb, but I learned the hard way so you won't have to.
| Model | VA3000SWA |
| Type | ATX Mid Tower |
| Color | Silver |
| Case Material | Aluminum |
| With Power Supply | No |
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- 5
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- 68%
- 4
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- 23%
- 3
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- 7%
- 2
-
- 1%
- 1
-
- 1%
| Product Rating: |
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| Total Reviews: |
212 |
Great Case
- Pros: Solid construction, durable parts and components.
This case is coming up on its 5th year for me. I just upgraded all of my internals for a DDR3/i5 system - But I kept this case because there is still nothing wrong with it.
Fits my apevia PSU just fine. The cooling is pretty good, I believe a 120mm intake and an exhaust, and an 80mm on the side pulling in.
- Cons: Its a bit of a challenge the first time getting a power supply up into its slot, you have come at it from an angle.
I feel like it is a bit noisy sometimes, but its just a whir, nothing really loud, if anything its my power supply most of the time.
- Other Thoughts: It has lasted me 5 years, its still solid. Nothing has worn out on me, and I even have the original fans in it still.
Fairly disappointed
- Pros: I love the design of this case and the blue lights on the front door are great. Plenty of space available for whatever hardware you have.
ThermalTake has always made the best cases I have used in the past!
- Cons: I didn't have time this time around to do this build myself, so I had a professional do the build for me.
When I went to pick my new computer up, his first words was: "This case is a piece of junk!" The hard drive rails are made out of pop cans, the front door will not shut and the top USB door broke.
- Other Thoughts: This is very unlike Thermaltake! I have several of their cases and have always been quite happy with them.
Why they have to make such sub par products all of a sudden is beyond me. This case will not be moved and the broken top door is not a big thing to me, but the fact that such a quality manufacturer produced such a poor Piece of merchandise really bothers me. I will be a little more observant the next time I buy a case from this manufacturer.
Thermaltake case
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2
ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb Drive
LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW SATA CD/DVD Burner
LITE-ON Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive
Windows 7
A "Real" Review
- Pros: This case is great. Very light-weight aluminum and the finish looks very clean. The front panels are simple to manage, making drive installs quick and easy. The dual 120mm fans in conjunction with the side panel fan provides excellent airflow and keeps the internals fairly cool. Inside you have plenty of options for drive placement and with 2 removable cages, this is again very user-friendly. The overall layout made cable management a breeze and helped keep clutter away from my mobo. The top I/O ports are fairly useful and easy to setup, though the firewire and mic does take a bit of patience, USB is simple. The Blue LED is bright enough without being annoying and compliments the Silver finish quite well. Overall this case is fantastic for the price and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
- Cons: More minor annoyances than a fault of the case, but I would have liked a removable mobo tray and while I am a fan of the top I/O ports, with the case under my desk they are slightly awkward to use; I would like them closer to the front.
- Other Thoughts: I have read multiple reviews on this and many other cases here where I feel people nit-pick very silly things as a reason to badly rate a case. I have been building PCs for well over 15 years and this case is phenomonal for it's price. As with any product, pay attention to what you are buying and do a little research, and most of the time you'll be happy with the result. If you're looking for a liquid-cooled, diamond encrusted case that does your laundry and sings you to sleep, then keep looking and good luck with that; but if you want a solid case that is user-friendly and provides a lot of options, here ya go.
| Model |
| Brand |
Thermaltake |
| Series |
Tsunami |
| Model |
VA3000SWA |
| Spec |
| Type |
Modern Dream Tower Chassis |
| Color |
Silver |
| Case Material |
Aluminum |
| With Power Supply |
No |
| Power Supply Mounted |
Top |
| Motherboard Compatibility |
Micro ATX (9.6" x 9.6")/ ATX (12" x 9.6") |
| With Side Panel Window |
Yes |
| Expansion |
| External 5.25" Drive Bays |
4 |
| External 3.5" Drive Bays |
2 |
| Internal 3.5" Drive Bays |
5 |
| Expansion Slots |
7 |
| Front Ports |
| Front Ports |
USB, Audio, IEEE 1394 |
| Cooling System |
| 80mm Fans |
No |
| 90mm Fans |
1 x 90mm side fan |
| 120mm Fans |
1 x 120mm Blue LED rear fan
1 x 120mm front fan |
| Side Air duct |
No |
| Physical Spec |
| Dimensions(L x W x H) |
18.82" x 8.27" x 19.49" |
| Features |
| Features |
Mirror coating
Lockable safety side-panel
Retractable foot stand |
Introduction
Who says cutting edge cool has to be expensive? The Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000SWA knocks that idea out of the park! This affordable case doesn't need any fancy words to show its edge of cool. One picture is more than enough. But don't think this is just another pretty face. With four external 5.25" drive bays, two 3.5" external drive bays, and five internal 3.5" drive bays, this case has room for whatever you need in there.
The Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000SWA features two 120mm fans: one at the rear and one in the front as well as a 90mm side fan for maximized air flow to make sure the heat from this system is just from its looks. The transparent X-type side panel window lets you have a direct view of the system including the blue fan LEDs for eye-catching fun.
The entire case is made of lightweight aluminum to keep carrying the case from becoming a burden. With all this, what more could you want? This could indeed be the case you've been looking for.
Highlights
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All Aluminum Case
With the full aluminum body, the Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000SWA reaches the balance between chassis stiffness and heat dissipation.
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Supreme Expandability with 11 Drive Bays
Boasting four external 5.25" drive bays, and seven 3.5" drive bays (two external and five internal), the Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000SWA provides supreme expandability.
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Highly Efficient Ventilation
The Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000SWA features one 120mm front fan, one 120mm blue LED rear fan and one 90mm side fan for highly efficient ventilation.
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Maximum Security
The security locks on the front panel and side panel prevent unauthorized access for maximum security. Plus the security chassis intrusion detector delivers instant alerts when the side panel is unexpectedly opened to safeguard your computer components.
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Tool Free Installation
Tool-free ensures the quick installation or upgrade for expansion cards, 3.5" and 5.25" devices, so you can save the time spent on setting up and start enjoying computing as soon as possible.
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Convenient Top I/O Panel
The Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000SWA features a convenient top I/O panel for easy access to two USB 2.0 ports, one IEEE 1394 port and two audio ports.
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Quick Specs
| Brand | Thermaltake |
| Case Material | Aluminum |
| Color | Silver |
| Motherboard Compatibility | 12" x 9.6" ATX |
| Type | ATX Mid Tower |
| External 5.25" Drive Bays | 4 |
| External 3.5" Drive Bays | 2 |
| Internal 3.5" Drive Bays | 5 |
| Expansion Slots | 7 |
| 120mm Fans | 2 |
| Front Ports | USB, Audio, IEEE 1394 |
| With Side Panel Window | Yes |
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Reviewed By: on 10/17/2005
Tech Level: average - Ownership: 1 week to 1 month
