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Who says cutting edge cool has to be expensive? Thermaltake's VA3000BWA begs to differ. 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 of it.
The side panel window has a 90mm blue LED fan for max light and cooling. It has two 120mm fans: one in the rear and one in the front, with an innovative mesh design for improved air flow to make sure the heat from this system is just from its looks. With all this, what more could be asked of it? How about the durability of steel to protect your investment? This is indeed the total package you’ve been looking for.
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- 5
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- 68%
- 4
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- 22%
- 3
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- 7%
- 2
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- 2%
- 1
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- 1%
| Product Rating: |
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| Total Reviews: |
818 |
Have a GearGasm
- Pros: I hope not too obvious hints to folks building a box with a clear side panel: The most important thing is to plan your install carefully. This case gives you plenty of room to hide your cables, which is important for appearance but more importantly, for function.
I've built 2 computers using this case, one a "Dream System" for my rich boss, and a mediocre box for me :(. In both instances the USB ports were on the bottoms of the motherboards used. This is an important factor when you take into account that Thermaltake has placed the corresponding external plugs on top of the case. Wanting to display as little clutter as possible, I ran the USB cables BEHIND the MB. The Firewire & audio to the rear of the case, behind the PS and then straight down to their ports. It looks sweet.
Other hints:
Put the PS in first but don't use the screws until your cables are run, it will rest on the rails; trust me; you do not want to try putting it in after the MB and your USB/1394/Mic cables a
- Cons: Cons: I'd have preferred the external USB plugs to be closer to the front or on the front-side.
For the system I built that used a Dual SLI config, I was not comfortable trusting the card clips so I used screws instead (on my pitiful system with just a regular AGP card, I used the built in clips W/O a prob).
Not to much of a con: This might sound trivial but the LEDs in the door are BRIGHT. Looking at them from the front, they have a nice glow from their reflection off the brushed aluminum. My wife sits across the room; she says they make her feel like she's under interrogation lights. This is a slight exaggeration; they can hurt your eyes from across a medium lit room. I think I'm going to have to put in a switch so I can turn them off, either that move the case.
- Other Thoughts: The door w/ LEDs)is ez to remove. Do so b4 ur install, just disconnect the LED cable and lift up on the door. It's amazing how lite & ez to work with the case is w/o it.
Use round IDE cables. They look much nicer and afford much better airflow than ribbons. Using an IDE RAID card in the bottom PCI slot controlling 2 HDs, in the bottom of the cage. For that I used ribbons as they lay flat on the bottom and are actually less obtrusive than rounds.
Someone complained that the HD cage seemed flimsy. Well, it IS aluminum but w/a couple of drives in it, it is plenty sturdy. Also, if you don't fill the cage w/drives, go ahead and put the leftover HD screws in the rubber standoffs. It looks cool and should you ever need to install another drive, you won't have to hunt around for them.
But the piece de resistance?!? I paired this baby with the Zalman CNPS9500 CPU cooler! WOOF! What a combo. As corny as it sounds, this blurs the line between art and functionality. To see it is to love
Excellent case
- Pros: I used this case to build my first computer back in September of 2005, and it is amazing.
The case muffles sound well, is lightweight (to an extent), and looks cool. The top access panel is convenient for me, as my computer is on the floor next to my desk, but I can see how it would be difficult to use for many people who keep their computers under the desk. The swinging front panel is sturdy, and the LEDs on it add a nice touch to the case. The air circulation is great with the two 120mm and the 90mm fans.
- Cons: Most of the cons lie in the initial building of the computer. First of all, in order to get my Aspire ATX-As520W PSU into the case, I had to remove the top I/O panel from the inside – just unscrewed two screws that held it in place - and then the PSU slipped in nicely. I did have to put it in upside down in order for the screw holes to mesh up, but that’s no big deal. Secondly, it was a bit difficult to get my motherboard in so that the I/O ports went through the panel correctly and all of the screw holes matched up with the spacers included with the case. There is very little space to move an ATX mobo around. And lastly, just a bit of stupidity on the part of the designers. The slits on the two front doors are small, so not much air can get through to the huge fan. (See the image 6th from the left for a better idea of what I’m talking about)
- Other Thoughts: One good tip: Flip the side 90mm fan. It is an exaust fan, but if you unscrew the four screws, flip the fan over and screw it back in, it becomes an intake fan... which will blow air right onto your CPU HSF. When I did this, my CPU temp went down several degrees.
(Newegg, I hope you guys don't consider this as modding, people should be able to know about this)
Overall, this is a great case which I would recommend to anyone. But if it's going to be your first build, you better have a bit of patience and ingenuity to overcome this case. I don't want to discourage anyone from getting this, just be forewarned... it may take a little longer than you were expecting to complete the build.
Of course, great service from NewEgg and prompt shipping by Newegg and UPS, as always.
| Model | VA3000BWA |
| Type | ATX Mid Tower |
| Color | Black |
| Case Material | Aluminum |
| With Power Supply | No |
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- 5
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- 68%
- 4
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- 22%
- 3
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- 7%
- 2
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- 2%
- 1
-
- 1%
| Product Rating: |
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| Total Reviews: |
818 |
Its good.
- Pros: nice looking case. has nice features.
- Cons: Not the best case for airflow
- Other Thoughts: This case was designed in 05-06. Of course its not going to have to best airflow compared to others.
Decent
- Pros: Decent case, at a Decent price, Full Tower, Come with locks on the front and side, i dunno if thats a pro, or con as of right now.
- Cons: The key for the front locks, is very had to turn, In fact so hard, i thought i was gonna break the flimsey key off in the case, but it managed to turn, so i'm just gonna leave it at unlock and be done with it.
- Other Thoughts: New Build:
Asus P7P55D Pro Mobo
Intel Core i5-750
Mushkin XP 4gb ddr3 1600
Corsair CMPSU 750watt PSU
and This case of Course
Thermaltake Tsunami Mid Tower Computer Case
- Pros: I bought this case about 5 or 6 years ago and used it for one of my P-4 builds. It has an Intel D865 PERL board with a 3.2 P4 processor, twin 512MB modules, & a VisionTek 9600 graphics card with 256MB memory. The case is a high quality build to say the least. It's sold, and offers tool-less mounting in its interior bays. Though I will admit I bought it mainly for it's appearance, it has proved to be an excellent choice.
- Cons: The included thermaltake fans are weak. The case uses a 90mm side & 120mm front & rear and proves to be a lot less than what it takes to cool a P4 system. I recently ordered new fans of a different brand to see if this will remedy the problem so I'll have to post a future update. I'd advise anyone buying this case to take the time to hide the wires for an unobstructed airflow and also purchase some fans capable of expelling the large degree of heat that accumulates in this case.
- Other Thoughts: Good looking case but the airflow problems cause you to focus a significant amount of time on keeping it cool. I figure you've got to be a die-hard fan of this case to want to contribute so much time and effort in it's defect. The cooling problem is why I give give this case 3-eggs; otherwise, it's superb. If I had known what I know now, would never have bought this case; in fact I recently ordered a new case from Newegg to replace it. None of my other 16 cases have had this problem.
| Model |
| Brand |
Thermaltake |
| Series |
Tsunami |
| Model |
VA3000BWA |
| Spec |
| Type |
ATX Mid Tower |
| Color |
Black |
| 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 |
2 x USB2.0 ; 2 x Audio ; 1 x IEEE1394 |
| Cooling System |
| 80mm Fans |
No |
| 90mm Fans |
1 x 90mm side fan |
| 120mm Fans |
1 x 120mm 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 |
Introduction
Who says cutting edge cool has to be expensive? Thermaltake's VA3000BWA begs to differ. 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 of it.
The side panel window has a 90mm blue LED fan for max light and cooling. It has two 120mm fans: one in the rear and one in the front, with an innovative mesh design for improved air flow to make sure the heat from this system is just from its looks. With all this, what more could be asked of it? How about the durability of steel to protect your investment? This is indeed the total package you’ve been looking for.
Highlights
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Mirror-Coated Lightweight Aluminum Case
The lightweight, sturdy, all-aluminum Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000BWA with mirror coating surface weighs only up to 6.0 kg and fits into virtually any space.
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Maximum Expandability with 11 Drive Bays
The Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000BWA boasts four external 5.25" drive bays, two external and up to five internal 3.5” drive bays for peerless expandability.
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Highly Efficient Ventilation
A 9cm side fan delivers effective cooling for the CPU and graphics card while dual 12cm fans in the front and at the rear provide great airflow and heat dissipation throughout the case.
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Easy Installation
The Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000BWA features 5.25" sliding rails and slide-in cages for convenient hard drive mounting. Screwless expansion slots for quick PCI card installation and thumb-screws for tool-less access using the side panel, plus a washable dust filter for easy cleanup and replacement all add up to an extremely easy chassis to work with!
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Maximum Security
The security locks on the front bezel and side panel prevent unauthorized access for maximum security.
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Convenient Top I/O Panel
The convenient top I/O panel ensures easy access to dual USB 2.0 ports, an IEEE 1394 Firewire port and two Audio & Speaker ports.
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Quick Specs
| Brand | Thermaltake |
| Case Material | Aluminum |
| Color | Black |
| Motherboard Compatibility | 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 |
| 90mm Fans | 1 |
| Front Ports | USB, Audio, IEEE 1394 |
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Reviewed By: Egghead on 12/1/2005
Tech Level: high - Ownership: 1 month to 1 year
