- Jan 7, 2003
- 842
- 0
- 18,990
Hey guys;
I havent bought a new case in years, i could never find anything that i liked, however when i saw this case i just couldnt resist, it was just too sick to pass up.
I will go ahead and give a full review.
<b><font color=blue>Thermaltake: Tsunami Dream</font color=blue></b>
<b>Construction</b>
The case is very well made, it is strong, lightweight, and 100% aluminum including the door, there are no sharp edges or burs that i could find, I didnt recieve one scratch working with the case, and i had to really dig into it because the power on switch was faulty from the factory, this was dissapointing, but nothing i couldnt fix, once i pulled out the switch, which was easy by the way, i saw that the negative lead wire was completely severed and i had to repair it, after that it functioned normally. I found no defects other then the power on switch.
<b>Value</b>
In my oppinion the case is worth every penny of the $135 US i payed for it. Some people might not want to pay that much for a case without a PSU, however let me assure you the inclusion of 2x120mm & 1x90mm fans, as well as all easily removable cages, blue case lighting, a X-window, screwless card mounting and many more features, make it worth the extra money that some of you may not usually spend on something as little considered as a case.
<b>Noise level</b>
Here is where the Tsunami really shines, the fans at 1000 RPM sit at around 27db, which is extremely quiet, you have to really listen to hear them running, the case despite the window, and thin wall alluminum construction does a very good job dampening noise.
<b>Lan ready</b>
One factor to be considered with any case is how portable is it, will it kill me to drag this thing around with me to my friends house and LAN parties.
The case weights 12.3 pounds empty, the door itself weights as much as the entire case without the door, which brings me to one of the most important aspects about the case.
The Door is very strong, Thermaltake used very thick aluminum on the door and you wont be breaking or bending it, it is very well constructed, it has blue cathode lights inset behind its attractive vertical full length door handle, which is also very strong, you wont be bending or breaking it either, as it is mounted with 6 screws and uses a tongue and groove slot to firmly attatch it to the swing panel. The bay door opens fully, and doesnt interfere with drive operation.
<b>Aesthetics</b>
The Tsunami Dream is a pleasure to look at, the front panel is curved and not gaudy, the rest of the case is powder coated and is mirror finished, the window is well done, it is large, and its 90mm fan doesnt obstruct your view. I personally didnt like the chrome strip across the front so i removed it, it came off easily and there was no glue to deal with after it was removed.
In short the Tsunami Dream is a work of art.
<b>Functionality</b>
Sure its nice to look at, but how functional is it you may ask.
Well im glad you asked because functionality is more important then looks when it comes to everyday use.
The case has a very usefull feature that most cases dont have, a 2 way accessable front panel, the key lock has three positions, the third of which opens the entire front panel which allows for easy access to the fan, switches, and drive bays directly. You will need to open the panel to remove the alluminum drive bay inserts as they are attached to the case with screws. The hard drive cage is pre-installed, on a slide out chassis, and has rubber inserts for its anti-shock properties. The floppy drive cage is not pre-installed, and most likely not required.
The expansion slots use a screwless design however the plastic clips can be removed if you prefer screws, which they provide an abundance of extra thumb screws for. The 2x12cm and 1x9cm fans are quiet and the exhaust fan is lighted, also the front intake fan is equiped with a dust filter. The USB, Firewire, and audio port is suprisingly imbeded into the Top of the case with a inset push release cover door. The case has tons of room inside despite its midtower size, and can accomidate an Extended ATX motherboard with room to spare, you wont have any trouble using full length cards. The over all design of the case is well thought out, and i had no trouble working with it at all.
<b>Conclusion</b>
There is no question the case is above average in cost, however if you want a really nice case, thats just the price you pay for looks, functionality, and ergonomics all rolled into one. The case was a delight to work with, the only complaint i have with the case is the damaged power switch being that the case was new from the factory, however it was easy to get to the switch to repair it, which is a plus. The lights included arent very bright so if you want the inside of the case to really glow you will have to go buy a light stick. The fans are quiet, and controll thermal dynamics effectively, as a byproduct the air inside the case is cool even when its all buttoned up. The case is flat out beautiful to look at, and will make you want to proudly display it for the whole world to appreciate.
Overall i give this case a smoking 9 out of 10 with a rating of <b><font color=red>Wicked Sick!</font color=red></b>
<b>Links</b>
<A HREF="http://www.thermaltake.com/xaserCase/tsunami/bwa/bwa.htm" target="_new"> VA3000BWA </A>
<A HREF="http://www.techniz.co.uk/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=66" target="_new"> More Pictures </A>
I havent bought a new case in years, i could never find anything that i liked, however when i saw this case i just couldnt resist, it was just too sick to pass up.
I will go ahead and give a full review.
<b><font color=blue>Thermaltake: Tsunami Dream</font color=blue></b>
<b>Construction</b>
The case is very well made, it is strong, lightweight, and 100% aluminum including the door, there are no sharp edges or burs that i could find, I didnt recieve one scratch working with the case, and i had to really dig into it because the power on switch was faulty from the factory, this was dissapointing, but nothing i couldnt fix, once i pulled out the switch, which was easy by the way, i saw that the negative lead wire was completely severed and i had to repair it, after that it functioned normally. I found no defects other then the power on switch.
<b>Value</b>
In my oppinion the case is worth every penny of the $135 US i payed for it. Some people might not want to pay that much for a case without a PSU, however let me assure you the inclusion of 2x120mm & 1x90mm fans, as well as all easily removable cages, blue case lighting, a X-window, screwless card mounting and many more features, make it worth the extra money that some of you may not usually spend on something as little considered as a case.
<b>Noise level</b>
Here is where the Tsunami really shines, the fans at 1000 RPM sit at around 27db, which is extremely quiet, you have to really listen to hear them running, the case despite the window, and thin wall alluminum construction does a very good job dampening noise.
<b>Lan ready</b>
One factor to be considered with any case is how portable is it, will it kill me to drag this thing around with me to my friends house and LAN parties.
The case weights 12.3 pounds empty, the door itself weights as much as the entire case without the door, which brings me to one of the most important aspects about the case.
The Door is very strong, Thermaltake used very thick aluminum on the door and you wont be breaking or bending it, it is very well constructed, it has blue cathode lights inset behind its attractive vertical full length door handle, which is also very strong, you wont be bending or breaking it either, as it is mounted with 6 screws and uses a tongue and groove slot to firmly attatch it to the swing panel. The bay door opens fully, and doesnt interfere with drive operation.
<b>Aesthetics</b>
The Tsunami Dream is a pleasure to look at, the front panel is curved and not gaudy, the rest of the case is powder coated and is mirror finished, the window is well done, it is large, and its 90mm fan doesnt obstruct your view. I personally didnt like the chrome strip across the front so i removed it, it came off easily and there was no glue to deal with after it was removed.
In short the Tsunami Dream is a work of art.
<b>Functionality</b>
Sure its nice to look at, but how functional is it you may ask.
Well im glad you asked because functionality is more important then looks when it comes to everyday use.
The case has a very usefull feature that most cases dont have, a 2 way accessable front panel, the key lock has three positions, the third of which opens the entire front panel which allows for easy access to the fan, switches, and drive bays directly. You will need to open the panel to remove the alluminum drive bay inserts as they are attached to the case with screws. The hard drive cage is pre-installed, on a slide out chassis, and has rubber inserts for its anti-shock properties. The floppy drive cage is not pre-installed, and most likely not required.
The expansion slots use a screwless design however the plastic clips can be removed if you prefer screws, which they provide an abundance of extra thumb screws for. The 2x12cm and 1x9cm fans are quiet and the exhaust fan is lighted, also the front intake fan is equiped with a dust filter. The USB, Firewire, and audio port is suprisingly imbeded into the Top of the case with a inset push release cover door. The case has tons of room inside despite its midtower size, and can accomidate an Extended ATX motherboard with room to spare, you wont have any trouble using full length cards. The over all design of the case is well thought out, and i had no trouble working with it at all.
<b>Conclusion</b>
There is no question the case is above average in cost, however if you want a really nice case, thats just the price you pay for looks, functionality, and ergonomics all rolled into one. The case was a delight to work with, the only complaint i have with the case is the damaged power switch being that the case was new from the factory, however it was easy to get to the switch to repair it, which is a plus. The lights included arent very bright so if you want the inside of the case to really glow you will have to go buy a light stick. The fans are quiet, and controll thermal dynamics effectively, as a byproduct the air inside the case is cool even when its all buttoned up. The case is flat out beautiful to look at, and will make you want to proudly display it for the whole world to appreciate.
Overall i give this case a smoking 9 out of 10 with a rating of <b><font color=red>Wicked Sick!</font color=red></b>
<b>Links</b>
<A HREF="http://www.thermaltake.com/xaserCase/tsunami/bwa/bwa.htm" target="_new"> VA3000BWA </A>
<A HREF="http://www.techniz.co.uk/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=66" target="_new"> More Pictures </A>
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