Cooltek C3 Review
Category : Cases
Published by Luca Rocchi on 21.01.15
The C3 is a small case from Cooltek and it has been made from aluminum entirely. It allows the installation of mATX as well as miniITX motherboards in combination with ATX power supplies. In addition there is enough space in order to create a small HTPC, file server or even a small gaming system with "mini" cards.
Today we're
taking a look at yet another mini tower PC case, which in this case goes by the name
of Cooltek C3. Apparently, the Cooltek C3 is most suitable for office PCs, HTPCs, media servers as well as mid-range gaming systems.
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Preview
Specifications
| Model |
C3 |
| Case Type |
Mini tower / HTPC |
| Dimensions |
356mm (H) x 211mm (W) x 287mm (D) , 2.2 kg |
| Material |
Aluminium |
| Color |
Black |
| 5.25'' drive
bay |
0 |
| 3.5'' drive bay |
2 |
| 2.5'' drive bay |
2 |
| Expansion
slots |
4 |
| Form factors |
mATX, Mini-ITX |
| Cooling |
1x 120mm (included)
|
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Bundle
Overview |
|
The Cooltek C3 bundle is
simple and pretty straight-forward. The actual box is made out of cardboard with all the basic informations printed on it. Inside, we found the
C3 wrapped up in a plastic bag, and safely placed inside two big pieces of styrofoam, so that even the roughest shipping
would not hurt the actual case inside. Along with the case itself, the bundle also includes an instruction manual, which is always helpful, and a few other things
including a plastic bag with screws needed for assembly as well as some zip-ties.
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Product overview
Overview |
| |
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The Cooltek C3 is a very stylish
mini tower PC case, which has been made from aluminum. Despite the fact that this is a very small case, it can be equipped with mATX
motherboards as well as mini ITX boards. The front, as well as almost the entire case, is smooth and
even, which makes the power button stand out nicely. Apart from that,
Cooltek decided to integrate the I/O panel on the left edge, where you
will find two USB3.0 ports and the classic 3.5mm audio jacks. As noted above, even the top is
perfectly smooth and elegant
and in line with the style of the rest of the case. Despite the small size,
every single spot is well accessible with this case, mostly thanks to its well
though interior design. The left side panel features a small mesh
through which you can see the SSD cage. At the back of the case there is a 120 millimeter fan
as well as four slot
bezels.
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Installation
Overview |
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| The Cooltek C3 is compatible with mATX and mini-ITX form-factor motherboards.
The board is placed vertically on top of the power supply. The space for the power supply is adequate and allows you to install even
the large units, even though this case is not designed for gaming builds. In our case, we used
the BitFenix Fury PSU and there were no clearance issues. The Cooltek C3 is able to accommodate up to two 3.5" HDD and two 2.5"
HDD/SSD in its cage located in the bottom part and does not feature a tool-less system. For our system we chose to use a ROG mATX
motherboard and a down-draft cooler. The Cooltek C3 is able to accomodate CPU coolers
with a height of up to 175mm, in other words you can mount even high-end tower
CPU coolers. As for the graphics card support, the Cooltek C3 is compatible with video cards with a maximum length of 275mm, in other words our beloved GTX 260
was too long, which is why it had to stay outside the case
this time.
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Ventilation options
Overview |
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| |
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| From the cooling
point of view, the Cooltek C3 does not come with many options. Thanks to
its shape and size, the C3 allows the installation of one 120mm fan on the rear part and 2x 80mm on side panel. Regarding the cooling of the CPU there is enough space for a heatsink
measuring 175mm in height.
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[pagebreak]
Conclusion
| General |
|
+ |
- |
| The Cooltek C3 is a
very small
case for
those who like elegant and classic design. Contrary to what you might think,
the C3 is not an inaccessible case or difficult to assemble because of
its small size, since the interior has been well laid out. The build quality is good and materials are
pleasant to the touch. The interior space is more than sufficient and you will be able to use up to
two standard HDDs and two 2.5-inch SSD/HDD. The bundle
includes screws, zip-ties and a 120mm fan, which
is pretty good too. |
|
- Design
- Internal space
- Bundle
|
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| Manufacturing quality / Ergonomics |
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+ |
- |
| The Cooltek C3 is made
from black aluminum with excellent quality, both internally and externally. The sidepanel is pretty light
but we did not observe any sharp edges or bad finish. The mounting process was easy and very simple.
The Cooltek C3 is able to accomodate CPU coolers which are up to 175mm
tall and graphics cards up to 275mm long. Despite the fact that this is a small
case, up to two 3.5" HDD as well as two 2.5" HDDs/SSDs and a standard ATX PSU
can be installed. |
|
- Aluminum
- ATX PSU
|
- Not
tool-less |
| |
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| Design / Layout |
|
+ |
- |
| The design
of the Cooltek C3 is clean and simple
and the lines are definitely timeless. Regarding the cooling, there is a 120 mm spot
at the rear and two more spots for 80 mm fans located on the side panel. Since this case is mostly designed for an HTPC/Media Server, we would
have liked to see a 5.25" slot or a slot-in for an optical drive. |
|
- Design
- Internal space
|
- 5.25"
- Slot |
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| Recommendation |
|
+ |
- |
| If you are looking for a small
PC case with a very clean and elegant design and, at the same time, a very good quality, then Cooltek C3 is definitely
worth considering. This model is available in two different flavors, black or silver, and
it's a great case for building HTPCs or a media servers. In addition this model is even suitable for small gaming machines with short graphics cards. At Geizhals, the C3 is listed for
an affordable 52 Euro. |
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-
Office
- HTPC
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| Rating |
|
The Cooltek C3 gets good
4 out of 5 stars. |
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