Kolink Rocket Review
Category : Cases
Published by Luca Rocchi on 02.05.18
The Rocket from Kolink appears to be a rather interesting mini-ITX case. Despite the small size it offers plenty of space and flexibility on the inside, which means you can install high-end graphics cards as well as SFX-L power supplies. Therefore this small case could be perfectly suitable for HTPC builds and apart from that you could even create a very small LAN party rig. Last but not least is also made out aluminum.
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Preview
Specifications
| Model: |
Kolink Rocket |
| Case Type: |
Mini case |
| Dimensions: |
328 mm (W) x 125 mm (H) x 235 mm (D) |
| Material: |
Aluminum |
| Color: |
Titanium |
| Drive Bay: |
5.25": |
0 |
| 3.5": |
0 |
| 2.5": |
2 |
| Expansion
slots: |
2 |
| Form factors: |
mini-ITX |
| Cooling: |
Front: |
/ |
| Rear: |
/ |
| Top: |
/ |
| Side: |
1 x 80mm (included) |
| Side: |
/ |
| Watercooling |
Front: |
/ |
| Rear: |
/ |
| Bottom: |
/ |
| Top: |
/ |
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Features
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Compatible with high-end graphics cards
The Rocket from Kolink is compatible with high-end graphics cards. Despite the small footprint of this case, you can install a graphics card that measures up to 310 millimeters long inside. The graphics card room allows only dual slots model. In other words, you can install almost every reference AMD or NVIDIA graphics cards. In case of custom GPUs, we recommend to check the size. |
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Aluminum chassis
The entire exterior of the Kolink Rocket PC case is made out aluminum with varying thickness. This choice, not only gives strength and durability to the case, but also adds a special touch to the design. Furthermore also the interior part is made out the same material. |
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Product overview
Overview |
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| The Kolink Rocket is a small case designed for mini-ITX motherboards and high-end graphics cards. Unlike most PC cases, there are no openings and at the same time the front and the outer body are very smooth and made out brushed aluminum. Only the two side panels features a mesh, which helps realizing decent cooling. On this model, the I/O connectors have been located at the front and it includes two USB 3.0 ports. In order to keep the face plate as clean as possible, Kolink didn't place any 3.5mm audio jacks. Despite the small size of the Rocket, this case is offers space for an SFX-L power supply with up to 130mm and a high-end GPU measuring up to 310mm in lenght.
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Installation
Overview |
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The Rocket from Kolink is one of the smaller mini-ITX cases we have tested so far. Despite its compact dimensions there is a lot of space available on the inside. The motherboard is placed vertically with the sockets facing outwards while the power supply is to be put in the front part of the case. The graphics card is placed behind the motherboard's tray and it's connected to the PCIe slot via a riser cable included in the delivery. As far as the storage is concerned, you can equip the Rocket with up to two 2.5" devices. Both units are placed in the top part of the case.
Despite its very small dimensions of 328 x 125 x 235 mm, the Rocket allows installing high-end graphics card and SFX-L power supplies. For our test system, we have used a fully modular Corsair SF600 power supply and there was no issue. Since there isn't so much space for cable management, we have used few zip-ties in order to keep the cables in place. Due to the size of the case, it's necessary to use a low profile CPU cooler up to 54mm tall. |
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Ventilation options
Overview |
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| The cooling concept of the Kolink Rocket is rather simple. Inside the case there is only one slot for a 80mm fan which is included in the delivery. The fan is placed in an awkward position but it's also the only spot available. Once the PCIe riser cable will be installed, it will obstruct almost the entire fan. |
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Temperatures
Overview |
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For testing purposes we're using an ASUS Z170I Gaming Pro AC motherboard, an Intel Core i5-6600K CPU, which receives cooling through a Noctua NH-L9i cooler as well as a ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1050 graphics card. To put the CPU under full load, we're running prime95 for 10 min and in the case of the GPU we use Furmark also for 10 minutes. After these ten minutes, we're going to write down the temperatures. The ambient temperature is close to 24°C. |
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All noise dampening panels installed |
Idle (°C) |
Full (°C) |
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Intel Core i5-6600K |
31 / 32 / 34 / 34 |
71 / 66 / 68 / 69 |
| ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1050 OC |
43 |
68 |
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Less is better |
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Conclusion
Rating |
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Cooling |
Features |
Layout |
Build Quality |
Value for Money |
| Pros |
+ One 4-pin PWM fan included
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+ Aluminum
+ SFX case compatible with high-end hardware
+ Riser cable included
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+ Interior
space |
+ High quality materials
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+ Well priced |
| Cons |
- Fan placed in an odd position |
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- Cable management might be improved |
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Overall the Rocket from Kolink is a very good case. The Rocket is a gaming solution designed for those who wish to have a very compact gaming PC case, which is compatible with high-end components. The interior space available ensures good compatibility even with SFX-L power supplies. We appreciate the very small dimensions of this case, but at the same time there is space for a high-end, dual-slot graphics cards.
The internal layout has been very well thought by Kolink. This is actually something, which is highly recommendable for a manufacturer. When there are such small cases, it's a must to clearly structure the interior, otherwise installing hardware will be a rather annoying process. Regarding layout and compatibility, we have found some issue with the 80mm fan since is placed in a weird position and it's mostly covered by the riser cable.
The Kolink Rocket is available on Caseking and prices start at 160 Euro excluding shipping costs. Although the price might look a bit steep, we have to say that the Rocket is entirely made out aluminum and that inside the delivery there is a PCIe riser cable x16 included. As mention above, this case is compatible with low profile CPU coolers, however there are several models on the market that can fit in this little case.
If you are looking for a compact case suitable for LAN parties this is a great choice. We award it with
4 stars out of 5.
