Cooltek U3 Review
Category : Cases
Published by Luca Rocchi on 31.10.14
The U3 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 having a look at another mini tower case, which in this case goes by the name Cooltek U3. Apparently the U3 is most suitable for office PCs, HTPCs, media servers as well as mid-range gaming systems.
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Preview
Specifications
| Model |
U3 |
| Case Type |
Cube case / HTPC |
| Dimensions |
371mm (H) x 208mm (W) x 270mm (D) , 3.1 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 |
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The Cooltek U3 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
U3 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 U3 is a very stylish
mini tower PC case, which as been made from aluminum. Despite the fact,
that this is a very small case, it can be equipped with mATX or ITX
motherboards. 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 into the front, where you
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 thanks to its well
though interior design. The left sidepanel features a large window made in plexiglass
through which you can see all the hardware put into the U3. Another cool
features is the small fan controller on the back of the case. Apart from
that there is a 120 millimeter fan at this point and there are four slot
bezels.
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Installation
Overview |
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| The Cooltek U3 is compatible with mATX and mini-ITX form-factor motherboards.
The board is placed vertically below 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 U3 is able to accommodate up to two 3.5" HDD and two 2.5"
HDD/SSD in its cage located in the bottom part. For our system we chose to use a ROG mATX
motherboard and an AIO watercooler. After several attempts we managed to fit
the liquid cooler nicely in the small U3. As you can see from picture, the MaelStrom 120 is very close to the PSU and the small fan controller. Once
the radiator is in place it is impossible to screw the HDD's cage, which is why we recommend using an air
cooler in the end. As for the graphics department Cooltek U3 is compatible with video cards with a maximum length of 260mm, in other words our
beloved GTX260 is 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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| From the cooling
point of view, the Cooltek U3 does not come with many options. Thanks to
its shape and size, the U3 allows the installation of only one 120mm fan. Regarding the cooling of the CPU there is enough space for a heatsink
measuring 175mm in height.
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Conclusion
| General |
|
+ |
- |
| The Cooltek U3 is a
very small
case for
those who like elegant and classic design. Contrary to what you might think,
the U3 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 excellent 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 with a fan controller, which
is pretty good too. |
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- Design
- Internal space
- Bundle
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| Manufacturing quality / Ergonomics |
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+ |
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| The Cooltek U3 is made
from black aluminum with excellent quality, both internally and externally. The sidepanel is pretty light
and we did not observe any sharp edges or bad finish. The mounting process was easy and very simple.
Only in the case of installing an all-in-one watercooler we had to try
several times order to achieve a pleasing overall result. In addition, using a radiator on the rear fan makes
it impossibile to reach to the HDD cage screws. Because of this we recommend using air coolers
and apart from that there is even the possibitliy to install tower
coolers with up to 175mm height. 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. |
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- Aluminum
- ATX PSU
|
- Not
tool-less
-Compatibility
all-in-one watercooling
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| Design / Layout |
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+ |
- |
| The design is clean and simple
and the lines of Cooltek U3 are definitely timeless. Regarding the cooling, there is only a 120mm spot and the fan is
included in the bundle. 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. |
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- Design
- Internal space
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- 5.25"-Slot |
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| Recommendation |
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+ |
- |
| 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 U3 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 card. At Geizhals, the U3 is listed for 72 euro. |
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Office
- HTPC
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| Rating |
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The Cooltek U3 gets good
4 out of 5 stars. |
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