Cooltek GT-04 Review
Category : Cases
Published by Luca Rocchi on 26.06.15
The GT-04 is one of the latest mid-tower cases from Cooltek, which offers plenty of interior space in order to build gaming systems. Apart from that there are quite a few neat little features, like for example a hot-swap bay and a reasonable price.
Rating |
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Cooling |
Features |
Layout |
Build Quality |
Value for Money |
| Pros |
+ Good
compatibility for watercooling AIO |
+ SSD Hot Swap
+ Fan controller |
+ Interior
space |
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+ Well priced |
| Cons |
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- No rubber grommets |
- Cheap plastic bay cover |
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Preview
Specifications
| Model: |
Cooltek GT-04 |
| Case Type: |
Mid tower |
| Dimensions: |
215mm (W) x 520 mm (H) x 515 mm (D) |
| Material: |
Steel |
| Color: |
Black |
| Drive Bay: |
5.25": |
2 |
| 3.5": |
3 |
| 2.5": |
3 |
| Expansion
slots: |
7 |
| Form factors: |
ATX, mATX, Mini-ITX |
| Cooling: |
Front: |
1x 140mm |
| Rear: |
1x 120mm (included) |
| Top: |
2x 120/140mm |
| Bottom: |
/ |
| Side: |
/ |
| Link to the product: |
Cooltek GT-04 |
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Features
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Product overview
Overview |
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| The Cooltek GT-04 is a mid tower case which is compatible with ATX form factor motherboards. Apart from that there is plenty of space for large CPU coolers. The entire top and front are made of black plastic material and a few details have been painted color. Both side panels are solid, well finished and convex in order allow better cable management. The left side panel has been equipped with a plexiglass window so you have clear sight to onto your hardware. The top features an I/O panel with two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks as well as the previously mentioned fan controller. In addition to standard features, the top panel also comes with a hot-swap bay for one 2.5" HDD or SSD. The rear panel is quite plain and has all the features that you would expect from such a case, including a spot for a 120mm fan and the motherboard I/O panel. In addition, the GT-04 comes with no less than seven expansion slots since it is compatible with ATX motherboards. In the bottom part there is space for an ATX power supply. The bottom of the case is equipped with four plastic feet that raise and stabilize this rigid case. |
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Installation
Overview |
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On the inside, the GT-04 offers a lot of space, which is mostly thanks to the fact that this mid-tower PC case measuring almost 50 cm in height. A quick look at the motherboard tray shows that it features pre-soldered standoffs and the usual big cut-out behind the socket which allows you to install aftermarket coolers without the need of removing the motherboard from the case. Apart from that there are additional holes for routing cables. What comes in handy too is the fact that there is a lot of space between the motherboard tray and the right side panel. This is going to make cable management quite a bit easier. HDDs and ODDs can be fitted without any issues, thanks to the tool-less system. On the Cooltek GT-04 you can install up to three HDDs and two SSDs on red plastic sledges. The ODD cage cannot be removed since has been fixed to the case using rivets, while the HDD/SSD are fixed to the main chassis using with thumb-screws.
For testing we installed an ATX motherboard and a high-end tower cooler from be quiet!. As you can see from the pictures, there is a lot of space inside, although the components used are not small, they do appear so.
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Ventilation options
Overview |
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| From the cooling point of view, the Cooltek GT-04 is quite good. Included in the bundle are two fans. One of them sits in the back and the other in the front. Both fans have been equipped with 3-pin headers. If this is not enough, there is the possibility to equip the top with two additional 120/140mm fans. |
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Temperatures
Overview |
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For testing purposes we're using an ASUS P8Z77-I ITX motherboard, an Intel Core i5-2500K CPU, which receives cooling through a be quiet! Dark Rock 3 cooler as well as a Club3D R9 290X royalAce 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. |
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All noise dampening panels installed |
Idle (°C) |
Full (°C) |
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Intel Core i5-2500K |
33 / 32 / 31 / 33 |
54 / 55 / 58 / 54 |
| Club3D R9 290X royalAce |
35 |
74 |
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Less is better |
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Conclusion
The Cooltek GT-04 is a mid-tower PC case designed for those who aim to have a nice rig which comes with an entry level price tag. Cooltek decided to use a plastic finish on this particular model, which is rather light and prone to scratching. We would have preferred to see a different material treated in a better way in order to add a bit more value to the overall design of the product.
On the inside, there is enough space for a PC case, which is compatible with ATX motherboards and there is also a good amount of HDD and SSD bays. In addition, the PSU space is more than good since there is also enough space for high-end solutions that measure more than 160mm in length.
With this case you actually get a few interesting features and we appreciate the small fan controller, which has been built into the top of the case. There is even a how swap HDD/SSD bay placed at this place, which can be a very helpful little thing to have.
The Cooltek GT-04 sells for 54.99 Euro over on PC-Cooling.de. In our opinion, the price is appropriate and it reflects the quality as well as the bundle of the product. Overall, this case is a good solution for those who want an entry-level product, which makes it ideal for users who want to build their first gaming PC. The build quality is ok but we would like to see higher quality plastics. Due to the fact, that there are quite a few things, which could be improved the Cooltek GT-04 receives
3.5 out of 5 stars.
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