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Hardware NZXT Vulcan Review

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by arcticstoat, 17 Jun 2011.

  1. arcticstoat

    arcticstoat Minimodder

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  2. DBA

    DBA I do my modding with a spoon

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    well that's ugly, although It's good to see an mATX case.
     
  3. Omnituens

    Omnituens What's a Dremel?

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    Agreed, painfully ugly.
     
  4. Jack_Pepsi

    Jack_Pepsi Clan BeeR Founder

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    I'll 3rd that.

    GROSS!
     
  5. GuilleAcoustic

    GuilleAcoustic Ook ? Ook !

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    Uglyness has it's solution .... Modding :lol:
     
  6. rayson

    rayson Damn sure it was legal

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    i think it looks better than those antec 900 and 1200 lanboy series sonata and couple of other cases from other companies certainly better than a loth of those from its price range and size what i fail to understand is that there is no way that this case will compete withe the ft03(my favorite case of all time) or the other way round because the vulcan is £50 + whereas the ft03 is £120+
     
  7. Hustler

    Hustler Minimodder

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    Jeez, talk about falling out of the ugly tree.....
     
  8. GuilleAcoustic

    GuilleAcoustic Ook ? Ook !

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  9. Grimloon

    Grimloon What's a Dremel?

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    I know it isn't going to win any awards for prettiness but I definitely like the look of this case. Give it a new paint job, a touch of illumination and it's a winner for me (I'm thinking urban digital or flecktarn camo).
     
  10. Material

    Material Soco Amaretto Lime

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    This is quite interesting as in the flesh it doesn't look too bad - both me and Antony liked it's distinctive looks.
     
  11. GuilleAcoustic

    GuilleAcoustic Ook ? Ook !

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    Sure it is distinctive ... and it must be a very nice LAN case. It just isn't what I like (maybe the handle (even if its useful, I'd like it foldable to hide it when unused).

    I think a paint job would increase its appeal (colored mesh, leather handle, etc.)

    It's hard to have an objective idea just by seeing photos .... I'll try to see one in real :lol:
     
  12. leslie

    leslie Just me!

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    I HATE the new Antec looks, but there is something about this, maybe cute in an "only a mother sort of way or maybe it just reminds me of the old lunch boxes we used to take to school. It also looks like some weird briefcase ray gun or something. I'm not saying it looks fantastic, nor do I understand why, but of all the angular cases and such, this almost looks cute compared to them.

    Maybe it's simply a refreshing choice compared to what has come out lately.
     
  13. Stickeh

    Stickeh Help me , Help you.

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    I have this case as i downsized from a akasa mirage case (bloody massive) to a matx board and down to this case.

    i bought it for the reasons bit-tech describe, for a LAN gaming machine, with a handle it made it ten times easier to transport, its small and compact yet will accept full 12" graphics cards!

    I've removed the bottom hard drive tray and have a hard drive mounted in a 5.25" bay and one of the 3.5" bays.

    It is a different looking case, but it looks much better in the flesh (darker) than the pictures show and filling the fan mounts, it keeps the temperatures down at a LAN!

    Will post some pictures later :)
     
  14. SMIFFYDUDE

    SMIFFYDUDE Supermodders on my D

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    What was the thinking behind the look of this case, at least other ugly cases have been made to look sort of military, this one looks ugly for the sake of ugly.
     
  15. Cei

    Cei pew pew pew

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    I don't see a problem with two drive bays, even in an every-day computer. One for an SSD, another for a large storage volume - and now we're up to 3TB in a single volume. If you really need lots of storage, get a NAS.
     
  16. alialias

    alialias What's a Dremel?

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    I like the look of this, would have been tempted by it (especially with its low price) if i'd read about it earlier this year. Would have been good to see some photos of the system you builld with the case though.
     
  17. kenco_uk

    kenco_uk I unsuccessfully then tried again

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    And hitting all the branches on the way down..
     
  18. Adnoctum

    Adnoctum Kill_All_Humans

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    I love case reviews because I tend to agonise so much more over my case purchases, more than all the other components I buy. It can take weeks (or even months) for me to reach an internal consensus. There are so many points to consider, with cost, subjective looks and the number of variables in internal and external design. By comparison, a motherboard, CPU or GPU purchase is simple: Is A faster than B, and cooler than C? Sale.

    I was looking for one of these in Nov/Dec last year for a mATX gaming box I could lump around to LAN gaming sessions, the handle being an attractive feature and the looks could be overlooked for the convenience. I'm not a fan of NZXT cases, with the H2 really the only model I'd use if I was given one for free, but my rationale with the Vulcan was that I could live with its looks for the positive features.
    It was a good price (it was a bit more expensive then), and appeared to have good cooling potential. The problem was it had been discontinued and although listed at five or six stores it was unavailable everywhere (my preferred enthusiast component supplier even tried to order direct from NZXT via their regular case order, but it apparently wasn't being made any more), so the re-appearance of this case takes me by surprise.

    There really aren't too many suitable mATX cases that aren't abysmally ugly (because gamers want ugly cases apparently), cheaply made or have compromised cooling (HTPC's are usually happy with limited cooling). I'd been using a Sugo SG01 (my HTPC with an added HDD and GPU for the event) until a 40+°C LAN event left me with a case that was too hot to touch at the rear! Any case would be hot, but the Sugo cube shape meant that the GPU got plenty of already hot air from outside the case but the chipset and especially the CPU had reduced airflow and very high temperatures.

    My requirements were mATX with above average, but quiet, cooling was a must (eliminating the cheap models from Antec/Coolermaster/Thermaltake), and it needed to be able to accommodate a larger HSF assembly (so Silverstone's more exotic mATX cases were out, as well as cube shaped cases) and longer graphics cards at a reasonable price, and a personal preference against doors meant my options were a bit limited. Down to the Silverstone TJ08 and the Lian Li PC-A04.

    The PC-A04 really stood out head an shoulders due to the 2x120mm front intake and 1x120mm top exhaust fans, customisable HDD cages and bottom PSU placement (very stable at LANs), but it was (at that time) almost 30% more than the Vulcan and TJ08. My first Lian Li case, and I haven't had a moment regretting spending the extra money given I tend to hang on to cases much longer than other components.

    It does much better in hot gaming conditions, with a fan blowing straight at the GPU and another fan in the CPU area exhausting out the top. VERY quiet with the standard fans, and the looks are nicely discrete enough I can put it on my desk (and not hide it away). It really is much admired.
    I thought I would add another fan to exhaust out the back, but the positive air pressure in the case means hot air moves out the mesh vent anyway, as well as out the perforated PCI slot covers. The only issue I have is the CPU cooler clearance wasn't enough for a Thermalright HR-01(159.5mm) I had lying around with the clearance above the CPU only 155mm (this is touching the case side, so more like 152mm or so).

    I'd like to see a review of the PC-A04 comparing it and the Vulcan, as the preview Bit-Tech did didn't test temperatures, just features.

    Additional thought on the Vulcan: If I owned it I'd remove the HDD cage and put the drives in the external 3.5 bays. The cage blocks half the front 120mm fan.
     
  19. Blanx3_Bytex

    Blanx3_Bytex What's a Dremel?

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    Just built a pc for my brother in one of these and I really liked it.
    Its looks are okay Imho, at least it has TRIED to look different instead of all the lianli alikes with a boring bit of aluminium as the front.
    Bulding a pc in it was pretty easy actually and I like the bit of plastic that they put undeneath the Drive bays so long graphics cards wont short out. Not too sure if that was even possible but the thought was nice.
    The only problem I have had with it is the motherboard standoff screws which were so soft they managed to deform when being screwed in at a slight angle.
    Handle is a godsend and the side panels had a nice thickness to them so they didnt bend ( My coolermaster 600 has the thinnest side panels I have had the displeasure of owning)
     
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    Guest-23315 Guest

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