Thermaltake Xaser V Series WinGo V8000A Case Review
By: Michael Phrakaysone
Edited By: Steve M. Silver

 

There have been many so-called gaming cases on the market in the past year. Gamers tend to want PC cases that provide easy installations, great looks, and something to brag about. Thermaltake is one of those companies who have recognized the huge gaming industry and today I have a chance to review the highest-ranking model in the new WinGo series, the Thermaltake WinGo V8000A PC case review.

Specifications

  • Drive Bays: 10 (External 5 x 5.25", 2 x 3.5", Internal 3 x3.5")
  • Net Weight: 6.7kg (14.77lb)
  • Expansion Slots: 7
  • Dimension (H*W*D): 490 x 205x 580 mm (Motherboards supported: Micro ATX, Standard ATX & Extended ATX(Dual CPU))
  • Cooling System: (5 Fans) Top 80x80x25 mm fan, 2050rpm, 21dBA (exhaust), Front 80x80x25 mm fan, 2050rpm, 21dBA (intake), Side Up 90x90x25mm, speed adjustable fan, 1300rpm~3000rpm (intake), Side Down 90x90x25 mm fan,1800rpm, 21dBA. (intake), Rear 90x90x25 mm, speed adjustable fan, 1300rpm~3000rpm (exhaust)
  • Material Chassis: 1.0 mm Aluminum
  • Front Door: Plastic
  • USB & 1394 firewire Dual USB2.0, IEEE1394 Firewire, audio & speaker ports
  • EL Lamp WinGo EL lamp with 3-way function inverter (on/off / flash mode/ lighting)

The Thermaltake WinGo V8000A arrives in a typical Thermaltake fashion displaying red color schemes and images of what this case has to offer. The package is fairly light – the case inside is very lightweight. Styrofoam chunks guard the top and bottom of the Thermaltake WinGo V8000A case from receiving damage during the shipping process.

Included with the WinGo V8000A case bundle is, a manual, a box with an I/O shield and various screw mechanisms, a key for the front door, and case stickers. Stickers? Yes, Thermaltake provides WinGo styled stickers that can be placed on the sides of the case. The manual is very clear and goes through what is included and how one would install a system in this case.

The Thermaltake WinGo V8000A measures 490x205x580mm (HxWxD). This case features a 1.0mm thick aluminum chassis which allows the overall weight to be reduced – 14lbs. Typical of Xaser lines of cases, there is a front drive door that is constructed from plastic and the front of the case also has decorative designs, including the EL logo. Five 5.25” bays can be used along with two 3.25” bays so you will have plenty of upgrade option space. One of the nice features of this case lies on the exterior of the door. There are two fan controller knobs that you can use for fans inside the interior. This is very handy for users – fans can be controlled with the knobs without having to open the door to access a third party fan controller.

The WinGo V8000A case is a very long case and this will allow installation to be easy. However, this length means the case requires plenty of desk space. The aluminum metal has a good-brushed aluminum look and is quite resistant to fingerprints.

The side window is covered with plastic to prevent any damages during shipping. The window is very big and of great quality. A Thermaltake logo sits on the bottom of the plexiglass. The window sits flat on the aluminum side panel to ensure strength. There is a large handle to help remove the side door from the case.

The rear of the case is as any other case. There is room for one included 90x90x25mm fan and it is covered by a bigger than usual stamped fan grill. The side panels have thumbscrews. The case feathers re-usable PCI extension bays.

Speaking of fans, this case is loaded with fans. Thermaltake includes five fans, two of which can be controlled via the fan speed controller on the front of the case. The fans come in 80mm and 90mm sizes. They are all relatively quiet and a couple of them are blue LED fans.

The bottom of the WinGo V8000A has four retractable feet similar to the popular Chenming/Chieftec styled PC cases.

The top of this case is quite distinctive. A top blowhole is covered with plastic and features in that enclosure your popular ports for easy access. This includes one Firewire port, two USB ports, a headphone jack, and a microphone jack. The plastic cover that overlaps these connectors is a little bit flimsy. The problem for the blowhole is that there is not much room for air to escape because it is covered by drill bit type holes.

Going back to the front, take another look at the door. The front drive door has a key lock that can keep the drives from being accessed. A simple quarter turn opens the front door and another quarter turn (which completes a half circle) allows you to access the whole front of the case. Swinging out the front portion of the case allows you to view the front 80mm fan, which is housed in an adaptor. Oddly, a stamped fan grill covers it and a fan filter covers it as well which will severely block airflow and creates more noise. Makes no sense to me. It definitely needs to be fixed.

The inside of the case is impressive. There is a load of things inside and there is a lot of room to work around. An EMI Shield is included to prevent interference inside and this is a nice addition, as most cases do not include any EMI interference products. Silver standoffs are pre-connected inside so that all you will have to do is place your motherboard on it – it clicks into place just as readily as a plastic standoff would do. However, if you have a motherboard where the standoff area is too large, you will have to install the gray colored plastic tab clips on top of the standoffs to prevent your motherboard from falling off. I like the fact that every other connection inside this case is already connected for you. The EL light inverter gives you the option of a blue background, a transitioned lighting effect, or turning it off.

As I mentioned before, more fans are incorporated via the blue side attachment. They hold two more fans that again are covered by fan filters. This blue mechanism can be easily swung out to be removed.

Something different about this case is that it includes a tool-free drive-rail mechanism. These are integrated into the hard drive cage area, which is facing outwards. This drive cage position helps to save space. To use the drive rail mechanism couldn’t be simpler. Take the left side and clip it on the left of your optical drive and the right side on the right side of the drive. Now you are able to slide it inside the desired drive cage.

Installation inside the Thermaltake WinGo V8000A is one of the easiest I have experienced. I have experienced no sharp edges because Thermaltake has folded the edges. There is a healthy amount of space to work around and there are many additions to this case such as the EL display, fan controller, and five fans.

Conclusion

What can I say? The Thermaltake WinGo V8000A is one of the better feature packed cases I have tested thus far. It has many additions that allow your installation of a system to be much quicker than usual. There are not many flaws to this case. If you have the money and are looking for a good case for your system, then I think the Thermaltake WinGo V8000A is a good case that you should look into purchasing. I am leaving the review impressed.

Pros and Cons

+ Many great features/Ideas
+ Front door fan controller x2
+ Pre-connected wires inside
+ Quality
+ Aluminum makes for lightweight
+ Amount of room
+ Tool-free drive rail mechanism
- Stamped fan grills suck (lack of airflow)
- Flimsy door cover on top connection ports

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