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[nextpage title=”Introduction”]
Let’s take a look at the latest mid-tower case from the South Korean 3R System, the T100 Valkyrie, which comes with eight expansion slots and several other features.
Figure 1: 3R System T100 Valkyrie case
Figure 2: 3R System T100 Valkyrie case
As you can see, the left panel of the T100 Valkyrie has a big tinted window.
Figure 3: The left-side panel
[nextpage title=”The Front Panel”]
The 3R System T100 Valkyrie has 10 5.25” covers, but it actually has only three 5.25” bays. (One of them can be converted into a 3.5” bay.) The other covers are used by two 120 mm fans. These covers are vented, but they don’t have an air filter. There are, however, air filters for the fans, which are removed from the left side of the front panel, as you can see in Figure 5.
Figure 4: Front panel
Figure 5: Air filters for the fans
The two 120 mm fans available on the front panel glow in blue when turned on, but the manufacturer doesn’t state their main specifications. They are connected to an individual three-speed controller located at the top panel.
Figure 6: Fans
[nextpage title=”The Top Panel”]
The top panel of the 3R System T100 Valkyrie has several features. The top panel comes with two 120 mm fans, which are connected to an individual three-speed controller. These fans don’t glow when turned on. Once again, the manufacturer doesn’t publish the specifications for them.
Figure 7: Top panel
The reviewed case has one USB 2.0 port, two USB 3.0 ports, three three-speed fan controllers for the front, top, and rear/bottom fans, one memory card reader supporting the SD, MMC, and MS formats, and the traditional audio jacks. The USB 3.0 ports use regular USB cables, and must be connected to USB 3.0 ports located on the rear panel of the motherboard.
Figure 8: Buttons and connectors
The bottom panel has an external 3.5”/2.5” docking bay for storage devices. During our original review, the latches for the 2.5” lid broke. Updated 01/18/2012: The manufacturer sent us a second sample from its second production batch, where this problem was solved. See Figure 10.
Figure 9: The 3.5”/2.5” docking bay
Figure 10: The 2.5” lid was fixed on the second production batch
[nextpage title=”The Bottom and Rear Panels”]
The bottom panel of the 3R System T100 Valkyrie has two air filters, one for the bottom fan and one for the power supply fan.
Figure 11: Bottom panel
The rear panel and the interior of the 3R System T100 Valkyrie are painted black.
On the 3R System T100 Valkyrie, the power supply is installed at the bottom of the case.
The case comes with a 120 mm fan installed on its rear panel, which glows in blue when turned on and is connected to an individual three-speed fan controller. No technical specifications for this fan are available.
This case has eight expansion slots, which allows you to install a third or fourth dual-slot video card in the last PCI Express slot of the motherboard, if your motherboard supports this configuration. The slots use vented covers.
The 3R System T100 Valkyrie has two holes using rubber covers for hoses of liquid cooling solutions. These holes are 0.75” (19 mm) in diameter. Another two holes are available, but are used by the cables of the two USB 3.0 ports.
Figure 12: Rear panel
The reviewed case has a loop for a padlock or warranty seal, for preventing unauthorized people from opening the computer.
Figure 13: Loop for padlock or warranty seal
Let’s now take a look inside the 3R System T100 Valkyrie.[nextpage title=”Inside the 3R System T100 Valkyrie”]
Both panels are attached to the chassis using black thumbscrews. The motherboard tray has a huge hole for you to access the backplate of the CPU coolers without having to remove the motherboard from the case, several holes for you to route cables behind it, and several meta
llic clips for you to fasten cables using cable ties. It also comes with plastic cable organizers behind the motherboard tray.
Figure 14: Overall look
Figure 15: A view behind the motherboard tray
In Figure 16, we have another overall look inside the case. Expansion cards are fastened using black thumbscrews. The 3R System T100 Valkyrie supports video cards up to 11.8” (300 mm) long or 16.9” (430 mm) if the upper hard drive cage is removed.
Figure 16: Overall look
[nextpage title=”Inside the 3R System T100 Valkyrie (Cont’d)”]
The reviewed case comes with a unique retention mechanism for long video cards, which is attached to a sliding support available on the motherboard tray. However, you can use this mechanism for securing only one video card.
Figure 17: Retention mechanism for the main video card
Figure 18: Retention mechanism installed
The 3R System T100 Valkyrie allows the installation of two 120 mm internal fans on the side of the hard drive cages. See Figure 19.
Figure 19: Place for installing two 120 mm fans
The power supply is installed at the bottom of the case, and it can be installed with either its bottom fan facing up or facing down, so you can decide if you want the fan of your power supply pulling air from inside the case or from outside of it.
The case comes with a 120 mm fan installed on its bottom panel, which also glows blue when turned on. This fan is connected to the same speed controller as the rear fan. As already shown, there is an air filter for this fan, accessible from outside the case.
Because of this fan, the case only supports power supplies up to 6.7” (170 mm) deep. If you want to install deeper power supplies, you will need to remove the bottom fan.
Figure 20: Power supply compartment
[nextpage title=”The Disk Drive Bays”]
The 3R System T100 Valkyrie has three external 5.25” bays, one external 3.5” bay converted from one of the 5.25” bays, and eight 3.5”/2.5” bays in two cages. The top two 5.25” bays come with thumbscrews, but for all the other bays you will need to use regular screws.
Figure 21: Disk drive bays
As mentioned before, the upper hard disk drive bay can be removed for allowing the installation of longer video cards. During our review, the plastic parts that hold this cage in place broke. Updated 01/18/2012: The manufacturer sent us a second sample from its second production batch, where this problem was solved. The updated Figure 23 shows the latch intact, even after we installed and removed the cage several times.
Figure 22: Upper hard drive cage removed
Figure 23: The top hard drive cage
It is possible to install a hard drive on top of the lower hard drive cage when the upper cage is removed.
Each 3.5”/2.5” bay is actually a small drawer. Two of them are very different, as they also allow the installation of 80 mm or 90 mm fans. The other drawers have a suspension mechanism for reducing the vibration generated by the hard disk drives.
Figure 24: One of the two drawers that allow the installation of an 80 mm or 90 mm fan
Figure 25: One of the six drawers with suspension mechanism
The adapter for external 3.5” devices also allows you to install 3.5”/2.5” internal storage devices and a 120 mm fan. Therefore, you can have a maximum of ten 3.5”/2.5” devices with this case: eight in the regular 3.5”/2.5” bays, one in the 5.25” adapter (Figure 26), and one in the external 3.5”/2.5” docking bay.
Figure 26: Adapter
[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]
The main specifications for the 3R System T100 Valkyrie include:
- Style: Mid-tower
- Application: ATX, and smaller form factors
- Material: Zinc-coated steel (SECC) body
- Power supply: Doesn’t come with the product
- Available colors: Black
- Side panel: Tinted window
- Dimensions: 21.1 x 8.7 x 20.2 inches (535 x 220
x 512 mm) (H x W x D) - Net weight: 21.5 lbs (9.8 kg)
- Gross weight: 25 lbs (11.4 kg)
- Bays: Three external 5.25” bays, one external 3.5”/2.5” docking bay, eight internal 3.5/2.5” bays, and one external 3.5” or internal 3.5”/2.5” bay converted from one 5.25” bay
- Expansion slots: Eight
- Maximum video card length: 11.8” (300 mm) long or 16.9” (430 mm) if the upper hard drive cage is removed
- Maximum CPU cooler height: NA
- Fans: Two 120 mm fans with blue LEDs on the front panel, two 120 mm fans on the top panel, one 120 mm fan with blue LEDs on the rear panel, and one 120 mm fan with blue LEDs on the bottom panel
- Optional fans: Two 120 mm fans on the side of the hard drive cages, two 80 mm or 90 mm fans inside two of the internal 3.5”/2.5” bays, and one 120 mm fan in the 5.25” bays
- Extra Features: Loop for padlock or warranty seal, three three-speed fan controllers, memory card reader supporting the SD, MMC, and MS formats
- More Information: https://www.3rsys.com
- MSRP: NA
[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]
It is clear to us that 3R System tried to make a mid-tower case with lots of features as cheap as possible. In order to achieve that, the company decided to use inferior plastic parts. During our review, three parts broke (the two parts that hold the upper hard drive cage in place and the lid for the external docking bay). The manufacturer sent us a new sample from the second production batch. These problems were solved, and we are now giving this product our “Bronze Award” for its terrific set of features.
Strong Points
- Air filters for the front, bottom, and power supply fans
- Vented 5.25” bay covers
- Vented slot covers
- Three three-speed fan controllers
- Support for 10 3.5”/2.5” storage devices
- Support for 11 fans, comes with six
- Unique suspension mechanisms in six of the eight internal 3.5”/2.5” bays
- Holding mechanism for main video card
- Expansion cards are fastened using thumbscrews
- A huge hole in the motherboard tray for accessing the backplate of the CPU cooler
- Holes for routing cables behind the motherboard tray
- Metallic clips for fastening cables using cable ties
- Cable organizers behind the motherboard tray
Weak Points
- Cheap plastic parts
- Parts broke during our review (problem solved in the second production batch)
- No tool-less installation mechanisms for storage devices
- USB 3.0 ports don’t use an internal connector