Thoughts on Thermaltake Tsunami Dream Case?

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OmniShinzui

Member
Oct 13, 2005
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I came across it on Newegg a few days back, im ordering my PC parts this weekend, and was wondering if its a good case for a first-timer. Well, its kinda my first time (but thats another story). Anyways, it has (2) 120mm Fans, (1)90mm, and I like the fact that its almost screwless throughout the case (minus Mobo and a few odds n ends). Plus, theres locks, and roomy (so I can hide cords). Also, I like the side-panel and the overall look. Almost like a Cooler Master WaveMaster (exept black, side-panel, ect):
http://www.gogocity.com/product_details.asp?dept_id=33&pf_id=CO57TACT01EB

Anyways, besides the look, anyone have experience with it? I hear the the Motherboard tray isnt removable, and that the PCI locks are a bit hard to use (compared to a screw). Its $120 with Shipping and Tax (on ZipZoomFly). Is it worth it for a first build? Or is there a case that is better, but similar? Thanks

Heres the case Btw
http://www.thermaltake.com/xaserCase/tsunami/bwa/bwa.htm
 
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1Dark1Sharigan1

Golden Member
Oct 5, 2005
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Great case . . . I have one and I love it. Not as big as a Full Tower mind you but lots of room considering it's a mid tower. The removeable HD cage is a big plus (and actually comes in handy if you want to install a radiator for W/C) and so is the aluminum construction. It's also light as hell and looks, well, sexy . . . ;)

The 120mm LED Exhaust fan is pretty bright and overall the case fans are quiet . . .

I love the tooless 5.25" drive rails though the HD rails need a little work (I use screws for the HDs) The tooless PCI slot thing is more of a gimmick than anything else. I would just remove it and use screws (that's what I did) . . .

Still though a case that I love and would recommend . . . :)
 
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CalvinHobbes

Diamond Member
Feb 27, 2004
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I like mine a lot. Very easy to put together and fit and finish was good. The side panels are VERY thin so be careful with them.
 
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OmniShinzui

Member
Oct 13, 2005
174
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"The 120mm LED Exhaust fan is pretty bright and overall the case fans are quiet..." -1Dark1Sharigan1

I can see it now, cool at first, annoying later. Im new to fans, is there ways to disconnect the LED Light on a case fan? Or do I need to snip a wire, thus not being able to use the light again?

CalvinHobbes, like, you said the side panels are really thin, does that mean the edges can bend easily? or something else? If you got the one with the window, is the plexiglass really solid?

Last, I read theres a trip alarm on the side panel that has the lock, is that optional? Like, can I turn that off? while locked? Open? I have never had a case with an alarm, so its a new concept to me. Thanks in advance (sorry for all the questions)
 
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1Dark1Sharigan1

Golden Member
Oct 5, 2005
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Well I don't think you'll have a problem with the LED fan if that's the only LED you have in there. It may be bright but if you only have that one LED, it's not THAT bright. I don't think you can turn the LEDs off, but you could always just break the little LED bulbs if it starts to really bother you but I doubt it would . . .

Yeah the side panels will sorta bend if you put pressure on it but I mean it's pretty sturdy. As long as you don't try to kick or anything, you shouldn't have a problem.

I never use the trip alarm. You can turn it in bios . . .
 
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1Dark1Sharigan1

Golden Member
Oct 5, 2005
1,466
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Well I don't think you'll have a problem with the LED fan if that's the only LED you have in there. It may be bright but if you only have that one LED, it's not THAT bright. I don't think you can turn the LEDs off, but you could always just break the little LED bulbs if it starts to really bother you but I doubt it would . . .

Yeah the side panels will sorta bend if you put pressure on it but I mean it's pretty sturdy. As long as you don't try to kick or anything, you shouldn't have a problem.

I never use the trip alarm. You can turn it in bios . . .
 
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OmniShinzui

Member
Oct 13, 2005
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Oh, well, Ill figure the brightness situation once I get the case (like if its too bright, and stuff like that). Ive decided to get it, I like it, everything looks good. Thanks for explaining how that Trip alarm works lol (and the side-panel). I have no more questions, but if anyone one has more input, go right on ahead. Peace
 
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cooliodealio

Banned
Sep 30, 2005
375
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Obviously, as you can see from the responses in this thread, the Tsunami is considered the best case on the market right now.
 
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frank796

Junior Member
Nov 8, 2005
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I have to disagree with what people have said previously on this topic. From my personnal experience, the tsunami was the loudest case I ever encountered. The fans that comes with the case are just not what the specs were saying. They are EXTREMLY loud. The computer would be in the basement and I would hear it in the kitchen with the stock fans. I have the black version with a side panel and I have to say that it acts like a guitar. It amplify noise.

Take note, that noise is a major factor to me in computing. I do listen to music loud, play games such as battlefield 2, but late at night or when working, when I put sounds off, hearing fan noise isn't very enjoyable.

On postive note, I do like the look of the case. It's stylish and pleasant to watch at. There is a fairly decent amount of space to work in. Altho, I think a watercooling kit wouldn't fit. If you have a long video card, it can be tricky with hard drive cage aswell.

Anyway, that's my opinion about this case.
 
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Xyo II

Platinum Member
Oct 12, 2005
2,177
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Originally posted by: cooliodealio
Obviously, as you can see from the responses in this thread, the Tsunami is considered the best case on the market right now.
Click to expand...


the best case on the market??:confused:
 
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1Dark1Sharigan1

Golden Member
Oct 5, 2005
1,466
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Originally posted by: frank796
I have to disagree with what people have said previously on this topic. From my personnal experience, the tsunami was the loudest case I ever encountered. The fans that comes with the case are just not what the specs were saying. They are EXTREMLY loud. The computer would be in the basement and I would hear it in the kitchen with the stock fans. I have the black version with a side panel and I have to say that it acts like a guitar. It amplify noise.

Take note, that noise is a major factor to me in computing. I do listen to music loud, play games such as battlefield 2, but late at night or when working, when I put sounds off, hearing fan noise isn't very enjoyable.

On postive note, I do like the look of the case. It's stylish and pleasant to watch at. There is a fairly decent amount of space to work in. Altho, I think a watercooling kit wouldn't fit. If you have a long video card, it can be tricky with hard drive cage aswell.

Anyway, that's my opinion about this case.
Click to expand...

Um, I doubt it's the case fans that are at fault. Both 120mm fans spin at 1400 rpm and are actually pretty quiet and certainly not EXTREMELY loud as you mentioned. Maybe the noise is caused by your PSU fans? Are you using a Thermaltake PSU? Because those PSU have LOUD fans . . . That's usually the culprit when it comes to fan noise in a case with 120mm fans . . .

How do I know it's not the case fans? Because I've actually taken each 120mm fan and the 90mm fan and tested them out separately to see how loud they were and all three were hardly above a mild whisper. Yup even the 90mm one is pretty quiet . . .

As for a big graphics card not fitting um actually I could see two 7800s in SLI fitting in this case just fine. My single 7800GT fits without a problem. And as I've said, you can fit a watercooling system in there by remvoing the hard drive case, putting in the radiator, and then remounting the hard dirve cage. As long as we're not dealing with a super big radiator, I see no problems with W/C in this case . . . (though good cable mangement is a must then)

For the most part, W/C in a mid-tower is gonna be a tight fit anyway, so the fact that you can actually mount the radiator inside the Tsunami is a step above some other mid towers out there . . .
 
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cooliodealio

Banned
Sep 30, 2005
375
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Originally posted by: Einstein Element
Originally posted by: cooliodealio
Obviously, as you can see from the responses in this thread, the Tsunami is considered the best case on the market right now.
Click to expand...


the best case on the market??:confused:
Click to expand...

That's the general consensus, why do you ask?
 
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drwngflies

Member
Apr 28, 2005
172
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I have a Tsunami, and it is way quieter than my old X-Blade case, which had (3) 80mm fans for cooling.
Now, as for the PCI (no screw) fixture, you will want to remove it while installing cards, they always get in the way, as you are trying to seat the cards. I removed mine, and used screws, then replaced it (for asthetics) after everything was running correctly.
Also, if you are running a 6800 or larger card, there will be close clearances between the back of the Vid Card and where your HDD cables attach. Escpeacially in the second from top HDD bay.
You could install all HDD's low, or one on top, and the rest from bottom up.
I had to move one HDD to a lower spot than where I wanted it, and moved one up also, so the IDE cable wouldn't press against the vid card so hard.
I had to add a support under my 6800 to keep the weight of the IDE off the card:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y99/drwngflies/SupportBracket.jpg
The only other thing I could bring up, was the rear cover plate for Mobo outputs, didn't match my Mobo, seems they are in close affiliation with ASUS, and the plate didn't match my GigaByte plugs: (the USB ports are in wrong location)
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y99/drwngflies/RearCover.jpg
But I love this case, and these minor troubles were minimal, considering how much of an improvement it is over my last case.
 
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Doctorweir

Golden Member
Sep 20, 2000
1,689
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Jep, great case, I like it a lot, lot's of useful features.

But with SLI, several HDDs and an extra soundboard it gets quite packed ;)

See pic in sig for info...
 
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fierydemise

Platinum Member
Apr 16, 2005
2,056
2
81
I don't own the case but a few comments on the noise issue:
1. Thermaltake fans perform very differently from what they claim
2. Its all aluminum, which doesn't bode well for quiet performance
I wouldn't recommend it for a silent PC but it looks like a great case otherwise.
 
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Doctorweir

Golden Member
Sep 20, 2000
1,689
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A silent rig was one of my biggest concerns, so I opted for the version without window and additional fan. Then I set the two build in 120 fans on the 5v-diet, which IMHO produces enough airflow. But even at 12v they are not too loud...
The Zalman CPU cooler is by far the loudest (i.e. audible at all) component in my system, even if throttled down to 1000rpm by QFan in idle situations.
Aluminium cases on the other hand have the advantage of working as a big heat distributer / exchanger.
 
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fierydemise

Platinum Member
Apr 16, 2005
2,056
2
81
Originally posted by: Doctorweir
A silent rig was one of my biggest concerns, so I opted for the version without window and additional fan. Then I set the two build in 120 fans on the 5v-diet, which IMHO produces enough airflow. But even at 12v they are not too loud...
The Zalman CPU cooler is by far the loudest (i.e. audible at all) component in my system, even if throttled down to 1000rpm by QFan in idle situations.
Aluminium cases on the other hand have the advantage of working as a big heat distributer / exchanger.
Click to expand...

Aluminum does more harm then good in a silent case, because it's lighter and transfers vibrations more easily he amplifys noise, and since very few components actually touch the aluminum it doesn't do that much as a heatsink.
From SPCR
 
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OmniShinzui

Member
Oct 13, 2005
174
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Whoa, thanks for taking pics, I didnt realize how close the Video Card is lol. I will definatly put the hard drives towards the bottom. I will have a 7800GT Video Card and Have Two Hard Drives. Not to Mention a X-Fi Sound Card. As for quietness, I really dont care, unless its loud as a plane lol (im sure the pitch of sounds between my old and new PC will be different, thus might get annoying at first)...

Btw, One Last Question, how easy is it to remove and put back on the PCI Card Holder things? Thanks
 
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