Cooltek NC-02 Tempered Glass Case Review

Introduction

It’s not very often you hear the words tempered glass and affordable in the same breath but the Cooltek NC-02W covers both these terms, very well I might add too! So join me on this foray where we will be checking out the Cooltek NC-02W tempered glass case and getting inside to see what it’s all about.

Specifications

• External: 2x 5.25″
• Internal: 2x 3.5″ (transverse, HDD rails), 3x 2.5″
• Front I/O: 1x USB-A 3.0, 2x USB-A 2.0, 1x headphone, 1x microphone
• PCI-slots: 7
• Fan(s) (front): 2x 140mm (optional)
• Fan(s) (rear): 1x 120mm
• Fan(s) (top): 2x 120mm (optional)
• Motherboard: Up to ATX
• Power supply: ATX
• Power supply position: bottom
• CPU Coolers: to max. 163mm height
• Graphics Cards: to max. 415mm
• Colour: black/silver, inside black
• Dimensions (WxHxD): 205x475x456mm
• Capacity: 44.40L
• Weight: 6.10kg
• Special features: cable management, dust filter, integrated fan control, side panel window made out of tempered glass

Closer Look

So after cracking the Cooltek NC-02’s box open its time to get down to business with this case and it certainly holds no bars with the initial build quality which is always great to see. Of course with a tempered glass panel care must be taken, even though the glass is somewhat tougher than normal; glass is not indestructible, so after gently lifting the case out of the box and removing the funny plastic protective bag the below sight was actually pretty awesome to see and more impressive than the stock images could put across! Due to the nature of the case you do, as with any tempered glass cases, get the obligatory warning sticker and of course the best part getting to peel the plastic protective sheets off!

So here we go time get into the bowels of this little beauty! Popping the glass panel off the Cooltek NC-02, which is mounted with a rubber grommeted screw in each corner and a layer of foam around the case edge, reveals a very clean and crisp interior with no mess to have to deal with once you get to the best bit, building your bits and pieces inside. The interior is really crisp and clean which is great to see, the ATX standoffs are also already in place, which not many manufacturers do out of the box, for the price this case comes in at the standoffs being preinstalled is a nice feature.

As you would expect the bag of hardware comes inside the case, it’s also a really extensive collection of mounting screws and such plus several cable ties which is something my last case didn’t have these, so it already has a somewhat premium feeling to a modestly priced £45.82 case (at time of writing). The materials are also finished really cleanly and ill be honest I was expecting to see overspray or rough edges but alas there weren’t any and it has been finished in a really crisp satin black paint. The Cooltek NC-02 also has water cooling support for front mounted radiators which is always welcome if you ever fancy going full-on hard line or soft line custom loop route or even keeping it nice and simple with an out of the box AIO this case can support it which is brilliant for customisation options.

Cable management is also a breeze in this case thanks to the rubber grommets dotted in strategically spot on locations from the two on the basement shroud, that happen to line up with some of the I/O cables to the four on the right of the motherboard tray area, when looking in to the glass side of the case, which make VGA power and motherboard 24 pin power so much easier to get looking tidy. SATA cables and fan cables can be routed through these as well. Talking of fans this case also has a built-in fan controller, this is really impressive to see on a case from this price range! Its super easy to use as well just connect the corresponding fans to the labelled headers and you can use the two slider switches on the top to turn them on and off.?

The front I/O is also really decent you get the usual USB 2.0 ports, a USB 3.0 port, audio in and out ports, to the left you will see the previously mentioned fan controller that covers the top front and rear fans, the classic activity lights, power and reset buttons which are separated and different shapes which is unusual and finally the top of the case has a magnetic dust filter that holds in place really well and does the job spot on.

The Cooltek NC-02’s basement isn’t just a hiding space for you to keep the power supply out of sight but it also has tool-free hard drive trays, well somewhat tool-free as a screwdriver is required when installing 2.5″ drives in the plastic tray sliders. I have used these to keep my build nice and clean inside with as little cable trailing as possible but utilising as many features as possible. There is also space for multiple 2.5″ drive mounting along the right of the motherboard tray area and on the reverse side too which makes for plenty of drive storage space.

• CPU – AMD FX-6300
• Motherboard – MSI 970A SLI Krait Edition
• Cooler – CoolerMaster Evo 212
• GPU – Palit GTX 1050 Ti Dual OC
• RAM – Integral Value 16GB
• SSD – Crucial 120GB
• HDD – 2TB Seagate
• PSU – BeQuiet 600 Watt Pure Power 10

Conclusion

So what do I think of the Cooltek NC-02 Tempered Glass case? Well, after getting a build in there I’m actually pretty impressed. It was really easy to work with, of course stowing the glass panel safely was important, the preinstalled standoffs made getting my board in a piece of cake and the fact it’s just super clean inside and has great cable management capabilities won me over straight away. It has got potential to be home to a really nice custom hard line loop thanks to its support for a front mounted radiator which is a very welcome idea in my mind. Now on to the in-depth and technical bits!

Performance

This is an unusual category for a case but its relevant as cooling and noise performance which are both great in the Cooltek NC-02, the cooling is brilliant thanks to the big mesh front panel that lets a whole heap of air flow through keeping everything nice and chilled! The top panel mesh allows decent airflow in too, as well as space for two 120mm fans that is a really nice feature too.

Noise performance really impressive as the included fan is super quiet and due to the sufficient airflow, the pc itself stays relatively quiet as well which isn’t always noticeable when headphones are equipped. Overall its really stylish but also manages to be a thermally efficient as well as being good with noise management. Plus that tempered glass panel makes everything all good.

Design

The design on the Cooltek NC-02 is top notch, there aren’t any rough and rushed looking areas of the case which for the price is really welcome, and the glass panel has nice smoothly finished edges. The fact Cooltek have chosen to go with a good range of fan support and water cooling support makes this case really well thought through on the design side which is great. I like the attention to detail as the basement portion, that is a full-length basement, does have a cutout for radiator support so there’s a nice attention to detail. I would, however, have liked to see the option to have the 5.25″ drives bays to be removable as I noted the bracket is relatively flimsy and may easily bend. Not many folks use the bigger drives these days as most software people use is easily downloaded but the fact Cooltek have chosen to include this shows they are catering for any and all users.

Value

Now, this is a category this case fits and fits really well! Rocking in at £45.82 from reichelt for a water cooling capable, tempered glass panel case is mighty impressive. The quality for the current price is immensely in favour of great value and the air cooler height covers most of the tall coolers such as the 212 Evo and thanks to there not being any internal structures the longer graphics cards fit well too. The built in fan controller adds to the great value this case brings, I feel its really high on the monetary value side of things, and for a builder case value is high on the list! When it comes to a case it tends to be a long-term investment and the Cooltek NC-02 fits the bill perfectly when it comes value and style which is always a tidy matchup.

Final Thoughts

So, after all, that from the unboxing to building and using the Cooltek NC-02 case, which I have to say big thanks to the guys at reichelt for sending over, I’m actually more and more drawn over to it not that I wasn’t from the get-go. So if I was going off to build a custom PC for someone this would be the case I’d go for and it’d be really nice to set up a hardline tube loop in this case too. If you are in the market for a new tower case and you want something that is both stylish but has a lot of great features then I’d recommend the Cooltek NC-02 straight away. It’s also great for budget builders who want that bit of extra flair in their pc too.

Overall the Cooltek NC-02’s features are top the hill for the price range it’s in, the ease of building in this pc case is the easiest I’ve worked in for a while, the price is a massive positive and finally the style and finish is really well done.

So, after all that, will you be taking the plunge and getting this case for your next upgrade? Let us know and let us know what you think of this pc case too.

Overall I’m giving the Cooltek NC-02 case a gold award, purely for how many features are packed into such an affordable tempered glass case which are a lot!