Test System

Assembly

Installing the motherboard is done by traditional means, with the use of spacers and screws. Given the 120 mm fan in the rear, you can also install a liquid-cooling setup. Cooltek mentions a maximum length of 275 mm for GPUs, which means our 267 mm GeForce GTX 285 is just fine. With all these parts in place, the chassis is already pretty crowded, which nicely puts on display just how much it can hold at most. Make sure to watch the allocated maximum height of 175 mm if you go for air cooling, which translates into a 120 mm tower cooler. Some 140 mm variants will probably also fit.


Installing a PSU is also done by traditional means, by sliding it into through the side and securing it with the supplied screws.


You have to remove the tray at the front by taking four screws off - these hold it in place. While this is just fine, there are other, better ways, like rubber-ringed screws which simply allow you to mount a drive you prepared.


Installing an SSD is done in a similar manner, but it only takes two screws to pin it to the frame. Once filled, simply put the tray back into place. It will also cover the PSU, while giving you a clear look at the motherboard.


With everything inside, the C3 makes a really good impression. While there is a bit of a cable mess, it has been hidden away nicely on the floor, so the C3 should look pretty spiffy even if you use the windowed version.

Finished Looks

Cooltek also sent us the solid side panels to show you what it would look like, but we do like the windowed version more as it is pretty cool to see all the hardware within a case of this size.


That said, while a solid side only offers an air vent along the bottom, the window is perfectly sized to show the entire board, the GPU, and any cooler you may have installed.


The C3's fairly small power button also features a blue LED, a ring around the power button, to let you know your computer is up and running. Everything in the rear is actually arranged in a very traditional way, and all the connectors are readily accessible. The power button's glow also oozes through the air vents to the right of the expansion slots.