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.

click to enlarge
Figure 1: 3R System T100 Valkyrie case

click to enlarge
Figure 2: 3R System T100 Valkyrie case

As you can see, the left panel of the T100 Valkyrie has a big tinted window.

click to enlarge
Figure 3: The left-side panel

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.

click to enlarge
Figure 4: Front panel

click to enlarge
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.

click to enlarge
Figure 6: Fans

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.

click to enlarge
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.

click to enlarge
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.

click to enlarge
Figure 9: The 3.5”/2.5” docking bay

click to enlarge
Figure 10: The 2.5” lid was fixed on the second production batch

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.

click to enlarge
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.

click to enlarge
Figure 12: Rear panel

The reviewed case has a loop for a padlock or warranty seal, for preventing unauthorized people from opening the computer.

click to enlarge
Figure 13: Loop for padlock or warranty seal

Let’s now take a look inside the 3R System T100 Valkyrie.

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 metallic clips for you to fasten cables using cable ties. It also comes with plastic cable organizers behind the motherboard tray.

click to enlarge
Figure 14: Overall look

click to enlarge
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.

click to enlarge
Figure 16: Overall look

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.

click to enlarge
Figure 17: Retention mechanism for the main video card

click to enlarge
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.

click to enlarge
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.

click to enlarge
Figure 20: Power supply compartment

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.

click to enlarge
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.

click to enlarge
Figure 22: Upper hard drive cage removed

click to enlarge
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.

click to enlarge
Figure 24: One of the two drawers that allow the installation of an 80 mm or 90 mm fan

click to enlarge
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.

click to enlarge
Figure 26: Adapter

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: http://www.3rsys.com
• MSRP: NA

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