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[REVIEW] Modecom Mini Cool Air mATX Case

Mr.Dingle

Hello there LTT . I present to you , the Modecom Mini Cool Air mATX Case . 

 

This is a low-end , mATX case with a pricetag of 25USD ( at least here in Croatia ) , which surprised me with its attention to detail , and despite some obvious flaws which i will explain later in the review , its actually a very nice case to work in . 

 

Exterior : 

The case features all metal chassis construction , while the front panel is made out of plastic , felt quality , at least for the price point . The front panel also houses the glossy plastic cover , which is actually see-through , but only up-close . Didnt have any LED fans to test it out tho . Front I/O features a USB 3.0 , two USB 2.0 connectors , headphone and microphone jacks , reset and power buttons . I like the "aluminium" finish , its a nice touch , even tho its plastic.

 

The case has a matte black finish , except the glossy plastic up-front , so beware because it picks up dust and fingerprints easily . 

 

The case comes with a small plastic bag containing the screws and some motherboard standoffs . Also has the small speaker for plugging into the motherboard . And the usual users manual

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The Subwoofer 

Ryzen 7 1700  /// Noctua NH-L9X65 /// Noctua NF-P14s Redux 1200PWM

ASRock Fatal1ty X370 Gaming-ITX/ac /// 16GB DDR4 G.Skill TridentZ 3066Mhz

Zotac GTX1080 Mini 

EVGA Supernova G3 650W 

Samsung 960EVO 250GB + WD Blue 2TB

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Interior :

The interior is quite spacious for a mATX case . It fits full size ATX power supplies , but has an issue if you are planning to use the DVD drive , you will need to use a smaller from factor power supply . It fits mATX and mITX form factor motherboards , has 2x HDD mounting spots ( 1 if you use the DVD drive ) , and also a spot to mount an SSD .

It comes with a rear - exhaust - 80mm fan , the front doesnt have fans installed . On the bottom of the case there is a rather unexpected dust filter for the power supply , and unexpected because the front has no filters , but then again it does make sense , the PSU is the top priority for dust protection . 

The case can handle a PSU up to 198mm in length , and a GPU up to 300mm . The CPU cooler max. height is around 150mm . 

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The Subwoofer 

Ryzen 7 1700  /// Noctua NH-L9X65 /// Noctua NF-P14s Redux 1200PWM

ASRock Fatal1ty X370 Gaming-ITX/ac /// 16GB DDR4 G.Skill TridentZ 3066Mhz

Zotac GTX1080 Mini 

EVGA Supernova G3 650W 

Samsung 960EVO 250GB + WD Blue 2TB

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Interior Pt.2 :

All of the cable ports , are rounded and plastified so your cables dont get damaged while routing them to wherever they need to go . The case comes with motherboard standoffs already installed , and the I/O cables , while not sleeved , are still easily hidden behind the motherboard tray , because the side panels have "dents" which expand outwards to create space for cable management . There is also quite a bit of cable looms to use to keep those cables tidy , and while it is nice to see , i dont really see the point because the case doesnt have windowed panels ... But its a nice touch . 

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The Subwoofer 

Ryzen 7 1700  /// Noctua NH-L9X65 /// Noctua NF-P14s Redux 1200PWM

ASRock Fatal1ty X370 Gaming-ITX/ac /// 16GB DDR4 G.Skill TridentZ 3066Mhz

Zotac GTX1080 Mini 

EVGA Supernova G3 650W 

Samsung 960EVO 250GB + WD Blue 2TB

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Interior PT.3 : 

Some more pictures of the interior , of the cable menagement , and the PSU / DVD Drive issue . 

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The Subwoofer 

Ryzen 7 1700  /// Noctua NH-L9X65 /// Noctua NF-P14s Redux 1200PWM

ASRock Fatal1ty X370 Gaming-ITX/ac /// 16GB DDR4 G.Skill TridentZ 3066Mhz

Zotac GTX1080 Mini 

EVGA Supernova G3 650W 

Samsung 960EVO 250GB + WD Blue 2TB

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Final thoughts : 

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So for final thoughts ... im impressed by both the overthinking and nice touches in this case . For example , the cable looms . They are a nice thing to have , but to have such emphasis on cable menagement in a closed case ... I just dont see the logic . Id rather have 2-3 more HDD slots , then worry about cabling in a 25$ case . 

 

Another example of this is the PSU filter . There is none in the front , where most dust comes from into a PC . 

 

The build quality is ok , but since i have nothing on hands to compare it but the H440 which is classes beyond the Mini Cool Air , il leave it at that . The finish picks up dust and fingerprints more than it does looks , which kinda defeats the whole purpose of its minimalistic design . The glossy front plastic is really not needed on a 25$ case , and while it does add a bling factor , it just isnt needed . Unless you plan putting LED fans , of which one costs more than this case . And the aluminium finish around the front  I/O ... its just dust magnet , and also scratching magnet , for when you insert USB sticks or peripherals in the ports . The plastic for the most part seemed ok , but a bit too finnicky and didnt provide any trust . ( when taking the front panel off , i had to use a bit of force and the plastic easily flexed )

 

The case could use a bit taller feet , since i imagine this case will be put on carpets often , and thus suffocating the PSU ... 

 

Cable menagement ... sadly i didnt have a motherboard handy to fully wire it up , but with all the I/O cables and the PSU cables , i had no problem tucking them away in corners , out of sight , and since all the cable holes are rounded , there is no worries about damaging your cables . The side panels also ease it up , since they easily add another 1cm of cable space .

 

The positioning of the PSU , and the drive cage enables this little case to handle almost any GPU up to 300mm length , at least for the top PCI-E slot . The bottom slots could get hampered by the drive cage , and since its riveted to the case , it could cause issues . CPU coolers up to 150mm height can fit in this case , and that should be enoguh for the hardware people would put in this thing . 

 

Took some pictures of it next to my H440 for size comparison ...

 

Conclusion :

Pros :

- small and light , while being sturdy

- value ( 25$ )

- cable management

- ease of work

- minimalistic design , fits anywhere

- GPU / CPU cooler space

 

Cons :

- no filters on the front 

- plastic quality 

- lackluster HDD space 

- PSU / DVD Drive interference

- limited fan options

- rubber feet height

 

 

P.S - my first review ever , so i hope it wasnt too crappy .. and the photos were taken with a smartphone and i have shaky hands so .. 

The Subwoofer 

Ryzen 7 1700  /// Noctua NH-L9X65 /// Noctua NF-P14s Redux 1200PWM

ASRock Fatal1ty X370 Gaming-ITX/ac /// 16GB DDR4 G.Skill TridentZ 3066Mhz

Zotac GTX1080 Mini 

EVGA Supernova G3 650W 

Samsung 960EVO 250GB + WD Blue 2TB

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  • 1 year later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Wow I can't believe there is something that can exist for $25....

 

Great review though. The pictures are pretty damn great and give us some pretty good ideas. Just putting it next to a H440 gives some great perspective (it would be a great cheap case for doing some modding). 

 

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