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Comparison Aerocool Tomahawk-A V1 black vs Accord A-SMB black

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Aerocool Tomahawk-A V1 black
Accord A-SMB black
Aerocool Tomahawk-A V1 blackAccord A-SMB black
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Featuresgaminggaming
Form factorMidi TowerMini Tower
Mountverticalvertical
Motherboard support
ATX /micro-ATX, mini-ITX/
micro-ATX
Board placementvertical
PSU form factorATX (regular)ATX (regular)
Computer case
Dimensions (HxWxD)440x196x399 mm422x185x385 mm
Graphics card max lenght324 mm300 mm
Fan max height157 mm150 mm
Weight2.37 kg3 kg
Materialsteelsteel
Sidewall thickness0.5 mm
Rubber feet
Lighting typebacklit fan
Lighting colourRGB
Side panelremovableremovable
Storage
PSU
PSU mounttopbottom
3.5" bays12
internal 2.5" compartments42
Expansion slots74
Cooling
Fans total1
Fans (back)1x120мм1x120мм
Fans (front)3x120мм2x120мм
Fans (top)2x120мм
Fan mounts total45
Dust filter+
Connectors and functions
Placementon top of the caseon top of the case
USB 2.022
USB 3.2 gen111
Audio (microphone/headphones)
More features
Front panellattice
Side panel window++
More features
CPU cooling mount window
CPU cooling mount window
Color
Added to E-Catalogjanuary 2020april 2018

Form factor

The form factor determines, first of all, the internal volume of the case (as a result, the motherboard used for it, see "Type of motherboard"), as well as installation features. To date, PC cases are available in the following main form factors:

Full Tower. The tower case is one of the largest form factors for PCs today: 15-20 cm wide, 50-60 cm high, with up to 10 externally accessible bays. Most often in this form factor running advanced high performance PCs.

Ultra Tower. Further development and expansion of Full Tower cases (see above), offering even more space for hardware: the width of such a case is about 25 cm, the height can reach 70 cm, which allows you to install powerful configurations inside and provides enough free space for effective cooling .

Midi Tower. A representative of the tower family (tower cases) of medium size — about 45 cm in height with a width of 15-20 cm, with the number of external bays from 2 to 4. Most popular for middle-class home PCs.

Mini Tower. The most compact "vertical" case type, with a width of 15-20 cm, has a height of about 35 cm and (usually) less than 2 compartments with external access. It is mainly used for assembling office PCs that do not require high performance.

Desktop. Enclosures designed for i...nstallation directly on the desktop. They often have the possibility of horizontal installation — in such a way that a monitor can be placed on top of the case — although there are also models that are installed strictly vertically. The size of such cases can be almost anything — from miniature solutions for thin mini ITX motherboards to large-sized cases for E-ATX (see "Motherboard type"). However, most "desktops" are relatively small.

— Cube Case. Cases having a cubic or close to it shape. They can have different sizes and are intended for different types of motherboards, this point in each case should be clarified separately. Anyway, such cases have a rather original appearance, different from traditional "towers" and "desktops".

— Dual Tower. Quite a rare option — cases, in size and proportions resembling two "towers", made up side by side. Dual Tower solutions are large in size and are intended mainly for powerful high-performance PCs (in particular, top gaming stations).

Note that there are models that allow both vertical and horizontal installation and can, in fact, turn from a "tower" to a "desktop" and vice versa. For such cases, the form factor is indicated by the form factor named in the manufacturer's documentation, or by the main installation method described there.

Motherboard support

The type of motherboard for which the design is designed. This parameter is indicated by the form factor of the "motherboard", under which the case is designed. The options might be:

ATX. One of the most common types of motherboards today, the standard ATX size is 30.5x24.4 cm. It is used in both home and middle-class office PCs.

XL-ATX. The general name for several standards of motherboards, united, as the name implies, by rather large sizes and corresponding equipment. Specific values for these dimensions can vary from 324 to 345 mm long and 244 to 264 mm wide, depending on the manufacturer and model. Accordingly, when choosing such a case, it is worthwhile to separately clarify its compatibility with a specific motherboard.

E-ATX(Extended ATX). The largest type of motherboards, under which modern cases are made, has dimensions of 30.5x33 cm. It is usually used in high-performance systems that require numerous expansion slots.

— micro-ATX (m-ATX). The compact version of the ATX board has dimensions of 24.4x24.4 cm. The main scope of such boards is office systems that do not require high performance.

mini-ITX. One of the further reductions in the form factor of motherboards after m-ATX assumes a board size of about 17x17 cm and one (most often) e...xpansion slot. Also designed for compact systems that do not differ in performance.

Thin mini-ITX. A modification of the mini-ITX described above, designed to reduce the thickness of the case (up to 25 mm), and the RAM sticks do not protrude upwards and lie on the "motherboard" parallel to the board itself (for more details, see "Form factor"). Like most compact designs, thin mini-ITX boards do not have high processing power.

Note that most cases allow the installation of smaller motherboards — for example, many E-ATX cases can be used with ATX motherboards. However, specific compatibility anyway should be clarified separately.

Board placement

The position of the motherboard in the case; it is assumed that the body is in its original position.

The motherboard is most conveniently placed along the case — this gives the most space for it (and "motherboards", we recall, are large in size). And since the most popular nowadays are vertical-layout cases (mainly certain types of “towers”), the boards in them are arranged vertically. The horizontal arrangement can be found much less frequently — in separate Mini-Towers and "cubes" (Cube Case), where the height is not much greater than the width, as well as desktops designed for horizontal placement.

Graphics card max lenght

The maximum length of a graphics card that can be installed in this case.

Modern mid-range and top-end video cards with high performance often differ in considerable length, which is why such a card can not fit into any case. So before collecting components, it is worth evaluating the length of the proposed graphics card and choosing a case in which it is guaranteed to fit. This forethought is useful anyway, but it's especially true if you're building a system that requires a powerful graphics adapter, such as a high-end gaming PC or 3D design workstation.

Fan max height

The highest cooler height allowed for this case.

In this case, we mean a cooler used to cool the processor — such a component is found in the vast majority of modern PCs. Height is measured relative to the motherboard.

Sidewall thickness

The thickness of the side walls used in the case. When choosing a thickness, manufacturers have to compromise between several points at once. On the one hand, thin walls are inexpensive and heat dissipates faster through them, which has a positive effect on cooling efficiency. On the other hand, powerful systems inevitably require thick walls, otherwise the case may simply not withstand the weight of advanced high-performance components. Thirdly, steel is a fairly durable material even with a relatively small thickness. In light of all this, in most models this indicator does not exceed 0.70.8 mm, and more often it is about 0.50.6 mm.

Lighting type

The type of illumination provided in the body design.

The backlight plays mainly a decorative role, it gives the computer an original appearance, which is appreciated by fans of external tuning. Lighting can be mounted separately, but it is easier to purchase a case where it was originally provided. The types of illumination can be as follows:

— Illuminated fan. One or more coolers are illuminated, facing the side or top surface of the case.

Cases with backlight. Separate parts of the body are illuminated, usually from the inside, in such a way that the illumination can be seen through a transparent window / windows or a lattice surface. Sometimes external lighting can be provided.

There are cases in which both types of illumination are provided simultaneously. And for office needs , cases without backlight are suitable.

Lighting colour

For more on decorative lighting in general, see Light Type above. Here we note that it can have different shades, and sometimes several options are indicated in the characteristics at once. If these options are listed through "and" (for example, "red, blue and green") — this means that this model contains all the specified colours, and the user can switch between them at his discretion. If the shades are listed through “or” (for example, “red, blue or green”), this means that this model is available in several versions that differ in the colour of the backlight.

Special mention is the "RGB" option. This is the name of the most advanced backlight, the shade of which can be chosen at your discretion. However the original RGB backlighting is capable of simultaneously displaying only one of several basic colours (white, yellow, green, red, blue or purple); nevertheless, even these possibilities are enough to customize the appearance of the case and apply various effects (such as backlight synchronization — see below).

And relatively recently, an even more advanced type of adjustable systems has appeared — ARGB backlight. The key difference between ARGB and classic RGB is the possibility of simultaneous operation of diodes of different colours. In other words, classic RGB lighting can display only one colour at a time, while ARGB can display several colours, which provides additional effects. Also, ARGB lighting is connecte...d using a 3pin 5v connector, while regular RGB uses a 4pin 12v connection. It can be represented by various types of illumination. So, ARGB is often integrated into the cooling system, the front panel and magnetic LED strips, which the user can mount at his discretion. To control the backlight, a special controller is usually provided, and buttons or controls for switching the illumination operation modes are placed on the interface panel. In some cases, the backlight is controlled by the motherboard, through a special connector. Many ARGB systems support the ability to fine-tune through specialized software.

PSU mount

The location of the power supply (or seat for the power supply) in the case.

The traditional option is the top location of the PSU, this is a familiar and familiar option for many. However, heated air from other system components accumulates in the top of the case, reducing cooling efficiency. Cases with a lower location of the PSU are deprived of this drawback, however, a lot of dust and other contaminants get into them if the system unit is installed on the floor. However, this difference becomes critical only when using high-performance systems with appropriate heat dissipation; for an ordinary household PC, the location of the power supply unit as a whole is not important.

Also note that in miniature cases like mini-Tower (see "Form factor"), the PSU installed on top can overlap part of the motherboard, which further worsens the cooling efficiency and makes it difficult to install large CPU coolers; however, it all depends on the layout of a particular case.
Aerocool Tomahawk-A V1 often compared
Accord A-SMB often compared