Early Verdict
Great features make the CASE-V08 appear an incredible value. Unfortunately, small problems such as an oversized USB 2.0 plug that doesn’t fit our board keeps it from getting a stamp of approval.
Pros
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Mediocre cooling after installing included spacer kit
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High value price for a case with two glass panels and four LED fans
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Excellent space for oversized motherboards and liquid cooling mods
Cons
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EATX space, but does not include standoffs to meet full EATX specification
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Liquid cooling space, but requires mods for a single radiator larger than 2x 120mm
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Oversized USB 2.0 plug doesn’t fit socketed USB 2.0 headers
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Single USB 3.0 port occupies full (two-port) USB 3.0 header No dust filtration for front (intake) fans. Complicated power supply dust filter removal.
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Specifications & Features
The stylish features of high-end cases always work their way down to the mainstream price segment, from painted interiors to glass panels and open space at the front where drive cages were once located. Builders once paid an additional price for the removal of drive racks, just to get a clean place to put their liquid cooling components, but mainstream models often get a discount for the missing parts, along with a few design shortfalls caused by leaving those parts out without re-purposing the bay mounts.
Extra fans have been a model-up option within the mainstream market far longer than glass panels have, but VIVO fits both features into its $70 CASE-V08
Specifications
The removal of drive racks leaves the CASE-V08 with enough space to mount an EATX motherboard, but no additional mounts to support it. The full EATX spec requires room for a 13”-deep board and three extra standoffs to support the leading edge, and those standoffs simply aren’t there. Stubborn builders can add rubber spacers instead, and we won’t forget that most premium consumer boards labeled “EATX” are 10.6” to 10.7”, making this one of many chassis that fits those in-between boards without complying with the full EATX spec.
The CASE-V08 is delivered in its original configuration, its glass face panel nearly flush and tightly screwed onto the plastic frame that completes the front panel. Vents on the sides of the frame and a handhold at the bottom allow air to be drawn into the fans, but the fans are only around ¼” from the glass prior to adding the optional spacers.
So-called “Front-Panel” ports and jacks are moved to the front of the top panel, providing users with a USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks, a two-speed fan controller with center “off” position, power and reset buttons, plus power and storage activity LEDs.
Around back are seven break-out slot covers and a 120mm LED fan with slotted mounts that allow it to be moved up and down to accommodate the end caps of 120mm radiators. The steel right side panel provides over 8mm additional cable clearance behind the motherboard tray.
Three 120mm LED fans are screwed to the front-panel’s plastic frame, and a power supply shroud behind these blocks access from the rear to the original fan mounts of the underlying steel structural panel. A 2x 120mm radiator will still fit above the blocked lower mounts, and there’s even a centrally-placed location for a 140mm radiator, but skilled builders willing to add a few screw holes will find more than enough space for a 2x 140mm radiator.
The original 5.25” bay covers are re-purposed with ventilation slits and a few slots for 120mm fan screws, but builders willing to secure the radiator using only four or six screws could get better airflow by breaking out the covers.
Two additional 120mm fan mounts are located on the power supply shroud, though fans installed here will block the lower expansion card slot. Two 2.5” drive mounts are integrated on the motherboard tray above the power supply shroud.
The CASE-V08 supports a standard ATX power supply (based on the PS/2 form factor) up to 10.3” deep with the factory hard drive cage installed, and the large opening beneath the motherboard tray eases installation. The only complication is its minuscule 12mm of cable space behind the tray, which is extended to around 21mm within the side panel’s bubble.
Three trays in the lower drive cage support either 3.5” (on side pins) or 2.5” (on base screws) drives, and the trays even slide open to ease pin alignment. The two integrated 2.5” drive mounts are found above this drive cage, and drives mounted there must be oriented vertically, front-to-front.
The CASE-V08’s only dust filter is found underneath, protecting the power supply, and is held in place by tabs. Removal requires laying the case on its side and flexing the filter mesh out from under at least the front or rear tabs.
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