Components Used for this Review
| Case | Gamdias TALOS E3 Mid Tower Case (Sent by Gamdias) |
| Price | $59.99 USD ($64.99 for the white model) |
| CPU | Intel i5-12600K– Previous Review Here |
| CPU Cooler | Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black – Previous Review Here |
| Motherboard | MSI z690 A-PRO DDR4 |
| PSU | DeepCool PQ1000M |
Today we’ll be looking at the Talos E3 case made by Gamdias. For those unfamiliar with Gamdias, they make a variety of products for the PC Enthusiasts – PC Cases, CPU Coolers, Mice, headsets, and more!
The Talos E3 is a “Small Form Factor” Mid Tower Case. This version of the case comes in black, but a white version is also available. Like most other computer cases it comes in a cardboard box – protected on the inside by molded styrofoam and a plastic cover.
Case Specifications
| Product Name | Talos E3 |
| Case Type | Mid Tower |
| Dimensions | 363 x 210 x 447 mm 14.3 x 8.3 x 17.6 inch |
| Weight | 4.2kg |
| Motherboard Support | ATX, Micro-ATX,Mini-ITX |
| Expansion Slots | 7 |
| Material | SPCC Steel , ABS Plastic , Tempered glass |
| Radiator Support | Top: 240mm Front: 360 mm, 280 mm Rear: 120mm |
| Fan Support | Top: 2 x 120mm Front: 3 x 120mm, 2 x 140mm Rear: 1 x 120mm Bottom: 2 x 120mm |
| Pre-installed Fans | Front: 2 x 120mm ARGB Fans Rear: 1 x 120mm ARGB Fan |
| Drive Bays | 2 x 3.5″ or 1 x 2.5″+1 x 3.5″(HDD Cage) 2 x 2.5″ (Back Panel) |
| Clearance | CPU cooler height limitation: 160mm VGA length limitation: 300mm PSU length limitation: 150mm |
| I/O Port | USB 3.0 x1, USB 2.0 x2, HD Audio x1, Fan LED Control x1 |
The Talos E3 is a very lightweight case, weighing only 4.2kg – barely over half the weight of the previously reviewed DeepCool CK560WH. It is built with SPCC Steel, ABS Plastic, and tempered glass. It supports GPUs up to 300mm in length and motherboards of ATX, Micro-ATX, and Mini-ITX sizes.
Starting with the top of the case, you have the IO Panel which comes with the standard power button, 2x USB 2.0 Ports, 1x USB 3.0 port, LED control, and audio ports. There is also a magnetized mesh air filter.
The front panel is made of tempered glass, with spaces on the sides and bottom for airflow.
The main side panel is also made of tempered glass, allowing view of the computer’s internal components
For storage, 2x 2.5″ drives can be attached to the back panel, and 2x 3.5″ drives are supported via the hard drive bay at the bottom of the case.
7 expansion slots are supported via the back, and has a sliding door to help secure any cards.
Acoustic & Thermal Performance
The Talos E3 includes 2x front fans and 1x back fan labeled DF1202512SEHN, I wasn’t able to find much information about the included fans using Google. Most results I found for this stated the fans are 1900CFM at up to 28.9 dBA, but I saw results as low as 1500CFM and as high as 2500CFM. I wasn’t able to verify the speeds via software, because the fans lacked motherboard headers.
For comparison testing, I tested Gamdias Talos E3 against DeepCool’s CK560WH using the same components – DeepCool PQ1000M PSU, MSI z690 A-PRO DDR4 motherboard, i5-12600k CPU, etc. As with CPU Cooler reviews, I tested thermal results using OCCT Small Set stress test and Cinebench R23 multi-core test. While running these tests, both Gamdias & DeepCool cases ran quietly – but the Gamdias case ran slightly louder.
Temperatures between the two cases were close, with CPU package temperatures reporting 2c warmer while testing in the Gamdias’ case. I feel the differences here are due to only having 2x front fans, and would likely disappear if a 3rd fan was added.
Conclusion
Gamdias Talos E3 is a good mid tower computer case which packs value with a “budget” price of only $59.99 USD. With support for 4x storage drives, GPUs up to 300mm in size, and 240/360mm AIOs – it has room for just about anything you would need. I’m giving the Talos E3 our Silver Award for being a quality computer case at an affordable price that doesn’t break the bank.
