Phobya WaCoolT OWL Case Review

Conclusion

As we previously mentioned, puting the WaCoolT OWL through our usual air-cooled tests is kind of pointless as would be getting results with a water-cooling setup installed - you'd see similar results using the same kit whatever case you tested in - at least within a few degrees. However, we spent the extra time kitting the case out with a water-cooling system, graciously provided by Aquatuning, to give you more of an idea of what to expect and indeed what's possible with the WaCoolT OWL.


It's undoubtedly a huge case to work with and while the lower radiator mount is very useful, it can be a bit tricky to deal with, since you often need to be screwing a radiator in one side, and holding it on the other. The roof mount was much easier to deal with for this reason. The depth of the case, specifically between the graphics card and side panel, meant that bending 1/2in ID tubing round from a straight barb was possible, so using acrylic tubing here should be no problem either. Again, this is a case designed to leave plenty of room for showing off your hardware so the only gripe we have with the aesthetics are the lack of a large side window - the included one is a bit teeny.


By far and away the most frustrating part of building a PC in the WaCoolT OWL, though, is dealing with the dozens of screws that secure the side panels. The latter fit perfectly so it's just a shame you have to go through the laborious process every time you want to remove them, although an electronic screwdriver makes short work of them. We also found that the front panel connectors came up a bit short, especially the audio header cable.


As with cases like this before it, the WaCoolT OWL is a thoroughbred water-cooling case. However, unlike Corsair's 900D, it's also not one to be taken lightly and will need time, effort and money to get the best out of. It's expensive, but then it is made up of 10kg of aluminium for starters. Also, as with other cases like this, it's a blank canvas that's begging to be modded and filled with water-cooling hardware. In fact, even with a Rampage V Extreme and water-cooled graphics card installed, this really doesn't go far enough to really show what the case is capable of.

Rather than being just a show case, Phobya has also come close to making the WaCoolT OWL an every day case too. The only real omissions are dust filters and fans, but the latter can be excused as most people will be buying their own matching set of fans anyway. It's undoubtedly huge, has very niche appeal and possibly isn't very exciting-looking compared to recent cases, but put in the hands of a water-cooling enthusiast or modder with a hefty budget the sky is the limit. With very limited quantities, those that want a very unique case to stand out from the black tower crowds will likely be tempted too.