Sharkoon T28 review

Sharkoon T28 Review

Manufacturer: Sharkoon
UK price (as reviewed): £56.98 (inc VAT)
US price (as reviewed): NA

German manufacturer Sharkoon is more than familiar with value, having built the majority of its business around well-priced components and accessories. Its chassis line-up is no different – having shown us it could do minimal with the Rebel9, the company is back to target modders on a budget with its latest case.



The T28 is a compact midi-tower designed to show off the components inside it, thanks to a large acrylic side panel. It’s a small evolution of the T9, Sharkoon’s other current budget case. There’s not a great deal of difference between the two, as both have colour-coded painted motherboard trays, matching LEDs and several case fans, but the T28 should be easier for regular upgraders thanks to its side-mounted drive cages.

However, with Antec’s newly refreshed One offering plenty of case for your money, we were interested to see whether the T28 would be a case of style over substance, or if it could justify its £50 price tag.


Lifting it from its box, we were immediately surprised at how light the case felt – the steel materials used for the main chassis feel fairly cheap and there’s far too much flex in the side panels. The mesh front also bends under pressure, as does the roof and floor – it’s still structurally sound, but it didn’t instil us with confidence before we’d even opened the side panel.

Even before you remove the side panel, its tinted Perspex window lets you see the colour-coded motherboard tray. Our review sample was bright blue, but Sharkoon also offers red and green alternatives if you prefer a different colour.


From the top, the simple front I/O panel is flanked by an LED on either side, which should help you find it in the dark. As well as three USB 2 ports and two 3.5mm audio jacks, there’s also a single USB 3 port , but it uses a pass-through to the motherboard back plate rather than an internal header.

Specifications

• Dimensions (mm) 200 x 475 x 440mm (W x D x H)
  
• Material Steel, plastic
  
• Available colours Black/Red, Black/Blue, Black/Green
  
• Weight 6.6kgkg
  
• Front panel Power, reset, 1 x USB 3, 3 x USB, stereo, microphone,
  
• Drive bays 2 x external 5.25in drive bays, 6 x internal 3.5in, 2 x 2.5in drive bays.
  
• Form factor(s) ATX, micro-ATX
  
• Cooling 2 x 120mm front mounts (fan supplied), 1x 120mm rear fan mount (fan supplied)
  
• CPU cooler clearance 160mm
  
• Maximum graphics card length 400mm
  
• Extras Colour coded interior, LED case fans, transparent side panel window