Invasion GT-100 Case review (Malaysian Brand!)

brianchan3578 — Sun, 09 Feb 2020 23:46:05 +0800

So a few weeks ago, I went looking for a new PC case for my personal Ryzen build. I expected to get a regular sized box-shaped case probably my Lian Li or Armaggeddon. However while casually looking at my Facebook feed, I say a case which looked absolutely insane. It was Invasion's GT-100, a case that reminded me of the Cougar Conquer which costs over RM1300. I expected the case to be very expensive but turns out, its actually not that bad. The case costs about RM500 which is not only cheaper than a Conquer case but comes with 4 ARGB case fans along with not 1, not 2, but 3 tempered glass panels! Just for context, a regular mid range case costs about RM200 and a set of 3 Thermaltake ARGB fans can cost upwards to RM300. This means that the case had very good value appeal for anyone interested in an exotic case for a very low price.

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Design:
First thing to notice about this case is its open air design which means that the case has some rather large gaps or openings. However this case doesn't have the issue which many might have with for instance, Thermaltake Core cases that in my opinion, are a little too open, potentially allowing for accidents to kill the entire computer (i.e. Dropping a glass of water or shorting the motherboard). The GT-100 however, is very well enclosed with very little risk of accidents occurring. The skeleton of the case is made of hard metal with a nice brushed finish that looks incredibly sleek/durable. The version I bought was the black version which looks fantastic however a white version is also available albeit as of this review, its out of stock (contact Invasion for inquiry). The tempered glass are also very nice, a fantastic improvement over the terrible acrylic ones which are prone to scratches and look horrible. The case also has rubber stoppers that hold the tempered glass panel during installation, preventing accidental dropping of the glass, a nice thoughtful inclusion which is very welcomed.

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Flexibility:
The GT-100 supports ITX, M-ATX and ATX motherboard with a maximum of 6x 120mm fans and 1x 200mm fans which is great when compared to most other cases which most likely wont fit that many fans. Also, the case supports a up to a 360mm radiator on top, allowing for the addition of an AIO or even better, a custom loop. However after completing my build, I realized that when using larger power supplies, the bottom fan could not be installed inside the case which is a shame. However the fan can be installed outside the case which is what I have done. Another thing I noticed when installing a 360mm AIO was that the radiator and fans could not fit within the case together, requiring me to install the fans inside the case whilst leaving the radiator outside the case. Although it wasn't that big of an issue, it would certainly have been helpful if Invasion had that information stated in their webpage. The case supports a single 2.5" drive and a single 3.5" drive which was a little limiting but with the advent of NVMe drives, it did not pose an issue for but for some it might be a deal breaker. Lastly, the case supports up to 350mm graphics cards and 162mm CPU coolers allowing for even the largest graphics cards to fit however limiting some air cooling enthusiast who might have an issue fitting tower coolers of certain sizes.

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Building experience:
The building experience is good however not perfect. Firstly, installing the radiator was great since the large top shield was removable, allowing me to reach the crew holes very easily. Secondly, the case has a very open chamber, allowing for easy installation of the motherboard and cooler. However thirdly, the space for cable management was not excellent but neither good. I ran into issues where there weren't enough openings for cable management, forcing me to route cables in weird angles, leaving a little to be desired. A good example was the top radiator fans doesn't have cut outs for a clean routing, forcing me to use the hole near the graphics card. That being said, the cut outs do have rubber grommets which is a nice touch and the overall experience building in the case was quite good with no deal breaking issues.

Performance:
Unfortunately, I am not a tech reviewer thus I do not have other cases which I can compare this to but as far as I can tell, temperatures are fantastic due to its open air design. With my Ryzen 7 3700X and GTX 1060, I only reached a mac of 74 degrees on the CPU and 68 degrees on the graphics card. However note that I am using a 360mm AIO from Bykski which might not be a good as Thermaltake or Corsair products. Despite so, I am very much convinced that this case will handle any build just fine with no air flow issues. However due to its aforementioned open air design, fan noise will be slightly higher than a closed case but your mileage might vary depending on fan selection and ambient noise

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Conclusion:
Overall, this case is incredible for the price and honestly it is very impressive that a Malaysian based company came out with the design. As previously said, the case is RM500 with several ARGB fans included right in the box. Of course the price is still a bit steep for certain people but for anyone looking for an exotic case with fantastic design, the Invasion GT-100 is a great contender for a relatively low price when compared to other similar cases (Cougar Conquer for instance). If you're interested in this case, you can contact Invasion at their Facebook page through private messaging or call them using the phone number provided in their website.

Invasion website:
https://www.invasion.com.my

Invasion Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/InvasionMY/

Disclaimer:
Some of the photos used in this review are from Invasion's website and I do not own any of them. I also purchased this case myself without sponsorship from Invasion and all my opinions are personal without bias.

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Invasion GT-100 Case review (Malaysian Brand!)