It's nice that case manufacturers haven't focused solely on producing "black boxes" and are trying to please customers with a variety of color designs for their devices. And while everyone has long been accustomed to white cases, brighter color options still evoke a lot of emotions. This is exactly the kind of experiment Vinga undertook by releasing the Vinga CS311 case in three color design versions.

We received the Vinga CS311P model for review. The letter "P" in the name indicates the pink color. There are also Vinga CS311W (White) and Vinga CS311G (Grey) versions available in white and dark gray. The pink version is the most expensive of the three, and its purchase, excluding promotional offers, will cost approximately $36 (1023 UAH). Let's start by looking at the specifications.

Specification

Packaging and Accessories

The Vinga CS311P comes in a relatively small cardboard box with simple design. On its sides, you can find a schematic image of the case, its name, and specifications in English and Ukrainian. There are cutouts on the sides for easy transportation.

The package includes disposable cable ties and a system speaker, as well as a set of screws for mounting the motherboard, power supply, and drives.

Appearance

Of course, it would be better if a girl wrote this review, as it's difficult for us to assess how cool the pink system unit with a transparent side panel looks. Moreover, this is not the "rose gold" variant popular among smartphone manufacturers, but the purest pink. Overall, it looks interesting and unusual, but it will be difficult to fit into the interior.

The external ports are located on the top panel. Here you have two USB 3.0 ports and a pair of 3.5 mm audio jacks for a microphone and headphones. Nearby are the power and reset buttons. You definitely won't confuse them by touch, as they are of different sizes.

We also note a pair of light indicators, which are the only illuminated elements of the case. Special thanks to Vinga for not making them too bright - they won't light up your entire apartment at night.

Another important element of the top panel is the perforation. Unfortunately, it is not covered by a dust filter. Underneath, you can mount a pair of 120 mm fans or a 240 mm radiator.

The steel front panel is an integral part of the case. It is completely solid, which may cause issues with the cooling efficiency of the components.

The rear part of the case has only four horizontal expansion slots: one with a reusable cover and three with disposable ones. There is a common clamping plate, which is fixed with one screw. Next to it is a cutout for the motherboard's interface panel and a mounting spot for a 120 mm fan with height adjustment capability.

At the bottom of the case, there is a mounting bracket for the drive cage and a ventilation hole for cold air access to the PSU, which is covered with a dust filter (108 x 110 mm). It is easy to remove, blow out, and wash.

There are also two pairs of plastic feet, 16 mm high, with rubber pads. They provide good stability on different types of surfaces and sufficient airflow for the power supply.

The left side is a glass panel without tinting (370 x 350 mm) with a thickness of 3.85 mm. It allows you to admire the internal components. It is held in place by four knurled head screws.

On the opposite side, there is a metal panel with a thickness of 0.60 mm. It is secured in the standard way with two knurled screws and has a small protrusion for easy removal.

As for the practicality of the materials used, fingerprints are almost invisible on the matte paint, but the glass is more prone to smudges and requires appropriate care. 

Internal Structure

The Vinga CS311P case uses a layout with a bottom-mounted power supply. It, along with the drive cage, is separated from the main space by a metal shroud. The motherboard compartment is located above.

The motherboard tray features a very large cutout for easy installation and removal of the CPU cooler with a backplate. Several holes and a whole scattering of tie mounts are provided for hidden cable routing, so there should be no problems with neat cable management behind the tray.

The power supply mounting area is not equipped with anti-vibration pads. According to our measurements, the length of the space for the PSU is 195 mm up to the drive cage. If you remove it, you will have even more space at your disposal.

The cage is designed to accommodate two 3.5-inch drives. For 2.5-inch models, there are four mounting locations: one on top of the cage, two on the tray, and one on the tunnel.

Let's move on to the assembly process. The case supports microATX and Mini-ITX motherboard formats. For testing, we used the BIOSTAR B350GTN model in Mini-ITX format.

The length of the graphics cards should not exceed 350 mm.

The height of the CPU cooler should not exceed 160 mm.

The cables coming from the front panel are long enough to be neatly routed to the motherboard.

In the end, there were no problems with the assembly. There is enough space behind the motherboard tray for cable management, allowing you to assemble and organize the internal layout of the case as neatly as possible.

Testing

The Vinga CS311P case comes with one pre-installed fan on the rear panel, which operates as an exhaust. It connects directly to the power supply or via a 3-pin connector and constantly runs at a maximum speed of 1100 RPM. The noise level is below average. The ambient temperature was 23°C.

Under maximum load, created by a combination of MSI Kombustor and FurMark stress tests, the largest difference between the open stand and the case with one fan reached 17°C for the graphics card, 8°C for the motherboard and SSD, and 4°C for the processor. This means that the graphics card suffers the most from the solid front panel and the presence of only one fan, although it does not overheat or throttle.

The situation can be slightly improved by installing a pair of fans at the top, but this will not solve the main design problem of the solid front panel. Overall, the case is clearly not designed for assembling hot high-end systems, but there will definitely be no problems with using more energy-efficient components. A graphics card with a turbine cooler or an installed AIO would also be a great fit here to immediately expel the heated air outside the case.

Conclusion

Vinga CS311P is an affordable and compact Mini Tower case designed for microATX and Mini-ITX motherboards. Its advantages include original color design, an included fan, a transparent glass side panel, good quality materials and assembly, as well as anti-vibration pads for the power supply unit.

To reduce costs, the manufacturer saved on the dust filter at the top of the case. The solid front panel looks stylish and beautiful, but it's not the best option in terms of airflow within the interior space.

As a result, Vinga CS311P is an interesting option for building an energy-efficient system. It is suitable for creating a powerful gaming PC, but in that case, we recommend choosing a graphics card with a turbine cooler or pre-installed liquid cooling. If you want more efficient cooling in a compact case, consider the Vinga Gaia with a mesh front panel and the ability to install fans.

Advantages:

• original color design;
• compact dimensions;
• transparent tempered glass side panel;
• high-quality chassis assembly, edge finishing, and case painting;
• good compatibility with large graphics cards and coolers in its segment;
• included fan;
• space for hidden cable management behind the tray.

Features:

• no dust filter at the top of the case;
• solid front panel.

Author: Kostyantyn Shorokhov
Translation: Liliya Masyuk 
Link to the review on gecid.com