INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Although we haven't really focused in reviewing PC cases as we have for example storage related devices still numerous models from a large number of manufacturers have passed from our hands all these years some of them small others large some pretty basic and some with more features than what most people will probably never get to use. Surprisingly enough however although liquid CPU cooling has been with us for a very long time there are just a handful of manufacturers who've actually launched PC cases with pre-installed/built-in kits in the past (who remembers the Thermaltake Level 10 GT LCS or the Ikonik Ra X10?). Unfortunately most of those models failed to become very popular among gamers and professionals so when Deepcool announced their plans of joining that small group with their latest GENOME PC case we were very curious to see what they had in store for us which is why after quite a bit of waiting we finally got one to check out.

   Deepcool was founded with the mission of providing the best performance & humanized thermal solutions for worldwide customers. Deepcool design and manufacture a comprehensive range of high quality products, covering desktop cooling solutions, laptop cooling solutions, server cooling solutions, embedded cooling solutions, and other thermal components. Our goal is to maintain customer satisfaction by serving our customer’s ever-changing thermal needs and providing the quickest and most comprehensive service available. As our slogan goes, we wish you all “Enjoy your cool life”!

   Unlike most similar PC cases that come (and used to come) with full water cooling kits pre-installed the GENOME follows a different path so since Deepcool doesn't (at least not yet) manufacture complete kits they used their top of the line CAPTAIN 360 AIO liquid CPU cooler. Of course just mounting an AIO liquid CPU cooler inside a PC case may not seem as a bit much to some people so to also improve the looks of the GENOME Deepcool paired the CAPTAIN 360 with three white 120mm PWM LED fans (unlike the standalone AIO model) and a helix tube reservoir which they mounted at the front along with two white LEDs on its sides. Everything else however we've seen with other cases quite a few times in the past so the GENOME supports ATX/micro-ATX/mini-ATX sized mainboards and has enough room for up to four 2.5" and two 3.5" drives, 330mm long graphics cards, ATX sized power supply units and three 120mm fans (front and rear). It may not be as exciting as the Tristellar chassis but the GENOME is a rare combination so let’s see just how good it is.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A drawing of the GENOME with a picture of the CAPTAIN 360 kit is placed at the front of the box.

 

 

The features of the GENOME are all listed and showcased with the help of 4 pictures on the left side.

 

 

You can quickly check the specifications table and included model features (windowless/window version, color and USB type ports) from the right side.

 

 

A large picture of the pump is placed at the rear of the box right next to a picture showcasing the three different color variants of the GENOME.

 

 

Typically the case is placed inside a plastic bag and between two foam spacers.

 

 

Inside the box you will find the GENOME PC case, fan hub, double-tape piece (for the fan hub), thermal paste tube, mainboard speaker, metal case badge, 10 cable ties, 5 plastic bags with case/drives mounting screws, 2 cable straps and all the necessary mounting hardware for installation of the CAPTAIN 360 on Intel LGA2011-V3/LGA2011/LGA1366/LGA1156/LGA1155/LGA1151/LGA1150 and AMD FM2+/FM2/FM1/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2 mainboards.

 

 

THE GENOME EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Although both the top and front of the GENOME are made almost entirely out of plastic thanks to the helix tube reservoir it looks like nothing else in the market today.

 

 

Most of the right side panel is basically a clear acrylic window.

 

 

The on/off LED button for the 120mm LED fans and the helix tube reservoir (better yet the two LEDs placed vertically on both sides) is placed at the upper right corner of the right side panel.

 

 

Just like with most PC cases today the GENOME has no 5.25" drive bays so the fascia has no doors just the double Helix tube reservoir (made out of glass).

 

 

Here we see the helix tube reservoir and the perforated space behind it with an metal air-filter (looks large enough for a 200mm fan).

 

 

The top I/O includes the on/off button and LED, reset button, HDD activity LED, two USB 3.0 ports and the typical headphone and microphone ports.

 

 

There are 24 vents at the top of the GENOME and beneath them we find the 360mm radiator of the CAPTAIN 360 (in order to remove the top shroud you first need to remove the fascia piece).

 

 

At the rear we see 7 horizontal PCI expansion slots, 120mm intake fan, PSU area and 2 vertical PCI expansion slots.

 

 

A small removable air-filter is placed at the base of the GENOME.

 

 

THE GENOME INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 After you open the case you will see that there's not much space inside but considering that there aren't any drive bays and trays at the front that should be ok.

 

 

See this area here? I really have no idea as to the why Deepcool made it so large since there's not like you can fit anything behind it.

 

 

Also if you want to install up to 330mm long graphics cards you will need to permanently remove this metal "door" by using a screwdriver.

 

 

Right from the factory the pump/waterblock combo is covered with a box filled with foam material.

 

 

The pump is nothing new since we've seen it with many Deepcool reviews so far.

 

 

There are two rubber grommets on the mainboard tray and a large CPU cutout (the rubber grommets come off easily but that's not something we haven't seen numerous times in the past).

 

 

All 8 PCI expansion slots are secured in place with regular thumbscrews.

 

 

The PSU area features a nice cover which again for some strange reason has many openings (the reason for these covers in the first place is to separate the interior in two areas something which is not happening here with these openings).

 

 

In case you've been wondering about the two vertical PCI expansion slots DeepCool placed them there so you can also mount a graphics card using the area on the PSU cover (you will need a raiser cable of course which DeepCool doesn't include in the package).

 

 

Taking a look at the rear we see plenty of room for cable management and four 2.5" trays placed on the mainboard tray.

 

 

These trays are made out of aluminum and are held in place with thumbscrews.

 

 

At the lower end we find the 3.5" drive cage.

 

 

The cage is removable and can accommodate two drives (you will to place the bundled mounts on both drives however before you insert them to that cage).

 

 

Remember the area behind the helix tube reservoir? Well here you can place either one or two 120mm fans (still doesn't explain the large area left between the fans (if you decide to install any) and the metal grille.

 

 

There's enough room next to the drive cage for you to mount pretty much any PSU you can think of without limitations.

 

 

Here we see the three 120mm PWM LED fans of the pre-installed CAPTAIN 360 AIO liquid CPU cooler.

 

 

Bear in mind however that these are not the same fans as the ones used in the standalone version of the CAPTAIN 360 since aside being LED models their blades are designed differently.

 

 

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always the purpose of this section is not to build a functional system but rather to showcase what you can expect from the case at hand in terms of interior space.

Even a regular ATX sized mainboard takes pretty much all of the space in the interior so don’t expect anything fancy in terms of available space.

 

 

By default you have enough room to mount graphics cards up to 280mm in length. For longer ones (even on the vertical mount) you will need to remove the small metal bracket/door from the grille.

 

 

There’s enough room for even the longest PSUs around but with one such model you may have trouble routing its cables because of the drive cage (so yes we recommend a regular sized one instead).

 

 

Here you can see the LEDs placed right next to the helix tube reservoir which are not really that bright (the side light comes from the 120mm LED fans).

 

 

NOISE LEVEL TEST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After giving it much thought we decided on performing noise tests with each PC Case we receive by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically ontop of each case to measure the noise levels emanating from the pre-installed fans at both 50% and 100% with the help of a fan controller (if the case doesn't have one we use our own).

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Thanks to some serious feedback by users and reviewers all over the world Deepcool has already released a updated version (revision) of the GENOME named GENOME II which offers easier mounting of very long graphics cards (the removable piece of the grille is smaller), brighter front LEDs and also includes the PCI raiser cable which for reasons unknown they forgot or chose not to place in the original bundle. Still the since the original version is being sold as well we need to point out these things. The good news is that although as a case the GENOME is quite small still the pre-installed AIO liquid cooler makes things a lot easier while with available room for up to four 2.5” HDDs/SSDs and two 3.5” HDDs it should cover most people out there. As for the CAPTAIN 360 and its efficiency you can read our complete review HERE and although this built-in model is not exactly identical since it uses different shaped LED fans I really doubt it performs that much better (or worse) compared to the standalone model. The only problem with this built-in CAPTAIN 360 AIO liquid CPU cooler is its noise levels since at full speed the fans surpassed 51dBA (still less noisy compared to the standalone model).

   Right now the GENOME retails from USD195.49 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 257Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) depending on the helix tube reservoir and case color. This price tag means that you’re basically spending less than USD90/138Euros for the case itself and the double-helix tube reservoir and although this is a good bargain in the USA I think it could be even better in the EU. Still there’s no denying that the GENOME is the first midi tower to feature a built-in AIO liquid CPU Cooler in a long time (Thermaltake did so in the past too with their Armor+ LCS line) and that along with the helix reservoir should be more than enough to make it extremely popular among gamers. Overall we did like the GENOME, it may not be perfect and the GENOME II feels somewhat more refined and complete (thus we recommend going for it instead) but still it’s definitely worth our Golden Award.

PROS

- Design (Double Helix Tube Reservoir / LEDs)
- Built-In CAPTAIN 360 AIO Liquid CPU Cooler
- LED On/Off Button
- Vertical GPU Mount
- Room For Up To 6 Drives
- Space For Up To 330mm Graphics Cards

 

CONS

- Noise Levels (Still Quieter Than The Standalone CAPTAIN 360)
- LED Brightness Levels (Resolved in the GENOME II)
- No PCI Raiser Cable (Again Resolved in the GENOME II)