On the pages of our portal, we have repeatedly reviewed the products of the young brand Vinga, under which a wide range of devices is offered on the domestic market: from televisions and computer components to automotive accessories and various peripherals. These solutions have proper build quality and good functionality at an adequate pricing policy. This time, a budget case Vinga BlackGold has entered our test lab.

The price of the novelty is at the level of $34. In the end, we get a mid-tower that allows for the installation of a fairly productive system. Perhaps this is an interesting option for thrifty users who want to build an inexpensive computer and do not want to overpay for unnecessary features? Let's try to find out in practice.

Specification

Packaging and Delivery Set

The Vinga BlackGold case is offered in a simple cardboard packaging, without color printing. Its side edges contain key information about the advantages of the novelty in English and Ukrainian. For ease of transportation, there are cutouts on the edges.

The delivery set contains only the most necessary accessories for assembling a computer: a set of stands and screws for mounting the motherboard, fans, power supply, and drives. Additionally, there is a set of disposable cable ties and a system speaker.

Appearance

The appearance of Vinga BlackGold is quite decent. This is due to the classic and rather strict design with flat panels and black coloring. The surfaces are quite practical, as fingerprints are barely visible on them. Like the previously reviewed Vinga Black Widow case, the novelty slightly resembles models from Fractal Design, but this is only a plus for a relatively affordable solution.

The front panel is solid and does not provide for the installation of external devices. The material used for it is matte plastic, which is well disguised as brushed metal. In the central part, there is a white Vinga logo. On the side, you can notice beveled grilles for improved ventilation.

The panel itself is attached with conventional latches. Underneath it, there are mounting locations for fans. If you look closely, you can see two strips with blue LED illumination on the inside.

The top location of the buttons and external ports indicates that the Vinga BlackGold case is designed to be placed on the floor or in a computer desk niche. The set of elements is quite familiar: a pair of USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0, and two 3.5-mm jacks for a microphone and headphones. Next to them is the reset button, a pair of LED indicators, and a large power button.

The applied blue and red LEDs are characterized by a soft yet clear glow. They do not create significant discomfort during nighttime. If desired, they can always be turned off.

The rear part looks typical for models with a bottom-mounted power supply unit. Above its mounting location are seven expansion slots, a cutout for the motherboard's interface panel, and a mounting spot for an exhaust fan.

At the bottom of the new model, you can observe a filter at the air intake of the power supply unit and four large feet with a height of 10 mm and a diameter of 28 mm with rubber pads in the form of rings with a thickness of 1 mm and a width of 5 mm. The filter is removed by simply sliding it back.

The top panel contains nothing at all, which is typical for budget solutions. In more expensive cases, additional perforation can be found here to improve the temperature regime inside the case.

The side panels are attached using screws with knurled heads, which are very convenient to use. There is a transparent acrylic window on the left panel. Thanks to this, the internal components are always visible, which will appeal to modding enthusiasts. The right panel is a solid sheet of metal. In both cases, there are stiffening ribs.

To remove them, simply unscrew the screws with knurled heads, slide the panels back, and then pull them towards you. The disassembly is effortless. 

Internal Structure

Inside, the Vinga BlackGold is completely painted black and has a quite common two-section layout with a partition. At the top is the motherboard compartment, and closer to the front are the mounting spots for 2.5-inch drives. Below, under a special cover, is the power supply unit and drive tray. There is a lot of space for large components, made possible by the absence of 5.25 and 3.5-inch bays. In the motherboard tray, there is a cutout that allows for the installation of CPU cooling systems with a backplate without removing the board itself. Behind the tray is a bracket for installing another 2.5-inch drive. Additionally, there are enough openings for cable management, but they lack grommets.

The motherboard is installed on standard standoffs from the supply kit. The supported system board form factors are ATX, microATX, and Mini-ITX.

The power supply unit's mounting location is equipped with anti-vibration pads, and the mounting is done with included screws. The maximum PSU length is 165 mm, leaving about 40 mm for cable routing (measured manually).

The Vinga BlackGold allows for the simultaneous installation of up to 5 drives: three 2.5-inch (two are placed directly on the tray, closer to the front, and one is behind the tray, mounted with a bracket) and two 3.5-inch in a tool-free mounting rack. If necessary, 2.5-inch solutions can be installed here, but screws will be needed.

Six of the seven expansion slots in the Vinga BlackGold are one-time use. For mounting, a solid frame that attaches with screws with knurled heads can be used, or classic screws can be used.

Regarding the height of CPU cooling systems, classic tower coolers with a height of up to 160 mm can fit here (measured manually).

According to the manufacturer, the case can accommodate a graphics card with a length of up to 400 mm. We managed to measure slightly less - 395 mm. But this is assuming there are no fans or a radiator on the front panel. Otherwise, this figure is limited to 335 mm.

On the front panel of the Vinga BlackGold, three 120-mm fans or two 140-mm fans can be installed. A radiator with a length of up to 360 mm can also be placed here (measured manually).

The top panel does not feature perforation or any mounts. However, on the rear panel, one 120-mm fan or a similarly sized radiator can be installed, although there are no holes for routing the corresponding hoses.

The set of wires for connecting the front panel includes an HD Audio connector (wire length is 60 cm), connectors for connecting buttons and LED indicators (50 cm), as well as cables for connecting a pair of USB 2.0 ports (60 cm in length), one USB 3.0 (50 cm), and a Molex (25 cm) for connecting the front illumination.

Assembling the system inside the Vinga BlackGold raises no concerns: there is enough space to comfortably place all components, neatly lay out cables, and hide unused ones. The final assembly looks quite neat and allows for good air circulation inside, although fans will need to be purchased separately. Overall, the case feels quite solid - the edges are well-finished (even if you try to injure yourself, it's unlikely), there are no misalignments or gaps, and the threading is well-cut everywhere. The structure itself is characterized by sufficient rigidity due to the use of cold-rolled steel with a thickness of 0.63 mm and 0.68 mm (including paint) for the chassis and side panels, respectively.

Testing

We tested the case in two modes. The first, "2 fan", involves installing a pair of case fans Noctua NF-F12 PWM (1500 RPM) on the front and rear panels. Moreover, we replaced the fan on the CPU cooler with the quieter Noctua NF-S12A, limiting its speed to 660 RPM, and fixed the rotation speed of the graphics card cooler fans at 1650 RPM. In the second mode, "no fan", the efficiency of the case out of the box is displayed, without additional fans. The air temperature in the test laboratory at the time of measurement was 25°C.

The "All System Load" chart shows the heating of components after 30 minutes of 3DMark Fire Strike in Ultra mode (4K resolution). The "System Component Burn" mode demonstrates temperatures under load with AIDA64 (Stress CPU and FPU) and MSI Kombustor applications for 15 minutes.

Using a case without fans for any gaming system can be considered unacceptable. Even for a low-power PC, it is highly desirable to organize airflow inside the case, not to mention a system with top components. As a result: overheating of components and throttling under stress load.

Adding a pair of fans improves the temperature indicators of components from a negligible 3˚C to a colossal 28˚C depending on the operating mode. Hence the unequivocal conclusion: if you have rather hot "hardware", you must take care of additional fans, which provide more than a noticeable result.

As for noise, in both cases, the acoustic background was within comfortable limits, except for a slight rustling of additional fans, which does not interfere with work at all.

Conclusions

Overall, the Vinga BlackGold case made a very pleasant impression. Firstly, the classic strict design attracts attention, which, although not claiming originality, looks good and is characterized by good build quality. Secondly, the two-section layout of the internal space with a simple assembly process and the possibility of neat cable management is pleasing. And thirdly, the system assembled in it demonstrates good noise and temperature indicators (the latter can be significantly improved by simply adding a few "Carlsons").

At the same time, in "black gold" you can easily install CPU cooling systems with a height of up to 160 mm, graphics cards with a length of up to 395 mm (in the absence of fans or a CBO radiator on the front panel), up to two 3.5-inch and three 2.5-inch drives simultaneously. All this can be complemented by a 120-mm fan on the rear panel, as well as three/two 120/140-mm solutions on the front panel or a CBO radiator with a length of 360 mm. That is, in the end, we can get a very powerful "machine".

It is no secret that when assembling a computer, many users with a limited budget invest the maximum funds to get a more productive processor, graphics card, more RAM, etc. And all this is ready to be assembled almost in a cardboard box or even just laid out on a work table. But Vinga BlackGold, at a retail price of ₴888 ($34), is unlikely to significantly burden your budget, but you will get everything you need at a quite reasonable price.

Advantages:

• simple and strict design;
• presence of a transparent acrylic window;
• good build quality of the chassis, edge processing of panels, and painting of the case;
• good rigidity of the structure;
• two-section design;
• possibility of installing graphics cards with a length of up to 335 (395) mm and CPU coolers with a height of up to 160 mm;
• possibility of installing up to five additional fans or a CBO radiator with a length of up to 360 mm;
• good opportunities for hidden cable management;
• decent temperature and noise indicators;
• affordable price.

Features:

• possibility of simultaneous installation of up to two 3.5-inch and three 2.5-inch drives;
• complete absence of external bays on the front panel.

Author: Victor Yefimenko 
Translation: Yuriy Koval

We express our gratitude to BRAIN Computers, the official representative of Vinga, for providing the case for testing.

We express our gratitude to ASUS, Intel, Noctua, Sea Sonic Electronics and the brand HyperX  for providing equipment for the test bench.