SAMA is a brand of Guangzhou AOJIE Science & Technology Co., Ltd. and was founded in 2003 with the aim of developing, manufacturing and selling high-quality and cost-effective computer hardware. The portfolio includes PC cases, power supplies, cooling solutions and peripherals. The manufacturer is still relatively unknown in Germany, but has already impressed us with its SAMA L70 360 compact water cooling system. Today we take a look at the SAMA V60 case in this test.
Technical details
| Model: | SAMA V60 (V60-BKADA7X1-GL) |
| Case type: | Midi-Tower |
| Dimensions: | 285 mm (W) x 398 mm (H) x 475 mm (D) |
| Weight: approx: | Approx. 10 kg |
| Material: | Steel, plastic, tempered glass |
| Color: | Black |
| Front connections: | 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1x headphones, 1x microphone |
| Drive bays: | 2x 3,5″ 2x 2,5″ |
| Expansion slots: | 7x horizontal |
| Form factors: | ATX, µATX, ITX ATX, µATX (with rear connectors) |
| Ventilation: | Rear: 1x 120 mm Top: 3x 120 / 2x 140 mm Side: 3x 120/ 2x 140 mm Bottom: 3x 120 mm |
| Radiators: | Rear: 1x 120 mm Top: 1x 240/ 280/ 360 mm Side: 1x 240/ 280 mm Bottom: 1x 240/ 360 mm |
| Max. CPU cooler height: | 160 mm |
| Max. Graphics card length: | 445 mm |
| Max. Power supply length: | 210 mm |
| Space for cable management: | 100 mm |
| Price: | € 109.90 * |
| Special features: | Dust filter, cable management, tempered glass, 7 pre-installed case fans, integrated PWM and ARGB control board |
SAMA V60 test: The scope of delivery
SAMA packs the V60 in a simple and rather compact box made of brown cardboard. A sticker with the name and a picture of the midi-tower has also been affixed to both the front and back. Finally, a table with all the relevant information is printed on the side.
In the box, SAMA wraps the V60 in two blocks of normal polystyrene and places two additional elements made of soft foam in front of the glass windows. In addition to the case itself, the scope of delivery includes seven pre-installed ARGB fans, two magnetic dust filters and a handful of cable ties, assembly instructions and warranty information and, of course, all the necessary screws.
Exterior impression
Visually, the SAMA V60 can be categorized as a show case or “aquarium” case. This midi tower is characterized by a lot of glass on the left side or front. The glass element on the front is slightly tinted and rounded on both the left and right sides and merges directly into the side panels. Theoretically, the glass panel could also be removed. However, there is no direct need to do so.
The top of the SAMA V60 is made of steel and has a large opening with holes for fans or radiators. To improve the appearance and protect against dust, the manufacturer has also placed a magnetic dust filter above it. The I/O panel is also located on the top. This has two USB-A 3.0 ports and a USB-C 3.2 socket. There are also two sockets for headphones and a microphone and three buttons for power, reset and ARGB control.
Like the front, the left side panel is also made of slightly tinted tempered glass. The glass was glued to a steel frame to make it easier to mount on the body. The right-hand side panel is made of steel and has two ventilation openings with a very fine structure, which should also serve as a kind of dust filter. Both side panels are attached to the body using knurled screws.
The layout at the rear is typical of a cabinet with two vertically oriented chambers. The right-hand side is characterized by seven reusable PCI slot panels in the lower area and a mounting space for a 120 mm fan in the upper area. The power supply unit is housed on the left-hand side and there is also a generously dimensioned ventilation opening underneath.
As with the lid, SAMA has also equipped the underside with a large ventilation opening. This has mounting rails for up to three 120 mm fans and a magnetic dust filter that is easy to remove. Four large plastic feet, each covered with a thin layer of rubber, ensure a secure stand.
Interior impression
The layout of the SAMA V60 consists of two vertical chambers. The main chamber is very generously dimensioned and offers space for an ATX mainboard, large graphics cards, 10 fans or up to 3 radiators. The motherboard tray also has various cut-outs for routing cables and is also compatible with motherboards with rear connections. There are also various mounting options for 120 mm or 140 mm fans both above and below the mainboard tray.
Logically, no fans can be placed directly behind the glass pane. For this reason, SAMA has implemented mounting rails for up to three 120 mm fans to the right of the mainboard tray, which are also fitted with three ARGB fans ex works. SAMA places a fourth ARGB fan at the rear of the interior, whose task is to extract the warm air from the case. The PCI slot covers are perforated, reusable and are screwed into the interior.
The second chamber behind the mainboard tray is significantly smaller, but offers enough space for an ATX power supply unit and for stowing various cables. In figures, this means at least 10 centimeters between the tray and the right side panel. SAMA has also implemented a cable management system with Velcro cable ties and numerous eyelets for using conventional cable ties.
If you want to store classic 3.5″ and 2.5″ data carriers in the SAMA V60, there are also numerous options. The steel frame provided for this purpose offers storage space for two 2.5″ SSDs and two 3.5″ HDDs, which are mounted using simple screws and without decoupling. The manufacturer also mounts an ARGB and PWM control board for up to nine fans at the bottom of the power supply compartment. The board itself must be connected to a SATA power connector on the power supply unit and to a PWM or 3-pin 5V ARGB header on the mainboard.
Processing
In terms of workmanship, the SAMA V60 leaves a very good impression. The casing is sturdy and looks well made. In addition, the choice of materials and the combination of materials are harmonious and all steel and plastic elements have a good level of stability. Finally, we were unable to detect any paint defects, scratches or chipped paint.
SAMA V60 test: Installation of the components
Now we come to the system installation for the SAMA V60 test. As hardware, we use an AMD Ryzen 5 1400* on an ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus* with 16GB Crucial Ballistix Sport LT gray DDR4-2666*. The Ryzen is cooled by the SAMA L70 360* and is overclocked to 3.8 GHz (1.175 V). A Gigabyte AORUS GTX 1060 6GB is responsible for the image output. The power supply is provided by the fully modular LC-Power LC550 V2.31 Platinum*.
The cabling and installation of our test components were completed quickly and the process can be described as very simple overall. The two spacious compartments not only provide plenty of room for the hardware but also for your hands during assembly. Time was also saved thanks to the pre-installed spacers and the pre-wired fans. The sensibly placed cable grommets made it possible to create a neat and visually appealing PC system. Due to the existing compatibility with mainboards with rear connections, the appearance could be further improved with a corresponding mainboard.
As already mentioned, the interior of the SAMA V60 is extremely spacious. It offers space for a 160 millimeter high and 445 millimeter long graphics card. In addition, the ATX power supply can be up to 210 millimeters long. A custom water cooling system could also be installed in the V60. There are a total of three mounting slots for a 360 mm or 280 mm radiator and one slot for a 120 mm radiator. However, these cannot all be used at the same time. The most sensible combination would probably be the simultaneous installation of a 360 mm radiator in the lid or base.
SAMA installs a total of seven 120 mm fans with ARGB lighting and PWM connection in the V60 ex works. The fan frames are black and the rotor blade is milky white. The manufacturer also uses variants with inverted fan blades on the sides and base. All seven fans are connected to the pre-installed control board. Both the fans and the control board have standard connections and their fan speed is approximately between 500 and 1500 revolutions per minute.
Load test
Finally, we come to the temperatures reached in the SAMA V60 test. During the stress test, Prime95 and FurMark were run at a room temperature of 20 °C for 30 minutes. In addition, the stress test was carried out in the standard fan configuration with three speeds (minimum speed, 50% PWM and 100% PWM). The results are listed in the table below.
Scenario |
Temperature |
| CPU: 50% PWM (1100 rpm) GPU: 50% PWM (1650 rpm) Side: 3x 120 mm minimum speed (470 rpm) Bottom: 3x 120 mm minimum speed (470 rpm) Rear: 1x 120 mm minimum speed (470 rpm) |
CPU: 54.6 °C GPU: 67.9 °C |
| CPU: 50% PWM (1100 rpm) GPU: 50% PWM (1650 rpm) Side: 3x 120 mm 50% PWM (940 rpm) Bottom: 3x 120 mm 50% PWM (940 rpm) Rear: 1x 120 mm 50% PWM (940 rpm) |
CPU: 51.1 °C GPU: 65.9 °C |
| CPU: 50% PWM (1100 rpm) GPU: 50% PWM (1650 rpm) Side: 3x 120 mm 100% PWM (1550 rpm) Bottom: 3x 120 mm 100% PWM (1550 rpm) Rear: 1x 120 mm 100% PWM (1550 rpm) |
CPU: 48.9 °C GPU: 64.3 °C |
If you take a look at the table, you should quickly realize that the maximum values achieved are anything but critical. The seven pre-installed fans, in combination with the water cooling, achieve very good results even at lower speeds. The processor benefits slightly more from the faster rotating fans than the graphics card. At a maximum speed of 1500 revolutions per minute, however, the fans are not exactly restrained in terms of noise and ensure a temperature difference of only three to four degrees Celsius, at least for the GPU. Depending on the hardware, we would always prefer the lower speeds due to the lower noise level.
SAMA V60 test: The lighting options
As already mentioned, SAMA equips the V60 with a total of seven 120 mm ARGB fans ex works. Each of the fans has 12 LEDs in the fan hub. In conjunction with the milky-white rotor blade, this results in uniform illumination. The lighting can be controlled either directly via the mainboard or the button in the I/O panel using the control board. Finally, a few impressions of the activated lighting of the test system used.
SAMA V60 test: Conclusion
We have now reached the end of this review. Overall, the SAMA V60 also leaves a good to very good impression, but we are not quite as impressed as the SAMA L70 360. Of course, we liked the look, which is created in particular by the seven ARGB fans, some of which are inverted. These also have standard connections and an expandable ARGB and PWM control board is also included in the scope of delivery.
In addition, the seven fans naturally also ensure proper cooling of the components, which means that even hotter hardware should be cooled without any problems. Thanks to its spacious layout, the midi tower also offers plenty of room for hardware and up to two 360 mm radiators mounted at the same time. The final positive aspect of the SAMA V60 is its good to very good workmanship, which leaves little room for criticism.
However, we would rate the volume of the fans at full speed as negative. Especially when you consider how small the temperature difference between minimum and maximum speed was in the stress test. In addition, the side panels unfortunately do not have quick-release fasteners or push pins and the SAMA V60 generally requires the use of a screwdriver relatively often, as only the side panels have knurled screws.
Cases with similar features are available for €40 to €50 less, such as the Lian Li O11D Mini V2 Flow or the Thermaltake View 380. However, you would have to do without the lighting or two to three fans as well as the curves in the front. The latter is actually the only unique selling point of the SAMA V60. Whether this justifies the aforementioned surcharge in conjunction with the three additional but overall only average fans is something each buyer must decide for themselves.
From our point of view, the SAMA V60 is a very solid case with an excellent showcase look that should definitely be on your list. However, to be able to hold its own against the big-name competition, the current purchase price of € 109.90 * would probably have to shrink a little.
- chic show-case look
- good to very good workmanship
- spacious layout
- plenty of space for hardware
- 7 pre-installed ARGB fans incl. control board
- compatible with ASUS BTF, MSI Project Zero or Gigabyte Stealth
- Fan clearly audible at full speed
- Side panels without quick-release fasteners
- Price in Germany a little too high
SAMA V60
Processing
Structure
Equipment
Cooling
Price-performance ratio
89/100
The SAMA V60 has a stylish look, comes with seven pre-installed ARGB fans including control board and offers plenty of space for hardware. However, a few unique selling points and the current price make it difficult to compete with the strong competition.
