Akasa Venom Toxic Full Tower Chassis Review

Anybody looking for a stylish, full tower gaming chassis is likely to be interested by the overall design and appearance of the Akasa Venom Toxic.  The gamer orientated aesthetics aren’t going to appeal to everybody, but the target audience are likely to be very pleased with the somewhat unique style. The mainly black exterior and interior with hints of intelligently placed yellow makes for a modern looking chassis which complements the style of the rest of Akasa’s ‘Venom’ product range. The potential for neat and tidy internals ensure that the case’s style isn’t ruined by a mass of ugly cables. Perhaps a variant of the Venom Toxic which features a side panel window would appeal to users who love nothing more than showing off their hard work and aesthetically pleasing components.

The Akasa Venom Toxic is packed to the brim with features that enthusiasts crave. Remarkable cable management features which are extremely easy to use effectively, extreme cooling capabilities and vast expansion options are just some of the properties which allow the Venom Toxic to prove its worth. The included pair of 230mm fans and single 140mm fan offers a good compromise between cooling performance and price. A 40W 2 channel fan controller is a worthwhile addition in the day and age where nobody wants a ridiculously loud computer when excessive cooling isn’t necessary. The tool-less 5.25″ bays and PCI slots actually work as intended and kept our hardware secured in place, something that many other manufacturers’ methods aren’t capable of. A tool-less method for installing 2.5/3.5″ drives would have been a welcomed addition considering that they are removed just as frequently as 5.25″ and PCI devices.

With a case of this size and intended use, expansion is a major factor. Thankfully, Akasa have accommodated for the vast majority of enthusiasts in terms of their required clearance. 185mm tall CPU coolers, graphics cards over a huge 330mm in length and 25mm of rear cables will fit inside the Venom Toxic with minimal hassle. 6 2.5/3.5″ drive bays should definitely tend to any enthusiast’s storage needs while the 6 5.25″ external bays and possibility of a single 3.5″ external bay should ensure that even the most peripheral-heavy systems will feel right at home in the Venom Toxic.

Whilst there are some minor negative points such as the limited number of cable tie down points behind the motherboard tray, front fan which will be a nightmare to remove and lack of internal USB 3.0 header support to the single front panel port, they have a negligible overall effect on our opinion of the case. Akasa’s manufacturing quality is evident throughout with the use of sturdy materials and a design which doesn’t cut corners. The little quality touches such as the “Venom” artwork on the right side panel and use of anti-vibration noise reducing processes throughout count for a lot in pleasing a buyer.

Perhaps the most important factor of all, price, is where the Venom Toxic excels. Available for £95.74 at Scan and €124,90 at CaseKing, Akasa’s Venom Toxic can be considered fairly cheap as far as full tower cases go. Not only is it cheap, it also offers XL-ATX support, something which very few, if any, other cases in its price range can. Considering the sheer quantity of bang-for-buck offered by Akasa in the Venom Toxic, we could easily award it with our “Bang for Buck” award. Taking price out of the equation, Akasa have still designed a very competitive case, which offers an abundance of features and expansion options while oozing quality. So, given the features on offer, expansion options, tremendous cable management, enthusiast accommodating internal space and extremely competitive price, we can whole-heartedly award the Venom Toxic with our coveted eTeknix “Editor’s Choice” award.