The GAMDIAS Talos M1B Case (This could be the case you’re looking for)

Shipped with a clear tempered glass front, tinted tempered glass side panel, addressable RGB strips for the front panel, and 3 addressable RGB fans for more front panel rainbow goodness, the GAMDIAS Talos M1B mid-tower case is aesthetically pleasing as a finished product. With vertical GPU mounting available, built-in front panel fan speed and ARGB controls, and swappable I/O and branding panels, the M1B offers customization of style straight out of the box. However, a vertical mounting extension is not included.

The GAMDIAS Case

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The GAMDIAS Talos M1B is a mid-tower design with, unfortunately, some conflicting specifications. The website and box for the product have some conflicting information. The following table will display the specs from both sources with noted differences in bold text.

Talos M1B	Specs From Site	Specs From Box
Case Type	MID Tower	MID Tower
Motherboard Support	ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX	ATX, Micro-ATX
Synchronization	5V (3pin) with ASUS / MSI /ASROCK / GIGABYTE motherboard	N/A
Color	Black	Black
Expansion Slots	7 + 2	7 + 2
Material	SPCC & ABS & Tempered glass	SPCC & ABS & Tempered glass
Window	Front, Left	Front, Left
Radiator Support	Front: 360 mm , 280 mm Rear: 120 mm , 140 mm	Front: 280 mm , 360 mm Rear: 120 mm , 140 mm
Fan Support	Top: 2 x 120mm , 2 x 140mm Front: 3 x 120mm , 2 x 140mm Rear: 1 x 120mm , 1 x 140mm	Top: 2 x 120mm , 2 x 140mm Front: 3 x 120mm , 2 x 140mm Rear: 1 x 120mm , 1 x 140mm
Pre-installed Fans	Front: 3 x 120mm Rainbow Color RGB Fan	N/A
Drive Bays	2 x 3.5″ or 2 x 2.5″(HDD Cage) 2 x 2.5″	N/A
I/O Port	USB 2.0 x2, USB 3.0 x2, HD Audio x1, Speed controller x1, Fan LED control x1	USB 2.0 x2, USB 3.0 x2, HD Audio x1, Speed controller x1, Fan LED control x1
Clearance	CPU cooler height limitation: 168mm VGA length limitation: 350mm PSU length limitation: 180mm	CPU cooler height limitation: 168mm VGA length limitation: 310mm PSU length limitation: 220mm
Dimensions (L x W x H)	448 x 210 x 466 mm	448 x 210 x 466 mm
Net Weight	7.3 kg / 16.1 lb	7.25 kg / 15.98 lb

Observations

Overall, the differences listed in the specs are fairly insignificant, but I was able to fit a GTX 1070 FE GPU without any issues and tons of room to spare. A standard ATX PSU also fit, though it was a little bit more snug than I would have liked for dealing with the cables.

The tempered glass front panel has a very cool trapezoidal shape to give some nice airflow to the case. On the other hand – lacking any front filter, occasional dusting will be required. But with the convenient tempered glass side door, this is an easy chore.

The case shipped with a couple more minor issues. First, there was a burr, as pictured above, from the manufacturing process that was powder coated black and blended in with the rest of the case. Secondly, the rubber grommet for fastening the side window thumbscrew was warped. Consequently, the tempered glass door did not shut correctly. Had this not been noticed, it could have added some extra torsion to the glass panel. Luckily enough, it seems GAMDIAS foresaw damage or loss of these grommets and included extras in the bag of goodies that shipped with the case.

Spare parts

Speaking of the bag of goodies, GAMDIAS included everything needed to install every part in the system, albeit some standoffs did need to be installed. I would liked to have seen a Phillips-to-hex adapter included to make threading a bit easier.

Controller

The included molex powered ARGB fan controller had room for the additional fan for the CPU cooler. Unfortunately, the controller only has 2 ARGB pin-outs for GAMDIAS’ ARGB lineup and both front LED strips use those pin-outs, so the CPU pump ARGB needed its own controller just for the lights. This is such a minor gripe, but it was part of the building experience.

I really liked having the controller on the front panel, since I constantly lose remotes included with other controllers. For instance, the included fan speed controller allowed me to keep the overall build nice and cool during stress testing while maintaining quiet operation during normal use. Additionally, the ARGB lights are great and offer tons of customization.

Cable Management

Cable management was fairly easy; there is a dedicated channel so that cables can be run towards the front of the case as pictured above. Mounting the GPU vertically also hides the lower section of the motherboard and gives a clean presentation for the front of the case as well. For even easier cable management in the future, I would swap the I/O and branding panels, because the cabling from the front I/O is just too long when the I/O is mounted on the bottom.

Although building the in the Talos M1B was a little bit of a pain with the tempered glass door attached, the door is great for future modification, maintenance, and upgrades. So for the initial build, take my advice and just remove the door.

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The PC Specs

• Case: GAMDIAS Talos M1B
• Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-A320M-SH2
• CPU: Ryzen 5 1600x
• CPU Cooler: GAMDIAS CHIONE E1A-120R Liquid Cooler
• RAM: OLOy WarHawk RGB 16GB DDR4 3200
• GPU: Nvidia GTX 1070 Founders Edition
• PSU: ABKONCORE Tenergy Series 850 Watt Gold
• Storage: Kingston A400 240 GB M.2 SSD & 32GB Intel X25-E Series SSD

Grading the GAMDIAS Talos M1B

• Airflow/Temps: 10/10
  Missing a filter for the front fans, so some dust is going to get inside. But thanks to the trapezoid shaped glass panel, there is lots of airflow for cooling the PC.
• Stock Accessories: 5/5
  For some reason GAMDIAS does not include a manual for the case, though this is minor as it is available online. Everything needed for the build was included and then some.
• Cable Management: 5/5
  Enough room for everything needed; for instance: cutouts in good spots, nice channel for cables behind the motherboard tray.
• Ease of Install: 4/5
  Since the tempered glass door is a bit unwieldy, you can remove it for the initial build.
• Noise: 5/5
  The included fan speed controller allows for a wide range of speeds/noise levels. In fact, a very quiet build with the right settings.
• Part Placement and Expansion: 5/5
  Enough room for liquid cooling, 4 storage drives (2 must be 2.5″) and full size GPUs.
• Build Quality: 9/10
  The metal burr and break-off style expansion slot covers lose them a point here.
• Style and Looks: 5/5
  Easily one of the best looking cases I have built in. Aesthetically pleasing and lot of customization options from the factory.
• Total Grade: 48/50 = A

Final Thoughts

I love the clean look of the tinted glass door and optional ARGB lighting. The vertical GPU is such a fun feature and a great way to hide the front I/O wiring on the motherboard. GAMDIAS truly did a great job with the case design and style. The GAMDIAS Talos M1B also has lots of room for expansion beyond the build I put in it.

My few minor complaints take basically nothing away from the Talos M1B. They are really just observations and tips for those interested in choosing this case in the future. Based on the Talos M1B, I am looking forward to seeing other cases from GAMDIAS in the future.