Razer Tomahawk ATX PC Case Review
Razer should be wearing a mask and striped jumper with this one.
When Razer announced its new Tomahawk line of PC cases, I won’t lie, I was pretty excited. I’m not a Razer fanboy but even I can’t deny how aesthetically pleasing Razer products are. Razer has finally branched out into an area where, in the past, they would just chuck a logo on another brand’s case as part of a collaboration. This is where the first disappointment comes in, they have essentially rebranded the Lian Li Lancool 2 and seem to think some RGB justifies this being double the price? Yes, you read that correctly, this will set you back nearly as much as $200!
I was astonished when I saw the price, it makes no sense but let’s persevere and see what the Tomahawk ATX PC case has to offer, which I can assure you isn’t airflow.
- Tool-free, high quality tempered glass panels
- RGB underglow
- User friendly
- Quiet
- Overpirced
- No vertical mount option
- Poor airflow
- Only comes with 1 x non-RGB fan
Main Features
- Dual-sided tempered glass
- Razer Chroma RGB
- Dust filters
- Cable bar
- PSU shroud
The Outside
The external aesthetics of the case are where it mainly differs from the Lian Li Lancool 2. The Tomahawk looks great and follows Razer’s usual design choice of all-black, with an illuminated logo at the front.
The front of the case is where we would normally see some airflow design, a couple of RGB fans, or at least something a bit different from a case of this price. Not here though, Razer has opted for looks over performance and given the Tomahawk a thick perforated mesh. This mesh, without testing, looks to be an issue and while they have added a dust filtration sheet behind it, it’s negated by the gap at the bottom to take the panel off, meaning this will collect dust inside much quicker than a lot of other cases.
The main focal point of the front is the Razer logo that sits front and center, something for the fanboys but I’m not judging, it looks great when on but isn’t for me. All-in-all, the front looks good but if we take Corsair’s 4000/5000 series cases as an example, they tackled aesthetics and performance in one fell swoop.
The Rear
Nothing to note at the back, the quality is fairly decent with very little flex in the sheet metal. The biggest shock in all of this was the lack of fans that you get. This price point is considered premium and when we see other manufacturers offer more fans at half the price, you have to question what Razer is thinking. One plain 120mm fan? One? PC cases at $50 include one of these, I’m baffled.
If you are hell-bent on getting this case, you will 100% need to buy at least two fans for the front otherwise your components are going to slowly cook. Another one of my surprises with the Tomahawk is its 7 PCIe slots, there is room next to it for a +2 vertical mount but they decided not to include this feature? It is probably for the best with the lack of airflow but fewer features for such a steep price is yet another mark in the negative column.
The Side
Both sides of the Razer Tomahawk feature a thick tempered glass panel. The side panels are tool-free and open/ close with magnets, with the hinges hidden on the inside. You can easily remove each panel by lifting it out of the clasps and they are relatively easy to get on and off without a fuss. Both TG panels are tinted, which really does make your RGB components shine in a darkened room but they make any extra items like modded cables a bit pointless without additional lighting.
The Top
The top of the case is one of the few areas open for ventilation but unfortunately shares the same perforated pattern as the front panel. This thick mesh-like design looks great but isn’t really functional and airflow will suffer. Why they have decided to do this im not sure, as the included magnetic dust filter covers it up anyway.
At the top, there is enough room to mount up to two 140mm fans or only two 120mm fans. This means there is only space for a 240 or 280mm radiator at the top, leaving just the front as your go-to for a 360mm rad. None of this is surprising as it shares a lot of similarities with the Lancool 2 but for the size, weight, and price, I expect more options.
Towards the front of the top of the case we see the I/O, which consists of:
- Power Button
- Reset Button
- 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A
- 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C
- 1 x Headphone Port
- 1 x Dedicated Microphone Port
The Inside
If you are at all familiar with Lian Li’s Lancool 2, you are going to notice almost immediately that beneath its exterior the Tomahawk is essentially a replica. Just to be clear, this isn’t an issue, the Lancool 2 is a solid case but it is also half the price and features more fans!
If you aren’t familiar with this layout, the Tomahawk is spacious enough for high-end builds and accommodates for custom water loops too. The layout feels logical and there are sufficient cut-outs dotted around for optimized cable management. Towards the front, there is a removable cutout that makes way for beefy radiators or reservoirs.
At the top, you have ample room for a 280mm radiator but it’s only a few millimeters away from being able to fit a triple fan AIO. I would ask the question why but as we discussed Razer isn’t trying to be original here, a like-for-like copy is good enough apparently. A quick note if you plan on installing an AIO with this, make sure you plug in your CPU power cable before mounting the radiator, there was little to no room left and even the CPU fan header was a bit of a struggle.
At the bottom, we have a high-quality PSU shroud, with a door that swivels open to reveal the drive bay. On top of the perforated shroud, you can mount a further two 120mm fans, which is probably a wise idea with this case. The drive bays seem to have a hot-swap design but there is no hot-swappable functionality, you are going to need to open both side panels to fully install/ remove a storage device, especially if you have cable managed everything up.
There is space for a 120mm fan at the back and you can fit up to ATX size motherboards. On the back panel there is a cable bar, a great alternative to rubber grommets, and a feature I tend to favor in modern cases as they provide you with a cleaner aesthetic and are much easier to work with.
The back panel reveals the small, pre-installed controller for the RGB glow underneath the case and the logo at the front. This takes up the ideal space for any fan hubs/ controllers you get with high-end AIOs but there is room elsewhere. I installed my fan hub on one of the unused storage mounting trays, of which you get two.
There is ample room and clips for easy cable management and they include some cheap but effective velcro straps, simplifying the process for beginners. The drive bay cage can be moved into a more optimized position and re-secured with a thumbscrew. You can take the cage off its rack entirely but Razer hasn’t given you enough room to remove it completely. This isn’t a big deal but it is yet another example of how bad the overall design of this case actually is, furthermore, the screw plate on the cage for this copy is wonky.
The case comes with “armor plating” to easily hide away your untidy cable management job but the glass features a heavy tint so I’m not sure they are even necessary. It is good to have options like this but let’s say you buy some modded cables and run the cleanest cable management of all time, you aren’t going to be able to see it, so this panel is just adding weight and nothing else.
Final Word
Razer states “Maximum Cooling”, “Maximum Performance”, they say this has been designed for optimized air cooling and yet even when you add all the fans in the world, the end results tell a different story. I’m not saying this is a bad PC case but when the competition for $30-$50 less destroys it in every single aspect, you have to ask yourself what is the point of the Tomahawk?
If you are crazy into Razer, look at some of their collaborations, like with Lian Li for the O11D but if not, you can get a similar layout with the Lancool 2 for less than half the price. The market has several high-quality alternatives to this and they are all cheaper, don’t buy.
WeJiJ is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more