Physical Look - Inside
Moving now to the interior of the SAMA S50, we find the same white finishes as on the exterior. The only exception to this is the silver motherboard standoffs, which will, of course, not be visible post-installation. SAMA has opted for a slightly unconventional layout, placing the PSU in a chamber within the cable routing space adjacent to the motherboard, which will be discussed in greater detail in a moment.
The SAMA S50 is compatible with ATX, mATX, ITX, Back-Connect ATX, and Back-Connect mATX motherboards. The case supports a single 120mm rear exhaust fan, and a fan comes pre-installed here. The upper ventilation area is open and allows for the cooling of the PSU alongside the other components. This area is compatible with up to three 120mm fans or a radiator of equivalent size. There is no included dust filter included here apart from the integrated metal mesh.
As shown in the above photo, the motherboard tray features several openings for an easier and tidier installation. There is a large opening for easy installation of a CPU cooler backplate without removing the motherboard from the chassis. The tray for mounting your 2.5” or 3.5” drives is directly behind this opening, so it will need to be removed during backplate installation, although only a single screw needs to be removed, so this is not painful. The maximum compatible CPU cooler height is 165mm. In addition to the main cutout, there are several more to support backside connector design motherboards of both ATX and mATX varieties. The edges of these openings are not rubber-lined, but there are no sharp or uneven edges, so I cannot see cable wear or stripping being an issue.
In this photo, we can get a better view of the seven included expansion card slots. As mentioned earlier, they are bridgeless, allowing for the installation of a vertical GPU riser kit to display your graphics hardware. If you opt to go with this option, do note that a riser kit is not included with this case and will need to be purchased separately.
Moving on to thermal zones, the SAMA S50 features a dual chamber design, resulting in two thermal zones. The second zone behind the motherboard tray contains the cables, PSU, and drives. Cables can be routed through the multitude of available openings in the motherboard tray. Additionally, there are plenty of zip tie or Velcro tie attachment points on the back of the motherboard tray to aid in cable management. The SAMA S50 does not feature any grommets or rubber lining, but as previously mentioned, the edges in this case are very unlikely to cause damage. There is room for unused or extra-long cables, which can be tied up and stored behind the motherboard tray.
The bottom of the case can accommodate up to three 120mm fans of your choice, although none come installed in this location. This location does not support a radiator. There is a spot for an additional 120mm fan on the right side of the SAMA S50, below the PSU shroud, with a dedicated magnetic filter included. A radiator is not supported here either.
The SAMA S50 comes equipped with three 120mm ARGB intake fans at the front in addition to the one at the back. These fans are rated for 700 to 1500 RPM and are PWM-controlled instead of voltage. They cannot be daisy-chained together, so each will need to be connected to your motherboard or built-in fan hub individually. The built-in fan hub is capable of managing both fan speed and ARGB effects, keeping wiring simpler. A radiator is not compatible with this location.
The longest video card compatible with the S50 is 410mm. While there is no graphics card that long at the time of writing, it is very possible that cards will continue to creep closer with each new generation.
Let us move now to the rear of the SAMA S50. Good cable management often starts with a good motherboard tray. This is even more important in cases that support backside connector design motherboards. The gap between the back panel and the motherboard tray is about 40mm, but this does vary somewhat around the drive tray and PSU. Although some cases that opt for a side-mounted vertical power supply end up quite wide, the S50 stays thinner by allowing the PSU shroud to protrude a little into the main cavity of the case. The tradeoff here is that the front fans are limited to 120mm. The PSU is to be mounted at the front of the case. Therefore, the S50 contains a power cable extender so you can still plug in your computer at the back. The maximum size of PSU supported by this case is limited to 180mm.
The drive tray is located behind the motherboard tray and supports three 3.5” drives or four 2.5” drives. This tray is secured with a single screw at the top and two tabs that hook into the bottom of the case. There are three Velcro straps included for cable management, and in addition to this, there are plenty of tie points for cable ties. These additions alongside the numerous openings to fish cables through should make cable management a straightforward process. There are no rubber grommets present.
The S50’s I/O connector cables are very intuitive. There is only a single cable for each I/O button or port, and there is a helpful graphic in the manual that makes identification a breeze.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
