A Trio of Thermaltake Towers
by Joshua Buss on August 16, 2006 2:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Final Words
Taking this review at surface value one can see three well thought-out and generally good case designs, and hopefully a clear winner for the combination of features that individual is looking for.
A little deeper down though, this article shows that in general there is still progress being made in this industry, and perhaps more importantly there is room to develop further still. The newest of the three cases here, the Aguila, really shows the best overall customization, usability, and thermal performance to boot. For around $120 online, someone can enjoy a work of engineering that shows good craftsmanship, styling, and performance engineering as well.
For users looking for a case capable of holding an extended ATX motherboard, options are a lot more limited. We're all accustomed with the all-too-familiar look of behemoth beige server cases with more fans than drive bays, but the Eureka helps to squelch this connotation with a clean look and easy-to-use layout. It's certainly not the quietest tower case out there, but with a relatively good chance of putting a server computer in an area that might not get much traffic this might not be a big problem. The good cooling performance is enticing too, and considering an average online price of $140 there really is a lot of value for your dollar here. It doesn't hurt that the unit is built like a tank, either.
Some people really care about the looks of their new rig more than anything else, and with cases as unique as the Eclipse DV it's not hard to see why. With acceptable noise levels and cooling abilities, easy-to-use drive cages, and an industry first built-in visible optical drive, the $240 Eclipse DV has a lot going for it. It most certainly isn't going to be the first pick for a lot of people, whether because of the price, exotic styling, or need for space on both sides of the case for optimal enjoyment, but some people will see this unit simply as a "have to have it" product, and for that we applaud Thermaltake for taking a leap and running with the idea so many of us had when we saw the original Eclipse.
Taking this review at surface value one can see three well thought-out and generally good case designs, and hopefully a clear winner for the combination of features that individual is looking for.
A little deeper down though, this article shows that in general there is still progress being made in this industry, and perhaps more importantly there is room to develop further still. The newest of the three cases here, the Aguila, really shows the best overall customization, usability, and thermal performance to boot. For around $120 online, someone can enjoy a work of engineering that shows good craftsmanship, styling, and performance engineering as well.
For users looking for a case capable of holding an extended ATX motherboard, options are a lot more limited. We're all accustomed with the all-too-familiar look of behemoth beige server cases with more fans than drive bays, but the Eureka helps to squelch this connotation with a clean look and easy-to-use layout. It's certainly not the quietest tower case out there, but with a relatively good chance of putting a server computer in an area that might not get much traffic this might not be a big problem. The good cooling performance is enticing too, and considering an average online price of $140 there really is a lot of value for your dollar here. It doesn't hurt that the unit is built like a tank, either.
Some people really care about the looks of their new rig more than anything else, and with cases as unique as the Eclipse DV it's not hard to see why. With acceptable noise levels and cooling abilities, easy-to-use drive cages, and an industry first built-in visible optical drive, the $240 Eclipse DV has a lot going for it. It most certainly isn't going to be the first pick for a lot of people, whether because of the price, exotic styling, or need for space on both sides of the case for optimal enjoyment, but some people will see this unit simply as a "have to have it" product, and for that we applaud Thermaltake for taking a leap and running with the idea so many of us had when we saw the original Eclipse.
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oopyseohs - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
I am curious as to what meter you used to measure sound below 40dB, or 30dB for that matter. I am looking for such a device myself.crydee - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
Any idea if when we can see some reviews for the huge Kandalf LCS and the one with the 24 cm fan on the side? That is what I'm looking forward to. The TT website is useless with dates or anything of the like though.akugami - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
I'm not a big fan of case doors and with the case door off the Aquila still looks good. However, no integrated optical drive bezels kills it for me. I like a clean uniform look and the aesthetics of a case is killed when you install a black/silver/beige optical drive in it that doesn't match the rest of the case.The other two cases are not my cup of tea.
JoshuaBuss - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
Just a suggestion.. have you thought about a black aguila with black optical drives? I think that would look really sharp.. door or notShapeGSX - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
I have a Thermaltake Tsunami, which is indentical inside to the Eclipse.http://www.turbocarz.com/shapegsx/tsunami/">Pictures here
I have been very impressed with the case. Since I was building a home theater PC with large hard drive space requirements, I wanted a case that would cool 5 drives adequately. Because of the large 120mm fan in front of the drives, this case has performed the task admirably.
http://www.turbocarz.com/shapegsx/tsunami/target6....">Here is a picture of 4 hard drives installed in the case. I now have 5 drives installed in the case (1.1TB) and the drives still never get hot.
I really wanted a case without a door on front, but it is really hard to find everything you want in a case. And for me, the hard drive cooling was paramount.
My next case will also be a Thermaltake.
Lonyo - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
I managed 5 hard drives in a Coolermaster Praetorian with 2x80mm front fans right in front of 4 of the HDD's, and no door.There are many things which do not really appeal, such as the lack of a sliding motherboard tray, the doors, the side/front ports etc.
Nothing which makes it have any appeal over other cases really, I think I would be more likely to get Coolermaster again.
araczynski - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
i like aquila, unfortunately i'm tired of the closing/swinging door designs (on the front), as well as buttons being on the front of the case, rather then on top.i'm getting a centurion 532, simple design, great price, build it and forget it. i want to stare at the screens (games) not the tower, how much enjoyment does one get from staring at spinning fans? and even after a while i would think that too much lighting in the peripheral vision would get annoying to what you're trying to focus at, perhaps even unhealthy for the eyes?
but to each their own.
Araemo - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
Just a question about the motherboard in use...Why does it have a PCI-express slot near the right edge? What model is that?
Murst - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
I never really got into the TT cases. They just seem too colorful for me. The last 2 cases I've had were a lian-li and the wavemaster, and they're both simple-enough looking while still remaining sharp.But I guess that's just personal preference.
Looks aside, the only things that really matter are noise level, how easy it is to install components, and the available space (like, some cases don't even have enough space for some heatsinks) - imo anyways. From what I've seen, TT cases never really met all of the above conditions in a single design, but maybe I've missed something.
JoshuaBuss - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
That's what I'm really try to emphasize here.. the Aguila is really startin to get everything right. The Armor definitely had some issues.. namely the green clips.. but the Aguila really doesn't have much wrong with it... (at all)