Thermaltake Armor Full Tower ATX / BTX Case - Articles / Reviews

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Thermaltake Armor Full Tower ATX / BTX Case

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Bryan
Kurtis
Thermaltake
May. 7, 2005

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First Impressions

Overview

The product packaging showcases the Armor case's design and features with Thermaltake's distinctive styling. The case is protected by the usual Styrofoam but instead of a plastic bag, the Armor is protected within a soft white cloth-like sheet, which is an extremely sweet touch that I thought was quite unusually nice. Once removed from the packaging, it became quite apparent that this case was, technically speaking, a sweet piece of work. Having previously seen only online photos, I was a bit skeptical on how this case would actually look; but once I had it in front of me I couldn't believe how nice, and huge, it was.

There are two models in Thermaltake's Armor series. One is made from steel with a piano black finish, while the other has a sleek, brushed aluminum finish on, you guessed it, an aluminum chassis. The model I have to review is the more expensive aluminum Armor case.

The case comes with a packet of extra materials to aid in setting up your case. Included is an assortment of motherboard mounting screws as well as miscellaneous screws, standoffs, a padded PSU support rod, a cleaning cloth, an additional 92mm fan, and a nice little book from Thermaltake explaining the Armor's functions and features as well as instructions on how to care for your Armor Series tower. Also along with the case came the BTX upgradeable mounting kit.

Front Panel

The Armor tower has an intimidating front panel that screams "This thing means business." The front of this case is unique in that it sort of has doors, but it really doesn't. Two large pieces of curved aluminum swivel to allow access to the front bays, but in the closed position, they are still semi-open, allowing for extra airflow.

The Power / Reset buttons and HDD / Power LEDs are located on a nice little unit within the top bay drive. This particular bay cover is integrated into the drive bay itself, which additionally provides the user an option of mounting an HDD or FDD behind the unit. It can also be removed and mounted on one of the other thirteen bays.

Another nice feature on the front panel is a hidden drawer located at the very bottom of the bezel, providing ample space for the user's security keys (though what's the point of keys if they are "under the mat" so to speak?), spare nuts and bolts, batteries for that wireless gaming mouse/keyboard!the sky is the limit! I suppose you could even use it as an ash tray, but that's pretty disgusting.

Front Intake

One of the most critical features for prospective case buyers is airflow. I have about 10 cases sitting in my workshop, and one thing that separates the Armor from all of them, as well as any other case I've seen on the market lately is its potential for front air intake. The Armor has so much cooling potential up front it is ridiculous. Each drive bay cover is crafted from aluminum with perforated mesh inserted to allow maximum airflow into the case. Each bay cover also has a filter, allowing for a cool, dust free computer; just another aspect computer enthusiasts can appreciate.

Side Panels

As mentioned earlier, the Armor has a lightweight aluminum frame and a sexy sleek brushed aluminum finish. The left side panel sports a big acrylic window, allowing you, and everyone else, to see exactly what your packing in that monster of a machine you've got, whether it be water cooling, cold cathodes, loomed and sleeved wires, or a hardcore graphics card. But unlike many boring square windows, Thermaltake has put some character into the window by providing a nice cutout on the side, not too overdone but original nonetheless. In addition to the provided thumbscrews, the side panel can be secured with two locking latches, top and bottom. This is the only exterior design that I would consider flawed on this case. Since both latches have to be pushed in to remove the panel, it's a bit tricky to push them to the case front and pull outwards at the same time. This makes the removal of the side panel a bit tricky.

Top

Some may be wondering why this Armor case fails to provide USB and other additional jacks on the front bezel. Well, if we take a look on top of the case, we find a nice and slick little plastic unit. When unlatched and opened, the unit provides two USB 2.0 ports, one Firewire port and a headphone and microphone jack. This makes it very easy to connect some of the basic input/output devices we use in everyday life and when used on the side of a desk it allows the user the luxury of not crawling on the floor and fooling around with the back of the case. The cool design where all the plugs are also doubles as an exhaust vent that allows the installation of a fan inside the case to help with the task of heat dissipation.

Case Rear

Moving on to the rear of the case the first item that I noticed was the size of the thumbscrews used to secure the side panel. Of course, considering their actual size, they should be more appropriately termed "handscrews" instead of thumbscrews, but the main point here is that their size makes them extremely easy to remove and replace. The power supply is meant to be mounted on its side due to the case's interior layout. Next to the PSU's opening is a 90mm exhaust fan which is located directly above an additional 120mm exhaust fan. Next to the 120mm fan hole is the I/O shield and PCI slots.

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Page 2 of 5

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Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: First Impressions
Page 3: Inside the Case
Page 4: Quality Check
Page 5: Conclusion

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17 User Comments

1 - Posted by PennyManDeux on May 7, 2005 - 4:43 pm

Nice looking case! A big change from what Thermaltake normally does. Good job!

Now.... MOTHERBOARD TRAY!

2 - Posted by Dyrewolph on May 7, 2005 - 8:17 pm

well here i was with my mouth on the floor that brian had done a review... i thought he was just some admin dude and didn't do much *snicker* but its okay I realised it was Bryan and not Brian :twisted:

3 - Posted by Brian on May 7, 2005 - 10:08 pm

If only I had time to do a review, would be a nice change of pace. I've been putting in a LOT of work behind the scenes... too bad I can't show it to you guys... yet...

;-)

4 - Posted by Kurtis on May 8, 2005 - 1:04 am

brian, u don't have to lie to them. they all know that the "work" you have put in behind the scenes is just creating that silly bouncey badger avatar! :-P ;-)

oh and in case u guys care, i've been working on some video card reviews. you can look forward to the X800 XL 512MB review going up either tomorrow (sunday) or monday

5 - Posted by Dyrewolph on May 8, 2005 - 6:02 am

someone's on drugs :lol:

6 - Posted by Kurtis on May 8, 2005 - 10:16 am

/me points at Dyrewolph

7 - Posted by Brian on May 8, 2005 - 10:17 am

The Bouncy Is Fun! The Bouncy Is Important! The Bouncy Rules All!

Don't Dis The Bouncy!

8 - Posted by J2T on May 9, 2005 - 8:38 am

Well thats a definate improvement over their Xaser line of cases IMO. The only thing is I would like to see a removeable mobo tray and those "guards" in the front seem rather pointless.

9 - Posted by Kurtis on May 9, 2005 - 8:58 am

those things are just for looks i think, they don't really serve a purpose. certainly, they won't conceal any color mismatched bay devices :-P

10 - Posted by PennyManDeux on May 10, 2005 - 11:14 pm

Dey is fo da style my shizzle fo crizzle! A tizzle bizzle bling bling don't hurt nuttin!

11 - Posted by PsychoSnowMan on May 12, 2005 - 12:39 am

That's an awesome case.
I have a problem. My current case is the standard cheap non-name brand beige box type. It's all metal except for a plastic cover that goes over the front. Cooling is atrocious. So bad in fact that I have to leave the side panel off or it will overheat, and the dust that that lets in probably isn't all that good. I could add another case fan to the back which would be a good idea but I'd still have the problem of my big IDE cables blocking the front intake, I already know I could switch to rounded IDE cables. Unfortunately I don't really have the money to buy that sweet 160$ case. And all the ones I see on newegg below 60$ are either white/tan boxes that probably don't have good cooling and aren't that attractive, or look like someone made a computer case out of some riced out Honda chassis.
I looked over the case reviews here but most were either fairly expensive or didn't have that good of cooling.
Are there any stylish cases that aren't covered in LEDs, with good cooling for under $60-70? And can anyone suggest some good ones? If there aren't I suppose it wouldn't be too bad to go for a more expensive case, especially since cases don't become outdated nearly as fast as the rest of my components.

12 - Posted by J2T on May 12, 2005 - 9:45 am

Ok, here a few I like in that price range at the Egg. I'm assuming you are just looking for the case and not necessarily a PSU also

Antec SLK3000-B (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82...)

Chenming 301KEB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82...)

Enermax CS-517FS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82...)

13 - Posted by Brian on May 12, 2005 - 10:56 am

Of those three I would go with the Antec. Looks like it allows for better airflow than the Enermax.

14 - Posted by Rich on May 12, 2005 - 1:02 pm

I am a big fan of Antec cases too.

I have used this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82...

15 - Posted by J2T on May 12, 2005 - 1:11 pm

Well, out of those three I do prefer the Antec, but I thought I would give some variety. ;-)

16 - Posted by billycat on May 17, 2005 - 4:51 pm

Just how thick are the sidewalls on those armors? I have a Antec P160 and a Thermaltake Tsunami and the Tsunami's sidewalls are paper thin and feels flimsy. Antec's sidewall feels fairly solid in comparison (seems like 1.5mm or more though I didnt measure.)

Case has great features, I'm just a bit concerned about the durability.

17 - Posted by Guest on June 8, 2005 - 5:44 am

i just wish you would have told me how quiet this case is and how cool, compared to same setup in another case.
i bought one last week dammit. then discovered thermaltake has zero tech support. won't respond to any emails and has no phone support at all

now, just today, antec has a new sonata and the p180, both much better construction than thermaltake

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