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A Closer Look :::...
To get better acces you need to first remobve the central bracing panel. The nature of the slots around the hole in this panel and the hole's location directly above the CPU and directly below one of the two top vents suggests some kind of shroud is or will become available for it.
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Central Brace |
For even better access you can then remove the side bracing bracket, in fact there's more to this panel than just structural bracing...
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Side Brace and 3.5" Under-Slung Drive Cage |
...this bracing bracket also serves to mount up to two 3.5" internal devices, and the location of the underslung cage right in front of the front intake fan makes this the obvious location for your hard drive/s.
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Side Brace Removed |
It's the little touches that score big with me, and rather than just rely on a screw or two to hold everything steady, Thermaltake have also designed the bracket with a pair of locking tabs to add that extra touch strength and rigidity.
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Bracing Bracket Locking Tabs |
Access to the two external 3.5" bays involves removing the cage in order to access both sides of it. A single screw is located on the top (below)/
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3.5" Cage Retaining Screw - Top |
Then two further screws on the side of the cage need to be removed also (below). If ever a cage needed screw-less drive retention this is it, but such devices tend to have an increased risk of vibration, something you really don't want happening in your TV room.
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3.5" Cage Retaining Screw - Top |
The cage can then be removed, also allowing access to the left side of your optical drive/s. Below you can see the partially assembled system and the 3.5" drive cage removed. A hard drive now sits in the side bracing bracket.
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3.5" Cage Removed |
An oddity you'll discover with this case is a single, male-threaded motherboard stand-off sat prefitted all alone in the bottom of the case.
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Male-Threaded Stand-Off |
In the bag of screws and more traditional stand-offs you'll find a corresponding knurled nut to use with it as below.
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Knurled Stand-Off Nut |
So what are the benefits to this? Beats me! It does hold the motherboard roughly in place while you get the remainder of the screws tightened up, but so does an ordinary screw. Answers on a postcard please.
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