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Introduction:::...
Here's
a closer look at the lockable door latch. Thermaltake have
certainly made that window as large as was practical, and
though a lot of it is taken up with the rather uninspiring
sight of your drive cages, there's plenty of scope to show
off your hardware still.
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Front
of Side Panel Latch
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The
locking mechanism is fairly primitive, but considering almost
every enthusiast on the planet probably owns a key to fit
the lock what does it matter?
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Rear
of Side Panel Latch
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The
window itself is held in place using reglar plastic push-pin
retainers and is recessed around its perimeter so it actually
sits flush with the side panel from outside.
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Side
Window Retainer
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Here
you can see the 92m fan that's mounted directly onto the
side window. That grill would be a real dust hog if the
fan was drawing air in but as an exhaust fan it shouldn't
cause too much hassle. This fan is porobably part of the
reason Thermaltake felt they didn't need any additional
vents on the rear. Worth notingg is that this 92mm fan has,
by virtue of its reasonably restrained 1800RPM spin speed,
a claimed noise level of 21dBA which is in keeping with
the front and rear 120mm fans which also have a 21dBA noise
rating.
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Side
Window cooling Fan
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About
the only thing I'm not wild about so far is that white protective
sheath that runs along the back of the front door (below)
and carries the power lead out to the two LEDs behind the
handle column.
The
door is held closed using pressure from sprung metal clips
which isn't as elegant as a magnet but you can at least
bend them to increase or reduce the pressure. The front
fascia you can see behind the door is actually made entirely
from silver coloured plastic and not aluminium, but despite
this I think it works quite well. It also allows for a more
complex shape that allows it to do this........
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Front
Fascia
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........Yup,
the whole front fascia hinges open in the same way the front
door does. I love this idea and so far the only other case
I've seen it used on is the Casetek
iQ-Eye. Having quick access to the back of the front
fascia like this makes cleaning the washable front intake
filter a considerably more convenient affair, so much so
I might actually bother to do it!
Like
it is at the rear, the vent for the 120mm front fan is very
open and should let bags of air through.
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Front
Fascia Opened
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Even
allowing for the fact that it has to suck its air though
that fine-mesh filter, the open vent and efficient 120mm
fan mean airflow is maximised.
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Rear
Of Front Fascia
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What
I like less though are those plastic springs for the power
and reset buttons. I've no real reason to dislike them.
I mean they work and I don't think I've ever had any fail
on me, I'm just a traditionalist and find I prefer my springs
of the curly metal variety. They could use screws to fix
them in place instead of melting them on, at least then
you could replace them without ditching the whole panel.
Below
the power and reset buttons is the two-stage lock where
you can either lock just the front fascia or lock the fascia
and the front door too. It's the little touches that count
you know!
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Power/Reset
Buttons and Locking Barrel
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Before
we head inside a quick look at the feet. They swivel out
for added security, no bad thing considering the lack of
weight, and they sit on small rubber pads to stop noise
transmission if you have the case stood on a hard surface.
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Swiveling
Case Foot
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Okay,
let's go in!
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