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.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
43 Comments
View All Comments
mostlyprudent - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
I have been wrestling over the case issue recently. I like the looks of the Antec P150, but need door to keep the kids from turning off the PC at random. I like the P180, but it's too big. I've considered the Sonata II, but want a different PSU. Any idea how the Aguila compares performance-wise to the Antec cases?KorruptioN - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
Consider the Antec SLK3000B. No PSU, is decently quiet, very cheap, comes with a door (no lock though), and is about an inch taller. I have one (along with the new NSK6500) and am happy with it.JoshuaBuss - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
The aguila would perform right up there with a p150 in terms of thermals. the p150 would be slightly quieter stock though (assuming you set its tri-speed fans to the slowest speed)