Supplied by Thermaltake
Editor’s preface.
Short-Media encourages our members to share their thoughts with our readers.
We openly encourage our readers to submit their own reviews and we are extremely
excited when they do. Just like we are excited about Dominic “Nixxer” Cox’s review he submitted. These reviews offer a unique perspective from people just
like you who have gone and made a purchase and want to share their findings
and recommendations. The following is from one of our members. Enjoy!
Thermaltake Xaser III V1000D
To survive in the computer case market manufacturers must offer their consumers
many features and options. These include cooling, special features, build, and
aesthetics. Some manufacturers concentrate on only one of these qualities while
others provide a mix. Can a manufacturer produce a PC case that offers a buyer
a lot of features or will the entire design suffer? Thermaltake is one such
manufacturer and their PC cases offer many qualities but have they bitten off
more than they can chew?
Specifications
• Dimension: 205x535x565 (W,H,D).
• Drive bays: 4×5.25″, 2×3.5″, 6×3.5″ internal.
• Fan: 7x 80mm silent fans included.
• M/B type: ATX & Pentium 4. (MAX SIZE: 12″x13″).
• Ports: 1xIEEE1394, 2xUSB 2.0, 1xSpeaker, 1xMic
Product Features
• Windowed side panel, lockable.
• Lockable drive door
• Lockable aluminum front bezel can be opened.
• Hardcano 9 fanbus unit.
• Front ‘Thermaltake’ LED.
• Removable exterior 3.5″ cage.
• HDD cage mounted in alternate direction.
• Completely tool-less drive rails.
• Side panels attached with thumbscrews.
• Tool-less PCI supports.
• Interior fan door and fan brackets.
• Adjustable feet.
The packaging was sufficient; a large sealed cardboard box. Inside the case
was shrink-wrapped and secured in a styrofoam shipping mold. The wrapping was
a good idea since the idea of a scratch on a nice new blue case would not be
tolerated. Protective foam was taped in place to keep the window scratch-free.
The case was very securely packed in order to prevent shipping damage.
It is necessary to go into a little more detail on the dimensions of the Xaser
III. The height of the Xaser III is more than that of a “standard”
mid-tower case and noticeably less than a full-tower. Thermaltake have it labeled
as a “Super Tower” but this may be because of the features rather
than the size. The depth is greater than any other case previously seen. This
provides for much more room inside but also means that cables have to cover
a greater distance which may be a problem when using shorter IDE cables. The
width is fairly standard. Now, most notably, is the weight. The Xaser III falls
into the “back breaker” category because it’s around 18kg.
empty. That’s about 40 lbs. It certainly requires both hands for a safe
lift. Don’t make the mistake of thinking this is a lighter load because
you may hurt yourself. Kinetic handling is important so bear it in mind.
The construction of the Xaser III is of a very high quality. The V1000 series
are primarily made out of heavy duty steel. This means you could possibly drop
it and it wouldn’t buckle though tossing around PC case isn’t highly advisable.
It’s doubtful anybody would do this unless they had cash to not only burn but
to feed people with. The front bezel is all aluminum adding a bit more to the
overall weight. The bezel has a nice finish and shines in the light. There are
only two plastic elements to the exterior of this case; the top blowhole cover
and the very top of the front bezel. This wasn’t a disappointment since it’s
not noticeable. The USB, firewire and audio ports are found at the top blowhole
concealed under a push and click cover. This appears to be an ideal location
for multimedia ports because it’s the type of case that is not usually
enclosed under a desk.
Inside sharp edges are non-existent. Everything is rounded off so well that
a small child could play with it unattended without fear that harm will be inflicted.
The Xaser III has three drive cages: a 5.25″ drive cage, a 3.5″
external drive cage and an internal 3.5″ drive cage. Only the external
3.5″ drive cage is removable and this is done by removing one thumbscrew
and pulling the cage though the front of the case. The other two cages presented
little problem even with the fact they were permanently attached. These two
cages use drive rails for mounting hard drives. More about this in the features
section.
Its time to move onto the features and a lot of them there are.
The Xaser III comes with a lot from a fully functional fanbus to sturdy drive
rails. There are two options when ordering the Xaser III; with the window and
without.
The window is made out of durable acrylic held in place by plastic expansion
rivets. I’m not too sure how durable because I don’t want to risk
having a huge ugly crack in the middle of it. Smaller pins go into the large
ones securing the window in place. These pins can be removed at any time in
order to remove the window if need be.
Another feature is a three-position lock. The keys come attached for shipping
at the back fan grill on a ring and are easily removed. The first position of
the lock is fully locked. Both the front bezel and drive door are locked and
cannot be opened. The second positron allows for the drive door to be opened
whilst keeping the front bezel securely locked. The third position, you guessed
it, allows for both doors to be opened. Opening the front bezel gives access
to the front fan grills, the exterior drives (for installation) and the lock
for the left side panel. The right side panel can be removed by taking out the
thumbscrews however this provides access to only a small gap. The left side
panel will not come off without unlocking it. As a whole, the locking mechanism
is very effective at keeping out any unwelcome visitors.
Included and ready installed is Thermaltake’s Hardcano
9 fanbus unit. It is simply designed for monitoring one temperature, usually
the CPU, and controlling four fans which is quite appropriate since inside the
case are four groups of fan mounts. There are two at the front and two on the
left side panel over the CPU and PCI slots and two on the rear and one top blowhole.
To control a fan unit is just a simple turn of one of the knobs. The knobs are
not the largest but it was no trouble.
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An LCD screen is set between the knobs but it isn’t lit. This is the
first problem with the unit since it is exceedingly hard to see the temperature
display in the dark. Another fault is that it requires THREE power sources:
one for the LCD screen, one for two of the fan units and one for the remaining
two fan units. The LCD power connecter is the same as a fans meaning it can
be connected in the circuit of one of your devices. Each connection requires
its own 4-pin connector. Some power supplies may require purchase of two additional
splitters.
All the case fans are powered by the Hardcano 9 unit. This explains why it
is so power hungry. The wiring setup keeps wires out of the way at the edges
of the case. Thermaltake includes seven case fans so every slot is filled. They
are described as “ultra silent” and they live up to this even when
at the highest setting. The loudest component in the test case was the X-Dream
heatsink even when at the lowest setting. Each fan mounts in its own tool-less
bracket and changing the direction of air-flow for any fan is a “breeze”.
(No pun intended….no…really) The side panel fans are not attached to the
actual side panel which allows for easy removal of the panel. The fans are mounted
to a hinged translucent plastic bracket. The hinge allows the panel to be opened
and moved out of the way to install components. This is a good idea since Thermaltake
didn’t include a removable motherboard tray in the Xaser III design. It
isn’t needed since there is more than enough breathing space.
As mentioned earlier the Xaser III uses the ancient, and until recently, forgotten
drive rails. Computers used these years ago but case manufactures stopped making
them since mounting screws were lot cheaper. It may be that consumers did not
care if it were drive rails or screws and most likely welcomed the lesser expense.
This may have been true for the average PC buyer who never looks inside the
PC case but for the current computer enthusiast community such a feature is
welcomed even at extra expense. The drive rails are completely tool-less and
literally make drive installing a 10-second job. For the hard drives, just unclip
a left and right rail, attach them, and push it into the drive cage. The 5.25″
drives are a little trickier since the front bezel has to be opened. May set
you back a further 5 seconds!
Thermaltake tries to keep the tool-less trend with the Xaser III and introduced
tool-less PCI peripheral installation. It is done by opening the latch, sliding
it over, installing a PCI or AGP card and then closing the latch. This is really
easy and takes mere moments but there was one problem. My Asus GeForce 4 Ti
4200 was too large to use this mechanism. The Asus GeForce 4 Ti 4200 card had
to undergo a slight modification. The top corner had to be cut off of the card
so the latch could close. It wasn’t hard to do but I was quite worried
that I would ruin my card. Thankfully it didn’t and it fit nicely. The
latches secure the cards in nicely and with no room to move.
Last of the features but certainly not least were the adjustable feet. They
can all be turned and concealed underneath the case or turned at any angle up
to 90º to the case. The feet are very sturdy despite being adjustable and
prevent the case from tipping even the preferred, concealed position.
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There is a Thermaltake logo LED on the front bezel of the case. The pictures
do not do it justice and it looks awful in the following picture because the
good ol’ Times New Roman font but when you see the case for yourself it
looks a lot better. It looks quite good in the dark due to the glow. Put a blue
cold cathode inside the case and it looks better still. The LED is connected
the same way as a fan and the wires are right next to the hard drive cage.
Installation is where the Xaser III lacks because there were a few difficulties
installing some components. The main problem was the motherboard. I screwed
in the stand-offs, put the backplate in place and then lay the motherboard in
position. Whist pushing the motherboard against the backplate there was a lot
of friction. To install the motherboard properly you have to have a screw on
a screwdriver at the ready and simultaneously push the motherboard with your
other hand. The resistance offered by the backplate means that you have to push
as hard as you can so that as soon as one of the holes are aligned with one
of the stand-offs you can get the screw in. It took about 5 minutes longer than
it should of and it left an impression in my hand for a good hour afterwards.
Supports around the PSU area made installation easy. The tool-less drive rails
ensured for fast installation of the drives and the tool-less PCI latches also
made mounting PCI cards easy.
Another struggle during assembly was with the fans. I wanted to keep the inside
tidy, not just for air flow, but to minimize a visible mess of wires when peering
through the window. Since there are 7 fans, routing cables out of sight is a
difficult task, but not impossible. It really comes down to planning but within
a short time I had found a way.
After all this the only thing left to install was the temperature probe. I
chose to locate it underneath the processor because this is the only temperature
I am concerned about. The instructional manual describes this process well with
easy to follow pictures. The last section of the manual is entirely dedicated
to the Hardcano unit which is a thoughtful inclusion.
My room (where I keep my PC) doesn’t have much surface space so this
meant building it at my dining table which seemed like the best plan. When I
had fully assembled everything I stepped back and stared at this beautiful object.
The blue finish looked magnificent. It was now time to return it to my room.
I remember that it was quite heavy empty so I prepared myself to lift it. I
place my hands at the corners, slightly bent my knees (it’s at table height),
and lift…ouch! The strain this case put on my back muscles was unbelievable.
Sure I have lifted heavier things but not in such a compact size. I had to put
the case back down and take a few deep breaths. Anyway, after a minute, I just
picked it up again and ran to my room. Before I got there I think “I should
weigh it” so I went to my bathroom and placed it on the scales. 56 pounds
or four stone! This is heavy for a case! I was wondering why it felt so heavy
but it was probably because it isn’t the most carry-friendly thing.
Conclusion
Well has Thermaltake bitten off more than it can chew? Simply put…no.
Thermaltake have included everything needed to make a great case, and nothing
more. They have succeeded in making a case that has excellent cooling, decent
assembly, rich in features, and the looks to please. This means the Xaser III
appeals to a variety of people, from the overclocker to somebody who wants a
nice looking case.
As with anything, there are always bad points. The motherboard and PCI mounting
issues had were minor but needed a mention. They were both overcome within minutes.
Overall, the Xaser III is an exceptional case. Definitely worth the price for
what you get. Just don’t walk home from the store with it, or ship it
great distances since this will cost you one way or another.
My thanks to Overclockers
UK for getting it to me so fast and damage-free, to Short-Media for letting
me write this review and especially to a great friend Souriat for the use of
his camera, his photography and his aid in re-assembly.
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