Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 Case Review

As you can see many of the features of this case are accessible on the outside of the case. So now let’s take a look at the interior and discuss how to assemble a computer in this new case from Thermaltake. Let me first say that this case retails for about 160 dollars and this puts it into the lower range of full tower cases that are currently on the market.

Once you open this case up the first thing you’ll notice is how much room there is to work in. There really aren’t going to be any problems assembling any components that you’d wish to use. Just keep in mind that the largest motherboard that this case supports is EATX form factor. An XLATX motherboard won’t fit in this case because there isn’t room at the bottom for the extra expansion card area. Currently, Thermaltake doesn’t have a case that supports the XL-ATX form factor except for their Xaser or Armor + line of full tower cases. If you’re planning to get that form factor of motherboard then you’ll need to look at those cases in the Thermaltake catalog.

This case also features a fully painted interior with rubber grommets for routing cables behind the motherboard tray.  There are four 5.25 inch drive bays for optical drives and six 3.5 inch drive bays for hard drive storage. Any of the 3.5 inch bays are convertible to 2.5 inch drive bays for SSDs or lap top hard drives. This will give users just about as many options for storage as they could ever possibly need. These bays also feature Thermaltake’s very nice tool-less installation technology that makes installing and removing drives a very simple process. The expansion slots are also tool-less because they use thumb screws to secure your expansion cards. All of the cables for this case are also nicely sleeved in black to help give your cable management a very clean appearance. Thermaltake has also provided a very large cut out for the CPU retention plate. This will make it easy to install aftermarket coolers without having to remove the motherboard.

With all of the large fans and the spacious room that this case provides, airflow is going to be amazing. All of the high-end hardware that you would want to install will have no problem staying cool in this case. Thermaltake have also provided plenty of room and options for water cooling as well. Mounting radiators at the top or bottom of this case won’t be a problem and you’ll have plenty of room for pumps and a reservoir as well. Thermaltake has done a great job in designing this case for whatever the user would have in mind. There is also plenty of room behind the motherboard tray for routing cables. A little bit of planning and effort will make this case look really fantastic and give your hardware all of the cooling that it will need. Just be careful with the side panels because they are fairly easy to bend. It will also take some effort when routing cables behind the motherboard tray, so that the right side panel doesn’t bow out. Aside from this you really shouldn’t have a problem installing all of your hardware.