A Closer Look - Outside

Out of the box, the Montech Air 1000 series instantly reminds us of the Corsair 4000/5000/7000D series. That is by no means a bad thing, and Montech does have a knack for taking inspiration from other cases out there.


The front is made out of plastic, but the fine mesh panel itself is steel, which is a very nice touch. There are the same angled inlets for additional airflow as with the previously mentioned Corsair series, but Montech added a bit of texture to these areas on the Air 1000 Lite. In the rear, everything looks pretty traditional with the PSU on the bottom of the mid-tower chassis.


The main side panel consists of glass, which is nicely framed in black and placed on hinges for a clean look. If you opt for the white variant of the chassis, the glass panel will be framed in white instead to keep with the overall color scheme. On the opposite side is a steel panel held in place by two captive thumb screws.


Montech has also placed a pull tab on the glass, so you may easily open it. The panel itself is held in place by magnets of adequate strength. Once opened, it is easily confirmed that the glass panel is 3 mm thick as well.


The front of the Montech Air 1000 Lite may be removed by a firm tug, revealing the fine mesh filter protecting this air intake area. Thin rubber spacers stuck onto the steel panel to ensure it sits snug and doesn't cause unwanted rattling noise when in use would be good. Out of the box, the case packs two 120 mm intake fans here. The front panel of the Air 1000 Lite is actually rather thick, as you may pull out the front dust filter from the top, which is a really nice touch.


In the rear, the bottom holds the previously mentioned PSU bay with two sets of mounting holes, so installing the power supply no matter how you want the airflow is doable. Above that are the seven expansion slots, each protected by reusable covers. In the very top is another 120 mm fan set to push air out the back of the Air 1000 Lite. Elongated mounting holes allow you to adjust the height of the fan as well, which will come in handy if you are going to install an AIO in the ceiling.


The top comes with a unique-looking metal mesh cover, which is a nice little touch. Once removed, you can clearly see the mounting holes for either two 120 or two 140 mm fans. Montech also allows for AIOs of up to 280 mm here. Towards the front edge is the I/O consisting of two USB 3.0, a single USB 2.0, and the usual audio plugs. As the Air 1000 line also offers a variant with ARGB fans, the entire family of cases sports a dedicated LED toggle button while also retaining the reset one. This is all great, but Montech should really just get rid of the USB 2.0 port as well. Nobody needs or wants it anymore, and USB 4.0 is already around the corner.


On the underside is a dust filter for the PSU, which you may pull out the back without tipping the whole system over.