A Closer Look - Outside

The packaging is already indicative of the massive size of the A700 TG, and, oh boy, it really is big right out of the box. I think it is one of the widest tower cases I have had for review in a long time. Also considering the length and height, the A700 TG is essentially humongous. Even so, Thermaltake went all out with the materials. Thick aluminium panels cover the front and top of the case, which in itself adds considerable weight. While the case looks gray in marketing images, it does have a cool blue tint to it in real life. In addition to that material choice, both side windows are 5 mm thick and shaped to aid the overall design of the case. In fact, it could have been just a smaller square with access to air vents in the front and top, but Thermaltake chose to go the extra mile just for the looks. I am putting some focus on the exterior design choices as the A700 TG is one of the more expensive enclosures out there, and the material mix is clearly a big reason for that.


Looking at the aluminium front, it is curved slightly on the top and bottom and has a smooth texture to it. On the bottom, you will only find the Thermaltake logo. You may pull the whole hefty cover off to reveal a 140 mm intake fan and the ability to install three more such devices or even a radiator of up to 420 mm in size. The front panel is deep enough to give fans lots of access to clean air. These vents also come with with a pre-installed dust filter for good measure. I would have loved to see two or even three fans right out of the box in this area, though. Taking a quick peak at the rear, it becomes apparent just how wide the A700 TG is as there is loads of space alongside the power supply bay, for example. Due to the hinges holding the side panels in place, there is a bit of a gap between the metal and glass, so the case won't be that great for sound encapsulation, and dirt will enter through this part of the chassis over time.


Both panels have a slight tint, but are still transparent enough to show off all your hardware. While this is great for the main compartment, I would have loved to see a slightly darker tint on the glass panel covering the back of the motherboard tray to better hide the cable mess. Thermaltake has included a lock on both panels so everything is kept secure even in a public setting—LAN party, anyone?


The PSU bay below comes with two sets of mounting holes, but Thermaltake omitted the frame we saw with the S500TG, so you will have to remove the shroud to add a PSU during assembly. The very top is taken up by a 140 mm exhaust fan set to push air out the back of the chassis. As there are elongated mounting holes, you may adjust its height to perfectly align with your motherboard. With this one, your total number of pre-installed cooling units is two. While this is fine for $100 cases, Thermaltake could have included one or two more of their Pure 14 fans.


A unique elements of the A700 TG is the ability to rotate the expansion slots to allow for vertical GPU installation. Naturally, the default setup offers eight slots, each of which is protected by reusable covers that are secured by thumb screws. You may rotate this assembly 90° by removing several screws and detaching the two pieces. The A700 TG may hold up to two vertical GPUs in this configuration. While all the metal mounting elements are present, the required PCIe ribbon cable is sold separately.


On top, you will find a fully featured I/O setup with two USB 2.0, two USB 3.0, and a real Type-C connector alongside the two audio plugs. While I question Type-C on entry level builds, I am more than happy to see it on the A700 TG. Unfortunately, it isn't real USB Gen2 Type-C as it connects directly to your motherboard via a 20-pin USB 3.0 header. The rest of the top is completely solid, but you may pull off the cover as well to reveal space for three 120, three 140, or two 200 mm fans in the ceiling. Alternatively, you may opt for a 280 or 360 mm radiator here instead.