A Closer Look - Inside

To gain access to the chassis, you need to use the hex tool provided to remove the four screws holding the plate in place. Once done, it can simply be lifted off. It would have been nice to see a normal hex screwdriver included instead of a simple "IKEA" tool, but it does the job nonetheless.


There is very little space to work with inside the chassis, as the power supply just sits there in the front area of the case. There is even some space between the PSU and the front, but this is necessary to reach the screws holding the PSU in place. A metal tray forms the slim line optical drive bay, while a hard drive can be installed under the power cable running along the side of the chassis.


Taking out the ODD tray and hard drive cover, we are left with a bare case. There are no other parts that have to be removed for installation. We will, however, take out the power supply as well. The two fans utilize Molex connectors instead of mainboard headers. This is alright, as most ITX boards do not feature many fan headers - if at all. The best scenario would have been if Thermaltake combined both power cables and form a single 3-pin fan plug for both fans and then use a Molex adapter in case the installed board does not have any headers. With the current configuration, these two small fans will turn at full speed and thus as loud as possible right away.


The I/O cables are nothing out of the ordinary and should fit every modern ITX board on the market today. I will be installing a Zotac Geforce 9300 based board in this chassis.


Taking a quick look at the power supply, it is rated for 200W and comes with a single rail. The unit - which is cooled by a 40 mm fan - should be powerful enough for the appropriate components of an HTPC chassis. There is no 80 Plus Certification anywhere on this PSU, which is a bit dissapointing, considering the fact that Thermaltake offers plenty of power supplies with the efficiency certification. The few cables of the power supply should be sufficient to fill the entire case and connect everything. You want to use SATA based drives though, as the Molex connector is needed for the two fans in the rear of the chassis. There are two other cables, one of which powers the VFD, while the other one serves no apparent purpose. That said, if this unit ever dies, any replacement off the shelf part, will not include these, thus some may argue that this power supply does not adhere to the ATX standard. But, after mentioning this to Thermaltake we were told, that they will supply the cable if needed.