Test System
System Parts for Case Reviews |
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Processor: | Intel Core i5-9600K |
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Motherboards: | ATX: MSI Z390 GAMING EDGE AC MATX: Z370M GAMING EDGE AC Mini-ITX: MSI Z370I GAMING EDGE AC Provided by: MSI |
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Graphics Card: | ATX/mATX: Palit GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming Pro OC ITX: EVGA GTX 1650 SC Ultra Black 4 GB |
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Memory: | 16 GB XPG GAMMIX D30 DDR4 2666 MHz CL16-18-18 1.20 V 16 GB XPG SPECTRIX D60G DDR4 3000 MHz CL16-18-18 1.35 V Provided by: ADATA |
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HDD: | Western Digital 320 GB 7200 RPM |
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SSD: | ITX: ADATA SX6000 Pro M.2 256 GB mATX: ADATA GAMMIX S11 Pro M.2 256 GB ATX: ADATA SPECTRIX S40G M.2 256 GB ADATA XPG SX850 256 GB ADATA Ultimate SU630 240 GB ADATA Ultimate SU750 256 GB Provided by: ADATA |
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Power Supply: | Fractal Design ION+ 750W 80 Plus Platinum Provided by: Fractal Design |
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Cooling: | be quiet! Dark Rock 4 be quiet! Dark Rock Slim be quiet! Shadow Rock LP Provided by: be quiet! |
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Assembly
Installing a motherboard within the Thermaltake S300 TG is done by traditional means, with the use of spacers and supplied screws. There is lots of space around the motherboard's edges—you should have no issues connecting everything. You may install a CPU cooler of up to 170 mm in height, which means even the bigger units will fit. On top of that, GPUs of up to 400 mm without taking the HDD cages into consideration will also easily fit.
Installing the PSU is quite traditional as you simply put it into place and screw it down. The shroud then slides back in its spot easily and is secured with four screws—one in the back and three on the motherboard side of the S300 TG.
To install an SSD, pick between the plastic trays or one of four steel mounting plates. You will use the same screws to secure it in place regardless of which option you pick. In our review, we used the rear plate—it can simply be removed for assembly and is put right back once filled.
Adding a 3.5" drive takes classic screws, which is unfortunate as other brands manage to offer a tool-less option. That said, I rather prefer a little more work with real security. Once the tray is filled, simply slide it back in until it clicks into place.
With everything assembled, the interior looks nice for the most part, but I do miss grommets to hide the individual cables better. As you can see, I made sure no cables are visible across the opening for the side cooling elements, but had to route any excess cable horizontally before running it down to the right connections. Even with a bit of a cable mess, you should run into no issues with closing the side panel as there is plenty of space.
Finished Looks
Once the system is turned on, the Thermaltake S300 TG pulls off that understated, clean exterior look beautifully. There is a somewhat dim white ring of light around the power button that lights up, while a red activity LED lets you know when the hard drives are in use.
All your cool hardware will be clearly visible because of the clear glass window. You should have no issues showing everything off, especially as this is the white version of the S300 TG. In the rear, everything is where you would expect it, and all the connectors can easily be reached—there should be no surprises even with rotated expansion slots.