Test System

Assembly

Installing a motherboard within the Thermaltake S500 TG is done by traditional means, with the use of spacers and the supplied screws. There is lots of space around the edges of the board, so you should have no issues connecting everything. You may install a CPU cooler of up to 172 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.


Adding 3.5" drives does not take any tools or screws. Simply pull the plastic trays out and snap a drive down. With that done, slide it back in until the filled unit clicks into place.


To install an SSD, pick between the plastic tray, single metal plate or the larger dual plate on the rear of the case. 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 put right back once filled.


Thanks to the large opening in the back, you may easily slide your PSU into the case by mounting it on the frame first. Thermaltake allows for units of up to 220 mm without issue, which is more than enough for even the most powerful variants.


Once everything is assembled, the interior looks nice and clean because of well-placed cable-routing holes. As you can see, I made sure no cables are visible across the openings above the hard-drive cage. Even the rear looks rather clean due to the pre-installed Velcro strips. 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 S500 TG pulls off that understated, clean exterior look beautifully. There is a blue ring of light around the power button that lights up, while a red activity LED lets you know if the hard drives are in use. I would have loved to see all white LEDs instead as the blue and red combo is somewhat outdated by today's standards.


Thanks to the clear glass window, all your cool hardware will be clearly visible, so you should have no issues showing everything off. As there are no LEDs within the case, odds are you will want to invest into some. I am sure some could argue that Thermaltake could have included LED-equipped fans, but considering the solid front and top panels I see no issue in omitting them inside the S500 TG. In the rear, everything is where you would expect it, and all the connector can easily be reached—there should be no surprises even if you rotate the expansion slots.