A Closer Look - Outside

Out of the box, the Tower 500 is essentially a bigger version of the Tower 100. In terms of design, Thermaltake has done an excellent job in growing the case to this medium size, making it a far more manageable option than the massive Tower 900. While we got the black version for review, you may also pick the Tower 500 up in white or, as Thermaltake calls it, the "Snow" edition.


The front of the chassis is all glass but for the base of the enclosure. Here you will find some Thermaltake branding and an air vent. In the rear is a solid panel held in place with two thumb screws.


A magnetic dust filter in the center covers two fans and several hard-drive cages. Both of these fans are retail-grade and push air out the back of the enclosure. On the bottom is a power supply bay with a somewhat unique mounting frame, which makes installing the PSU a two-step process.


Both sides of the Thermaltake Tower 500 have windows alongside air vents. All glass panels have a very gentle tint, so you should easily be able to see all your hardware from three sides once everything is assembled.


In the top is another large air vent that may easily be popped off to reveal the motherboard expansion slots and mounting possibilities for two fans or a radiator of up to 280 mm. This layout means the motherboard is rotated 90° and any expansion card, including GPUs, are installed facing upward. Thermaltake went all out with the I/O, offering four USB 3.0, one USB-C, and the usual audio ports. The large power and smaller reset buttons are in the center.


The underside provides little insights into the internal chassis layout, but there is another air vent as well as a removable dust filter to protect the power supply from grime.