A Closer Look - Outside

Thermaltake further protects the chassis with a thin plastic cover on the smooth areas of the front and top. The case makes a really fragile impression. Sure it may be very affordable, but especially in recent months, many manufacturers have managed to offer well constructed enclosures in a price range below 50 Euros. Thus, the excuse of "affordable" no longer holds in this scenario.


The front of the chassis is made of plastic, while the mesh elements are constructed of steel. The front does not feel all too fragile, but quite hollow. This means that the plastic is rather thin compared to other enclosures. Turning the chassis over, we find a very traditional looking rear, but more about that later.


One side of the WingRS 301 has two openings, one of which is right above the CPU area and another one above the expansion slot area. There is a duct secured to the air vent above the CPU, but Thermaltake has chosen to use only two of the four screw holes to secure the duct in place - to save cost I guess. This panel is held in place by thumb screws. The other side is completely solid and you will require a screw drive to remove the two traditional screws holding this one in place. You may notice that both side panels do not seem to fit right, as the grey of the interior case structure can still be seen on both sides. There is a simple reason for that as we will see on the next page.


The front of the chassis is visually divided into two areas of equal size. The bottom is essentially an air vent for the optional 120 mm intake fan. It also holds the power button and LED and single 3.5 inch bay. You will find two USB 2.0 and the pair of audio connectivity right in the middle of the front. There is no Firewire or eSATA anywhere in sight. Above that are the four 5.25 drive bays.


Turning the chassis over, starting at the bottom, there are the seven expansion slots. These are actually partially outside of the chassis as a small cover closes the gap where you would usually screw the cards in place and also acts as a tool free system. The reason behind such an exterior system is simple. Instead of extending the entire case structure, the side panels, top and bottom parts by one centimeter, you only need that little cover. Less material used equals cheaper production costs. Still, other companies manage to give you a full size mid tower chassis for the same price - or even less. As I feared before, the covers of the expansion slots are not reusable after they have been broken out. On a side note: the bottom thumb screw of the side panel seems to be missing at this point.

Above that you will find a 120 mm exhaust fan along with a standard mainboard backplate. This one needs to be removed for all modern motherboards out there, thus I do not understand the reason why Thermaltake includes this. They seem to be trying to save costs in the wrong areas. The power supply bay is nothing out of the ordinary. You may install the PSU in one direction only.


The handle is made of plastic, but feels solid enough to manage a completely filled case. I do not know if it is attached well enough to the actual case structure though. The fear of suddenly only having the top cover along with the grip in your hand, while the PC is in pieces on the hard concrete below are still there.