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The Thermaltake Element V comes in one color and one color only, that color of course being black, which suits us fine. The case measures 53.2cm tall, 22cm wide and 53.7cm long, with a weight of 14.13kg, which is average for a full tower chassis constructed from SECC steel.   As mentioned earlier, the Element V is one of Thermaltake’s more subtle designs, and as you can see, from the front everything looks to be under control. The bezel is made up by a series of grills, from the top down we have five 5.25” external drive bays and below them are two larger square grills that hide a pair of 120mm fans.   Running alongside the series of grills, the case flares out a little bit in an attempt to give the Element V a bit of character and it works quite well. There is also a little extra ventilation here, which will help to provide the 120mm fans with more air. It is worth mentioning that the grills that cover the front bezel all feature dust covers to help keep the inside of the Element V and all your hardware clean.  At the top of the Element V things get a little more interesting, as this is where we find the I/O panel. Thermaltake has gone with quite a large I/O panel layout, which includes four USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA port, headphone/mic jacks along with the standard reset and power buttons. There is also a unique volume control like knob, which is used to adjust fan speed and lighting.  Behind the I/O panel are two large honeycomb grills which are designed to house a pair of 200mm (165mm blade length) fans or dual 120mm fans. These top mounted grills act as exhaust ventilation, though it should be noted that only one of them comes loaded with a fan.   The left side door features a tiny window, which is probably better described as a port hole, as it measures just 20cm long by 6.5cm tall and gives you a glimpse at the CPU cooler. Directly below it is a huge 230mm fan (195mm blade length) which again uses a large honeycomb grill.  The case door also features two small clips which are used to release it. This means there is no need to use the thumbscrews if you don’t want to, making it a quick and easy way to access the internal hardware.  The opposite side door is completely featureless, with the exception of two small screw holes which are also featured on the left side door. The user’s manual states that these holes are designed to mount a, get this, “water bottle cage” to the side of the case! The Element V is part of the Thermaltake eSports line up and as such they feel it is important to keep your fluids up while gaming. This is an interesting design aspect and although I have never found myself sweating while online gaming, and find that placing a water bottle on my desk is pretty convenient, Thermaltake feel that I might want to hook it to the side of my case. Having quickly thought about that, I think keeping water-bottles away from my computer is probably a better idea. In any case, there is little need to get excited over this innovative feature, as Thermaltake look to have already scrapped it. There is no information about it on their website and my case did not come with the bottle cage. It is also not listed as being part of the package in the user’s manual, despite there being a section on how to install it.   Moving on to the rear of the case, we have the standard I/O panel and room for a 120mm fan, along with seven ventilated expansion brackets. Towards the bottom there are two circular ports for water-cooling tubes, which allow users to externally mount a radiator. Then at the very bottom of the case we have the standard power supply bracket. |
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Rosco |
Posted on: 05/25/2010 01:05 AM
This is a pretty cool case and its not really that expensive. Thank you for the highly detailed review! |