Thermaltake Xaser VI
Introduction
To most gamers and computer enthusiast out there, the hardest part of building your new rig is choosing a case to house all of your expensive components. Cases are something fortunately the computer world has no shortage of, with many companies carrying dozens of different sizes, styles and designs. Thermaltake is one of these better known companies trying hard to build a case that will suit even the most stubborn PC builder out there. Today we are reviewing the latest revision of Thermaltake’s Xaser series of cases, the Xaser VI.
Packaging
Case arrived shipped in its display box. I sort of expected to receive a proper brown shipping box and was surprised to see the shipping labels stuck on the display packaging.
I was a little skeptical of the packaging due to the banged up state of the shipping box but Thermaltake must definitely know what they are doing as the case came flawless.
It was very comforting to see that the case is actually suspended inside its display box by 2 preformed Styrofoam end pieces and the case was tightly wrapped up in a thin non scratch foam bag.
When extracted from its enclosure, it appears all hardware has been stored in the case and the only thing shipped within the display package besides the case was a small zip lock bag containing the instruction manual and a cleaning cloth.
There was also protective films on all chrome pieces and the doors were sealed shut and taped up nicely to protect against minor dings whilst working with the case and shipping.
Overall I am very pleased with how Thermaltake packages these cases for shipping.
Specifications
Case Type: Full Tower
Material: SECC 1.0 mm
Front Bezel Material: Aluminum
Color: Black
Side Panel: Solid with Black Metal Mesh
Motherboard Support: ATX, M-ATX, E-ATX, SSI CEB
Motherboard Tray: Yes
5.25" Drive Bay: 7
Ext. 3.5" Drive Bay: 1 (convertable from 5.25")
Int. 3.5" Drive Bay: 7
Expansion Slots: 10 Front
I/O Ports: USB 2.0 x 4, IEEE 1394 x 1, eSATA x 2, HD Audio Cooling System
- Front (intake) :
140 x 140 x 25mm blue LED fan, 1000rpm,
16dBA or 120 x 120 x 25mm fan (optional)
- Rear (exhaust) :
120 x 120 x 25mm blue LED fan, 1300rpm, 17dBA
- Top (exhaust) :
140 x 140 x 25mm TurboFan, 1000rpm,
16dBA or 120 x 120 x 25mm fan (optional)
- Bottom (intake) :
Two 140 x 140 mm fans (optional)
or two 120 x 120 x 25mm fan (optional)
- VGA (intake) :
140 x 140 x 25mm TurboFan, 1000rpm,
16dBA or 120 x 120 x 25mm fan (optional)
Liquid Cooling Capable: Yes
Liquid Cooling Embedded: No
Power Supply Supported: Standard ATX PS2
Power Supply Included: No
Dimension (H*W*D):
23.8 x 9.8 x 26.0 in
605 x 250 x 660 mm
Net Weight: 39.6 lbs, 18.0 kg
Security Lock: Yes
Application: High-End Gaming System
High-End Workstation
Design
This case is definitely one of the better looking cases on the market. My biggest disappointment is that this case isn’t offered in an all aluminum model. It is big being a full tower but it is HEAVY. Lan party gamers stay away! This is definitely not a case to lug around. I have always been skeptical about cases with doors as I always seem to find a way to break them but this one definitely has reassured me that doors on cases can be done right. Unlike the rest of the case the door is made of aluminum and swings freely. The magnetic latch is also a very nice touch.
This case was built with airflow in mind. It mixes in good looks with great functionality. The front door has 2 large black mesh plates and all the drive covers are also perforated for extreme airflow. The side door also has lots of mesh and the 4 fans supplied with this case ensure constant air flow. Although I love this more modern approach to case building, it does allow not only air but dirt and dust into your pc and within days I noticed the black mesh showing signs of dust build up.
The tooless assembly also is another great design especially for those wanting a DIY system but not wanting to pull out the tools normally necessary to build a system yourself.
Features
Thermaltake has definitely packed this case full of all the best features. To list them all will nearly be impossible but let’s see if we can get through them one at a time.
Starting with drive bays, this case has 7 HDD removable trays with 5 of them being houses in a removable cage.
This is by far the easiest tool less HDD system out there. The front door unclips and the cage slides out. You place the hard drive into it; insert the provided pins on the sides and slide the cage back in.
The 2 lowest cages mounted off to the left of the others are both removable to allow fan cages to be installed instead.
There are also 7 5.25 optical drive bays in this case. The front drive bay covers hinge and unclip outwards allowing you to just slide an optical drive in which simply clicks in place as it reaches the easy to use locking pin mechanism.
The 10 screw less PCI slots are also a nice touch adding plenty of room for those enthusiasts looking to run Tri SLI or crossfire X utilizing 4 video cards.
The removable motherboard tray is always a plus on cases like this and although it slid very easily, a ball bearing slide would have made removal much easier especially when a heavy heat sink and video card is mounted on the motherboard before the tray it put into the case.
This Case also features an adjustable PSU supporting bridge so that PSU’s of variable lengths can be mounted in this case with just the simple adjustment of this bridge.
The openness and available of cable holes makes cable management a breeze in a case of this size. Thermaltake also supplies all the necessary ties and clips to ensure your wiring turns out as neat as possible. They definitely took no short cuts here.
Moving to the outside of this case, the I/O panel supports 2 E-SATA, 4 USB, 1 IEEE & HD Audio in/out. It is covered by a very clever mechanical pop up cover which also protects the power and restart buttons from being in easy reach to minimize accidental power downs whilst using your PC.
The Hood also has a neat feature where it can slide forward and exposes a very spacious tool storage area. Nice touches like this helps consumers appreciate the time and effort put into developing a case like this.
This case came with 4 140mm fans, 3 mounted already and 1 with a fan cage to be mounted anywhere dependant on your cooling needs. Finding any case that has 4 140mm fans is nearly impossible and they do provide lots of cooling power to keep system temps down as low as possible.
Final Thoughts
Thermaltake has taken the time and put the required effort to produce yet another fantastic chassis for the computer market. With more and more people leaning towards buying a full tower to fit the largest video cards and coolers, the Xaser VI is definitely going to catch some eyes with it sleek design and amazing functionality. Thermaltake deserves a round of applause for their continued customer satisfaction and build quality standards as there are no flaws besides case weight that I can find with this awesome full tower chassis. Yes it may be bulky but it is a full tower, it would be wrong for it not to be this big.
Overview
Packaging 10/10 frags: Thermaltake definitely didn’t disappoint with the packaging. The case came safe and that is all that mattered.
Price 8/10 frags: At $270 MRSP, this is definitely not a cheap case but for the amount of features, it is definitely worth the money. For that price it should be Aluminum as some nice Aluminum cases can be found for less than this but with also a lot less of the bells and whistles Thermaltake decided to treat its customers with.
Design 9/10 frags: Beautiful cause with very functional cooling vents but again loses a point because of build material. The whole case and not just the front door should be Aluminium.
Features 10/10 frags: So many beautiful and innovative features that it is hard to believe they all fit in once case. Good job Thermaltake on this!
Style 10/10 frags: Definitely a great looking case. I really like the front LED’s and I/O panel cover.
Wire management 9/10 frags: Definitely made it a whole lot easier but Thermaltake focused more on HDD cable management than whole system cable management. More holes in the motherboard tray to help hide cables behind it would have definitely been welcome.
Overall the Thermaltake Xaser VI scores a 9.33 out of 10 frags earning it Clan Team Xtreme Approval.
Damn 3x140mm fans included, that's nice. 
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