A Trio of Thermaltake Towers
by Joshua Buss on August 16, 2006 2:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Thermaltake Eclipse DV - Internal
Taking a peek inside the Eclipse DV we see a rather familiar layout.
For better or worse the standard Thermaltake green clips are used to hold expansion cards in place. In previous reviews we've noted how these work fairly well for a majority of cards, but on some - such as the Audigy 2 SoundBlaster - they get stuck once locked into place. There is still certainly some advantage to keeping a case as tool-less as possible, but when simple screws really hold cards in place better and are more universally compatible, it's almost a shame Thermaltake continues to use the green clips in the DV.
Like most tower cases, the new Eclipse is reinforced structurally with a crossbar, which gives rigidity and extra support for the power supply as well.
Here you can see the 5.25" drives are secured with rails (which screw onto each drive individually). The dual removable cage design hasn't changed much at all from the original. Once removed from the case it's easier to see they latch differently from each other, but the good news is they're both tool-less designs which have been executed well.
With such a small number of differences from the original Eclipse case we'll move right along to the installed test bed. Here one can see the lone ribbon cable leading from the slim drive. The cable isn't really any longer than it needs to be, and can be neatly tucked out of the way above the front fan, which is also removable. The bad news is that for people with only one IDE channel on their motherboard, only the single included drive can be used since there is no way to chain another drive on this cable. The accessory box that comes with the case and holds the extra parts (including the rails, keys, and a cleaning cloth for the window) can fit under the support for the hard drive cage.
Just like in the Eclipse, installing our testbed was problem free. The only caveat (other than the above-mentioned IDE port use) is that you really have to install the PSU before you can put the motherboard in, but this is true in many tower cases. The ample clearance between our hard drive and the front-facing IDE channel (a space often neglected) was appreciated.
Taking a peek inside the Eclipse DV we see a rather familiar layout.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
For better or worse the standard Thermaltake green clips are used to hold expansion cards in place. In previous reviews we've noted how these work fairly well for a majority of cards, but on some - such as the Audigy 2 SoundBlaster - they get stuck once locked into place. There is still certainly some advantage to keeping a case as tool-less as possible, but when simple screws really hold cards in place better and are more universally compatible, it's almost a shame Thermaltake continues to use the green clips in the DV.
Like most tower cases, the new Eclipse is reinforced structurally with a crossbar, which gives rigidity and extra support for the power supply as well.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Here you can see the 5.25" drives are secured with rails (which screw onto each drive individually). The dual removable cage design hasn't changed much at all from the original. Once removed from the case it's easier to see they latch differently from each other, but the good news is they're both tool-less designs which have been executed well.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
With such a small number of differences from the original Eclipse case we'll move right along to the installed test bed. Here one can see the lone ribbon cable leading from the slim drive. The cable isn't really any longer than it needs to be, and can be neatly tucked out of the way above the front fan, which is also removable. The bad news is that for people with only one IDE channel on their motherboard, only the single included drive can be used since there is no way to chain another drive on this cable. The accessory box that comes with the case and holds the extra parts (including the rails, keys, and a cleaning cloth for the window) can fit under the support for the hard drive cage.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Just like in the Eclipse, installing our testbed was problem free. The only caveat (other than the above-mentioned IDE port use) is that you really have to install the PSU before you can put the motherboard in, but this is true in many tower cases. The ample clearance between our hard drive and the front-facing IDE channel (a space often neglected) was appreciated.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
43 Comments
View All Comments
oopyseohs - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
I am curious as to what meter you used to measure sound below 40dB, or 30dB for that matter. I am looking for such a device myself.crydee - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
Any idea if when we can see some reviews for the huge Kandalf LCS and the one with the 24 cm fan on the side? That is what I'm looking forward to. The TT website is useless with dates or anything of the like though.akugami - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
I'm not a big fan of case doors and with the case door off the Aquila still looks good. However, no integrated optical drive bezels kills it for me. I like a clean uniform look and the aesthetics of a case is killed when you install a black/silver/beige optical drive in it that doesn't match the rest of the case.The other two cases are not my cup of tea.
JoshuaBuss - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
Just a suggestion.. have you thought about a black aguila with black optical drives? I think that would look really sharp.. door or notShapeGSX - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
I have a Thermaltake Tsunami, which is indentical inside to the Eclipse.http://www.turbocarz.com/shapegsx/tsunami/">Pictures here
I have been very impressed with the case. Since I was building a home theater PC with large hard drive space requirements, I wanted a case that would cool 5 drives adequately. Because of the large 120mm fan in front of the drives, this case has performed the task admirably.
http://www.turbocarz.com/shapegsx/tsunami/target6....">Here is a picture of 4 hard drives installed in the case. I now have 5 drives installed in the case (1.1TB) and the drives still never get hot.
I really wanted a case without a door on front, but it is really hard to find everything you want in a case. And for me, the hard drive cooling was paramount.
My next case will also be a Thermaltake.
Lonyo - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
I managed 5 hard drives in a Coolermaster Praetorian with 2x80mm front fans right in front of 4 of the HDD's, and no door.There are many things which do not really appeal, such as the lack of a sliding motherboard tray, the doors, the side/front ports etc.
Nothing which makes it have any appeal over other cases really, I think I would be more likely to get Coolermaster again.
araczynski - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
i like aquila, unfortunately i'm tired of the closing/swinging door designs (on the front), as well as buttons being on the front of the case, rather then on top.i'm getting a centurion 532, simple design, great price, build it and forget it. i want to stare at the screens (games) not the tower, how much enjoyment does one get from staring at spinning fans? and even after a while i would think that too much lighting in the peripheral vision would get annoying to what you're trying to focus at, perhaps even unhealthy for the eyes?
but to each their own.
Araemo - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
Just a question about the motherboard in use...Why does it have a PCI-express slot near the right edge? What model is that?
Murst - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
I never really got into the TT cases. They just seem too colorful for me. The last 2 cases I've had were a lian-li and the wavemaster, and they're both simple-enough looking while still remaining sharp.But I guess that's just personal preference.
Looks aside, the only things that really matter are noise level, how easy it is to install components, and the available space (like, some cases don't even have enough space for some heatsinks) - imo anyways. From what I've seen, TT cases never really met all of the above conditions in a single design, but maybe I've missed something.
JoshuaBuss - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - link
That's what I'm really try to emphasize here.. the Aguila is really startin to get everything right. The Armor definitely had some issues.. namely the green clips.. but the Aguila really doesn't have much wrong with it... (at all)