Thermaltake Armor+ Review - PAGE 5

The Armor+ is a decent full tower case that obviously has a ton of room to spare, making it pleasant to work with. Beside it's sheer size, the case's removable motherboard tray is a great asset. However, I would've like to see a hole behind the processor's socket to improve access to the heatsink's backplate.

The tool-free system also somewhat facilitates an easier installation. I say somewhat, because although it works well for 5.25" drives and fans, the same cannot be said for hard drives and expansion slots. Holes hardly lined up to the hard drives and the clips for expansion slots are flimsy at best.

Thermaltake has almost made it easy to move this full tower case, but it missed the mark. The top part of the enclosure is perfectly shaped to make it easy to carry, but they chose to make it out of plastic. So all we get, is a "NOT a handle" sticker instead of a firm handle. Discouraging.

Taking those flaws aside, build quality, overall, is very good thanks to the material used called SECC. For those not in the know, it stands for Steel, Electrogalvanized, Cold Rolled, Commercial Quality. The 1mm sheets not only look great, but also are sturdy. The only caveat of the mirror-like finish is that as soon as you lay your hand on it, it'll leave a mark, but you can't blame Thermaltake for that.

The Armor+ also performs very well, thanks to the huge side fan that provides a wealth of airflow to the whole system. It kept every component cooler than the competition while maintaining reasonable noise levels. The storage space on top is also pretty useful to toss screws and other random stuff. Thermaltake also bundles a neat drawer that fits in a 5.25" bay.

As far as looks goes, the Thermaltake Armor+ will definitely appeal to a certain crowd. The glossy plastic on top along with the glossy side panels gives it that flashy appearance many will fall for. Moreover, the large side window accompanied by a 140mm blue LED fan gives it the extra flash appearance ('bling'!)  you might be looking for.

Overall, Thermaltake's Armor+ is a great case, but suffers from some design flaws. Except for the top section, the enclosure feels solid. But many areas of the case seem to have been hit with an over-abundance of plastic, and the tool-free system could use some work improving. I find it hard to recommend the Armor+ at the regular price tag of $200 -- I think it's a bit costly for what you get. Competition from the likes of Coolermaster, Lian-Li, Silverstone  -- and even other products in Thermaltake's own line-up -- all make for some fierce at this price point.

I'd place the Armor+ among the good full towers, but certainly not in the 'awesome' category. Unless you really love the looks of the Armor+, I think there are better options out there.