Introduction

Thermaltake is a company that always seems to be coming to with a new product, or constantly improving on their existing products. Today for review I have a new entry into the PC case/chassis category from Thermaltake, it is the Aguila. It has style and is packed full of features like tool less installation for drives and PCI cards, as well as a dual locking system. The Aguila also lets you move your power and reset around to your liking, it has great ventilation and even can be used with the BTX form factor. Did I mention it looks really cool as well?

Quick Specs

Here's some quick info from the Thermaltake site:

Features:
- Middle tower, full aluminum front panel
- ATX/BTX compatible (BTX upgrade kit is optional)
- Fits up to standard ATX & BTX motherboard
- Meshed front grill to maximize ventilation performance
- Dual 120mm silent front and rear fan
- Liquid cooling system upgradeable

Case Type: Middle Tower
Side Panel: Transparent Window
Net Weight: 10.98 kg
Dimension (H*W*D): 478.0 mm x 210.0 mm x 520.0 mm
Cooling System:
- Front (intake): 120x120x25mm, 1300rpm, 17dBA
- Rear (exhaust): 120x120x25mm, 1300rpm, 17dBA, blue LED fan
Drive Bays: 11
- Front accessible: 5 x 5.25", 2 x 3.5"
- Internal: 4 x 3.5"
Material Chassis: 0.8mm SECC
Front panel: Aluminum
Color: Black (or silver)
Expansion Slots: 7
Motherboards: 12" x 9.6" (ATX) & 9.6" x 9.6" (Micro ATX)
I/O Ports: USB 2.0 x 2, IEEE 1394 x 1, Audio & Speaker ports

First Looks

Well as is the norm with Thermaltake, their boxes provide lots of detailed information, pictures and specs of their products. Just by reading the box you can learn all the features and cool stuff about the product.

Of course the Aguila was packaged very well, there is a layer of foam around the entire case, along with plastic, and then it is packaged in some form fitting Styrofoam to further protect the case.

Something interesting that was included with the Aguila was little clear plastic pieces that are to be attached to the motherboard tray to prevent shorting out when not using the case for a BTX form factor case. Thermaltake also included a nice 'polishing' cloth to keep the window nice and clean, an I/O plate, and a support bar for the power supply that needs to be installed by the end user.

The Aguila itself is black with a window on the right side. The front of the case features a door that can be switched to either right of left side of the case depending on your preference. The feature of being able to move the door to either side is very nice, I for one hate having to reach around the door to insert CD"S or access the drives. Having the ability to switch sides is a nice plus, I wish more companies would follow suit, there are many cases out there that are very nice but they open only one way.

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