Final Thoughts
Thermaltake’s brand new Core X Series is another step in the right direction for the company. One thing that Thermaltake has done lately has made what I call “builders cases”. These are cases that are designed for builders. What I mean by that is that they are easy to build in, have feature real builders want and give you the option to change the case around if you want. The Core X1 is no exception to this. The two side panels are interchangeable, the front control module can be moved to the opposite side and the bottom of the case is removable so you can stack this case with another X1.
Usually mini-ITX cases are pretty cramped, but the Core X1 is quite large. With the you can fit quite a lot of hardware inside. For storage you have room for 4 hard drives and 2 optical drives. On top of that you can install CPU coolers up to 200 mm in height, graphics cards up to 400 mm (when you remove the optical drive bays), and full-size ATX power supplies. DId I mention you can fit a 3-slot graphics card in this case?! That is pretty much unheard of for a mini-ITX case!
Thermaltake has also outfitted this case with a wide variety of cooling options. 120 mm intake and exhaust fans are included to get you started. On the front of the case you can fit three 120 mm fans, two 140 mm fans and a single 200 mm fan. Radiator support on the front of the case goes all the way up to a 280 mm radiator. Moving to the top of the case you can also install three 120 mm fans, two 140 mm fans and two 200 mm fans. Radiator support up top can go all the way up to a 360 mm radiator. I also want to point out that the top mounting system works extremely well. Finally on the rear of the case you can install either a 140 mm fan or the included 120 mm fan.
The only real issue I had with this case was that the optical drive did not line up correctly. I used two different ASUS drives with the same result. I really hope that this is an isolated case or possibly a mistake because we received the case before it was released. As reviews of the case come out we will see if it is an isolated issue.
The Core X1 is of course the mini-ITX version of the case, but if you want to do a Micro-ATX build there is the Core X2 and if you want to do a full-system build there is the Core X9. The Core X1 will retail for $99, the Core X2 for $129 and the Core X9 $169.99. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Thermaltake Core X1 Case a 9 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Lots of room inside
– Interchangeable parts
– Supports long graphics cards and tall CPU coolers
– Removable motherboard tray
– 3 expansion slots
– Tons of cooling options
Cons:
– Optical drive does not line up correctly
