Page 2: Interior, Use, Conclusion
Interior:
The inside of the case is very sparse which is good for any build. The entire drive bay area is composed of full 5.25" size bays. Aside from that, the case is fairly standard. There are seven PCI slots and the case comes with built-in stand-offs for micro-ATX motherboards. I like when cases have the stand-offs built-in as opposed to those screw things. For a full size motherboard, you do need to use those screw type stands for the extra few mounts.
The power supply spot is fine and cleared of anything that would make it difficult to install (like a top fan). The back fan is standard and is a 120mm blue LED type. The I/O shield is the kind that you need to bend and break off which usually results in getting cut or bending the case. I hate these cheap types of blanks. Why bother putting one in anyway?
The bottom of the case features the screwless design that the SorpanoRS 101 had. It takes a bit of adjustment for the snugly fit while installing cards, but once you get it right, it is just as good as screws. There is a piece that sticks into the screw hole so when you do push the card holder in place, make sure it is lined up correctly. The PCI blanks are the ones that need to be broken off as well... I would like to see real blanks from all cases.
The hard drive area features a three drive cage that fits in three 5.25" bays. You only get a single cage which is strange considering that most people want more hard drives than optical drives. This cage is very reminiscent of the Nine Hundred and even features a fan for cooling.
Why change something that works well? This removable hard drive cage should be the new standard in all cases of this type. It makes so much sense to have these nice removable cages. You lose the screwless laziness and have to screw in your hard drives, but you should do that anyway. This fan is also a blue LED type.
The optical drive area features a full six bays for use. I'm sure most people will have a single optical drive so the rest of the space will go to ventilation which is a good thing.
The drive locks on the M9 are the same that are on the SopranoRS 101 and I love them. They are very easy to lock and unlock and provide a very sturdy lock when installing drives.
The front cover can be removed and the entire front is accessable to be cleaned. There are filters on each of the bay covers which is nice, but do be sure to clean them out or you will lose cooling power.
Use:
The M9 is a standard mid tower case so there is ample room for all your hardware. Unlike the Antec Hundred series, this case has the power supply where it is normal so there is no problem for cable reach. The included header cabling for the M9 is long enough to accommodate full size boards. Thankfully, other than the I/O blanks, there are no sharp edges to get cut on which is always a nice thing.
I'm certain that you won't be able to use the full range of bays with a large graphics card, but not to worry as most people don't have more than 2 hard drives and a single optical drive anyway.
The nice thing about Thermaltake cases is that they are made to not only function well, but look nice. The power button has a nice lighted blue ring and you can see the blue fans doing their job very nicely. It is nice when you don't have to spend money buying lights for a case with a window.
Thermaltake's fans are very quiet since they are 120mm. My CPU fan is louder than the two included 120mm fans, but they aren't completely silent. There is enough airflow in the case with just these two fans but you can add more if you desire. Like I said, Thermaltake values choice.
Conclusion:
The M9 is brings some nice competition to the Antec Nine Hundred and features a lower price point. The case retails for about $80 which is about $30-$40 cheaper than the competing Nine Hundred. While you lose a drive cage, you have the same general design and excellent airflow backed with the extra large window. The case comes good airflow with excellent value. If you don't have the Nine Hundred, look to purchase the M9 instead. I highly recommend it.
I'd like to thank Ramsom from Thermaltake for sending this case for review.
The inside of the case is very sparse which is good for any build. The entire drive bay area is composed of full 5.25" size bays. Aside from that, the case is fairly standard. There are seven PCI slots and the case comes with built-in stand-offs for micro-ATX motherboards. I like when cases have the stand-offs built-in as opposed to those screw things. For a full size motherboard, you do need to use those screw type stands for the extra few mounts.
The power supply spot is fine and cleared of anything that would make it difficult to install (like a top fan). The back fan is standard and is a 120mm blue LED type. The I/O shield is the kind that you need to bend and break off which usually results in getting cut or bending the case. I hate these cheap types of blanks. Why bother putting one in anyway?
The bottom of the case features the screwless design that the SorpanoRS 101 had. It takes a bit of adjustment for the snugly fit while installing cards, but once you get it right, it is just as good as screws. There is a piece that sticks into the screw hole so when you do push the card holder in place, make sure it is lined up correctly. The PCI blanks are the ones that need to be broken off as well... I would like to see real blanks from all cases.
The hard drive area features a three drive cage that fits in three 5.25" bays. You only get a single cage which is strange considering that most people want more hard drives than optical drives. This cage is very reminiscent of the Nine Hundred and even features a fan for cooling.
Why change something that works well? This removable hard drive cage should be the new standard in all cases of this type. It makes so much sense to have these nice removable cages. You lose the screwless laziness and have to screw in your hard drives, but you should do that anyway. This fan is also a blue LED type.
The optical drive area features a full six bays for use. I'm sure most people will have a single optical drive so the rest of the space will go to ventilation which is a good thing.
The drive locks on the M9 are the same that are on the SopranoRS 101 and I love them. They are very easy to lock and unlock and provide a very sturdy lock when installing drives.
The front cover can be removed and the entire front is accessable to be cleaned. There are filters on each of the bay covers which is nice, but do be sure to clean them out or you will lose cooling power.
Use:
The M9 is a standard mid tower case so there is ample room for all your hardware. Unlike the Antec Hundred series, this case has the power supply where it is normal so there is no problem for cable reach. The included header cabling for the M9 is long enough to accommodate full size boards. Thankfully, other than the I/O blanks, there are no sharp edges to get cut on which is always a nice thing.
I'm certain that you won't be able to use the full range of bays with a large graphics card, but not to worry as most people don't have more than 2 hard drives and a single optical drive anyway.
The nice thing about Thermaltake cases is that they are made to not only function well, but look nice. The power button has a nice lighted blue ring and you can see the blue fans doing their job very nicely. It is nice when you don't have to spend money buying lights for a case with a window.
Thermaltake's fans are very quiet since they are 120mm. My CPU fan is louder than the two included 120mm fans, but they aren't completely silent. There is enough airflow in the case with just these two fans but you can add more if you desire. Like I said, Thermaltake values choice.
Conclusion:
The M9 is brings some nice competition to the Antec Nine Hundred and features a lower price point. The case retails for about $80 which is about $30-$40 cheaper than the competing Nine Hundred. While you lose a drive cage, you have the same general design and excellent airflow backed with the extra large window. The case comes good airflow with excellent value. If you don't have the Nine Hundred, look to purchase the M9 instead. I highly recommend it.
I'd like to thank Ramsom from Thermaltake for sending this case for review.