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Page 1
Intro:
Thermaltake makes an entire range of PC supplies including cases, cooling, hardware and much more. The last Thermaltake product I reviewed was the excellent »Armor full tower case. Thermaltake is known for making great cases and the M9 looks like a mid tower case with ventilation as its prime agenda. Should the Antec Nine Hundred be worried? Perhaps...
Packaging:
As all my reviews have, this is the very important packaging section. The retail box for the case is black with blue accents and a nice view of the case on the front. It looks a bit like the »Nine Hundred from this picture.
The case was packaged nominally inside the box and survived the package manglers during shipment without damage.
Parts:
Thermaltake gives you some basic parts including a bunch of screws, a floppy face place, a real PCI blank, a bracket and a sticky pad, an extra fan shroud, the manual... and a speaker attachment! The last bit was the best part included. I said to myself how much I miss having a speaker in my cases and this little part makes up for the lack of a built in speaker.
Specs:
You only get a drive cage that supports three hard drives which is a bit strange considering that the case has a full nine bay compliment. I don't know anyone that has more than three optical drive (aside from a CD duplicating computer). You could add another cage for an additional price.
Exterior:
First looks are pretty important. The M9 reminds me of a mix between the SporanoRS 101 and the Antec Nine Hundred. The M9 combines a large windowed side with the venting power of a fully opened front. The entire case is bathed in black and the front trim is nice and glossy. The rest of the case has a more matte type finish as is the norm on these cases.
The windowed side is standard for Thermaltake. It is the exact same side panel found on the »SopranoRS 101 down to the raised etching of the logo (which I hate). The window side has more ventilation than other cases with windows which is good. You don't want to sacrifice function for form. This is a computer after all and it needs to be kept cool. A fan shroud is installed in the window, but you can install any size fans in the case. I recommend only installing 120mm fans as they are the quietest. There is room for a top and bottom fan.
Thermaltake is all about choice. Every fan location can be switched to any size fan. The case includes a 120mm fan in the back located and it is a LED type for some nice lights. The back of the case is fairly standard overall. You can already see the horrible metal inserts for the PCI blanks and I/O shield.
The far side of the case is also standard. It has a nice black finish that is sure to get all dusty in use. Such is life when working with computers, I guess. There are some vents on the lower part for extra cooling.
This is the crown jewel of the M9. The front is all grated just like the Antec Nine Hundred and allows full airflow to enter from the entire front of the case. The molded side pieces add a bit of length for some protection of the face plates and optical drives. Other than that, it is a nice showy feature. The power and inputs are located at the top of the case.
At the top of the case are the inputs and power switch. You get audio and USB hookups. There is no Firewire on this case. I haven't used Firewire on my computers, ever. The power and reset button are recessed so you don't accidentally push them. You can also see another Thermaltake logo on the top front.
Let's move on to the interior of the case.
Intro:
Thermaltake makes an entire range of PC supplies including cases, cooling, hardware and much more. The last Thermaltake product I reviewed was the excellent »Armor full tower case. Thermaltake is known for making great cases and the M9 looks like a mid tower case with ventilation as its prime agenda. Should the Antec Nine Hundred be worried? Perhaps...
Packaging:
As all my reviews have, this is the very important packaging section. The retail box for the case is black with blue accents and a nice view of the case on the front. It looks a bit like the »Nine Hundred from this picture.
The case was packaged nominally inside the box and survived the package manglers during shipment without damage.
Parts:
Thermaltake gives you some basic parts including a bunch of screws, a floppy face place, a real PCI blank, a bracket and a sticky pad, an extra fan shroud, the manual... and a speaker attachment! The last bit was the best part included. I said to myself how much I miss having a speaker in my cases and this little part makes up for the lack of a built in speaker.
Specs:
- Model - VI1000BWS
- Case Type - Mid Tower
- Side Panel - Transparent window
- Net Weight - 6.4 kg / 14.1 lb
- Dimension (H*W*D) - 440.0 x 200.0 x 495.0 mm (17.3 x 7.9 x 19.5 inch)
- Cooling System
- Front (intake): 120 x 120 x 25 mm blue LED fan, 1300rpm, 17dBA
- Rear (exhaust): 120 x 120 x 25 mm blue LED fan, 1300rpm, 17dBA
- Drive Bays
- 5.25" Drive Bay - 9 or 6
- 3.5 " internal Drive Bay - 3 (1 Floppy converted)
- Material - SECC
- Color - Black
- Expansion Slots - 7
- Motherboards - Micro ATX , Standard ATX
You only get a drive cage that supports three hard drives which is a bit strange considering that the case has a full nine bay compliment. I don't know anyone that has more than three optical drive (aside from a CD duplicating computer). You could add another cage for an additional price.
Exterior:
First looks are pretty important. The M9 reminds me of a mix between the SporanoRS 101 and the Antec Nine Hundred. The M9 combines a large windowed side with the venting power of a fully opened front. The entire case is bathed in black and the front trim is nice and glossy. The rest of the case has a more matte type finish as is the norm on these cases.
The windowed side is standard for Thermaltake. It is the exact same side panel found on the »SopranoRS 101 down to the raised etching of the logo (which I hate). The window side has more ventilation than other cases with windows which is good. You don't want to sacrifice function for form. This is a computer after all and it needs to be kept cool. A fan shroud is installed in the window, but you can install any size fans in the case. I recommend only installing 120mm fans as they are the quietest. There is room for a top and bottom fan.
Thermaltake is all about choice. Every fan location can be switched to any size fan. The case includes a 120mm fan in the back located and it is a LED type for some nice lights. The back of the case is fairly standard overall. You can already see the horrible metal inserts for the PCI blanks and I/O shield.
The far side of the case is also standard. It has a nice black finish that is sure to get all dusty in use. Such is life when working with computers, I guess. There are some vents on the lower part for extra cooling.
This is the crown jewel of the M9. The front is all grated just like the Antec Nine Hundred and allows full airflow to enter from the entire front of the case. The molded side pieces add a bit of length for some protection of the face plates and optical drives. Other than that, it is a nice showy feature. The power and inputs are located at the top of the case.
At the top of the case are the inputs and power switch. You get audio and USB hookups. There is no Firewire on this case. I haven't used Firewire on my computers, ever. The power and reset button are recessed so you don't accidentally push them. You can also see another Thermaltake logo on the top front.
Let's move on to the interior of the case.
Page 2
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.
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.