Thermaltake Armor or Cooler Master Stacker 830

M

Mansize_tissue

2[H]4U
Joined
Jan 1, 2007
Messages
2,501
I'm going to be building a gaming rig pretty soon, but i can't decide which of the 2 cases to get: the Armor w/ 25cm side fan or the Stacker... :confused:

I can get the Armor for a fair bit cheaper, and i like the 25cm fan on the side plus it has the window. If the Stacker had a windows my decision would be made, but i don't like the idea of having to buy 4 fans for the side panel to get some descent motherboard cooling.

Is there anybody that has owned the 2 and can make a quick (or detailed) comparison. Do both cases suffer from not being able to have a fan on the top with large PSUs? Another thing, does the Armor case get dusty without having dust filters?

Thank you in advance.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
Is there anybody that has owned the 2 and can make a quick (or detailed) comparison.
Click to expand...


I havn't owned both of those particular cases, but in any case I would suggest you get the thermaltake because in my opinion when I met those cases face to face, the thermaltake felt very much heavier, and of greater quality. I have always loved thermaltake. They are both decent cases, but I think you'll get more bang for your buck as far build quality and the like.

Both of those cases are quite heavy, are they not? Don't throw your back out...I did when I 1st attempted to lift my Xaser III! :cool:
 
FIDDYOWNZ said:
I havn't owned both of those particular cases, but in any case I would suggest you get the thermaltake because in my opinion when I met those cases face to face, the thermaltake felt very much heavier, and of greater quality. I have always loved thermaltake. They are both decent cases, but I think you'll get more bang for your buck as far build quality and the like.

Both of those cases are quite heavy, are they not? Don't throw your back out...I did when I 1st attempted to lift my Xaser III! :cool:
Click to expand...

Thank you for the prompt reply! :)
Build quality was another criterion i forgot to mention before, i'm glad you reminded me. What are other peoples opinions of the build quality of the 2 cases. This is going to be one of the few parts that will be recycled through many computers, so it needs to be top quality. I am also concerned about dust, which is making me lean towards the Stacker, since it comes with dust filters (which is something i'd rather not have to worry about buying myself when buying a case) which is a real bonus. But the Armor does come with the window and side fan (something i'll have to buy seperately for the Stacker). I don't mind adding a few fans to cases, but i don't really want to have to add 4 fans on the side of the Stacker, for extra cooling, when the Armor already comes with a 25cm fan.
 
The thermaltake armors front are all perferated holes with dust foam guard stuff behind it, my armor picks up A TON of dust in the front and I have to vaccuum it off every week, it gets alot of it.
 
I am planning on getting the Stacker 830 myself for the removable mobo tray and it has plenty of room to expand especially since im getting an 640mb 8800 GTS ill need all the room i can get
 
EclipseMTL said:
The thermaltake armors front are all perferated holes with dust foam guard stuff behind it, my armor picks up A TON of dust in the front and I have to vaccuum it off every week, it gets alot of it.
Click to expand...

So the foam doesn't really do much, then? Hmm, i think i'll just go with the Stacker, it does have dust filters on all of the fan mounts, right? How's the build quality on the Stacker, for the people who have it?

Thanks again, everyone. :)
 
Build quality is pretty good, not perfect but since it's steel it is strong, I have the 810 though, better footprint IMO. although it does depend on what you are after.

If I showed you a pic of mine I think you would be wold.

I cut out the BS side grill and cut into it a replica window of the OEM one. Only with some suttle differences, mine hides the PSU and ALL drive bays + no lame rivots...

In fact I never finished writing my worklog a year and 1/2 ago...I guess I should show everyone how I finished it up, with the nice window and 2 RB LED Luxeons III's...

only complaint is the drive bay covers are a bit of a pain and I wish It was one Bay Taller.

I don't remember if mine has dust filters on the top or rear fan mounts (rear does not matter and neither does top)
 
Justintoxicated said:
Build quality is pretty good, not perfect but since it's steel it is strong, I have the 810 though, better footprint IMO. although it does depend on what you are after.

If I showed you a pic of mine I think you would be wold.

I cut out the BS side grill and cut into it a replica window of the OEM one. Only with some suttle differences, mine hides the PSU and ALL drive bays + no lame rivots...

In fact I never finished writing my worklog a year and 1/2 ago...I guess I should show everyone how I finished it up, with the nice window and 2 RB LED Luxeons III's...

only complaint is the drive bay covers are a bit of a pain and I wish It was one Bay Taller.

I don't remember if mine has dust filters on the top or rear fan mounts (rear does not matter and neither does top)
Click to expand...

Thank you for the input. Anybody else have any experience with either case?
 
The majority seams to support coolermaster but I still support thermaltake...they've always been good to me :D
 
Here is another Stacker supporter.

I didnt read everyones full posts, because I was comparing the Stacker STC to the Armor, and the Stacker previous to the 810 won my vote.

The 830 has a removable motherboard try as does the 810 and STC.
The 830 has a Steel chasis frame and nice sturgy aluminum side panels.
the 830 can hold 4 hd's out of the box via the 4in3 kit.
The armor can hold more (dont remember the number)

About the window.. Premodded windows.. Even my mother has a pc with a window.
You can take a dremel, or get something custom done by someone for a fee.

Stacker XXX > Armor
 
armor all the way. sooo much room for either dvd drives or hard drives. the front mess works wonders at collecting dust from entering your machine. the airflow is amazing. Only downside its very open in the middle, kind of hard to hide wires unless u plan to show some
 
DanSan said:
armor all the way. sooo much room for either dvd drives or hard drives. the front mess works wonders at collecting dust from entering your machine. the airflow is amazing. Only downside its very open in the middle, kind of hard to hide wires unless u plan to show some
Click to expand...

It's good to hear that the mesh on the front catches the dust, do you have the foam filters in the bays? However, if i get the armor i will get the one with the 25cm fan on the side, which has no filter, which is why i'm concerned about dust.

Another thing, the Stacker 832 and 830 Evo support ESP 230mm PSUs- does this mean large PSUs won't fit in the normal 830 model?
 
I'll put in my vote for the Stacker 830. Mainly because the stupid flaps on the front of the Armor cases are teh ghey.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
It's good to hear that the mesh on the front catches the dust, do you have the foam filters in the bays? However, if i get the armor i will get the one with the 25cm fan on the side, which has no filter, which is why i'm concerned about dust.

Another thing, the Stacker 832 and 830 Evo support ESP 230mm PSUs- does this mean large PSUs won't fit in the normal 830 model?
Click to expand...

Thats why you have an option to mount on the top, the bottom, or both

Also, the Stacker's from the STC to the 830 have mesh filters too.
They're really high grade.
I'm going to look for the link I wanted to post, and get back to you guys..

Armor has dust filters. So does the stacker.
The Armor holds 6 hdds out of the box while the Stacker 4 in the 4in3 holder.
The Armor doesnt have a removable motherboard tray. The stacker does.
Out of the box the Stacker can be switched to btx. The Armor must have an upgrade kit bought for it.
The Armor has those ugly, and worthless flaps that will wear out in no time of moving the case.
The Stacker comes with caster wheels that you can mount, for rolling your case.
 
I'm not too concerned about space for hard drives, since i'm only going to have 2 raptors. BTX is of no use to me, either; the same goes for wheels.

Let's say i go for the Stacker then and, at one point, i want to get a large one kilowatt PSU- Which model should i get. I prefer the door on the 830 over that on the 832. Will the 830 Evo be best for me? What exactly are the differences between 830 and 830 Evo? I've already had a look through the comparison tables and everything, but the only major difference seems to be the support for 230mm PSUs. Does this mean Cooler Master have moved the possition of the top fan further to the front of the case, to make room for larger PSUs?

Thank you for your input, everyone. I haven't ruled out the Armor yet, though.
 
I have an Armor but I regret not getting the Cooler Master instead when I had the chance. I though tht earmor was hard to work with
 
I love my armor, i dont mind cleaning it off every 2 weeks because that means the inside of my case is dust free.
 
Someone in the compusa section mentioned that coolermaster stuff is 50% off and the 830 case is around 130$. This may affect your decision. The post is on the last or second last page of the thread in the hot deals section.
 
I believe if I remember seeing right that the CM Stacker 830 is compatible with all but the top right fan of the fan side fans installed.
 
blendingnoise said:
Someone in the compusa section mentioned that coolermaster stuff is 50% off and the 830 case is around 130$. This may affect your decision. The post is on the last or second last page of the thread in the hot deals section.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the heads up; but i live in the UK, you see. :(

kmS said:
I believe if I remember seeing right that the CM Stacker 830 is compatible with all but the top right fan of the fan side fans installed.
Click to expand...

That's good to hear, cheers. What about a tuniq tower in an armor with the 25cm side fan, will it fit?
 
i read a review saying that it pushed against the fan frame, but everything could be stuffed in and it all worked. Go figure.

I'd go with the Armor just for the fan, TBH. I don't have either :D
 
Just picked up a CM Stacker 830. Absolutely love it... My first experience with a motherboard tray case and it's absolutely awesome. Tons of room in the case, air flow all over the case (top, bottom.... basically every side has openings.

That being said, the side panels are slightly annoying to take off and on. Might be just because it's new still. I picked up the black one.

Noise wise, can't say; still waiting for my Silverstone PSU to come in :(
 
m3th0dm4n said:
Just picked up a CM Stacker 830. Absolutely love it... My first experience with a motherboard tray case and it's absolutely awesome. Tons of room in the case, air flow all over the case (top, bottom.... basically every side has openings.

That being said, the side panels are slightly annoying to take off and on. Might be just because it's new still. I picked up the black one.

Noise wise, can't say; still waiting for my Silverstone PSU to come in :(
Click to expand...

Cheers, i think i will just go with the Stacker, then. What do you think of the build quality, nice and sturdy? I'm prone to kicking over cases, does it have feet? :rolleyes:
 
I own a armor and its nothing to special. The clip mounting system for the drive bays is complete crap and the drives rattle in the cage alot so if you want some quite you have to buy little rubber bushings for each screw. The cooling is not as good as you would think, i have a TT big typhoon 2 on my AM2 x2 4000+ at stock settings and it stil idles about 39 degrees with the fan on high. If i could go back and buy a new case, i would buy the stacker. If you want a window, they make an after market side panel with a window, And if you need a 25cm fan on the side, you can get those from performance-pcs. I would go with stacker.
 
ThatsAgood1jay said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119122

Particularly that version of the stacker would be an excellent choice.
Click to expand...

What's better about this version, it costs the equivilent of $100 more here in the UK.

Dan_D said:
This is the most important point. Those things are ugly, and worthless.
Click to expand...

I don't mind the looks of the Armor- that's what's keeping me attracted to at, as well as the 25cm fan and window, although those flats are pretty pointless.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top