Thermaltake Armour

[brownkk]

I am currently debating if i should purchase a Termaltake armour but on thier website they are like 3 different models.
1. Thermaltake Armour extreme, has 2, 12cm fans on the window
2. Thermaltake Armour (this one has a 25cm fan on the window)
3. Thermaltake Armour (this one has no fan on the window

Which one would be the best buy and is the fan on the side worth it? im planning to go watercooling down the road....VERY VERY VERY VERY far down the road at least a couple of years...

 

[amoeba1126]

Armor w/ 2 Side Vents -> This model is the Extreme Edition built for AMD's Quad FX platform. It does not have 2 120mm fans on the side but rather 2 80mm vents. It needs the vents due to the fact that it has uses 2 AMD FX cpus. You do not want this case because the Quad FX uses twice as much power as Kentsfield for worse performance.

Armor w/ Side Window -> This is the original Armor. It is a very good case and very very big. Comparable with the CM Stacker series.

Armor w/ 250mm Fan -> This is just the original Armor with an upgraded side panel, or rather the same side panel with a 250mm fan slapped on it. If you plan to go water cooling, this is the most ideal case out of all the different variations of the Armor due to the 250mm fan. When you water cool, components on your motherboard actually get very hot due to the lack of airflow that it use to get from the HSF blowing down and across on it. With the huge side fan, you will keep the mobo nice and cool, allowing you to water cool without worrying about mosfets heating up.

PS:
The 250mm fan is more than worth however much it costs because it will significantly lower temperatures inside the case while being weak enough not to disrupt airflow. Also the silver version of the Armor is made of aluminum and thus much lighter, where as the black version is built like a tank but weighs like one too.

 

[brownkk]

the site im buying from has black with no side fan, is it possible to buy that and upgrade the side panel?

Thanx

 

[tims880]

Sure is
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811999812

 

[brownkk]

Think i might do that since im buying from ncix and a-power.com only have the thermaltake armor with the normal window

Thank youu!!!

 

[FelchBeast]

I'll warn you, the Armor looks really cool in pictures but once I owned one I could see how flimsy the thing feels. The little wings on the front are sort of squeaky and flap around freely. I had the aluminum one, perhaps the steel isn't so bad. Just something to consider.

Oh yeah, and the thing is HUGE, good luck with LAN parties. Once you lug the thing in and set it up, you can't see the person next to you.

 

[DanSan]

the only thing i see wrong with it is the front flaps but if your not thick headed enough u can easily figure out a way to fix that. Some drill holes into the front to allow the magnets to reach through, some put shrink wrap around the hinges so it is more snug. things of that nature, just be creative. But yes, it is heavy. personally i dont see where it hides it but its a big boy in excess of 40 pounds. It has an insane amount of room for anything u want to put inside. Another thing i dislike is in order to have more front fans you almost have to buy that stupid 3 drive slot thing that thermaltake sells or get creative and mount ur own. I also like the window without the fan mostly for cosmetic purposes but i bet the fan helps a great deal. If u dont plan on moving the case often i say go for it

 

[kuyaglen]

The doors and the location of the top usb/mic/headphone inputs are the only knocks for this case. The doors need stronger magnets so as to not flap around when I'm carrying it up/down the stairs to go the the many lanparties I take it to (as my 2nd gaming rig/file server). I opted for the version without any bling and with my 12 hdds it about 70lbs.

 

[Disharmony]

I bought an Armor just around Christmas and I'm very happy with it. Very roomy and cool eventhough I'm at a sweaty hot room with no AC or even any third-party cooling solutions. If you plan on taking it to LAN parties however, I suggest you buy the aluminum silver which is like 10 pounds lighter than the black steel. And the flaps on the front can be easily removed so I have no problem with it.

I guess the biggest pet peeves with this case depending on how you use it are first: the sideway-mounted PSU which blows the hot air directly to the HD rail on the back. It's no biggie at least for me since there's plenty of HD bays up front already and there are higher capacity drives on the market. The other being the huge blowhole on top. There's no filter too so watch out for the dust fallout!

I'll take pictures once I get my AC Freezer 7 and cold cathodes next week.

 

[tims880]

For the price I think its a badass case!

 

[Arklight]

I'll warn you, the Armor looks really cool in pictures but once I owned one I could see how flimsy the thing feels. The little wings on the front are sort of squeaky and flap around freely. I had the aluminum one, perhaps the steel isn't so bad. Just something to consider.

Oh yeah, and the thing is HUGE, good luck with LAN parties. Once you lug the thing in and set it up, you can't see the person next to you.

I have the steel version, and "flimsy" isn't even in the things vocabulary. It's like a freekin' rock. lol

The dorrs do open/close freely since there is no locking mechanism, but that is a simple fix.

 

[gobygoby]

I have the steel version, and "flimsy" isn't even in the things vocabulary. It's like a freekin' rock. lol

The doors do open/close freely since there is no locking mechanism, but that is a simple fix.

There is absolutely nothing flimsy, weak or weeney about the armor. Its a tank. To make the doors tighter, all you need is a small rubber grommet....problem solved.