Can Thermaltake's new ATX chassis
chase away the competition?
The ATX case market is always rather
crowded, but especially so at around $80, so Thermaltake's new chassis, the
Chaser A31, has picked a difficult battle. Although it doesn't come under the
Tt eSports brand, Thermaltake's website still emphasizes the case as being
gamer-oriented with an eSports appearance.
Thermaltake seems keen to target gamers who
frequent LAN parties. The design itself is rather eye-catching, with the blue
trim on the front stack of drive bay covers complemented by the rear blue LED
fan, and the case's internals open for all to envy thanks to a large side
window.
Thermaltake
Chaser A31
At 6.5kg, the case is noticeably lighter
than other similar sized cases, but oddly there's no carry handle, so lugging
it around could still prove laborious. Finally, a lock on the rear will help
prevent would-be thieves from nabbing your precious peripherals while you're
AFK.
Though the case is light, it's also sturdy.
The thin steel proves to be resistant if you apply pressure to the chassis, and
the side panels barely wobble at all. This robust build quality is let down
somewhat by the plastic feet, which don't grip well compared to rubber
varieties.
A front 120mm fan joins the rear one to
form the case's cooling setup, but there's also room for four more, with the
pair of roof mounts also supporting 140mm fans. External water-cooling is also
supported, and you'll find that the roof, front and bottom of the case are all
protected by dust filtering material, although only the lower filter is
removable.
There's a plastic platform on the roof for
resting phones and the like, and in front of this is the fairly lack luster
front panel, which only consists of two USB 3.0 ports and a pair of audio
jacks. The lack of a fan controller is a bit of a sting, as many cheaper cases
include at least a basic form of this useful feature.
There's
a plastic platform on the roof for resting phones and the like, and in front of
this is the fairly lack luster front panel, which only consists of two USB 3.0
ports and a pair of audio jacks.
The side, roof and front panels are all
simple to get off, giving you quick access to any part of the case's internals.
The design is fairly standard, and the preinstalled motherboard mounts and
large CPU cutout are both handy. However, the lack of anti-vibration materials
of any sort in the PSU area seems like a bit of an oversight.
Three optical drives can be installed, one
of which can be converted to a 3.5" drive. These rely on a flimsy plastic
clip to install, however, so you'll be better off just using screws for a
secure fit. Six internal drive bays are divided into cages of three each, the
top one of which can be removed. Each bay uses a plastic tray that supports
3.5" and 2.5" drives. Larger drives clip into place with impressive
rigidity, while the smaller variety rely on traditional screws and, all in all,
they provide an excellent internal drive solution.
Those into water-cooling will be pleased to
hear that the Chaser A31 supports full height 240mm radiators with fans on
either side. The top set of fans can be fitted between the roof panel and top
of the chassis, with the radiator and lower fans inside the chassis itself.
Support for so tall a setup is achieved thanks to offset and indented radiator
mounting holes, which ensure that the radiator and fans won't be blocked by
motherboard heat sinks or low-profile RAM. It would, however, partially block
the rear fan and prevent you from using a tower CPU cooler.
The side panels are extruded, so there's a
nice amount of space behind the motherboard tray to tidy away cables. Only two
reusable cable ties are provided, sadly, and the cable routing holes are a
little on the small side, so things can become a little cramped. Unused drive
bays can easily be used for cable storage, thankfully, but the HD audio cable
from the front panel is shorter than it should be.
Additions
like a fan controller, a carrying handle and higher airflow fans could make the
Chaser A31 the chassis of choice for LAN gamers, but as it stands it's a case
that is best described as competent rather than excellent
The noise from the case's two fans is low,
even with them on full speed, but temperatures suffer slightly as a result. The
CM Storm Scout 2, which also targets LAN gamers, does do worse, but then it
only has a single fan. Other similarly priced cases, even those geared towards
low noise like Fractal's R4, can produce similar CPU and GPU temperatures.
Higher airflow fans and a fan controller would have been healthy additions to
the case.
Thermaltake's case is by no means bad; it
just struggles to stand out in a crowded market. USB 3.0, dust filters and a
removable drive cage are handy features, but they're found in plenty of other
$124 cases with better cooling and other extras. Additions like a fan
controller, a carrying handle and higher airflow fans could make the Chaser A31
the chassis of choice for LAN gamers, but as it stands it's a case that is best
described as competent rather than excellent.
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Details
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Price: $12
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Manufacturer: Thermaltake
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Website: uk.thermaltake.com
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Required spec: ATX, micro-ATX or mini-ITX
motherboard
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