Thermaltake Core V71 – Handful Of Flaws
There’s a lot to like in
Thermaltake’s latest, but a handful of glaring build flaws really lets the core
v71 down.
The Core V71 is one wide case. It’s 23cm
wide, in fact, making for a roomy interior and a rather majestic aesthetic.
With all that room, this case is in fact almost as perfect for liquid cooling -
of all stripes – as Thermaltake promises. However, even with all that size
there are some build options that are almost baffling in their implications.
The Core V71 full-tower E-ATX case gives
PC
enthusiasts flexible installation options and seamless operation.
So let’s knock off that downside first.
Both the front fascia and top panel snap off, giving you access to fan mounts
and dust filters. This is neat, and not too unusual, but because the entire
outer surface comes away, it reveals the circuitry for the power and reset
buttons, plus a few other electronics. Removing the top panel requires a little
force, and while it’s not something you’re going to be doing a lot, it only
took a couple of removals for us to nearly sheer off one coil of copper wiring.
This is less than ideal.
The exclusive back-tray design allows the
user to assemble and
expand easily and quickly when all the drive cages have been removed.
It’s a shame, because if you want great
airflow, or lots of room for radiators for a completely liquid- cooled PC, this
is a great case. It’s also highly modular - you can remove the entire HDD cage
assembly, or just a portion of it, to make room for large video cards or just
to increase airflow, and you can even remove it entirely and use the two drive
caddies that sit flat on the case’s right hand inner surface. There are rubber
grommets to keep drives and PSU quiet, and ample room for drive management.
Even if you don’t go liquid, three large 200mm fans (and one smaller 140mm
jobbie) will push a lot of air, and do it fairly quietly to boot.
Core V71 is built with a fundamental
airflow-optimized design
But it’s just hard to like a case where
damaging the internal electronics is this easy. And, for all of that, it is
rather expensive, though the cooling options do justify it. It’s a bold
statement from Thermaltake, but one we just can’t get behind.
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Specifications:
·
Dimension: 583 x 230 x 560 mm
·
Net Weight: 13.2 kg
·
Cooling System: Front (intake): 200 x 200 x 30
mm Blue LED fan
(600~800rpm,
13~15dBA) x 2; Rear (exhaust): 140 x 140 x 25 mm
Turbo fan
(1000rpm, 16dBA), Top (exhaust): 200 x 200 x 30 mm
Blue LED
fan (600~800rpm, 13~15dBA)
·
Drive Bays: Accessible 2 x 5.25’’, Hidden 8 x
3.5’’ or 8 x 2.5’’
·
Motherboards: 9.6” x 9.6” (Micro ATX), 12” x
9.6” (ATX), 12” x 13”
(Extend
ATX)
·
Expansion Slots: 8
·
Other” CPU cooler height limitation: 185mm,
VGA length limitation:
310mm(with
HDD rack), 400mm(without HDD rack)
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