Product: Thermaltake Armor+ (WH6000BWS)
Supplier: Thermaltake
MSRP: $229.99     Find Lowest Price @ PriceGrabber
Author: Nick
Date: October 6, 2010

While some are saying the desktop computer is dead, not all believe this is the case.  Thermaltake is one such company who is still coming out with new desktop cases on a somewhat regular basis.  Today we will be looking at the Thermaltake Armor+.  This case promises to be everything enthusiasts want, with a price tag to match.  Is this case worth its weight in gold as the MSRP would suggest?

Features & Specifications (As Provided By Thermaltake)

• Optimized design for both liquid cooling and air cooling systems.
• Sliding hood with toolbox on top. (Upgradable to liquid cooling).
• 10 PCI slots, designed for quad-graphics card configurations.
• Tool free design for 5.25” device and PCI slot.
• Sliding motherboard tray.
• Independent thermal management for CPU, VGA & HDD.
• Cable management system for better cable routing and internal air flow.
• Evolutionary adjustable PSU supporting bridge.
• MicroATX, ATX, Extend-ATX supported.

A full list of specifications can be found on Thermaltake’s website

First Impressions

For those looking for a small light case, this is not what you are looking for.  The Thermaltake Armor+ is a full tower case and weighs in at just under 40 lbs.  That being said, all that weight is not necessarily bad.  The Armor+ is extremely sturdy and I was able to put a considerable amount of stress on the case without any issue.

The Armor+ is constructed out of a combination of plastic and SECC steel and sports a sleek gloss black finish.  Usually I don’t care much for a gloss black finish as it tends to be a fingerprint magnet but this case is definitely an exception.  After all, a case of this size and weight isn’t necessarily designed to be moved on a regular basis.  The Armor+ also sports a clear side window, which takes up almost all of the left side panel.  If you are going to spend a lot of money on components, it is nice to be able to see what all your hard earned money was spent on, right?

A wide variety of external ports can be found on the top front of the case, including 4 USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, audio out and mic in jacks, as well as an eSATA port.   The power switch, reset switch, hard drive LED and power LED are all found to the left of the external ports.  Also located on the top of the Armor+ is a sliding hatch that conceals a storage area which is slightly smaller than a CD case.  Figuring that this area alone might not be enough storage space, Thermaltake also included a slide out drawer that can be inserted into one of the 5.25” bays and provide even more storage space.   I found these areas to be an excellent place to store spare batteries and data cables for my various gadgets.

Thermaltake definitely put some effort into making installation of all the components as easy as possible.  Since the Armor+ features a removable motherboard tray, it is not necessary to clear off a work area big enough to fit the entire case on.  With the exception of the motherboard and power supply, installation does not require any tools or screws.  The only problem I had (as is typical with tool less cases) is securing video and expansion cards. If not done properly, the cards may not be completely secure and the fasteners might pop lose while the case is being moved.  For the most part, these features are fairly common for cases in this price range.  However, the one feature that surprised me was the ease at which the 5.25” bay filler slots could be removed.  Typically these have to be removed by reaching inside the case and squeezing a couple clips.  However, with the Armor+, these lots can be removed from the outside by reaching in a space on the right side and pulling outward.  The slot will then unlatch and slide right out.  While not the most important feature in the world, small details such as this go to show how much thought Thermaltake put into this case.

Why is this case as large as it is?  One look inside easily answers this question.  Up front there is a total of 7 – 5.25” bays and 3 – 3.5” bays for all your various optical drives, fan controllers, etc.  However, equally impressive is the inclusion of 7 internal 3.5” bays setup specifically for easy tool-free installation of hard drives.

The Armor+ definitely offers plenty of options in terms of cooling.  Perhaps the most noticeable fan on the whole case is the huge 230mm fan located on the left side panel.  This fan is in the perfect position to help blow cooler outside air onto the video card and various other components on the motherboard.  Also included with the Armor+ is 140mm fan up front and a 120mm fan at the rear of the case.  I was a little disappointed that these were the only fans that Thermaltake decided to include.  There is room for additional 4 – 120mm or 140mm fans.  Thermaltake includes a fan adapter that fills 3 of the 7 – 5.25” bays up front and there is spot for another fan at the very top of the case.  Also the 2 hard drive bays located at the very bottom of the case are removable and make way for an additional 2 fans if necessary.

Conclusion

Overall the Thermaltake Armor+ is a top notch case with a MSRP to match.  I definitely like how Thermaltake paid attention to the finer details by adding things such as hidden storage compartments and including plenty of external ports.  While the case does have plenty of spots for fans, I was slightly disappointed that all these fans were not included with the case.  At the very least, I would have thought Thermaltake would have included an exhaust fan for the top of the case.  For those looking for an excellent case to house their high end desktop system, the Thermaltake Armor+ is definitely worth a look.

Pros

+ Sturdy
+ Large window on left side panel
+ Plenty of extra ports located on top
+ Removable motherboard tray
+ Tool-free install of hard drives, optical drives, and expansion cards
+ Concealed storage area on top of case
+ Plenty of drive bays

Cons

- Heavy
- Too many “optional” fans that should have been included

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Tags: Armor, case, chassis, Thermaltake