lol, yes, a whirlpool aesthetic, however, I still think it looks more like a GE convection oven. It's a pity they ignored all the suggestions to turn the curved metal corners into intake screens for the front fans, apparently, the 'Thermals' that 'Take' cares about are more in line with reflow ovens rather than electronic coolers, lol. Back in 1999, Intel came out with an "ATX Thermal Design Suggestions, Version 1.0" spec for ATX cases, I am dumbfounded that case makers still can't meet the minimum spec of that archaic low watt computer spec, Especially today when individual components burn more power than the entire 1999 spec reference design (60watt CPU, 12watt GPU, etc). Great vid Steve and crew (love the plushies). B)
Just for kicks, could you make a charts with valid and compareble results of all cases? Some of us do know where some cases might slot in if they were omited in some newer case review, but some don't. As 2018 is getting its end, I do think it would be somewhat awesome to loose myself in your info charts. Also, I do wanna see how well my choice (or does it at all) stacks up agains all the rest of them. Also, Im getting that "no fun" vibe where I have to paint to ppl the point of paying bit more, usualy $20-30, to get a lot more for their money. This way, with two or tree unified charts I colud just point on 3 or 4 options under $70 and $80 with amaising values. And be done.
yep. got into PC's back in 2013-2014, you know, the glory days when you'd be lucky to get included fans that were the actual color of the case itself instead of the generic terrible quality standard black frame, white blade fans every single case manufacturer was throwing at us.
Bottom power supply choking the GPU and multiple 5.25" bays in 2019. It seems as if case manufacturers are robots doing the same thing over and over again without much thought.
If it doesnt have dust filters allover i dont even consider the case, no matter the price point this is unacceptable for me. Who wants his computer blinking through a glass in the night next to you? I dont get it.
My RGB front fans under glass is good for knowing when it needs a clean. Since I have my AIO mounted there the reduced gap isn't a issue I have tested it and temps are the same with or without the glass since there is enough top and bottom vent LD01 CASE
@@liiich6175 If done properly you could actually make that in to a signal lamp for when the case needs a good cleaning. With the proper software RGB fans can be set to off for when the CPU or GPU is at a certain temperature (lets say max load in prime95/furmark in a temperature controlled room) and then set to turn on as red or any other signal colour for when the components exceed that temperature. they don't have to be RGB for that to function though strictly speaking, but most software controlled lights are RGB so that is the easier solution.
I'm building in the RL06 now. I got the motherboard installed, but I think I stripped a few of the motherboard screws and 1 standoff is stuck to a screw in the process. It seemed like the included screws were too tight for the standoffs. Other than that, the case is great. I just wish these old cases could be updated to include a front panel USB 3.1 C port.
I’ve had this case for 2 years and it’s actually really awesome. It doesn’t push as much air through the front as mesh, but it has space for 2 more intake fans on the size. So, the 5 total front intake does the job exceptionally well. I’ve never had any issues with overheating.
@@mitchell3876 That's the exact one I currently have in my old rig which has died on me (gfx card anyway, awaiting replacement). It's not exactly pretty but very meshed, and the side mesh is great for airflow directly onto the gfx card like you said. But, the top mesh is atrocious! The holes in the filter are far too tiny and impede my top exhausts, you can hear the sound of the air hitting it with only a small percentage getting out through the top. The top dust filter can not be removed unless you cut it out. That's my only gripe with it, it has served me decently and I'm on the look for a new case for my new build. I typically remove the top panel when the fans up top spin up loudly, to give it direct unimpeded release.
I prefer function. I'll keep my full mesh front, with all of the RGB off. It's almost silent, and powerful. The focus is on the audio and the video. Exactly where it should be on a gaming daily driver. Blocking fans with glass, to make it easier to see the RGB is absolute insanity.
I would agree, but you can certainly get both sometimes. My Corsair Crystal 570X in my opinion is a very nice looking case and thermals are actually pretty good. Not as good as some of the better full mesh front cases, but not too far off. Although I tend to keep case fans at full speed and noise is around 40dBa, but it's never really bothered me. Also the Thermaltake View 71 is very similar.
@@ItsMe-fv3ie Silverstone Redline RL06 Pro. I purposely got one without the LED's, and I replaced the case fans with Be quiet Silent Wings 3. I did the same to the water cooler. It's the black with the red accent. I actually painted the red accents to match the black, because I have it in a theater, and I wanted it to blend in with the rest of the components. A little nit picky I know.
Thermaltake are still doing the same thing that other case manufacturers were doing in 2017. Closing off the front panel for that "sleek" look, and prioritizing RGB. This is why I like Fractal Design, there is no bullshit.
Got my first Fractal case a couple months ago, went for the Define R6 Blackout. Loving it so far, only thing i wouldn't mind getting an improvement, is the top panel. It's awesome if you don't have top mounted fans, but if you take it apart to get airflow in the top, it has a gap all around the panel. The sideventilation in the front panel is pretty nice too, but if you're not using an optical drive, there's an unfiltered hole in the top. Besides that, it's awesome
I would think that making a case with good airflow would be pretty simple to achieve. I don't get what the problem is? A layperson can figure it out. Why can't a company filled with mechanical engineers?
Finally someone who agrees with me. A clean look is appreciated. Example: the Power Mac G5 by Apple, elegant in its simplicity: a giant metal box with handles and cheese grater looking ventilation.
I enjoy RGB, and, well, so do the majority of people it. That's not going anywhere, it looks nice and its a grand total of about $5 more for the user when the manufacturer realistically only spends about .50 Cents on making it.
Sev'er Dislike I don’t like the pulsing rainbow stuff that I usually see, but I feel like having the RGB set to a single color could be good for versatility (albeit not much)
Aarrgh! I didn't see this review until yesterday! My son and I built a budget system for me using the TT Level 20 MT case. My fault - I saw the three RGB fans behind the glass and was immediately taken by the pretty lights. After watching your review, I removed the front glass cover, that covers the three RGB fans. I will look for a mesh cover for the fans; but, in the year and a half I've been using the computer, I haven't taxed it into an inferno state that caused any shutdown. Nevertheless, the removal of the front cover actually led to airflow exhausting out of the back of the case that I could feel with my hand. Great review!
You really gotta love Influencers or review artists like yourself. Mate......Honestly you are helping out Sooooooo many people out there with what to choose....So Thank You :D
Hey guys, asking this again since the other comment probably went unnoticed, but do you guys have any plans of revisiting the BitFenix Enso? Specifically the newer mesh version that was finally released last month. Would prefer to see a review from you guys over other channels. Thanks for the cool content!
@@GamersNexus Honestly, I don't even mind waiting two or more months for you guys to, hopefully, get to it. The reviews you guys do are definitely worth waiting for. Thanks guys!
Canijo yea, I can’t think of any other reviewers that actually check temps for airflow and the affect the front panel has on airflow, most reviewers just talk about how it was to build in, the looks, and run one or two benchmarks and call it good
I honestly really hate how every case these days is overly preppy and really only cares about being able to display RGB and component branding. I personally want something DURABLE and EFFICIENT and PRACTICAL. All these flimsy little art projects are what's keeping me to stick with trusty old c70.
If that's the case, pun not intended, do you really need a new case? Or perhaps, maybe you're not looking hard enough for some extremely good airflow cases? I mean they do exist. Some might still even have TG. Mine does and its airflow is A1.
You guys should get one of those Bee Keeper smoke devices and use it to show actual airflow through a case during operation. Like how they do with cars to show aerodynamics.
Should've watched this before picking up the case for my first build 😱 I was thinking about getting a dust filter online to make up for the missing dust filter in front
I have the same case and honestly have noo issues with temps rising high or anything , cpu sits at 23c idle when doing a cinebench 20 test it rises to 45c. Ryzen 7 2700x 4.2ghz.
If this had a mesh front option it would be a pretty strong contender for people after thermal performance over all else. Yet another case ruined by the tempered glass menace. It's totally fine for a side window, but it doesn't belong in front of intake fans. I was about to blame this on 'the suits' but I guess the reality is there's a lot of people who don't know or car about thermals, and just want to see their R.ainbow G.ay B.oy fans spinning uselessly.
Nice review. I have the Level 20 GT, and I would say it does share some quirks with the MT. For the front intake, there is a pretty decent gap l between the edges of the case and the tempered glass to allow airflow; there is also a dust filter behind that with enough space for even AF designed fans have adequate room to pull air. With that being said, there is also a hole in the bottom of the front panel to make it easier to pull off, but most of the air (at least that I have observed) gets pulled in through that cutout and bypasses the dust filter somewhat. Also, cable management is somewhat of a pain, but manageable. The major design quirk I saw with the Level 20 GT was that one of the bottom intake fans (optional) is completely covered by the PSU shroud, rendering it almost ineffective; but with all that said I haven't noticed any problems with thermal performance.
This is why I started just building my own cases. It's not that hard. I started with old cases that I cut apart and screwed together in new configurations, re-using the old motherboard back plates and rear panel. Admittedly, they were pretty rough Frankenstein looking things at first, but after a couple of iterations they got better. Finally, I just built my own breaks using lumber and hinges and built one from scratch from sheet metal. I don't know if I'll ever buy another case.
After your review of the Coolermaster SL600M case, I went ahead and for my latest build bought one. Best decision I have made for a higher end case. HOWEVER, I am using a AIO in Push/Pull config on the top of the case, 360 rad none the less too. GPU temps however with the vert position, just stunning, never had a card stay so cool. Thank you again GN for your work :D
CM makes some very nice gear. My case has a full mesh front and everything keeps cool with the fans drawing air cleanly from front to back. I put the largest CM fan cooler on the CPU that would fit in the case, and the CPU has never gone over 79 degrees C and is always really quiet.
And here we see the inspiration for the Wallmart OP cases. I can almost imagine them looking at these at Computex and saying "that's the look we want, go find something just like it but cheaper."
Would placing the front fans on the inside of the frame, where you would usually mount your radiator, improve performance in a meaningful way? I'd be interested to see that tested.
Steve you are already making modmats, can you just co design an ATX mid tower with one of these major case makers already? Not only would it give you an INSANE amount of knowledge for reviewing cases, but would also put one hell of a performance case on the market. And I would pay big monies to get a black and blue GN edition of the case with a GN logo on it.
I started with the tt 72, found it less impressive in person, but lots of space. Then I watched you gently rake the CM C700M over the coals and thought THAT looks nice. Lots of space. (Lots of screws 🤪. Lots.) But I followed your suggestions about the two front filters in series and removed one. Everything fit perfectly, cable dressing was easy, I used the provided ‘remote’ vid card mount with a 40-ish degree tilt back, so no vid card ‘airflow choking’ and it runs cool, using an Aorus 2080 Xtreme , MB says it’s cool, cpu (2700 OC’ed) is cool, and it is the proverbial brick shithouse solid mechanical-wise. TY. Very happy. Poorer, but happy.
so it is time to pop the front panel off and put in some spacers, perhaps some sort of black tube with screws and inch longer to give some air plenum in there?
We have build two systems with this case, and placed the Corsair 240 AIO cooler at the side (with it's own supplied fans). I do think it is cool that the Thermaltake fans work with a lot of the motherboard systems. The fans are spinning, but we did set the rpm very low.. These cases are used in the office and especially during these cold and short days these RGB cases do give the office more of a Christmas look. But these systems run i5-8400 with motherboard GPU. They are not used for gaming, so cooling is certainly not an issue. The Thermaltake view cases are very good design that especially a lot of the woman in our office very much like..
Ever considered using a smoke gun to show air flow/path? Could be interesting to see in a fully built system where you could actually see it thanks to glass panels that most cases seem to have these days.
Got reminded of those mars fans recently wonder if those would do well since you can move them back from the front panel but the point does stand that a major selling point is the point of failure.
I really enjoy these case reviews on your (and other) channel(s), but there is one thing I have never seen. Is it possible to create a enclosure to use smoke to actually SEE the differences in airflow? I know they do something similar to show aerodynamics on vehicle designs, and it seems to me that it would be a awesome visual aid for talking about case air flows.
They addressed this already in one of the previous Q&A videos. I don't remember the exact wording, but smoke testing is problematic in several ways. Chief among them is due to the relatively low flow volume and velocities, smoke test is not actually very helpful (you case will just fill up with smoke relatively quickly and you end up not being able to see anything) and also smoke generators leave nasty residue on the components in the PC
just bought this case, cant figure out how to get those fans working, is there something I am missing for those to work? everything looks plugged in, not sure about any of the plug ins for them or where they are, any help would be appreciated
Seems like the bottom fans would only work if placing the PSU with the fan on top to help with exhaust, and it's probably something a lot of people wouldn't agree on doing.
If the idea in the design is to be able to see the fan blades from the front of the case then a dust filter could be placed behind the fans which would not keep dust off the fan blades but would keep less dust from getting inside the case. The other idea would be to put round filters over each fan using a more open mesh or something that the fan blades would be visible through when the led lights are on. Personally I don't care to look at the fans and don't care for glass front panels but I don't care for any case lighting rgb or not either though everyone has a different perspective on what looks good or not and I am not someone who would judge anyone if they like to look at finger prints or dust that will collect behind the glass of the front panel.
Someone will eventually drill holes into the glass panels or putting ventilation of some sort into them. Its a reason to add price, case makers should love that.
Would the performance be improved if the front fans were set to push air out the front, rather than pull, and set the others to pull? Would be better from a filtration pov too.
So at $90 with high end CPU/GPU it's a terrible choice. Understandable, so I picked the thing up on Amazon for $55 and grabbed a 4-pack of cheap 120mm fans for $15. I'll leave the pretty lights and glass up front and do two intake from the side and two exhaust out the top. CX750M can cool itself down in the shroud. I'm using a whole 30 watt low profile GT 1030 for this build, so GPU temps should not be a concern. Arctic Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2 CPU cooler on the 130w i7-950 will be sufficient. I think it works, and my wife wants the pretty lights. I'll keep my mesh front Cougar MX330X (which is a tighter narrower case than this) for my own 130w i7-940 and GT 1030, but I am looking forward to using this for her build. After that, next up is a six core 95w Xeon X5675 for mine to see how it handles that.
This is why I love my corsair 570x. It's all tempered glass, and it's DONE RIGHT. Dust filters in the front, top and bottom. Lots of breathing room (my 8700 idles at 22°c and under load has yet to pass 55°c with a hyper evo 212.) if you're gunna compete with that case, you unfortunately have to straight up copy it. Sorry but there's no other way.
Update - installed a 240mm AIO, moved the fans from the front to make the gap there (and intake) bigger. AIO went into radiator slot pulling from direct front, with a third 2000 rpm fan at the bottom front. Also have a 2000rpm fan above PSU. The three front fans (1000rpm each) are now at the back and up top. Temps are pretty good under heavy load.......CPU hovers between 40 and 60. GPU between 50 and 70. MB stable around 40-43.
[~6:32] "...It's got a cut-out here in the side for your PSU logo and branding, if that's the thing you're into." Okay... then... why the hell is it called a "PSU Shroud"... if it DOESN'T "shroud" the PSU? Why is it even there at all? JUST to hide the cables? Really? All the PSU cables should take an immediate left turn through the back panel, where any "clutter" re. cable management, is already perfectly well "hidden" behind the motherboard. So what is the actual USE of that whole huge piece of stamped steel dividing the entire bottom of the case into a separate empty basement? (Which incidentally blocks the only other option for some proper air intake, after they completely screwed the pooch on the front panel!) And that's just the mere functionality question! Never mind the pointless extra COST of adding that much superfluous structure. I swear to god these idiots designing these cases, seem to have NO understanding of the basic mechanics or practical issues of building or using a PC in any of these cases in question. Like they're just playing "monkey-see, monkey-do", with copying whatever latest apparent "market trend" in case configuration, without any grasp of WHY any particular feature or structure may or may not be necessary or even applicable... let alone desirable.
You can have up to 10 120mm fans in this case I have 10 myself it’s just the front glass panel is kinda dumb but it does have removable mesh on those gaps if you take the front plastic panel off
Is the cutout in the PS shroud there for the new ROG power supply? Who would ever combine those two? Or is that PS approach considered to be a standard in the future? :)
Actualy its a smart choise to do dustfilter on the top, but not the front. letting front be open for smooth pull-in, and limiting top to lower passive draw from the rear fan = Win ! Should be decent OOTB Thermals xD
I pried the glass front panel off of mine and fixed some mesh dust filters in its place and my temps improved by crazy amounts. 11-12 degrees. Case is great aside from that glass panel. They should've just gone with mesh from the start
I really hate that "stained glass" look that you get by having the filter being placed behind the glass. I would take two small side filters if it meant that I could avoid that look entirely.
The way all these cases seem to be going recently, I'm just waiting for some company to flip around the fans and tempered glass front to make sure the glass can't block off the rgb lighting, then call it inovative.
Would flipping the front fans around as exhaust and rear as intake improve thermals? Of course, that defeats the aesthetic purposed rgb but thermals are a bit more important right (Thermaltake)?
Having your exhaust blocked by the glass panel isn't going to be any better. You cannot pull air through solid glass, and trying to push it through isn't going to work either xD
You can almost tell by the way Steve is talking that he really doesn't like this case and boy I wouldn't like it either. Its almost 2019 and this case doesn't even have the basics that we want in a case, aka decent air flow, good cable management and dust filters (ok I seen there is 1 on the side but not at the front)
7:57. Comments about cabling and hard drive space. I have this case and I have 2 x HDD parked down there, plus an SSD on the frame behind the MB, plus another SSD inside mounted on the PSU shroud, plus I ran both GPU power cables through to the front in case I ever get a second GPU. I’m an amateur hack and this case has its issues for rectification with regard to thermals, but honestly the cable management behind the PSU in the video looks a bit average and unnecessarily crowded out, and the video comments about this space are not really correct. I do not think due diligence has been conducted in the cable management behind the PSU, and can say that for HDD installation there was no issue. EDIT - As an aside, pretty good review otherwise. I am installing an AIO 240mm inside at the front of the case (can’t do side intake as GPU is too big) and am contemplating push/pull or just pull. I believe that I will remove the front two top fans in the process for a pull configuration, thereby solving the “depth” problem at the front (noting the side strips do actually have dust filters now), and also allowing for larger volume air intake with controllable fans. Might then pop a supportive fan (separately purchased 2000rpm) at the bottom which will draw in more air and improve airflow along base. Then, the slower ARGB fans as provided (1000rpm) can do top of case and rear output, so we still get the pretty lights but also improve positive airflow. I’ll also have another 2000rpm fan sitting on the PSU shroud to pull air up and assist the GPU, but that thing has 3 fans so hoping intake air and bottom air combine with it well (currently it runs at 40-60 degrees C with standard case configuration and 1 PSU shroud fan as indicated).
i own this case and have an rtx3080 inside it, i mine crypto on a casual basis and get temps between 92 to 96*c, today i took off the glass panel on the side and it brought the temp down to 82/86*c
How hard would it be to cut some holes in piece of glass or just make the glass into 3 12 cm square pieces that sit in a metal front panel? I think there are some cool designs that one of these case manufacturers could come up with if they would look at something other than one big sheet of glass.
Hello Steve and GN. Is there or will there be a way to view the special sponsored videos without using patreon? I currently donate through patreon, and 100% love all the vids, but don't really want to contribute to patreon. Thank you for your time, and have a great day.
So there is a decent case lurking in there - provided you replace the front panel with mesh, replace the fan controller with something that actually works, replace the fans with a more normal connector and make it wider so that there is sufficient space for cable management. Alternatively just buy a different case
I don't want a case with a glass front panel, I want a mesh front panel. 3 static pressure fans to pull air through the filter, 2 airflow exhaust fans, back and back top. Always good thermals with slower fanspeed and decent noise.
When you say "tubes up" do you mean tube side of the rad at the bottom of the case going upward to the CPU, or tube side of the rad being at the top of the case? I'm assuming you mean the former?
man if only I've watched this video before buying this case, on the bright side the only thing holding the glass panel with the three fans is two strips of double-sided tape so grab a card and pry that thing out.
I bought it on discount I like it 😁 none of the fans are actually blocked but I'd say they are definetly less effective then just open vents. This is more a flashy cheap case then anything else. I like it for what it is
I wonder why NZXT never retooled to make a TG/RGB version of the H440. It would seem to be super simple to replace the Front and Side Panels with TG versions, and at least maintain airflow. Indeed, squaring off the the Front Panel, allowing Intake on all 4 sides, would actually improve it. ...Back on topic, I see that Thermaltake does not watch GN :D
Thx for this video, but at the point no dust filter at the front, is the point for me "NO" that is not a case I want. There is the Pure Base 802 and the Corsair 8000D which both are awsome in all belongs vs this one.
Can you please do a review of the cougar panzer Evo full tower case? I've been looking at it but there's not much reviews of it out there and it's a premium case not supper premium but it is over $100
Case review playlist: th-cam.com/video/_CVAssVXdM0/w-d-xo.html
Article: www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/3417-thermaltake-level-20-mt-review-basic-mistakes
The case looks like a refrigerator
lol, yes, a whirlpool aesthetic, however, I still think it looks more like a GE convection oven. It's a pity they ignored all the suggestions to turn the curved metal corners into intake screens for the front fans, apparently, the 'Thermals' that 'Take' cares about are more in line with reflow ovens rather than electronic coolers, lol.
Back in 1999, Intel came out with an "ATX Thermal Design Suggestions, Version 1.0" spec for ATX cases, I am dumbfounded that case makers still can't meet the minimum spec of that archaic low watt computer spec, Especially today when individual components burn more power than the entire 1999 spec reference design (60watt CPU, 12watt GPU, etc).
Great vid Steve and crew (love the plushies). B)
Just for kicks, could you make a charts with valid and compareble results of all cases? Some of us do know where some cases might slot in if they were omited in some newer case review, but some don't.
As 2018 is getting its end, I do think it would be somewhat awesome to loose myself in your info charts. Also, I do wanna see how well my choice (or does it at all) stacks up agains all the rest of them.
Also, Im getting that "no fun" vibe where I have to paint to ppl the point of paying bit more, usualy $20-30, to get a lot more for their money. This way, with two or tree unified charts I colud just point on 3 or 4 options under $70 and $80 with amaising values. And be done.
looks like someone took the wrong lesson from Walmart's DTW case.
@@TeraunceFoaloke :D
I feel like the fans in cases nowadays are more for decoration and less for actual cooling.
yep. got into PC's back in 2013-2014, you know, the glory days when you'd be lucky to get included fans that were the actual color of the case itself instead of the generic terrible quality standard black frame, white blade fans every single case manufacturer was throwing at us.
a fan is a fan, thats it.
@@Xenoray1
Based on your comment I installed these in my PC.
th-cam.com/video/bELLRpoLBX0/w-d-xo.html
@@Xenoray1 A Celtic fan is not a Manchester fan, and both are not Juventus fans.... if you take my meaning .... even if I prefer Cardinals...
:-))
@Barfman ah, shame I wasn't alive then haha
Oh boy I love that glass panel so I can see my components catch fire
Gotta see those realistic raytraced flame effects.
Just buy it.
Fire is the new(old) RGB
But it just works.
@@il2xbox Only if you have Ray tracing enabled with your RTX2080 and its sweet, sweet artifacts a la Age of Empires.
At what point can we just get a gamers nexus case that is both beautiful and checks all the boxes that makes it an amazing case thermally
Isaac Li never because Steve just wants an entirely mesh box
@@MacBoiiPr0 shit, I'd use that
Open air test bench anyone?
GildanBlank That’s pretty much what the pre-2013 Mac Pros had for a case.
@@OtherTheDave Thus why converting Mac Pro shells to PC is a popular pass time.
tempered glass front panels is the dumbest case trend i think I've ever seen.
The way it has been done the past ten years, I agree, it is dumb for anything that is not a microwave, Convection Oven,, or a Stove, lol.
Bottom power supply choking the GPU and multiple 5.25" bays in 2019. It seems as if case manufacturers are robots doing the same thing over and over again without much thought.
If it doesnt have dust filters allover i dont even consider the case, no matter the price point this is unacceptable for me.
Who wants his computer blinking through a glass in the night next to you? I dont get it.
My RGB front fans under glass is good for knowing when it needs a clean. Since I have my AIO mounted there the reduced gap isn't a issue I have tested it and temps are the same with or without the glass since there is enough top and bottom vent LD01 CASE
@@liiich6175 If done properly you could actually make that in to a signal lamp for when the case needs a good cleaning. With the proper software RGB fans can be set to off for when the CPU or GPU is at a certain temperature (lets say max load in prime95/furmark in a temperature controlled room) and then set to turn on as red or any other signal colour for when the components exceed that temperature. they don't have to be RGB for that to function though strictly speaking, but most software controlled lights are RGB so that is the easier solution.
Tech Jesus and his bishop destroy yet another heathen-made invention.
HERESY MUST BE EXTERMINATED. THE EMPEROR PROTECTS.
Lol
For $90-$100, it seems the CM H500 and RL06 are better options.
I have both, on GN recommendation.
Those would be much better purchases, yes.
I'd argue even the Q300L would be a be a better choice.
I'm building in the RL06 now. I got the motherboard installed, but I think I stripped a few of the motherboard screws and 1 standoff is stuck to a screw in the process. It seemed like the included screws were too tight for the standoffs. Other than that, the case is great. I just wish these old cases could be updated to include a front panel USB 3.1 C port.
And the Meshify C!
@@The_TermiGator That's where case modding comes into play.
I’ve had this case for 2 years and it’s actually really awesome. It doesn’t push as much air through the front as mesh, but it has space for 2 more intake fans on the size. So, the 5 total front intake does the job exceptionally well. I’ve never had any issues with overheating.
Let me guess... Choking front intake?
BubuSnow93 pretty sure that’s a requirement now
@@mitchell3876 lmao i would intentionally buy a shittier quality case for less if it has better airflow than some of the high end crap airflow cases
MAYU function over form which is,why i bought an ft05 whitle it was on special recently..
MAYU
yeah, I bought a used, 7 year old Corsair Carbide 500R just because it has mesh front panel, and side intake for graphics card.
@@mitchell3876 That's the exact one I currently have in my old rig which has died on me (gfx card anyway, awaiting replacement). It's not exactly pretty but very meshed, and the side mesh is great for airflow directly onto the gfx card like you said. But, the top mesh is atrocious! The holes in the filter are far too tiny and impede my top exhausts, you can hear the sound of the air hitting it with only a small percentage getting out through the top. The top dust filter can not be removed unless you cut it out. That's my only gripe with it, it has served me decently and I'm on the look for a new case for my new build. I typically remove the top panel when the fans up top spin up loudly, to give it direct unimpeded release.
I prefer function. I'll keep my full mesh front, with all of the RGB off. It's almost silent, and powerful. The focus is on the audio and the video. Exactly where it should be on a gaming daily driver. Blocking fans with glass, to make it easier to see the RGB is absolute insanity.
I would agree, but you can certainly get both sometimes. My Corsair Crystal 570X in my opinion is a very nice looking case and thermals are actually pretty good. Not as good as some of the better full mesh front cases, but not too far off. Although I tend to keep case fans at full speed and noise is around 40dBa, but it's never really bothered me. Also the Thermaltake View 71 is very similar.
@@dgraves14 sure, I can see that. That's a fair compromise. As long as it can do what's important too.
Which Case you got?
@@ItsMe-fv3ie Silverstone Redline RL06 Pro. I purposely got one without the LED's, and I replaced the case fans with Be quiet Silent Wings 3. I did the same to the water cooler. It's the black with the red accent. I actually painted the red accents to match the black, because I have it in a theater, and I wanted it to blend in with the rest of the components. A little nit picky I know.
@@TheCgOrion Ok, cause I'm searching for a mesh front case!
Thermaltake are still doing the same thing that other case manufacturers were doing in 2017. Closing off the front panel for that "sleek" look, and prioritizing RGB.
This is why I like Fractal Design, there is no bullshit.
Got my first Fractal case a couple months ago, went for the Define R6 Blackout. Loving it so far, only thing i wouldn't mind getting an improvement, is the top panel. It's awesome if you don't have top mounted fans, but if you take it apart to get airflow in the top, it has a gap all around the panel. The sideventilation in the front panel is pretty nice too, but if you're not using an optical drive, there's an unfiltered hole in the top. Besides that, it's awesome
Yes, I used a Meshify C TG in my first build, and it was great to work with.
I would think that making a case with good airflow would be pretty simple to achieve. I don't get what the problem is? A layperson can figure it out. Why can't a company filled with mechanical engineers?
Here's to hoping the RGB fad dies sooner rather than later. If I wanted a pulsating Christmas decoration for a case.... I'd build my PC into a tree.
Finally someone who agrees with me. A clean look is appreciated. Example: the Power Mac G5 by Apple, elegant in its simplicity: a giant metal box with handles and cheese grater looking ventilation.
I am surprised it didn't die 10 years ago. Iv'e been waiting since LEDs were a thing in PCs to die. Hate it with a passion.
I enjoy RGB, and, well, so do the majority of people it. That's not going anywhere, it looks nice and its a grand total of about $5 more for the user when the manufacturer realistically only spends about .50 Cents on making it.
Sev'er Dislike I don’t like the pulsing rainbow stuff that I usually see, but I feel like having the RGB set to a single color could be good for versatility (albeit not much)
ok? Turn it off. It barely costs you
Aarrgh! I didn't see this review until yesterday! My son and I built a budget system for me using the TT Level 20 MT case. My fault - I saw the three RGB fans behind the glass and was immediately taken by the pretty lights. After watching your review, I removed the front glass cover, that covers the three RGB fans. I will look for a mesh cover for the fans; but, in the year and a half I've been using the computer, I haven't taxed it into an inferno state that caused any shutdown. Nevertheless, the removal of the front cover actually led to airflow exhausting out of the back of the case that I could feel with my hand. Great review!
You really gotta love Influencers or review artists like yourself.
Mate......Honestly you are helping out Sooooooo many people out there with what to choose....So Thank You :D
yo! that GPU Sag at 4:20 in the 011 is savage.
Hey guys, asking this again since the other comment probably went unnoticed, but do you guys have any plans of revisiting the BitFenix Enso? Specifically the newer mesh version that was finally released last month. Would prefer to see a review from you guys over other channels. Thanks for the cool content!
Maybe. Will see what we can do. Timing is kind of rough.
@@GamersNexus Honestly, I don't even mind waiting two or more months for you guys to, hopefully, get to it. The reviews you guys do are definitely worth waiting for. Thanks guys!
Canijo yea, I can’t think of any other reviewers that actually check temps for airflow and the affect the front panel has on airflow, most reviewers just talk about how it was to build in, the looks, and run one or two benchmarks and call it good
I honestly really hate how every case these days is overly preppy and really only cares about being able to display RGB and component branding. I personally want something DURABLE and EFFICIENT and PRACTICAL. All these flimsy little art projects are what's keeping me to stick with trusty old c70.
If that's the case, pun not intended, do you really need a new case? Or perhaps, maybe you're not looking hard enough for some extremely good airflow cases? I mean they do exist. Some might still even have TG. Mine does and its airflow is A1.
You guys should get one of those Bee Keeper smoke devices and use it to show actual airflow through a case during operation. Like how they do with cars to show aerodynamics.
Should've watched this before picking up the case for my first build 😱 I was thinking about getting a dust filter online to make up for the missing dust filter in front
How did it go?
Blocked Front Fans = "That's a No from me Dawg"
I have the same case and honestly have noo issues with temps rising high or anything , cpu sits at 23c idle when doing a cinebench 20 test it rises to 45c. Ryzen 7 2700x 4.2ghz.
If this had a mesh front option it would be a pretty strong contender for people after thermal performance over all else. Yet another case ruined by the tempered glass menace. It's totally fine for a side window, but it doesn't belong in front of intake fans. I was about to blame this on 'the suits' but I guess the reality is there's a lot of people who don't know or car about thermals, and just want to see their R.ainbow G.ay B.oy fans spinning uselessly.
It's the suits job to make money. Blame people that buy garbage. I'm looking at you, pre-order boys.
Nice review.
I have the Level 20 GT, and I would say it does share some quirks with the MT. For the front intake, there is a pretty decent gap l between the edges of the case and the tempered glass to allow airflow; there is also a dust filter behind that with enough space for even AF designed fans have adequate room to pull air. With that being said, there is also a hole in the bottom of the front panel to make it easier to pull off, but most of the air (at least that I have observed) gets pulled in through that cutout and bypasses the dust filter somewhat. Also, cable management is somewhat of a pain, but manageable. The major design quirk I saw with the Level 20 GT was that one of the bottom intake fans (optional) is completely covered by the PSU shroud, rendering it almost ineffective; but with all that said I haven't noticed any problems with thermal performance.
This is why I started just building my own cases. It's not that hard. I started with old cases that I cut apart and screwed together in new configurations, re-using the old motherboard back plates and rear panel. Admittedly, they were pretty rough Frankenstein looking things at first, but after a couple of iterations they got better. Finally, I just built my own breaks using lumber and hinges and built one from scratch from sheet metal. I don't know if I'll ever buy another case.
do you have a portfolio to share?
After your review of the Coolermaster SL600M case, I went ahead and for my latest build bought one. Best decision I have made for a higher end case. HOWEVER, I am using a AIO in Push/Pull config on the top of the case, 360 rad none the less too. GPU temps however with the vert position, just stunning, never had a card stay so cool. Thank you again GN for your work :D
CM makes some very nice gear. My case has a full mesh front and everything keeps cool with the fans drawing air cleanly from front to back. I put the largest CM fan cooler on the CPU that would fit in the case, and the CPU has never gone over 79 degrees C and is always really quiet.
7:27 amazing light flare rotation with the slow camera pan :O
And here we see the inspiration for the Wallmart OP cases.
I can almost imagine them looking at these at Computex and saying "that's the look we want, go find something just like it but cheaper."
Would placing the front fans on the inside of the frame, where you would usually mount your radiator, improve performance in a meaningful way? I'd be interested to see that tested.
Steve you are already making modmats, can you just co design an ATX mid tower with one of these major case makers already? Not only would it give you an INSANE amount of knowledge for reviewing cases, but would also put one hell of a performance case on the market. And I would pay big monies to get a black and blue GN edition of the case with a GN logo on it.
I started with the tt 72, found it less impressive in person, but lots of space. Then I watched you gently rake the CM C700M over the coals and thought THAT looks nice. Lots of space. (Lots of screws 🤪. Lots.) But I followed your suggestions about the two front filters in series and removed one. Everything fit perfectly, cable dressing was easy, I used the provided ‘remote’ vid card mount with a 40-ish degree tilt back, so no vid card ‘airflow choking’ and it runs cool, using an Aorus 2080 Xtreme , MB says it’s cool, cpu (2700 OC’ed) is cool, and it is the proverbial brick shithouse solid mechanical-wise. TY. Very happy. Poorer, but happy.
so it is time to pop the front panel off and put in some spacers, perhaps some sort of black tube with screws and inch longer to give some air plenum in there?
We have build two systems with this case, and placed the Corsair 240 AIO cooler at the side (with it's own supplied fans). I do think it is cool that the Thermaltake fans work with a lot of the motherboard systems. The fans are spinning, but we did set the rpm very low.. These cases are used in the office and especially during these cold and short days these RGB cases do give the office more of a Christmas look. But these systems run i5-8400 with motherboard GPU. They are not used for gaming, so cooling is certainly not an issue. The Thermaltake view cases are very good design that especially a lot of the woman in our office very much like..
Ever considered using a smoke gun to show air flow/path? Could be interesting to see in a fully built system where you could actually see it thanks to glass panels that most cases seem to have these days.
Love Steve’s case reviews
Just and idea, will smoke machine be able to show the air intakes and airflow of cases? Might be a good adition to a video review of a case.
Got reminded of those mars fans recently wonder if those would do well since you can move them back from the front panel but the point does stand that a major selling point is the point of failure.
Why do you not recommend mounting the hoses at the top for long term use on a front mounted rad?
Thermaltake unable to make a decent case? Color me surprised. It's not like we've all forgotten what they did with Case Labs.
true
I have this case, am running oc at 4.5ghz right now and my temps stay at 45°c-55°c. I have no exceptional cooling, just a 212 evo and stock fans.
Question though, how do you get the front glass off to clean the fans? Can't find any answers online
Dang, that RTX 2070 sponsorship convinced me, why wouldn't I want to live in a ray-traced life?
what about drilling holes into the tempered glass?
Thanks for this review, but could you review the Level 20 XT? I see so few cube cases, and even fewer reviews of them.
Yeah. I was running into the same problems. Just yanked the glass off the front cover. Its held on by double sided sticky tape...
now looking for a dust filtration solution lol
@@joshm4143 please share your solution :)
@@wmopp9100 still looking for screen similar to whats already on the case. Ill keep you guys updated.
I really enjoy these case reviews on your (and other) channel(s), but there is one thing I have never seen. Is it possible to create a enclosure to use smoke to actually SEE the differences in airflow? I know they do something similar to show aerodynamics on vehicle designs, and it seems to me that it would be a awesome visual aid for talking about case air flows.
yes, but it leaves residue everywhere.
They addressed this already in one of the previous Q&A videos. I don't remember the exact wording, but smoke testing is problematic in several ways. Chief among them is due to the relatively low flow volume and velocities, smoke test is not actually very helpful (you case will just fill up with smoke relatively quickly and you end up not being able to see anything) and also smoke generators leave nasty residue on the components in the PC
Thanks for the extra info guys! Cheers!
just bought this case, cant figure out how to get those fans working, is there something I am missing for those to work? everything looks plugged in, not sure about any of the plug ins for them or where they are, any help would be appreciated
Seems like the bottom fans would only work if placing the PSU with the fan on top to help with exhaust, and it's probably something a lot of people wouldn't agree on doing.
If the idea in the design is to be able to see the fan blades from the front of the case then a dust filter could be placed behind the fans which would not keep dust off the fan blades but would keep less dust from getting inside the case. The other idea would be to put round filters over each fan using a more open mesh or something that the fan blades would be visible through when the led lights are on. Personally I don't care to look at the fans and don't care for glass front panels but I don't care for any case lighting rgb or not either though everyone has a different perspective on what looks good or not and I am not someone who would judge anyone if they like to look at finger prints or dust that will collect behind the glass of the front panel.
Someone will eventually drill holes into the glass panels or putting ventilation of some sort into them. Its a reason to add price, case makers should love that.
Would the performance be improved if the front fans were set to push air out the front, rather than pull, and set the others to pull? Would be better from a filtration pov too.
So at $90 with high end CPU/GPU it's a terrible choice. Understandable, so I picked the thing up on Amazon for $55 and grabbed a 4-pack of cheap 120mm fans for $15. I'll leave the pretty lights and glass up front and do two intake from the side and two exhaust out the top. CX750M can cool itself down in the shroud. I'm using a whole 30 watt low profile GT 1030 for this build, so GPU temps should not be a concern. Arctic Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2 CPU cooler on the 130w i7-950 will be sufficient. I think it works, and my wife wants the pretty lights. I'll keep my mesh front Cougar MX330X (which is a tighter narrower case than this) for my own 130w i7-940 and GT 1030, but I am looking forward to using this for her build. After that, next up is a six core 95w Xeon X5675 for mine to see how it handles that.
This is why I love my corsair 570x. It's all tempered glass, and it's DONE RIGHT. Dust filters in the front, top and bottom. Lots of breathing room (my 8700 idles at 22°c and under load has yet to pass 55°c with a hyper evo 212.) if you're gunna compete with that case, you unfortunately have to straight up copy it. Sorry but there's no other way.
Update - installed a 240mm AIO, moved the fans from the front to make the gap there (and intake) bigger. AIO went into radiator slot pulling from direct front, with a third 2000 rpm fan at the bottom front. Also have a 2000rpm fan above PSU. The three front fans (1000rpm each) are now at the back and up top. Temps are pretty good under heavy load.......CPU hovers between 40 and 60. GPU between 50 and 70. MB stable around 40-43.
I hope the bitfenix Enso Mesh version is on the case review piepline :D
A revisit and what they improved wil be interesting to see
Can you please review the phanteks eclipse p350x?
@Matt Yang I have this case, the only criticism I have is it not being able to top mount the radiator. Other than that its a very nice case.
[~6:32] "...It's got a cut-out here in the side for your PSU logo and branding, if that's the thing you're into."
Okay... then... why the hell is it called a "PSU Shroud"... if it DOESN'T "shroud" the PSU? Why is it even there at all? JUST to hide the cables? Really?
All the PSU cables should take an immediate left turn through the back panel, where any "clutter" re. cable management, is already perfectly well "hidden" behind the motherboard. So what is the actual USE of that whole huge piece of stamped steel dividing the entire bottom of the case into a separate empty basement? (Which incidentally blocks the only other option for some proper air intake, after they completely screwed the pooch on the front panel!) And that's just the mere functionality question! Never mind the pointless extra COST of adding that much superfluous structure.
I swear to god these idiots designing these cases, seem to have NO understanding of the basic mechanics or practical issues of building or using a PC in any of these cases in question. Like they're just playing "monkey-see, monkey-do", with copying whatever latest apparent "market trend" in case configuration, without any grasp of WHY any particular feature or structure may or may not be necessary or even applicable... let alone desirable.
You can have up to 10 120mm fans in this case I have 10 myself it’s just the front glass panel is kinda dumb but it does have removable mesh on those gaps if you take the front plastic panel off
Maybe you can just make the front fans the exhaust?
Very interesting review.
What do you recommend me in this price range with these dimensions ?
Why would you not recommend clcs mounted tubes up? I'm a little confused by what you mean
If you block the airflow then you won't need dust filtration, right?
You need to be using incense sticks to visually show us air-flow patterns. Or a purpose build machine for generating controllable smoke.
Is the cutout in the PS shroud there for the new ROG power supply? Who would ever combine those two? Or is that PS approach considered to be a standard in the future? :)
Actualy its a smart choise to do dustfilter on the top, but not the front. letting front be open for smooth pull-in, and limiting top to lower passive draw from the rear fan = Win !
Should be decent OOTB Thermals xD
I pried the glass front panel off of mine and fixed some mesh dust filters in its place and my temps improved by crazy amounts. 11-12 degrees. Case is great aside from that glass panel. They should've just gone with mesh from the start
I really hate that "stained glass" look that you get by having the filter being placed behind the glass. I would take two small side filters if it meant that I could avoid that look entirely.
Its not bad looking so I hope they do fix it. Steve, could you review the Thermaltake View 32 RGB please?
The way all these cases seem to be going recently, I'm just waiting for some company to flip around the fans and tempered glass front to make sure the glass can't block off the rgb lighting, then call it inovative.
i love how the background just looks more spacious, with more room to breath.
Can you move the radiator to the top of case under the mesh screen?
I hope the Level 20 GT RGB is a bit better, as mine arrives today :/
Buyers remorse setting in....maybe ;)
Would flipping the front fans around as exhaust and rear as intake improve thermals? Of course, that defeats the aesthetic purposed rgb but thermals are a bit more important right (Thermaltake)?
Having your exhaust blocked by the glass panel isn't going to be any better. You cannot pull air through solid glass, and trying to push it through isn't going to work either xD
Pushing sarcasm through solid logic doesn't seem to work either.
Could you review the DIYPC Vanguard? Similar price and design but seems well made and more inproved. Ty
Can you change the front fans?
What is it like compared to the v250?
I can't find it anywhere?
You can almost tell by the way Steve is talking that he really doesn't like this case and boy I wouldn't like it either. Its almost 2019 and this case doesn't even have the basics that we want in a case, aka decent air flow, good cable management and dust filters (ok I seen there is 1 on the side but not at the front)
7:57. Comments about cabling and hard drive space. I have this case and I have 2 x HDD parked down there, plus an SSD on the frame behind the MB, plus another SSD inside mounted on the PSU shroud, plus I ran both GPU power cables through to the front in case I ever get a second GPU. I’m an amateur hack and this case has its issues for rectification with regard to thermals, but honestly the cable management behind the PSU in the video looks a bit average and unnecessarily crowded out, and the video comments about this space are not really correct. I do not think due diligence has been conducted in the cable management behind the PSU, and can say that for HDD installation there was no issue.
EDIT - As an aside, pretty good review otherwise. I am installing an AIO 240mm inside at the front of the case (can’t do side intake as GPU is too big) and am contemplating push/pull or just pull. I believe that I will remove the front two top fans in the process for a pull configuration, thereby solving the “depth” problem at the front (noting the side strips do actually have dust filters now), and also allowing for larger volume air intake with controllable fans. Might then pop a supportive fan (separately purchased 2000rpm) at the bottom which will draw in more air and improve airflow along base. Then, the slower ARGB fans as provided (1000rpm) can do top of case and rear output, so we still get the pretty lights but also improve positive airflow. I’ll also have another 2000rpm fan sitting on the PSU shroud to pull air up and assist the GPU, but that thing has 3 fans so hoping intake air and bottom air combine with it well (currently it runs at 40-60 degrees C with standard case configuration and 1 PSU shroud fan as indicated).
0:22 why the center only light's
i own this case and have an rtx3080 inside it, i mine crypto on a casual basis and get temps between 92 to 96*c, today i took off the glass panel on the side and it brought the temp down to 82/86*c
How did u fit a 3080 in the case? I have one as well.
How hard would it be to cut some holes in piece of glass or just make the glass into 3 12 cm square pieces that sit in a metal front panel? I think there are some cool designs that one of these case manufacturers could come up with if they would look at something other than one big sheet of glass.
Do you think u will ever get a collab with a case manufacturer like Roman?
I like my old nzxt 001 granted I had to drill holes to fit not nzxt 200mm fans but it works great
Hello Steve and GN. Is there or will there be a way to view the special sponsored videos without using patreon? I currently donate through patreon, and 100% love all the vids, but don't really want to contribute to patreon. Thank you for your time, and have a great day.
I'm surprised that TT still sponsors you, given how often you have to roast their products.
ThermalTake already roasts their own products with their air flow
So there is a decent case lurking in there - provided you replace the front panel with mesh, replace the fan controller with something that actually works, replace the fans with a more normal connector and make it wider so that there is sufficient space for cable management.
Alternatively just buy a different case
how do I remove the front glass panel where the 3 rgb fans are?
I don't want a case with a glass front panel, I want a mesh front panel. 3 static pressure fans to pull air through the filter, 2 airflow exhaust fans, back and back top. Always good thermals with slower fanspeed and decent noise.
GN please start a case company and start selling them to the public.
When you say "tubes up" do you mean tube side of the rad at the bottom of the case going upward to the CPU, or tube side of the rad being at the top of the case? I'm assuming you mean the former?
man if only I've watched this video before buying this case, on the bright side the only thing holding the glass panel with the three fans is two strips of double-sided tape so grab a card and pry that thing out.
Please show the things you are talking about. At 3:00min you talk about dust filtration, but you don't show it to the camera!?
I hate tempered glass front panels so much. Mesh front panels are Tech Jesus's gift to us all.
I bought it on discount I like it 😁 none of the fans are actually blocked but I'd say they are definetly less effective then just open vents. This is more a flashy cheap case then anything else. I like it for what it is
I’m getting 32c on idle and 43-55c under load. Nothing to seriously hot. Of course I have 5 intake and 3 exhaust fans
I wonder why NZXT never retooled to make a TG/RGB version of the H440. It would seem to be super simple to replace the Front and Side Panels with TG versions, and at least maintain airflow. Indeed, squaring off the the Front Panel, allowing Intake on all 4 sides, would actually improve it.
...Back on topic, I see that Thermaltake does not watch GN :D
Yup, made the right choice.
I just bought it and I install on it (CoolerMaster MASTERFAN MF120R A-RGB), and its good.
They didnt put a dust filter in the front of the case cause it will ruin the look of the case duh
Thx for this video, but at the point no dust filter at the front, is the point for me "NO" that is not a case I want. There is the Pure Base 802 and the Corsair 8000D which both are awsome in all belongs vs this one.
I have that same case but my fan controller is located by that 2.5 ssd holder towards the middle
Can you please do a review of the cougar panzer Evo full tower case? I've been looking at it but there's not much reviews of it out there and it's a premium case not supper premium but it is over $100
Bought a new ssd 2,5 inch and a bracket but it seems no space where to mount it.