Thermaltake Armor A30 MATX Case Review

Posted by: James Clewer on: 08-04-2011 [ 8 comment(s) ]

Today we have Thermaltakes A30 MATX case from their Armor line up. Follow the link to see how it does!

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Thermaltake Armor A30 MATX Case Review

Dukey Posts: 42 Joined: 2011-04-06

#13835 Posted on: 08.04.2011 12:39:56 Nice review Thermaltake do make some ridiculous looking gear :P

Thermaltake Armor A30 MATX Case Review

alexhull24 Posts: 1027 Joined: 2010-03-31

#13838 Posted on: 08.04.2011 12:55:49 Good read, great photos, thanks for the review. Have to say my initial impressions were that I don't like the styling, it's too asymmetric, but that is really just me. The case is expensive, there are lots of much better Mid-tower cases, but as for MATX cases, there's not a lot cheaper. The Silverstone SG01 and Lian Li V351 (if you can find one) are less, but not by a lot really. I'm not sure if you can market a MATX case on being suitable for LAN parties any more, as I really think that's a tiny market. People want compact cases as they don't have much space, or they want something neat more than portability. A LAN case ought to have a handle of sorts in my opinion. Anyway, that's a technicality. The build here looks pretty good, the finish isn't bad (like the black interior and matching screws for example) and there's enough options for a wide range of machines, though the GFX options, as you say, aren't as clear cut as the description makes out. Solid enough case, if it comes down in price it could be a good choice for those who like the aesthetics.

Thermaltake Armor A30 MATX Case Review

Helios1234 Posts: 2570 Joined: 2009-02-17

#13855 Posted on: 08.04.2011 20:19:53 Excellent review as always! Just one thing I noticed in the conclusion you mentioned the issues with the 350mm gcards, was that meant to be 250mm? The case does seem somewhat expensive compared to even the Lian Li cases.

Thermaltake Armor A30 MATX Case Review

gt_junkie Posts: 563 Joined: 2009-02-12

#13856 Posted on: 08.04.2011 20:48:38 Thanks for the comments guys. It's looks are certainly going to divide opinion and some limitations of the design do bring up a couple of interesting points. As you say Alex the MATX form factor isn't massively compact meaning the majority of hardcore LAN gamers may look elsewhere. Indeed, with the advent of high end 'performance' ITX boards much smaller enclosures can accommodate equivalently spec'd hardware. Yeah Sahil - that's a good point! The 350mm measurement was echoing Thermaltakes rated maximum acceptable card length. I used it to clarify that these longer performance cards are the issue in anything other than the 1st slot (or 2nd if the card's a single slot design). Thermaltake state on their site that the remaining space (slots 2, 3 and 4) can accommodate shorter more compact performance cards such as the GTX460. gt

Thermaltake Armor A30 MATX Case Review

Helios1234 Posts: 2570 Joined: 2009-02-17

#13862 Posted on: 08.04.2011 21:56:08 Ah I see, that makes sense.

Thermaltake Armor A30 MATX Case Review

Steff345 Posts: 210 Joined: 2011-02-11

#13872 Posted on: 09.04.2011 06:11:06 very nice review there mate - good job since this case is aimed towards the LAN party crowd shouldn't it have some sort of carry-around mechanism such as a pair of handles or something?

Thermaltake Armor A30 MATX Case Review

Essexraptor Posts: 323 Joined: 2010-09-27

#13998 Posted on: 12.04.2011 12:57:03 Nice review James. Good pictures throughout and packed with all the right info. Well done! Everyone here knows that I say it as I see it.... and .. I LOVE this case. LOL Built in the past using older Thermaltake cases and it was a pleasure From the pictures on the intro page onwards I wanted one of these!!! However I'm glad that the clearance issues concerning GPU's was highlighted because it just goes to show that component selection is important. Also with CPU cooler size and clearance. Just being able to take this case apart so much to assist in building is a massive plus point for me. Especailly with a mATX build. I, personally, have found Thermaltakes stock fans to be a bit on the rattle and roll side in the past but that is a minor issue with a fan swap out being a future option. I'm not a LAN man myself and I agree with the points raised about carrying etc but 2 arms is equal to a good old grab and carry surely? It's just nice to see a case moving away from the "tower" format for a change in the mATX format.

Thermaltake Armor A30 MATX Case Review

Marv_101 Posts: 29 Joined: 2010-11-15

#14031 Posted on: 13.04.2011 12:11:58 Apart from the gfx card issue in any slot other than slot 1 it looks like a well thought out case. Not sure I'd list those led fans as blue though, look more like purple to me.

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