First impressions of the V5 Black Edition were good, taking it out of the box it sure looks like a case to admire with the great contours and shapes. It looks and feels superb. Visual appearance is one thing but functionality is another, and of course how a case functions is a major factor.
The installation was troublesome and annoying. First there was the inability to install the motherboard with a typically sized performance CPU heatsink fitted. The mounting holes are clearly too close to the 200mm fan at the top of case. With this causing an issue there is then the hassle of having to remove a simple fan, but the whole removal of this is very tedious to say the least. Having to remove the entire top section of a case and then the handle just to get at the screws is surely a poor design choice.
If Thermaltake may not want you to remove the 200mm fan (as it will significantly aid thermal performance) then why is the compatibility with motherboard/CPU cooler so lacking? It makes little sense to me.
The next issue is again compatibility. After many hours I couldn’t fit the 8800GTX into the case because the expansion bracket was touching the shelf on the tool-less feature. Luckily I did have a 7900GT to hand and this was 2mm smaller and did fit. But how will you know if your graphics card will fit? You won’t, manufacturers do not list the expansion bracket size on their graphics cards.
The final issue I had with the V5 Black Edition was the lack of anti-vibration for the HDD mounting. I had an idea this would be an issue during installation and upon booting up I was right, humming noises can be heard from the case.
You’ll probably be aware that I’m not best pleased with the V5 Black Edition, the whole experience has been plagued with issues. Visually a stunning setup, but functionality is seriously lacking. It’s hard to comment as to whether the case is worth the stated RRP because of the functionality issues but if Thermaltake make steps to improving these issues identified the V5 Black Edition would be a worthwhile purchase.
Pros
+ Looks great
+ Very portable
+ Lightweight
+ Reasonable cooling
Cons
- Cannot fit majority of CPU Coolers
- Removing 200mm fan is tedious
- Certain graphics cards will not fit
- Lack of anti-vibration means noise from HDD
The installation was troublesome and annoying. First there was the inability to install the motherboard with a typically sized performance CPU heatsink fitted. The mounting holes are clearly too close to the 200mm fan at the top of case. With this causing an issue there is then the hassle of having to remove a simple fan, but the whole removal of this is very tedious to say the least. Having to remove the entire top section of a case and then the handle just to get at the screws is surely a poor design choice.
If Thermaltake may not want you to remove the 200mm fan (as it will significantly aid thermal performance) then why is the compatibility with motherboard/CPU cooler so lacking? It makes little sense to me.
The next issue is again compatibility. After many hours I couldn’t fit the 8800GTX into the case because the expansion bracket was touching the shelf on the tool-less feature. Luckily I did have a 7900GT to hand and this was 2mm smaller and did fit. But how will you know if your graphics card will fit? You won’t, manufacturers do not list the expansion bracket size on their graphics cards.
The final issue I had with the V5 Black Edition was the lack of anti-vibration for the HDD mounting. I had an idea this would be an issue during installation and upon booting up I was right, humming noises can be heard from the case.
You’ll probably be aware that I’m not best pleased with the V5 Black Edition, the whole experience has been plagued with issues. Visually a stunning setup, but functionality is seriously lacking. It’s hard to comment as to whether the case is worth the stated RRP because of the functionality issues but if Thermaltake make steps to improving these issues identified the V5 Black Edition would be a worthwhile purchase.
Pros
+ Looks great
+ Very portable
+ Lightweight
+ Reasonable cooling
Cons
- Cannot fit majority of CPU Coolers
- Removing 200mm fan is tedious
- Certain graphics cards will not fit
- Lack of anti-vibration means noise from HDD
We would like to thank Thermaltake for supplying this sample and we look forward to reviewing more of their products. Discuss this review on our forums
