A Closer Look

The style on the Thermaltake Element S case is somewhat muted, except for the red trim on the front door. Upon opening the door, one is greeted by what appears to be nine 5.25" bays.


However, this is not the case, as only the top three bays are for 5.25" devices. Each of the vented bay covers pulls out to reveal the space behind. Unfortunately, Thermaltake has chosen to leave the stamped steel plates in the bay locations. While this may add some rigidity to the case if these bays are empty, most users will be installing at least one device in these locations and will be forced to remove these plates before installing their hardware. The good news is that, since only the top three bays are usable for external devices, Thermaltake decided to place dual 120mm fans in the lower six "bays" (one fan is included and the other is optional). These fans install on plastic brackets that easily snap out of the front.


Turning our attention to the rear of the case, we see the same black finish as the sides. There is a small vent at the top, and just below is an included 140mm fan behind a very open honeycomb mesh grill (there is the option to install a 120mm fan if desired). Below that and to the right are two more vents that allow the user to install dual 60mm fans next to the expansion cards. The power supply mounts at the bottom of the case, and there are two small knockouts for water cooling tubes. Again, Thermaltake has left the stamped I/O covers and PCI slot covers installed. Not only does this make more work the for system builder, but in this circumstance the PCI plates are not replaceable once removed. If the end user changes hardware frequently or plays around with hardware locations, this will leave the back wide open unless covers are purchased separately.


The side panels are attached with some matching black thumbscrews, and there is a loop to lock the side panel if desired. Also, both side panels are trimmed in plastic so they slide easily, and they have some rubber edging that covers the mating surfaces to reduce vibrations.


Toward the rear on the top is a clear 230mm fan which lights up from the red LEDs. There is an I/O panel on the top at the front of the case that features two USB, one eSATA, mic and headphone jacks, and the standard Power & HDD LEDs and Power & Reset buttons. The panel is well-laid out, with plenty of room between the connections. However, I can't help but notice that it looks as if it is missing a cover by the way it is designed.