A Closer Look - Outside

As the Thermaktake Armor A90 features a door, it is held in place by tape during transportation. You will also find a protective film on top of the small side window. Overall the case makes a really nice impression. Thermaltake has done an excellent job with the design of the chassis. While it still employs a lot of plastic, it does not feel flimsy at all as most parts are covered with metal mesh.


Taking a quick look at the front, we find straight lines and no curves or bendy aspects. The armor theme, while a bit far fetched, does apply somewhat to the case if you think of such protective gear in the future sense not a nights armor. Turning the unit around we are greeted by an all black rear, which also means that the interior is of the same color as well.


It is great to see, that the design elements are continued on both sides of the chassis. A small window and an opening for a 120 mm fan can be found on the center of the main side panel, while the other has a similar shape and look, but lacks any openings.


The front of the chassis acts as an air vent for the intake fan, This is the only area of the plastic where I would have liked to see a tad bit more rigidity, but the fairly strong framing takes care of that mostly. In the upper half are the external drive bays, hidden behind a door which opens from right to left. This may be a bit annoying, as most place the PC to the right of the work area. Due to the fancy design, turning the door around is not an option. Behind it you will find one 3.5 inch and three 5.25 inch bays. This should be sufficient for most, but is certainly less than average. If you look closely, you will see the triangle shaped power button right below the door, so you can turn the PC on or off without having to open it up. Two USB 2.0 ports, the pair of audio connectivity, the LEDs and the rest button have been placed on the right edge.


In the rear you will find the PSU bay on the bottom, with seven expansion slots above that. They are covered by individual, reusable metal pieces with air vents. If you look closely, right above the expansion slots is a metal loop, which is intended to be used to run of your mouse and keyboard through. This metal piece can only be taken off by removing two screws from the inside of the case, so you won't have to worry about someone stealing your mouse, keyboard, headset at a LAN party. In the very top area of the rear you will find the 120 mm exhaust fan along with two fairly small water cooling holes.


The top holds a small surprise, as there are two more USB 2.0 connectors along with an eSATA port. So no matter where you place your case, you should have easy access to some ports. There is also a large, 200 mm fan in the ceiling, which is clearly visible through the vent.