I
f you like your mini-ITX cases to be barely any bigger
than the hardware they house, with your graphics
card sitting end-to-end in a shoebox-sized
enclosure, look away now. Large cases aren’t unusual for
Thermaltake, as its oversized behemoths stretch from its
mini-ITX offerings all the way up to its full towers. It’s the mini
version of one of the latter that we’re looking at here, as the
Tower 100 is essentially a dinky version of the monstrous
Tower 900.
At £90 inc VAT, it’s certainly more affordable than other
mini-ITX cases we’ve reviewed recently, and it’s also well
made, sturdy and not as flimsy as its price might suggest.
However, at 46cm tall and 27cm deep, its size eclipses every
other tower mini-ITX case out there. Part of the reason for
this is its huge panoramic set of glass windows,
which provide a fantastic view into the case, a
bit like a compact aquarium, with your hardware
taking centre stage.
Thermaltake has improved on the prototype
of this case we saw at CES last year, adding
more vents for improved cooling. The vertical
graphics card mount now sits partly over the
side vent, so while there’s still a big pane of glass
in front of your graphics card, there is at least a
nearby vent feeding it cool air, so it won’t cook.
With 330mm of clearance, there’s space for a
sizeable card too.
The CPU cooler height stands at 190mm, so
there will be no issues accommodating even the
biggest heatsinks.
However, despite the size of the case, there’s
only support for a single 120mm AIO liquid
cooler with its radiator located in the roof. This
is probably the oddest design element of the
Tower 100, as larger mini-ITX cases usually
focus on providing better water-cooling support
than their smaller counterparts.
You can just about squeeze another radiator
into the second 120/140mm fan mount, but
only if you use a custom loop with a super-
slim model such as XSPC’s TX120, along
with a 15mm-thick fan – standard-size fans
and radiators won’t fit here. There’s a third120/140mm fan mount on top of the PSU mount in the base,
but most other cases of this size still provide more than three
fan mounts in total. Two 120mm fans are included in the box,
which reside in the roof and rear of the case.
The rest of the case is well thought-out, with each of the
three glass-clad panels paired up with vented panels below
them. These panels allow air into the bottom of the case,
which otherwise wouldn’t be possible if the glass stretched
from the top to the bottom. The base and roof also sport large
vents, so aside from the potential three fans, the case also
lends itself to a bottom-to-top movement of air, getting rid of
heat with a chimney effect.
Storage support is also restricted, though, with space for
up to two hard disks if you don’t use a rear fan and up to two
SSDs using a side bracket. That’s hardly stellar for such a large
case. You do get a Type-C USB 3.1 Gen 2 port, though, plus two
USB 3 ports. Plus, if the black model looks a little bland for your
tastes, it also comes in white.
We can’t deny that the Tower 100 looks appealing in the
flesh. Its girth and width are reasonably restrained, and you
get an unparalleled view of your hardware in a unique chassis
that’s sure to generate some interest. It’s fairly easy to create
a clutterfree PC in it too, as the PSU is housed below the
motherboard in its own chamber, with cable-routing holes
provided to thread cables through to the motherboard and
graphics card.
Your hardware should stay looking shiny too, as there are
several dust filters covering every vent and hole. However,
the build process isn’t quick. Each panel has its own mountingREVIEWS / CASES
THERMALTAKE
TOWER 100 /£90 inc VAT
MINIITX CASE
SUPPLIER overclockers.co.uk
SPEC
Dimensions (mm)
463 x 266 x 266 (W x D x H)
Materials
Steel, glass
Available colours
Black, white
Weight
6.1kg
Front panel
Power, reset, 2 x USB
3, USB 3.1 Type-C, 1 x
stereo jack, 1 x mic jack
Drive bays
2 x 2.5in/3.5in, 2 x 2.5in
Form factor(s)
Mini-ITX
Cooling
1 x 120/140mm rear fan mount
(1 x 120mm fan included),
1 x 120/140mm base fan
mount (fan not included), 1 x
120/140mm roof fan mount
(1 20 mm fan included)
CPU cooler clearance
190mm
Maximum graphics card length
330mm