Custom PC - UK (2021-05)

mechanism, and there are more than ten individual pieces of

the exterior, which makes getting inside the case a bit of a faff.

Single-piece side panels would solve this problem, but we

would prefer the status quo if it meant reducing the number of

mesh panels.

Performance

With such an unusual design, we couldn’t estimate how the

Tower 100 would perform, but with a CPU delta T of 72°C,

it’s clear that it’s not particularly well suited to low-air profile

coolers, which is what we used in the test. It would benefit from

TOWER OF

LON DON

+ Interesting, unique^

design

+ Great view of^

hardware

+ Good GPU cooling^

TOWER OF

SAURON

• Poor use of space


• Lacks water-
  cooling and
  storage potential


• Too many panels

VERDICT

An alluring case with good GPU cooling and a great view

of your hardware, but it has some limitations.

OVERALL SCORE

79 %

COOLING

23 / 40

FEATURES

14 / 20

DESIGN

25 / 20

VALUE

17 / 20

an AIO liquid cooler instead. This result was similar to that of

the Phanteks Shift 2 and Streacom DA2 V2, and a little cooler

than the Raijintek Metis Evo TGS, but noticeably warmer than

the Cooler Master MasterCase NR200P.

The GPU delta T was more competitive at 44°C, and that

large side vent clearly helped here – this result was only

second to the 38°C achieved by the NR200P in our tests. This

temperature was 22°C cooler than the Phanteks Shift 2 and it

even managed to beat the Streacom DA2 V2. The case was

quiet too, with the fans buried in the case seeing much of their

noise deadened by the various panels and filters.

Conclusion

The design of the Thermaltake Tower 100 is far more focused

on creating a unique design and view of your hardware than

on cooling performance or features. There’s next to no water-

cooling support, which is odd given its size, storage support

is limited and it has few standout features, which a lot of the

current cream of the crop use as their main selling points.

Comparatively, the Streacom DA2 V2 is highly customisable,

while the Cooler Master MasterCase NR200P offers great

out-of-the-box cooling and good water-cooling support.

The Tower 100 is quite attractive, though, and the extensive

use of glass really does make you take a second glance at it.

We’d love to see a build in it that makes extensive use of RGB

lighting, especially in the white model. Overall, it has a funky

design and will appeal to those who want something different.

As long as you’re aware of its shortcomings, the Tower 100 is

a reasonable chassis in which to house a high-end mini PC, as

long as you maximise your CPU cooling.

ANTONY LEATHER

TEMPERATURE RESULTS

CPU DELTA T

0255075100

Thermaltake Tower 100 72°C

Raijintek Metis Evo TGS

Streacom DA2 V

Cooler Master NR200P

Phanteks Evolv Shift 2 71°C

50°C

69°C

74°C

GPU DELTA T

Thermaltake Tower 100

0255075100

Lower is better

Raijintek Metis Evo TGS

Streacom DA2 V

Cooler Master NR200P

Phanteks Evolv Shift 2

44°C

66°C

38°C

50°C

67°C