Thermaltake Armor+ LCS Chassis Author:  Dan Shannon Date:  2008.11.24 Topic:  Cases Provider:  Thermaltake Manufacturer:  Thermaltake

Thermaltake Armor+ LCS

Packaging:

Unlike many of the products we receive, the Thermaltake Armor+ LCS has a back story for the shipping process.  UPS was gracious enough to misplace the Armor+ LCS in Jacksonville for about a week. Despite the obvious implications of the case being lost, this gave us an opportunity to truly test the durability of the packaging. The packaging of the Thermaltake Armor+ LCS was everything we expected and more. The package had obviously been mistreated (looks like someone played volleyball with it) at some point in its life and we were surprised at how well the case itself faired. Along with the expected styrofoam, molded to the shape of the case, there were cardboard inserts with five styrofoam squares, to help even more with the rigidity of the packaging. Normally, most cases are wrapped in a plastic bags, but this is no ordinary case. Replacing the usual plastic with a form of cloth bag to hold the case, Thermaltake makes you feel like you have purchased a first class product even before you have actually seen your case. Once unwrapped you can only look in awe as this masterpiece is presented before you. The side window has a plastic sheet affixed to it to avoid scratches. All of the included accessories are secured inside the case and held in place with yet more styrofoam to prevent loose items from destroying the case from the inside out.

A Closer Look: Exterior

At first sight, the Thermaltake Armor+ LCS can only be described as epic. The side window sports a huge, 230mm, blue LED fan that blows cool air directly on the area a graphics card would be. At first, we could only wish that this case did not include the side fan, much like the original Armor, but after testing graphics card temperatures with and without the fan, we noticed a difference of about 3 degrees Celsius while idle and 2 degrees Celsius while under load when we simply unplugged the fan.

Perhaps the most recognizable feature of the Thermaltake Armor Series cases, are the front flaps. The flaps on the front look a lot better than the original Armor. Perhaps it's just a personal preference, but I like the sleeker look of the Armor+ as opposed to the Armor. If you are not familiar with both cases, here is a side by side photo comparison.

There is an easy access bay for the liquid cooling system. Once the top is slid back, adjusting the fan speed on the radiator is as simple as turning a knob. If heat is an issue in your particular case, this can help draw in cool air from the outside, thus assisting in cooling your processor and anything else attached to your LCS.

Although there are technically eleven 5.25" front drive bays, only seven of then can actually be used. Unlike the original Armor, The Thermaltake Armor+ LCS has the 3.5 HDD bays fixed to the case in the area where the lower four 5.25" bays are. Although this prevents you from being able to use more than seven bays, this should be enough for the majority of people, as it is still more than most cases on the market. If you do indeed opt to get the LCS, you will again loose three drive bays. this puts you down to four available 5.25" drive bays. Again, this shouldn't be a problem for most people, but it is technically not the 7 bays one would expect from the specifications.

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