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Pros
Cons
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TechwareLabs Rating:7.5 out of 10 |
Introduction
As the core components (CPU, GPU, RAM, etc) continue to get more extreme their demand on the supporting components (PSU, cooler, case, etc) grows significantly. We need more power with better efficiency, more cooling capacity with less noise, and more space with better aesthetics. As far as cases go, nobody wants to put their $2000 gaming rig in a beige box with a couple fans in it. They want sleek design, stunning looks, incredible air flow, and more features.
Today we are taking a look at one of Thermaltake’s top of the line cases, the Core V71. This full-tower beast has a subtle curved mesh exterior, a fully modular internal design, a massive amount of built-in air cooling, and support for a monster water cooling setup. Read on to see how it performs.
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Features
- Enthusiast-Focused Design – Subtle curves, bold textures and clean lines are featured in many award-winning case designs from Thermaltake. Core V71 keeps to this trend, including enthusiast-level features while keeping the design simple. The massive mesh design maintains a constant stream of fresh air inside the case while keeping the hot air out. The integration of a fan controller and LED indicator,offers a perfect complement outside of the chassis.
- Fully Modular Concept – A highly customizable 5.25” & 3.5” drive bay feature enables users to freely interchange the 3.5” hard-drive cages to suit their needs and remove the 5.25” & 3.5” drive bays to gain maximum interior space for advance cooling performance or liquid system build.
- Tool-Free Installation – The exclusive back-tray design allows the user to assemble and expand easily and quickly when all the drive cages have been removed. Time-saving screwless assembly with the 5.25” & 3.5” tool-free drive bay design minimizes the hassles of installing ODD and HDD devices and maximizes the convenience and ease of accessibility.
- Supreme Air Cooling System – Core V71 is built with a fundamental airflow-optimized design. Standard equipped with triple 200mm LED fans and a 140mm fan, it is the first chassis in the market that has the ability to house four 200mm fans along with three more 120mm fans, achieving unrivalled airflow.
- Extensive Liquid Cooling Support – Core V71 pushes the envelope and utilizes a high-end water-cooling solution that feature front 360/420mm, top 360/420mm and bottom 120/240mm radiators to support extreme performance.
Specifications
| Case Type | Full Tower |
| Dimension (H x W x D) | 583 x 230 x 560 mm (23 x 9.1 x 22 inch) |
| Net Weight | 13.2 kg |
| Material | SPCC |
| Cooling System | Front (intake): 200 x 200 x 30 mm Blue LED fan (600~800rpm, 13~15dBA) x 2 Rear (exhaust): 140 x 140 x 25 mm Turbo fan (1000rpm, 16dBA) Top (exhaust): 200 x 200 x 30 mm Blue LED fan (600~800rpm, 13~15dBA) |
| Drive Bays | -Accessible : 2 x 5.25’’ -Hidden : 8 x 3.5’’ or 8 x 2.5’’ |
| Expansion Slots | 8 |
| Motherboards | 9.6” x 9.6” (Micro ATX) 12” x 9.6” (ATX) 12” x 13” (Extend ATX) |
| I/O Ports | USB 3.0 x 2,USB 2.0 x 2, HD Audio x 1 |
| Fan Support | Front: 1 x 120mm or 2 x 120mm or 3 x 120mm 1 x 140mm or 2 x 140mm 1 x 200mm or 2 x 200mm Top: 1 x 120mm or 2 x 120mm or 3 x 120mm 1 x 140mm or 2 x 140mm 1 x 200mm or 2 x 200mm Rear: 1 x 120mm or 1 x 140mm Bottom: 1 x 120mm or 2 x 120mm |
| Radiator Support | Front: 1 x 120mm or 1 x 240mm or 1 x 360mm 1 x 140mm or 1 x 280mm or 1 x 420mm Top: 1 x 120mm or 1 x 240mm or 1 x 360mm 1 x 140mm or 1 x 280mm or 1 x 420mm Rear: 1 x 120mm Bottom: 1 x 120mm or 1 x 240mm |
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Exterior
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Thermaltake went for a more subtle design with the Core V71 with a satin black finish, mesh front and top, and rounded edges. The only thing breaking up this otherwise plain box is the massive window on the left side.
On the right side we see the bulged out case door which gives you a little more room for cable management.
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On the top of the case we have a large brushed aluminum power button in the center flanked by the fan controller and activity LED on one side and the USB and headphone/mic ports on the other. All of the buttons give a nice, solid click feel to them rather than mushy and soft like on many cases.
Around back we see the 8 expansion slots as well as the 140mm exhaust fan.
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Removing the snap-on top and front panels reveals the 3 included 200mm fans. On both the front and top you are able to fit two 200mm, two 140mm, or three 120mm fans. Installing a second 200mm fan in the top of the case requires temporarily moving the top 5.25″ bay. The fan also sticks in to the bay, making installing anything longer than a standard fan controller impossible.
There are removable dust filters for every intake port on the case including the front and top panels as well as the bottom of the case.
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Interior
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Inside the case we see the large CPU cutout, cable management holes, and 8 hard drive cages. Thermaltake went for a “fully modular” design with this case. The cages themselves are removable to allow easy access to drives and are split in to three separate sections which are independently removable. This design allows you to only use the cages you need, letting you open up the rest of the front for more airflow.
You can also remove all of the sections as well as the support bar and the interior 5.25″ bay to completely open the front of the case for maximum airflow and radiator mounting possibilities.
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The power supply sits on rubber feet on a crossbar that elevates it above the bottom of the case. There is a vent directly below it to supply fresh air as well as room for two more 120mm fans in front of it.
Behind the motherboard tray we can clearly see the cable management options. You have grommeted holes in the key areas and various punch-outs for zip-tying cables to. A very cool feature of the Core V71 is the ability to mount up to 2 drives on the back of the hard drive cage. This allows you to hide your drives in the back of the case and remove all of the cages to maximum space inside.
You get about a half inch of space between the motherboard tray and the edge of the case, but with the extra space provided by the door bulge that increases to about an inch which is plenty to route even a 24-pin power connector without having to force the door on.
Installation
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Installation went without a hitch for everything but the cooler. The board dropped right in, the PSU bolted up, and the HDD and SDD mounted to the back of the mobo tray no problem.
I planned on top-mounting the radiator like normal but realized that the only way to do that with a 360mm rad is to remove the internal 5.25″ bay. Not only does this cut your usable bays down to just one, but when you install something in the top bay it doesn’t sit flush with the front of the case due to the curvature on the top.
So I instead decided to mount the rad at the front of the case. The problem here is that the hoses are not quite long enough to reach unless you bring the fans inside. When you do this it’s then not possible to reinstall the hard drive cages.
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The cable management holes worked great but I would have liked to have more places to zip-tie cables to. Installing the drives on the back of the HDD cage was very simple, but I found that the bottom drive is a little too close to the bottom of the case which makes the cables bend more than I’d like and there was clearance issues with using a 90 degree cable. Even with every cable in the case routed around back I could still easily close the door.
With everything installed and the side panel on the case looks great. With a side windows this big though you have to make sure your cabling is perfect because you can see everything from top to bottom.
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Final Thoughts
Pros
- Looks great
- Plenty of radiator/fan support
- Modular design lets you set up only what you need
- Filters everywhere keep dust down
- Good cable management
- Lots of included fans
Cons
- Clearance issues with larger radiators
- Only two 5.25″ bays
Overall, I think the Thermaltake Core V71 is a pretty solid case. It has a sleek, no frills appearance, a ton of radiator and fan support, a modular design, plenty of dust filters, good cable management options, and comes with more than enough fans to get you going. My main issue with the case is that although you can fit huge radiators (up to 420mm) in the front and top, you sacrifice key functionality to do so because of clearance problems. Going along with that, the fact that you only have two 5.25 bays and one has to be removed to put a large rad up top means you are very limited on 5.25 devices.
The issues I have mainly stem from trying to install very serious watercooling equipment in the case. If you don’t plan on going extreme in that department then this case would be great for you. However, if you read the Thermaltake website and expect to be able to stack multiple huge rads in while maintaining all functionality you are going to be disappointed.
Currently going for $140, it’s a little pricey for many people, but it falls in line with other premium full tower cases from the other big manufactures. For all the features you get, as long as you understand the limitations of this case I’d say it’s definitely worth taking a look at.
