Thermaltake Element Q Small Form Factor Chassis

 

Small form factor PC’s can often be a fun endeavour but they can also be an essential part of a network. Their leading applications include HTPCs and wordprocessors/internet browsers but the limitations only exist with software.  Some Mini-ITX cases come with all the bells and whistles and start at a small fortune.  But what if you’re looking for a chassis without breaking the bank?  Here to hold that position in the market is the Thermaltake Element Q Small Form Factor Chassis.  Lets take a look at how Thermaltake advertises this case:

• Quintessence – Typical small form factor, Mini-ITX chassis
• Qute – Cute , small size which require minimum spacing.
• Quiet – Energy saving platform with fanless chassis design.
• Built-in 200W SFX power supply
• Front I/O ports for easy access
• Compatible with Intel Atom platform
• Don’t settle for less.  Element Q supports full-size 5.25” Optical Disk Drives (Blu-Ray Players or DVD-RW Drives).

 

Looks like everthing a no-frills Mini-ITX case needs.  According to Thermaltake, it’s even cute! Lets continue to see if this chassis really deserves to be called “cute”.

 

 

 

Case Type	Mini Case
Material	SGCC
Front Bezel Material	Plastic
Color	Black
Side Panel	No
Motherboard Support	Mini ITX
Motherboard Tray	No
5.25″ Drive Bay	1
3.5″ Drive Bay	1x external 1x Internal
PCI Slots	1
Front I/O	2x USB 2.0 HD Audio
Cooling	None
Included Power Supply	200W SFX PSU 1x 20+4 Pin Motherboard Connection 1x 4 Pin CPU Connection 2x Molex Connection 2x SATA Connection 1x Floppy
Dimensions (H*W*D)	120 x 220 x 330mm 5.12 x 8.66 x 13 inchs
Weight	2.7kg 5.95lb
Warranty	3 Year

 

The specs show this to be a very simple case.  No Frills and nothing extraneous.  One thing that does worry me is the fact that this case comes without cooling and without the option to add cooling.  It does have side mesh but nothing moving air.  This will be something to keep in mind as to what motherboard to put in this case (Preferably one without passive cooling) and where to place the case itself (somewhere with good air flow).

 

The exterior of this case is very simple yet very sleek and functional for the Small Form Factor application.  Flat Black exterior with red accents surround a 5.25″ bay, 3.5″ bay, Power buttons, and 2x USB 2.0 / HD Audio ports.  We do have mesh on both sides of the case as well as on the back for air flow but we do not have a fan or fan mounts.  As I said earlier, to be safe I would not put a passively-cooled board into this case and stick it in an enclosed area.  While most mini-itx boards are not “hot”, over time they can become quite warm if not ventilated properly.  I would not trust the PSU fan both cool itself and the case.The back of the case shows us  the top-mounted PSU and 1x PCI expansion slot.  Overall the exterior of this case is simple and will easily fit into any situation (black matches everything, or so I’m told).  However with the flat black paint be sure to keep a rag handy as fingerprints seem to pop up everywhere.

 

Every time I work with a small form factor setup I’m always baffled at how much they fit into a small area.  The interior of this case has spots for 1x 2.5″ drive, 1x 3.5″ drive, and 1x 5.25 drive with everything fitting snugly together.  The included Power Supply supports both Intel Atom boards as well as AMD E-350 boards.  Thermaltake has not slacked on the build quality here: Aside from the plastic front everything else is metal and feels firm.

 

If you’re looking for a budget small form factor chassis to setup a HTPC the Thermaltake Element Q is worth the look.  For $80 (at time of writing) you get both the Chassis and the PSU: not a bad deal considering some other small form factor chassis can start at $150 without the PSU.  I could easily see myself throwing in a Small SSD or HDD and a BD drive to set this up as a no frills HTPC.  If Sleek, small, and effective are what you’re looking for, take a look at the Thermaltake Element Q.  The only con I can come up with is the lack of cooling or cooling options.  I wouldn’t have a problem if it came fanless but with a mount for a fan.  While Mini-ITX boards are rarely hot, a small quiet fan couldn’t hurt.

Pros Sleek Styling Included PSU Small Price

Cons No included cooling or option to upgrade to cooling