Thermaltake Armor+ MX Mid Tower Case Review

Conclusion

The Thermaltake Armor+ MX is a very curious case which is hard to pin down and label. In some ways it is very user-friendly, and we can attest to the ease of use when it comes to the hard drive caddies and even the 5.25 bay mounting system. These two systems work as advertised and they really are tool free if you want them to be, yet still you have the option of more secure mountig and these really stand out for both their ease of use and good engineering. Other basic facets of installation are simple as well due to this case's good amount of interior room and cable routing options.

Unfortunately, this case is marred by numerous less than optimal engineering solutions; take the expansion port tool-less adapters for example. On the one hand Thermaltake engineers took the time to get it right by pre-drilling holes in all of them to help with air flow, yet they hobbled the most important part -the actual tool-less installation- with these finicky plastic plugs which are simply a hassle to use. The same could be said of the front 5.25 bay blanking panels. Once again they got the little things right like the air mesh filters and easy to remove swing arm installation, yet the plastic they used is very flexible and could be time consuming the get back into place.

These two things can be forgiven as maybe it is just us, and maybe we are being overly harsh on this case; after all, we are human and we too make mistakes. What is inexcusable and very obviously not a figment of out overactive imagination was the power supply holes not lining up. Yes, you could “fix” this by removing the PSU bar, but this is a less than optimal solution to a problem which should never have left the assembly line in the first place.

In the installation process was more good than bad, but there were enough annoyances to taint the overall process. The same could be said of its looks, in that from the front this case has very clean and elegant lines but from the sides and the back it all goes to pot very quickly. This is however our personal opinion and you may be one that actually likes the exterior design of this case. Luckily, the Armour+ MX does have a saving grace, which in this instance is the fans which come with it. All three fans were very quiet, well mannered and best of all did their jobs exceptionally well. If you want an interesting looking mid tower which comes standard with some great fans this is definitely right up there with other high end models.

However, quiet or not, annoying quirks or not, heck even alternative looks aside, this case is pricey. For the same or even less money one can get Antec P182 case, or for about the same or a little more money the Antec P182SE stainless steel model. I am sorry to say but this level of build quality, great fans or no pales in comparison to such esteemed peerage as the P182. If this case sold for more or less a $100 it would be well worth considering but unless your number one priority is a stock air cooling solution which is as quiet as can be this case is simply outclassed by competitors in the same price range. Hopefully, future revisions will round the rough edges and make this a true competitor for its price range.

Pros:
- Quiet Fans
- Easy installation of hard drives
- Tool-less design throughout
- eSATA front port
- Blue glowing LED fans

Cons:
- Pricey
- Way to much plastic used
- Some tool-less designs are less than optimal solutions
- Aesthetics not for everyone