Thermaltake Armor+ MX Mid Tower Case Review

Exterior Impressions cont.

Moving around to the back we can see the layout is fairly standard with the cutout at the top for the obviously top mounted Power Supply, which is not included. Just below this and to the left we can see Thermaltake has taken the time to include an I/O shield and while is unlikely it will be compatible with modern day motherboard, it will protect those delicate edges from damage if said shield was not there. Once again it’s the little things which this which stamp this case as a Thermaltake product.


To the right of the I/O shield we can see Thermaltake has included a 120mm fan and while it appears to be a rather restrictive vent for said fan we shall see how well it really is during testing.


Below the I/O shield are the seven ventilated expansion slot coverings. Once again this little touch of ventilating the expansion slot covers will allow air to more easily enter and exit the case. This can be especially important if your video card is a hot running single bay style as hot air can still be pushed out the back of the case by that big 23cm fan. These are certainly not ground breaking or even something which would be a deal sealer but never the less all these little things are adding up into a pretty impressive gestalt, funky spoiler or no.

However, one thing was very conspicuous by their absence, were holes for water cooling. In this day and age not including two simple little holes can be considered a major oversight. Yes, we understand there is a model specifically for water cooling, but not everyone wants to spend the extra for full premade Thermaltake kit, and would rather spend less money and put together their own. Heck, alot of water cooling people like building their own loops and they have pretty specific ideas on what constitutes the perfect part(s) for their ideal system which does not include “all in one” or “value oriented” kits,


Before we move on we would like to point out the two extra large knurled (thumb) screws which add an extra layer of security to the side panel. These little screws are so much easier to work with, we highly recommend them to anyone and in fact I make sure to include them in all high end custom builds I do. Even better is the fact these screws are captured screws in which as long as you don’t forcefully remove them, they will not fall out of the side panel and thus not get lost unless you really try hard.

These screws may not be expensive, but they are a classy touch which actually helps protect the case in the long run. With the normal little screws as seen on the other panel, you need a screwdriver to remove them, thus the chances are good that at some point your screwdriver is going to slip and scratch the hell out of the case (or worse still is you were impatient and used a knife and thus stuck a whole in the windowed side panel.). It is odd why Thermaltake did not include these for the other side but then again once you are up and running, 9 time out of 10 times you will only need access to the main windowed side of the computer anyways.


The bottom of the Armor+ MX is a little bit on the disappointing side. Thermaltake has not included moveable feet or even large rubber feet; rather they have gone for these small feet which don’t exactly instill confidence in their long term viability. After spending the kind of money this case demands, we would certainly be disappointed and maybe even a little upset if we saw such cheesy little feet on our fancy new purchase. On the positive side at least said feet are made of a soft rubber so they do have good anti-vibration properties. As a side note this case does sit fairly high of the ground, and one has to wonder if at some point in the design cycle is was a bottom mounted PSU case. Either way, it was disappointing to see the entire bottom of the case is covered in plastic and one has to wonder how well all this plastic will stand up to life’s bumps and bangs.

Overall this case an interesting combination of metal, aluminum and above all else plastic; and in the end, you will either really like the ascetics of this case or you will hate it as there seems to be not no middle ground. Like it or hate it, the Armour+ MX certainly does nothing by half measures, and in the end maybe that is the best kind of case. After all who really wants a bland case which doesn’t metaphorically speak to you whenever you look at it? Even if you are not fond of the ascetics of the case it is hard to fault Thermaltake for all the little refinements which they have included. Now, if only these refinements had continued onto the top and the bottom of the case, or even to a simple nod towards all use water cooling aficionados...