ThermalTake Armor VA8000S Full Tower Case Review - PAGE 2

First Impressions

The first thing that I noticed when I took the Armor out of the box was how much it reminded me of the Stacker with the multitude of optical drive bays. However, there are some differences between the two units that are worth noting. Firstly there is the large case window that isn't available on the Stacker. The front bezel design is different also with a french door-like approach; each side flips outwards independently Admittedly while the side flaps don't really serve much purpose other than hide the edges of the optical drives but it does give the case a much more rounded look. The doors are made of aluminum so they do have a solid feeling as opposed to the flimsy feel of plastic and they remain closed with a couple of small magnets on the door.

Unlike the shiny plastic front bezel of the Soprano, there were no fingerprint problems with the Armor. This might have been due to the fact that this case was silver instead of black, but the number of fingerprints even viewing at an angle was significantly less. Although the current trend of chrome and black makes products like the PSP and iPod look very attractive the ability for these units to stay clean is a bit more suspect and it is good to see that Thermaltake did not feel the need to go this route with the aluminum Armor.

The Package

The package is very basic, consisting of a lens cloth, another fan (to install in the front), a set of screws for installing 3.5 inch drives into the 5.25 bay converters. As with the Soprano, Thermaltake has included the keys to unlocking the side panel yet again, and once again, the barrel keys provided are good enough to open any Thermaltake door, which makes the whole idea a little bit less effective.

Something that is not shown is the dust filter that hides behind every 5.25 inch bay cover. This is a nice touch by Thermaltake, and is very much appreciated considering the number of holes in the case.

Interestingly, one of the bays also doubles up as a storage tray perhaps for keeping installation CDs, extra screws and the like. It is an interesting addition (and perhaps practical too) to the case.