INTRODUCTION

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

   When i first started my journey in computers around 25 years ago things were very simple when building your own system so you pretty much had to choose between just a handful of mainboards and CPUs, even less memory modules and sound cards and if that wasn't already bad enough things were even worse when it came to HDDs, graphics cards, monitors, peripherals and of course PC Cases. Back then variety was non-existent (you could probably count every consumer available brand with just your fingers) so the only thing we could do was to look forward for new technologies announced and compared to now it took many years for most of those to reach us. Just imagine that it took roughly a decade before i could even find a PC Case that wasn't just 6 flat metal plates joint together and painted white. Well the exact opposite happens today but things aren't that much different since because of the countless models in the market some people have it equally hard to find the PC Case best suited for their needs. Thermaltake has been in the "special" PC Case industry right from the start and they just rolled out one of the most impressive cases of the year the Core V71 Full Tower which we have here with us today.

 

   The beginning of every myth and legend is about dreams and desire: the challenging, creative and combative features of Thermaltake Group create an exciting and fascinating user experience to share with everyone, while allowing users to enter a selfless state in terms of function and potential. Thermaltake Group's 3 main brands: Thermaltake, Tt eSPORTS and LUXA2 have been merchandising throughout the world, and have successfully established 6 business footholds in areas such as Europe, America, Oceania, Japan and China, with 95 regional distributors and over 4000 premium retailers. All product planning is orientated by observation of global PC peripheral market and understanding of consumer demands. Thermaltake creates direct contact opportunities with resellers and consumers by participating major global ICT exhibitions and trade shows every year, and develop innovative marketing strategies for the promotions of new products. Meanwhile, Thermaltake incorporates the composite marketing system by making branch offices and regional distributors both the distribution channel and technical support or service center to provide instant support; by maintaining close contact with end users, we manage to strengthen corporate competitiveness and create the momentum for the growth of accomplishments. With its outstanding wisdom and strength Thermaltake Group is recruiting creative talents to build a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology and lifestyle!

 

   The Core V71 is one of the most unique PC Cases ever designed and manufactured by Thermaltake something which is quite obvious from the moment you lay your eyes on its somewhat strange exterior. However it isn't until you start reading its specifications and features sheet that you realize how much work Thermaltake has placed into it. So the Core V71 features plenty of interior space, three fully removable drive cages, completely tool-free installation, superior airflow levels right from the factory (3x200mm/1x140mm fans) and not one but three radiator mounts two of which (top/front) can accommodate the massive 420mm long ones while at the bottom you can use an 240mm one. However no matter how much we like a PC Case right from the get go a closer examination is always in order so without further delay let’s see what the brand new Core V71 Full Tower has to offer.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To our surprise the Core V71 arrived inside a plain cardboard box with just a drawing of the tower on both the front and rear.

 

 

The specifications list is placed on the right side.

 

 

The main product features are listed on the left side in 12 languages.

 

 

As expected the case is placed inside a plastic bag and between two thick foam spacers.

 

 

Thermaltake hasn't placed much in the box so aside the tower itself you will also get the user’s manual, warranty information paper, 8pin power extension cord, mainboard speaker, and 5 cable ties.

 

 

THE CORE V71 EXTERIOR

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want an elegant tower the Core V71 may not fit the bill, however if you just want a good looking tower you will like it the moment you take it out of the box.

 

 

A very large clear window takes the largest area of the left side panel thus allowing the user to see almost everything inside.

 

 

The fascia is almost entirely perforated to allow air to slip inside.

 

 

Two 5.25" drive bays are present at the top end of the fascia. Unfortunately since these are not next to each other you can't use a dual 5.25" device.

 

 

Right beneath the drive bays and behind the fascia Thermaltake has placed two 200mm intake LED fans (600-800RPM/13-15dBA).

 

 

Moving at the top of the case we see the round on/off power button and the I/O.

 

 

he I/O consists from two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, headphones and microphone 3.5mm connectors, reset button, HDD activity LED and a two speed fan controller for the top and front fans which also controls their LEDs.

 

 

As you can see the largest part of the top is also perforated to allow for the 200mm exhaust LED fan beneath (600-800RPM/13-15dBA) to push air out (you can add a 2nd 200mm exhaust fan there if you want).

 

 

The rear also has a nice black matte color and as you can see Thermaltake has already equipped the Core V71 with a 140mm exhaust fan (you can replace it with an 120mm one if you want).

 

 

From the rear you can also remove the top dust-filter.

 

 

Regular thumbscrews are used to secure both panels in place (these ones however don't leave the panels).

 

 

The Core V71 sits on 4 extensions of the chassis and has two more similar removable dust-filters at the bottom as the one used at the top (unfortunately to remove the front filter you need to remove the fascia first).

 

 

The right side panel is clearly designed to improve cable management/routing behind the mainboard tray.

 

 

THE CORE V71 INTERIOR

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

The interior is also black but the thing that draws your attention immediately is the black/blue drive trays.

 

 

In the Core V71 you can place up to two 5.25" drives however only 1 bay has an locking mechanism (the other is placed above and requires screws).

 

 

You can have up to eight 3.5"/2.5" drives inside the tower.

 

 

 

We haven't seen much sturdier drive trays compared to the ones used here.

 

 

 

All 4 drive cages can be removed to make room either for really long graphics cards or for water cooling tanks and pumps. The drive cages are attached on this vertical metal piece so to remove them you first have to remove it.

 

 

To remove it you have to remove a total of 10 thumbscrews holding it in place with both the chassis and the drive cages.

 

 

On the other hand to release the drive cages after you remove the vertical metal piece you will first need to remove 10 more thumbscrews placed on the front and rear of the mainboard tray as seen above.

 

 

You can then put the drive cages how you want them (use just one, two or all three).

 

 

If you don't want to use fans in push and pull for the front radiator (or if you don't want a thick one as the 360mm we used by XSPC) you can keep the drive cages.

 

 

 

However since for even more demanding users 420mm long ones are more popular you will have to remove the 5.25" bay as seen above to fit one (only 4 small screws hold it from the front).

 

 

Worry not so if you choose to ditch all 3 drive cages you still have 2 vertical tray spots at the rear (you will need to use two trays from the ones in the cages).

 

 

There are 5 rubber grommets on the mainboard tray used for cable routing along with a large cutout used to swap CPU Cooler brackets. Right behind the mainboard tray there's plenty of room for cable routing thanks to the right side panel.

 

 

The 140mm fan placed at the rear (1000RPM/16dBA) doesn't feature a blue LED like the other three.

 

 

Regular thumbscrews are used to secure all 8 PCI expansion slots.

 

 

At the base of the Core V71 we see a length adjustable base for the PSU and spots for two 120mm intake fans or a single 240mm Radiator.

 

 

Luckily fitting a radiator at the top is quite easier compared to the front.

 

 

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always the purpose of this section is not to build a functional system but rather to showcase what you can expect from the case at hand in terms of interior space.

The Core V71 is compatible with E-ATX mainboards so it was expected for a normal ATX mainboard to leave free space around it.

 

 

You can probably use the largest CPU Cooler around and still have no issues with the top and rear of the tower (up to 185mm tall).

 

 

If you choose to keep the HDD rack you will have up to 310mm of space for graphics cards. However if you choose to remove the HDD rack that space skyrockets to 400mm.

 

 

Using the longest power supply unit is no problem but you may have to forget using the bottom rubber grommet.

 

 

NOISE LEVEL TEST

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Many PC Case manufacturers started off in the late 90's but the fact that Thermaltake is not only still alive and kicking after all this time but it has also one of the largest shares in the market can't be a fluke and the funny thing is that you just need to take a look at our review of the Core V71 to see why that is. Of course the Core V71 was never ment to rival the top PC Cases in the market currently like the 900D by Corsair or the Cosmos II by Cooler Master in terms of elegance, interior space and build quality but right from the factory it actually offers much higher airflow levels (and immensely better ones if you use all 4x200mm and 3x120mm fan spots) and more radiator mounts (or at least longer ones). The completely tool-free design is also very convenient but it's not something we haven't seen in the past with other PC Cases so nothing exciting here. What is exciting however is that you can mount the drive trays behind the right side of the mainboard plate which means you can have none of the drive cages inside the tower (allowing you to use quad GPU configurations and interior water cooling tanks) and still have a fully working system. One thing that surprised everyone here is that although the Core V71 comes fitted with 3x200mm and 1x140mm fans the noise levels recorded even at full load where not much louder than most of the other cases in our database so that should appeal to most people especially people who'd like a quiet system with excellent airflow levels. Unfortunately the Core V71 is not HPTX compatible and only has two 5.25" drive bays two things that may drive away some potential buyers with HPTX mainboard and more than just two available 5.25" devices but aside the fact that there are very few HPTX mainboards in the market currently the majority of people i know just use an DVD-RW/Blu-Ray player/recorder and in some rare cases a front fan controller so i don't think that this will affect things much.

 

   Thermaltake released the Core V71 just a while ago (which is also why we are the very first to get their hands one it) and so unfortunately it's not available everywhere around the globe just yet so if you really like it you might have to wait for a couple of weeks before you get your hands on it. It is currently available however inside the USA for a price tag of USD159.99 (Newegg) something which should be enough for many people to rejoice over. Of course if you prefer complete silence over incredible airflow levels then the Core V71 Full Tower might not be the right case for you since that's not its purpose but for overclockers, gamers and enthusiasts in general i can't think of a PC Case with better cooling potential and airflow than this and that's why it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Superior Airflow Right from the Factory (3x200mm/1x140mm Fans)
- Maximum Airflow Levels (4x200mm/3x120mm Fans)
- Room Up To 3 Radiators (2x240/360/420mm - 1x240mm)
- Fully Removable Drive Cages
- Vertical Drive Spots
- Price (For Some)

 

CONS

- Only Two 5.25" Bays