Thermaltake Tenor VB2000 - Drawbacks and Conclusion
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There are a few drawbacks to this case and the most noticeable of these is the absence of a Thermaltake power supply included with the case. It is not often that a Thermaltake power supply unit is included with any Thermaltake case, but when it is it certainly improves the quality of the case you are purchasing. This drawback is hardly worth noting, but its absence is noticeable.
Additionally, it is worth noting that the manual and Thermaltake's own website advocate caution if you are planning to install an optical drive in the lowest 5.25 inch bay because it may have issues with the motherboard you have installed. This is an important detail to be aware of, but since likely very few people would be installing three 5.25 inch devices that would reach that deep into the case, it is not going to be considered a weakness in the design of the case.
The overall cooling of the system is good but not great. The front intake fan, while drawing cool air in through a better than average opening in the bottom of the bezel, is under-utilized and not capable of drawing a significant amount of air through it. The rear fans do an admirable job of pulling the warm air out of the case, but their presence is also positioned very close to where the CPU fan would be located and in very close proximity to the opening on the top of the case meant to feed cool air to the processor. These top openings also diminish the "wind tunnel" effect that can be generated by a front intake fan and rear exhaust fans. The positioning of the front intake fan right on top of the hard drive cage is great but it could be improved with better front to rear flow without other openings disrupting the movement of the cool air.
Pros:
- Excellent aesthetic design.
- Gold plated foot pads.
- Excellent drive optical drive door.
- Thorough and detailed manual.
- Removable swing arm and cage for 3.5 inch drives.
Cons:
- Front to rear airflow is satisfactory but not exceptional.
- No Thermaltake power supply included.
- Panel perforations do not improve airflow.
Conclusion
The case is certainly worth buying if you're looking for a good and solid home theater PC case. With the number of subtle features this case possesses and slightly stealthy surprises this is certainly a good buy.
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