Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 cont.
Both case doors feature an interesting pattern and the left side has an oddly shaped case window along with a huge intake fan. The left panel also has a small fold-out latch in the top right corner to hold your headphones.
The Chaser MK-1 stands on four massive feet that lift it 35mm off the ground and can rotate out at a 90-degree angle for greater stability. Also under the case is a large dust filter that protects the power supply, as well as a 120mm fan grill should you care to install one.
The Chaser MK-1 has a solid internal design with excellent cable management and plenty of easy to use tool-less components. There are four 5.25" bays and six 3.5" bays that support both 3.5" and 2.5" drives, while Thermaltake has included a 5.25" to 3.5" converter for an external 3.5" device. All of the tool-free drive mounts work particularly well.
Instead of a latch mechanism, Thermaltake provides thumbscrews for the eight expansion slots.
Hardware is cooled with two 200mm Colorshift fans (one intake and one exhaust), along with a rear 140mm TurboFan exhaust fan and the ability to install two aftermarket fans.
Although most enthusiast cases have a CPU hole in their motherboard tray, we've encountered several motherboard and case combinations where the processor socket simply doesn't line up with the cutout. This won't be an issue for the Chaser MK-1 as it has an enormous opening. The motherboard tray also offers plenty of cable management options and there is ample room to hide thick power cables.
The Chaser MK-1 provides 330mm of clearance for graphics cards and 190mm for CPU heatsinks – more than enough space for the largest components in each category.
Overall, the Chaser MK-1's intelligent layout and abundance of room made our installation process a walk in the park. Assuming you're not put off by its looks, it's a solid contender in the $160 range.