Thermaltake Core V1 mini-ITX Chassis Review

Introduction

Thermaltake are easily one of the best chassis manufacturers around. This is especially true for those who want to utilize the latest and greatest technology in their system builds, even more so with those who love to modify their rigs. Thermaltake has proven time and time again that they’re able to provide innovative and practical features that can help you build a better high-end gaming rig, with extensive support for advanced features such as water cooling.

The Core V1 caught our attention earlier this year at Computex 2014 when we saw this tiny chassis fitted out with a glorious custom loop water cooling setup. This was very impressive, as the chassis exterior dimensions are just 276 x 260 x 316mm! Despite its small size, the V1 still promises to house up to four hard drives, a 285mm graphics card, plenty of cooling hardware and a PSU of up to 200mm. There is no doubt that you can get a lot of high-end hardware in here. If you’re looking for a super-compact gaming rig for LAN or for your living room, then the V1 certainly sounds promising.

The V1 may be tiny, but it has a massive amount of ventilation. This extensive amount of airflow will help keep your high-end build as cool as possible, but it may cause some issues with dust if you’re not careful.

The main I/O panel is tucked away on the left side of the front panel and comes equipped with everything you should need.

The right side panel is the same as the left, so much so that you can actually remove the panel and swap them around.

The curved metal mesh of the front panel looks a little industrial, but its very nicely finished and provides a huge amount of airflow to the 200mm fan which is mounted behind it.

Around the back you’ll find a pair of 80mm fan mounts, the motherboard I/O, two expansion slots and the PSU mount. The PSU cut-out and the expansion slots really put into perspective how small that chassis really is.

The top panel features a large clear perspex window.

On the base of the chassis you’ve got four hard feet and a slide out dust filter for the PSU section. Here’s where things get interesting, the top, bottom and side panels are all the same dimensions. This means you can put them in any order you want. If you would like the top window panel on the side? No problem, want to go crazy and put the feet on the side of the chassis? You can! It’s a little strange, but chassis modders are going to love this flexibility.

Interior

With all the side panels removed, you can see that the Core V1 is split into two main sections. The lower section is used for the PSU and some storage components, while the top section is used for the motherboard, graphics cards and cooling solutions.

The bottom section is quite large, which is great news for those wanting to use a longer PSU and it should also mean there’s space for extra routing excess cables.

There are two removable hard drive brackets on the Core V1, each with support for a single 2.5″ and a 3.5″ drive.

Each bracket is held in place by metal clips and a single screw.

There’s a 200mm fan pre-installed in the front, but you can easily remove it and use the universal elongated screw mounts for a 120/140mm fan or radiator.

With the bottom panel removed, you get easy access to the underside of the motherboard. This could prove very handy when trying to install your CPU cooler, routing cables or when modding the chassis.

Behind the front panel you’ll notice a tall cut-out on the left, this allows even more clearance for long graphics cards; every little helps.

As I said before, all of the external panels are removable and interchangeable, a nice beginner friendly mod to customise the chassis to your liking.

The front panel is fitted with a soft foam dust filter, so you’ll have to clean this out regularly with a soft brush to prevent dust build up.

Complete System

I’ve opted to install our MSI Twin ForzrII GTX 560 Ti graphics card in this chassis. Unfortunately, our Sapphire 270X didn’t fit, but only because it has a massive chassis that extends beyond the end of the cards PCB, a real shame it didn’t fit. On the plus side, I have finally rolled out one of my new test PSU’s the Seasonic M12 II Bronze Evo Edition, which fits perfectly and there’s certainly ample room behind it for excess cables.

I’ve installed our Adata 128GB SSD in the left most drive bay, you can see it tucked away behind the bracket. You can of course install a 3.5″ drive in the front section of the same bay, but I left ours out so you can better see the SSD mounting space.

I’ve installed a fairly low-profile CPU cooler, but you can see that there is loads of room for something larger. Here you can also see how I’ve used the lower section of the chassis for cable management, although I’m sure you could do a lot better with shorter cables and a few extra cable ties.

Here you can see I’ve taken the top panel and installed it on the left side, this gives us a great view of the graphics card and PSU, but keep in mind that it could affect airflow to the graphics card.

You could always swap the panels round again, giving the GPU the airflow it loves so much and you’ll still get a nice view from the top of the chassis.

A nice top down view of the motherboard and CPU cooler.

Final Thoughts

Pricing

The Thermaltake Core V1 is priced at a very competitive £41.99 from Box.co.uk. This puts it along side chassis such as the Cooler Master Elite 120 and the Silverstone SST-SG08 Lite, while remaining very competitive against both in terms of specifications. Consumers in the US get an even better deal, as the V1 can be picked up from Amazon.com for just $48.99 with free shipping.

Overview

This is one of the coolest mini-ITX chassis on the market. Sure there are lots of incredible chassis out there to choose from, such as a wide range of products from Silverstone, BitFenix and Corsair, to name but a few. However, very few (if any) can offer the same as the Core V1. To have this level of customisation and a mod-friendly design, high-end hardware support and water cooling capabilities, a tiny external size and an even smaller price tag, is nothing short of incredible!

Thermaltake have really out done themselves this time. The V1 manages to be both a premium quality product with high-end features, while also being available for a budget friendly price tag. This means that the chassis is going to appeal to a very wide audience. Those looking for an easy to transport LAN gaming rig, a small system to put next to their TV, a funky gaming rig for their bed room, or a cool chassis mod project; all will find something to love about the Core V1.

The V1 completes the Thermaltake Core family, which now spans everything from mini-ITX right up to fully fledged ATX full towers. This is great news for Thermaltake fans who want to have a smaller 2nd system that mimics the style of their big rig.

Build quality is exceptional throughout. All the panels are durable, well finish and everything locks into place first time. You can also see a lot of thought has gone into how this chassis will be used. From the front panel cut-out for long graphics cards, the elongated screw holes for easy mounting of front fans and radiators, the interchangeable side panels, removable hard drive bays and more.

This is a great case as it is, but there’s certainly the temptation to strip it to pieces and start cutting and drilling holes in it, it certainly has a lot of modification potential. The interchangeable side panels are a good start and it shouldn’t be hard to really make the Core V1 fit your needs – be that a budget first time build or a crazy water-cooled high-end gaming rig.

Pros

• Modular design
• Excellent build quality
• Room for high-end components
• Water cooling support
• Lots of air flow
• Budget friendly
• Easy to work with
• Compact size

Cons

• Limited air filtering could lead to dust build up, but the easily removable side panels means maintenance shouldn’t be too much trouble.

“This is without a doubt one of the best mini-ITX chassis on the market. It’s smaller, more capable and cheaper than almost everything else in its class, with the added bonus that it’s flexible, very well made and extremely easy to work with. If you’re in need of a compact gaming rig, this should be right at the top of your shopping list.”

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Thank you Thermaltake for providing us with this sample.