Thermaltake Tai Chi Aluminum Extrusion Case

Closer Look Part Two Under the Covers

When we opened the access door and peer inside the Tai Chi Super Tower, we continued to be impressed with this case's design and features.  Built to be a tool-less case, the first thing we noted was the screw-less locking mechanism of the PCI slots.  Much like what you'd find on a mass produced PC, the add-on cards are all held in place with a simple tension mechanism that clicks into position, locking the cards securely in place.

The motherboard tray is fully removable, making it easy to install the motherboard outside if the case, although we found plenty of room to mount the board in the case without needing to remove the tray.  Above the PCI slots is one 120mm exhaust fan which works in conjunction with the matching front intake fan which is mounted neatly to an internal hard drive cage.  Both fans are rated at 17dB, meaning the Tai Chi should be one quiet case.  The hard drive cage can house three drives, secured with the included thumbscrews, and then easily slides into place.  The fan is mounted in the ideal position to help keep hard drive temperatures in check, while feeding air into the case.

As we mentioned earlier, the power switch console was removable so the user can position it into any one of the available bays.  If a floppy drive is required, the screen front can be removed and a 3.5 drive inserted if needed.  About the only thing that would make this better would be a top mount power switch much like the 3RSystem R900 case we reviewed over the summer.  This would take away the need to open the right access door every time we wanted to turn on the machine. 

Lastly, on the under side of the Tai Chi case we mounted the four casters included in the package.  Not only does this add to the case's mobility, it adds space between the floor and the bottom of the case, which is vented with a metal mesh panel, adding to the units fresh air intake.