I really like my Thermaltake Shark, but be aware that I did have to make two minor fixes to the case to get it to function properly.
First, the problem that many people have reported but is easily fixed, is the filter on the front case fan. This filter is slightly warped inward on many of the sharks. This causes it to come in contact with the fan and make a very irritating noise. You just have to bend and flex the filter a bit (the filter frame is plastic so it bends easily without breaking) to warp it the other way. Takes about five minutes. Hardest part is getting the front off. I kept having keystone cops moments where as soon as I'd get one of the clips out, the one of the opposite side that I had gotten out previously would click back into place. But again, it's not really a big deal.
Secondly, my motherboard didn't fit on the motherboard tray very well. I had to bend the tray slightly to get to motherboard to fit correctly. There was a tread I posted about this a couple weeks back. Not sure where it is now.
The only other downside is the CPU fan noise and video card fan noise is a little louder than I would like due to both fans being near the open grill on the side of the case. However, where I have my case sitting may be amplifying the noise some, so it might not be as loud as it sounds. Also, I had a very quiet PC before so it might not really be that loud, just louder than I was use to. Noise is always a difficult thing to relate to people because it's so subjective. What's loud to one person may be just fine to someone else.
I have mixed feelings about the open grid on the side not only because of noise, but because of dust. But that can be dealt with. Open grill helps with temps I'm sure, so it's a trade off.
Now, as for good things, the Shark has good things in spades.
It looks sweet.
The little magnet to keep the door closed on the front is a cool idea.
The airflow in this thing is just sick. The way I sit at the computer, my feet are right in front of it. I've had to start wearing socks because all the air being sucked in through the front of this thing causes my feet to get cold. I can actually feel the little hairs on my big toes whipping in the wind. I have an AMD 3500 Winchester with stock heatsink. And while this sucker isn't a hot chip, the highest I've ever seen my CPU is the low 40's C under full load (temps checked during/right after play of EQ2, Sims 2, Knights of the Old Republic, Unreal Tournament 2004).
Tons of room to work in and hide cables. There's so much room to work with in fact, you'll lose some of your appreciation for the removable motherboard tray.
No sharp edges.
Front and rear fans are not only big (120 mm), but pretty darn quiet.
All the removal trays/drive rails make installing hard drives and CD/DVD drives really simple.
Really solid and sturdy, but not very heavy.
Have I already mentioned how sweet it looks?
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by crey on 12/28/04 04:09 PM.</EM></FONT></P>
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