Thermaltake tai-chi case (with watercooler)

Does anyone know how well the watercooler on this case performs?

I am wondering if I am better off buying a (possibly better) watercooling kit + case for less money.

No I do not own the case, but it is an overclocker case, and you can bet they will not be puitting substandard cooling in it.

Of course there is a stripped down model of the Tai Chi minus all the water cooling components (VB5000) for those looking more at the basic style of the Tai Chi case and not wanting the entire package.

There's no window.

It is an easy solution, it even has thumb screws. The front and rear fans have "lights". See the review for cooling info, it turned a credable performance.

http://www.overclockercafe.com/Rev [...] index.html

Observed Dimensions: 546 x 257 x 600mm

Observed Weight: 19.5 kg

Construction: Aluminum

Drive Bays: Eight exposed 5.25" bays
Three hidden 3.5" bays

Cooling: Included Front 120mm Intake
Included Rear 120mm Exhaust (Blue LED)
Water Cooler sporting two 120mm cooling fans

Water pump: 12v pump rated at 84 L/Hr

Water block: Copper with acrylic top - mounting hardware for Intel 478, LGA775, AMD K7 or AMD K8

Radiator dimensions: 270 x 220 x 33mm

Top Mounted Ports: USB 2.0 x 2, Line out/Mic, Firewire

Available Colors: Silver/Black

Expansion slots: 7

Motherboard Type: ATX, Micro ATX, Extended ATX, BTX compatible

Optional: Thermaltake Pure Power PSU
BTX Compatibility Upgrade Kit

Window: No

There's no window ...bummer.....


Installation

Opting for our tried and true P4 478 pin test rig, we started installation into the Thermaltake Tai Chi. Installation went as you would expect with any other case. The difference here is the addition of a native water cooling system. The H shaped mounting bracket is near universal (for any board with holes around the CPU that is) allowing installation on to most platform. Screws are run up threw the holes on the mainboard in this Intel install and up through the H bracket. The bracket is then screwed down firmly over the water block as shown below. Once this was done, the majority of the install was over. Connecting the hoses and filling the reservoir was as easy as eating pancakes.

Thermaltake Tai Chi Case is about $550 (All in Australian Dollars).

Lian Li PC V1000 = $270

Swiftec Apogee block = $80

12V Swiftec pump = $120

Black Ice Xtreme II radiator = $100

Tubes + Reservoir $20 (can spend more on tubeing and reservoir but wont improve preformance by that much)

The useless TT Tai Chi does NOT come with a PSU or a GPU water block! So what have they given you......?

TT Tai Chi gives you a case with a hot radiator pinned INSIDE your case next to your already Hot GPU and NB.

I now presume you have spent the extra $40 bucks on your Lian Li and Swiftec Cooling Equipment.... BUT atleast you have a Lian Li which kicks sorry-ass over any TT case AND you have Swiftec Water Cooling!