Thermaltake hops on the hidden power connector bandwagon with its new CTE E550 TG and Ceres 350 MX cases. Unveiled at Computex 2024, both chassis are new mid-tower models featuring support for motherboards that come equipped with power connectors on the back to improve cabling aesthetics.
The CTE E550 TG is a more exotic mid-tower counterpart, sporting tempered glass on the rear, side, and front of the chassis, similar to the Lian Li O11 Dynamic, which popularized the look. But unlike the O11 Dynamic, the CTE E550 TG comes with a tempered glass panel at the rear, providing a good look into the system's internals from the back.
Like the Ceres case, the CTE E550 TG can support motherboards with backside power delivery. This is arguably a more attractive offering since it's oriented far more around visuals than the Ceres case. Again, backside power delivery allows all of the motherboard power delivery to be hooked up behind the motherboard tray and away from prying eyes, giving the front components a more pleasing appearance.
The case also supports a variety of different GPU mounting solutions. One is what Thermaltake dubs the "floating GPU," which locates the GPU in the middle of the chassis with an enclosed GPU bracket and a sold-separately PCIe 4.0 riser cable. Another mounting solution uses a vertical placement with the GPU fans pointed toward the left side panel for better visibility of the GPU itself. Finally there's an "up right forward" placement that puts the GPU in the front of the case on rotational PCIe slots.
Cooling options are plenty with this new chassis, including up to 420mm radiator support. Nine fans can be installed in total, three on the bottom, three on the side, and three on top. The power supply is mounted in a secondary chamber behind the motherboard. Similar to the Ceres 350 MX, the CTE E550 TG comes in several unique colors: Match Green, Gravel Sand, Snow, and Black.
