Opening Thor
A quick look inside the Thor V2 reminds us of mid-tower designs, even though this model is roughly 4” taller than the average mid-tower. The extra height makes room for ten expansion slots and a radiator mount under the top panel.
Sneaking Up From Behind
With the top vents closed, it appears that a single 140 mm fan is responsible for removing hot air from the Thor V2’s rear panel. Yet, a vent above that fan does relieve some pressure from a top-panel fan, the top panel does open, and anyone who needs even more cooling can instead use any of the four grometted holes to attach an external liquid cooler.
Store With Thor!
Minimal cable space behind the motherboard tray is still adequate for 24-lead power cables, though the tray’s rolled edge prevents anything thicker than a four-pin round cable from reaching the hard drive bays. Grommets further conceal cable access holes and help prevent abrasion.
Note that the Thor has drive latches on both sides of its externally-facing bays. We always thought this would be useful for fixing the occasional “wobbly drive” and we’re glad to finally find a seller willing to address this issue.
We also opened the top-panel louvers for the above photo.
Twin Fan Controls
Up to three fans can be connected to each of the Thor V2’s fan controllers, while three-pin connectors on all fans allow motherboard-based thermal control to be employed instead. Other front-panel features include dual USB 3.0, dual USB 2.0, single eSATA, and headset ports/jacks.
The fan controller itself uses a four-pin power supply connection, as does the lighted Thor logo, which acts as the power-on indicator LED.
Keeping Thor Cool
Like the first two cases in this feature comparison, the Thor V2 supports a radiator at the top panel. Unlike the models competing against it, the radiator’s size is limited to 2x 140 mm and 2x 120 mm models. A 230 mm exhaust fan fills this area in standard trim.
The Wind Of Thor
As if 230 mm fans on the top and side weren’t enough, Rosewill specifies another for the front panel as well. Users who can’t find a standard replacement when this one eventually wears out have the option of placing a 140 mm or 120 mm fan in the same location.
Minimal Dust Protection
The Thor V2 has but a single dust filter to protect the power supply, and nothing else. The focus makes sense because the power supply is the second-most easily plugged component in a system, and would otherwise be far harder to clean than a CPU cooler. This leaves us wanting for more, though at least this filter is removable from outside the case (unlike Enermax’s).
Also seen in the photo above is an internal front-panel USB 3.0 interface cable. This must-have feature is now over a year old, but missing from the competing Azza case.
Thermaltake Armor+ VH6000BWS
Builders who prefer to get ten slots of expansion in a familiar “gamer” design should look no further than Thermaltake’s Armor+ VH6000BWS. Seven external drive bays, extruded aluminum quarter-doors, and a clear 230 mm side fan mounted to an oversized window add even more showiness to an already extravagant design.
Why the quarter doors up front? Beyond style, they could conceivably help protect the drive bay covers from minor impact damage during transport between the home office and a LAN party.
Under The Armor
Though the Armor+ officially has seven internal drive bays, two of them have to be removed prior to installing Ultra ATX- or XL-ATX-sized motherboards. Clip-in card holders were once common in high-end cases, but are unique to Thermaltake in today’s feature comparison.
Top-Mounted Power
The Armor+ uses a power supply’s intake fan in conjunction with a 120 mm exhaust fan to remove heat from the CPU area. External liquid cooling is supported through two knock-out plugs next to the power supply and two more beneath the exhaust fan.
