Early Verdict
If no PC case is too over-the-top for your needs, The Tower 900 from Thermaltake might be the case you need.
Pros
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Big enough to hold nearly any liquid-cooling configuration
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Great cooling on stock fans
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Great isolation of our internal component noises
Cons
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Too big for some people to lift
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Too heavy for some people to move
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Expensive
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Features & Specifications
One thing that always confused me about the double-wide market was why anyone would choose a short one, when they could get the same space at less cost in a big single-wide. Thermaltake might have been asking the same question when it started out by making its double-width Tower 900 at Full Tower height.
Specifications
Weight could be an issue for average buyers, but we don’t imagine there will be too many average buyers lining up for a case that’s nearly 30” tall and over 17” wide. In fact, my biggest issue was lining up the lighting and non-reflective surfaces to show the Tower 900’s features without undue reflections courtesy of its enormous tinted windows. You’ll see numerous lighting anomalies throughout the article, which I tried to correct for your viewing pleasure.
The obligatory port shot shows exactly what I wanted to see: four USB ports, two headset jacks, power and reset buttons, and power/HDD activity LEDs. Thermaltake appears to understand that experienced builders are big fans of motherboard-based automatic fan control.
The Tower 900 is all business in back, with two side panel vents covering four dual-pattern (140mm and 120mm) fan mounts, plus a rear panel mount for two more 140mm or 120mm fans. Streaks in the image were caused by a reflection on the camera lens.
The top panel is attached with snaps, and pulling it off reveals latch mechanisms for the aft side panels. Access holes in the rear of the top panel enable users to pop the sides without removing the top.
The bottom panel appears to be configured for two more fans, but the filter instead covers a large intake for the power supply. This type of nylon mesh filter with magnetic strip edging is found on the vents of every exterior metal panel, whereas the plastic top panel’s mesh is affixed with catch tabs.
The front section includes two 3.5” trays with 2.5” drive mounting holes, two 2.5” trays, and an external 5.25” bay. We know that some people will insist that the optical drive bay is worthless because enthusiasts no longer use optical discs, but Thermaltake makes the more convincing counterpoint in its marketing images by putting a digital controller in that location.
Designed to hold up to four 140mm fans on each side, The Tower 900 includes two 3.5” drive cages in place of the top fan tray of the right-side panel. An upper fan tray for the right upper side panel is attached with twist ties to the lower right fan tray.
Thermaltake provided an exploded view of all fan mounts, including the internal fan mount located atop the front hard drive cage. The upper fan tray on the right side is attached to the tray beneath it, with drive cages in its intended location in the delivered configuration.
The drive trays use silicon-damped pins to hold 3.5” drives, and provide regular screw holes on the base for 2.5” drives. Though the 2.5” mounts are spaced to put the connector in the same location as 3.5” drives, there are no backplanes that would necessitate this design.
Modders will be happy to see that The Tower 900 can be stripped right down to its shell using nothing more than a #2 Phillips screwdriver, and that thumbscrews are found in most locations. The exploded view also shows the relative locations of all magnetically-attached dust filters, the two tab-secured top panel filters, the top panel’s removable metal skin, and the two pump brackets that fit above The Tower 900’s front feet.
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