Conclusion:
This add on for your Thermaltake Armor or Kandalf case may be just the thing you need to cut a few degrees off your hot system... All while generating no extra noise. The 25cm fan silently cut 4 degrees Celsius from our well cooled test system's processor, and I am confident that the results in other configurations may be even better.
The style of the side panel is a perfect match to the original styling of the Armor or Kandalf cases, making it a seamless upgrade with no concerns about looking/fitting properly. On top of that,
Thermaltake not only offers the side panel separately for purchase as an upgrade, but they now offer a version of these cases that comes with the 25cm fan pre-installed. That doesn't help people who already own the Armor or the Kandalf, but if you are in the market for a whole new case, consider one these with the 25cm fan in the side!
For those who already own one fo the compatible cases, a search of
PriceGrabber tells us that you will have to pay $32 or more to upgrade yours to have the 25cm fan. That seems a bit steep for just a side panel, but if you need some help with the temperatures inside your case, it may be worth it. For those just shopping for a case now, the difference between a complete Armor with or without the 25cm fan doesn't really offer any discount. The version with a side panel window, but no fan, sells for
less than $140, while the version with the 25cm fan sells for
about $180. So, it is about $32 on its own, or close to $40 when added to a case. Doesn't seem right to me, especially since you still have your standard side panel for the cost of the case plus $32.
Given the silent cooling boost provided to the system, I award the
Thermaltake Armor/Kandalf Side Panel Upgrade with 25cm Fan the awards of "Recommended" and "Whisper Quiet".
Pros:
» Contributes to whole system cooling
» Dropped CPU temperature 4 degrees Celsius while under load
» Extremely quiet
Cons:
» $32 as an upgrade, or about $40 extra when included with a new case
» 25cm fan could interfere with large heatsinks
Special thanks to
Thermaltake for providing the Thermaltake Armor/Kandalf Side Panel Upgrade with 25cm Fan to Bigbruin.com for review!
