Thermaltake is at the top of the list for many computer enthusiasts when it comes to choosing a new computer case. They're tower and mid-tower designs offer stylish designs, convenient installation features, excellent cooling, and a wide range of prices. Towers may work well for the typical workstation or gaming PC, but HTPCs have different requirements that Thermaltake seems ready to tackle with their line of desktop format, HTPC oriented cases.


Thermaltake now offers four desktop style cases intended for HTPC applications, including the Mystic, Tenor, Bach, and Mozart. All provide a slightly different style to fit into a variety of home theater settings, and each is built off the basics that Thermaltake has become known for. The Mozart (model VC4000SNS) is pictured in the promotional image above, and will be the Thermaltake HTPC case of interest in this review.

Before jumping into the heart of the review, let's take a look at some of the published data on Thermaltake Mozart HTPC Case.

Features and Specifications (provided by Thermaltake):

Features:

» Pithy aluminum front panel design
» Superb multimedia capability
» ATX & Micro ATX compatibility
» Front I/O ports for easy access

Specifications:

» P/N: VC4000SNS
» Case Type: Media PC Case
» Drive Bays, Front Accessible: 3 x 5.25''
» Drive Bays, Internal: 5 x 3.5''
» Net Weight: 8.0 kg
» Color: Silver
» Expansion Slots: 7
» Dimension (H*W*D): 170 x 430 x 452 mm
» Motherboards: Micro ATX , Standard ATX
» Power Supply Unit: Standard ATX PSII
» Front Access: Dual USB 2.0, IEEE 1394 Firewire, Audio & Speaker ports
» Cooling System, Front (intake): 80 x 80 x25 mm silent fan, 2000rpm, 19dBA
» Cooling System, Rear (exhaust) Dual 60 x 60 x25 mm, 2500rpm, 19dBA
» Material, Chassis: SECC (steel)
» Material, Front Panel: Aluminum

Front the list of specifications it seems like this is not going to be an undersized case that will prohibit the use of all the peripherals you want to install. Full ATX motherboard and power supply support, five 3.5" bays, three 5.25." bays, and seven expansion slots sounds pretty spacious. Let's see how it pans out in testing...