Thermaltake Xpressar

The gargantuan liquid-cooled case from Thermaltake with a fridge inside!

If you're reading this site, it's probably because you're very interested in extreme computing tech. Well, things don't get more extreme than this intimidatingly large, oppressively heavy and surprisingly sturdy case. We've spent some quality time with the Xpressar, but was that time rewarded with some loving, in the form of an awesome experience?

The Case
We've already mentioned how big this case is, but check out the dimensions in the specs box for a second. That's a recklessly huge case, not to mention all the metal involved, but let's chuck the brakes on and describe the case itself. Starting at the front, there's a brushed aluminium door held on with plastic hinges. These hinges aren't too strong, so make sure you don't place too much force on the door - it might snap off if you're not careful! While we're on the topic of weak elements, the magnet that holds this door closed is rather meek, so keep an eye out for the door swinging out to whack you in the groinal region if you're not paying close enough attention while moving the Xpressar.

Behind this door are seven 5.25in bays; the remaining space is meshed to allow a lot of air movement. Down the bottom of the mesh is a 140mm blue LED fan that gives off an interesting glowing effect through the door while closed. Back to the door for a second, because we're not really all that impressed with the chromed U-shape pieces stuck on there, as they don't really fit in with any kind of scheme, nor do they improve the looks any. The logo here is understandable, but surely this can preclude any elsewhere on the case?

Raising our viewpoint to the top of the case gives us a better look at the front lip, where there is a glossy black 'hood' that rises to reveal two eSATA ports, four USB, Firewire and audio/mic ports, as well as the power and reset buttons. The power button is shaped like an X, and actually looks pretty cool, though the reset button is a simple small silver button that isn't really that noteworthy in comparison. LEDs are also here to show HDD access and power.

Placed on the top of the case are two triangular wedge-shaped areas of mesh, with another case logo between them. The rearmost meshed area serves as an exhaust vent for the large 140mm fan. At the backend of the case is an extended area of plastic resembling a ledge, similar to what you'd see on an older sandstone building - except this one has a sticker on it telling you that it is NOT a handle. If it's not going to be a handle, dear Thermaltake, then why put it in the place that a handle would actually be useful?

At the rear of the case, just underneath this ledge, is where the PSU resides (by inserting it from the inside of the case, and screwing it in). The I/O shield and 120mm fan cutout is here, followed by ten expansion slots! We can kind of see why this would be handy, if you've got an excess of fan controllers that work back here, but it's not exactly something that many people would need, let alone use.

The left-hand sidepanel features a dual-hexagonal meshed area, just like the right-hand panel but without the handle. These panels are made of incredibly thick gauge steel, and are very sturdy. With all the obvious features of the case covered, let's move on to what's inside.