ThermalTake Xaser VI case review
Installation
To test the features of this case I decided to mount some old hardware into the Xaser VI and report about all the joys, problems or inconveniences I encountered.
I first installed the motherboard. When I removed the motherboard tray I noticed that it had labels for all the motherboard formats it supports but I also noticed that it lacked a ATX motherboard standoff hole in the lower right corner. Another issue is that the tray featured several permanently attached standoffs and that a least one of these may cause short-circuit problems on some motherboards. Fortunately ThermalTake claims that these two issues will be taken care of before the final production models will ship to retail stores.
Another problem I had with the Xaser VI is that most of the cables from the I/O panel were pretty short, some extra cable length would be more than welcome.
Next I installed the video card. The toolfree PCI clips work pretty well but if they don't work well or if you don't trust them you can easily remove them and secure your precious card with a screw.
One of the things I really like about this case are 5.25" cages, the installation requires no screws nor plastic clips.
The HDD installation is also toolfree, you only need to use four plastic clips and this makes the installation or removal of a HDD very quick. As the Xaser VI case is really big the HDDs are located pretty far from your power supply. This may be a problem if the Serial ATA power connector cables on your PSU aren't long enough, in that case you'll have to buy an extender cable.
Then I installed the PSU and connected all the power cables. The installation of the PSU was pretty easy as I could just slide the unit over the support bar. That's nice as in some cases the installation of the PSU is pretty tricky and sometimes requires you to remove the CPU cooler to get enough clearance.
Here's a shot of the Xaser VI with some hardware installed. Fans of clean and sleek looks can use the included ties and straps to clean up all the cable clutter.
Previous Page (4/6)
Added: December 7th 2007
Product reviewed: ThermalTake Xaser VI case
Reviewer: Thomas De Maesschalck
Score: 8.75/10
Page: 5/6
