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Thermaltake Frio CPU Cooler Review


Review by: Clan Team Xtreme Inc.





Thermaltake is well regarded as being one of the top computer hardware manufacturers and for good reason. The company has designed, developed, and produced a multitude of different parts for the Information Technology professionals and enthusiasts alike. From CPU coolers, power supplies, cases and more, one can be confident with any part in their system wearing the Thermaltake name. Thermaltake continues to positively push the passion system builders have for getting the most out of their custom machines, and the Frio CPU Cooler does just that.



A CPU cooler is one of the most essential components in any computer. CPUs or Processors produce a lot of heat waste, and that heat needs to be efficiently exhausted for the CPU to function properly. CPU coolers generally consist of a Heatsink in addition to one or more fans to pull air through the Heatsink to cool the hard working processor. Investing in a new aftermarket CPU cooler is one of the best ways to reduce the CPU temperature in addition to extending the life of the CPU as it is running cooler, and CPUs love being cool.

The Thermaltake Frio supports a multitude of different CPUs from both AMD and Intel, it operates with a maximum of two 120mm fans that can max out at 2500RPM and the massive Heatsink between them keeps the CPU cool during its many operations, small and demanding. It should also be noted that “Frio” in Spanish means “Cool,” which is a very appropriate and clever name for this product considering it does just that! Designed for overclockers, the Frio cooler boasts that it can support 220W. I am not sure what CPU can run that high, but if a company with such a reputation as Thermaltake tacking that onto the box of the Frio, one can immediately imagine the serious cooling capabilities of the Frio cooler.


Manufacturer Specifications






Packaging










The Frio came shipped in a large sturdy box. With the Thermaltake logo on the corner of the box one already has a good idea on what treasure awaits opening on the inside. Due to the shipping courier, this package did suffer some minor transit scars but due to the quality of the package we will later see the Frio retail box suffered absolutely no damage and arrived in immaculate condition. The transparent shipping tape with the orange Thermaltake logo is also a very cool touch to this package, containing one cool product.



Upon opening this box we can tell it was designed to hold four units, and they are most likely used to distribute these coolers to retail outlets or companies that sell computer hardware online. Each compartment is of a very solid construction and the spaces in the design that prevent the Frio’s retail box from contact with the sides ensure it will arrive to any destination is perfect shape, as we can see it did here.




The retail packaging of the Frio cooler is very well designed with a base of a flat black finish, the Thermaltake logo, a perspective image of the Frio cooler along with the Frio name in addition with “Designed for Overclocking” underneath. The front of the box also points out the two speed controlled 120mm VR fans, the five 8mm heat pipes, and the different installation hardware included for different CPU models. From the perspective shot of the retain package we can see the cool glossy coating on every graphic on the box with the exception of the flat back background. The blue blast effect behind the Frio definitely reinforces the cooling abilities of this cooler and overall this package is sure to pull in potential buyers on retail store shelves.



This side of the box shows the specifications of the Frio that were presented in a table earlier. This shows the general product specifications along with the compatibility specs for the Processors that work with the Frio.



This side of the box explains in ten different languages that the contents are a CPU cooler and refers readers to the Thermaltake website for further detailed information. Note the signature red bar that starts from the front of the package that continues through this side to add that little extra that makes the package look extra stellar.




The top and bottom of the Frio retail packaging are fairly identical with the Frio name and the “Designed for Overclocking” statement over a flat white background. Everything on the all sides of the box stick out with that cool glossy finish against the flat white backgrounds. This is sure to draw the attention of many potential buyers.



The back of the Frio box provides the most information as expected for the Frio cooler. A small graphic of the Frio shows the cool air being taken in by a single fan and exhausting through the heatsink while hot air is being drawn from the CPU core. The back of the box also features several of the most desirable aspects of the Frio cooler, such as the thin .5mm aluminum fins in the heatsink and the adjustable 1200 – 2500 RPM fans. It also includes eight small images covering different views of the cooler and different features.




The Frio’s box opens very neatly using a locking flap that ensures the contents are secure inside and will not fall out. The Frio weighs 1042 grams so this style of opening the box is very necessary.



With the box opened all of the way we can see a large plastic foam block with instructions on the top, and on one side of the foam an area is molded to hold a while box and the other side is holding the additional 120mm fan.







The white paperwork shows the build and installation instructions for the Frio according to the type of hardware needed for a specific CPU. All of the necessary components are neatly listed and match the diagrams that show in detail how it all goes together. The yellow documentation shows the product warranty information. According to the documentation as this is a CPU Cooler Series product it comes with a 2 year warranty. Both of the documents included with the Frio cooler contain multiple languages.



Now that the paperwork is out of the way it is time take a look at the fan and find out what exactly is in the little white box. Both have been neatly packed in the accurately cut plastic foam.





The additional 120mm fan has a knob that adjusts the RPM from low (1200RPM) to high (2500RPM) and connects to a 3 pin motherboard fan header.





The small white cardboard box contains the remaining hardware that is required to assemble and install the Frio cooler. The contents of the box come in five different resealable bags; each of the Intel specific mounting brackets are labeled with a letter to represent the type of CPU it is able to mount to.




The LGA series back plate is cleanly manufactured and the lettering along with the Thermaltake logo is nicely present. The other side of the back plate has a dark protective coating to prevent the metal from digging into the motherboard when mounting the CPU.




The AMD back plate is a completely different design than the Intel back plate to accommodate AMD motherboards and processors. The Thermaltake logo is neatly present in two different locations on the metal side of this back plate. The other side of the plate has a layer of protective plastic to prevent the back plate from making undesirable contact with the motherboard when the Frio is mounted.



This resealable bag includes Thermal paste or compound, four rubber vibration absorbing soft mounts for the additional fan installation, four clear plastic washers for AMD installation, and four black washers that have yet to be punched out for Intel installation. This bag also includes 4 screws to mount the CPU specific clips onto the base of the cooler and four nuts that secure the back plate onto the Frio through the motherboard.



A lot of system builders have their favorite thermal paste or compound. For this review we will be using the Thermaltake compound included with the Frio cooler.





Like Christmas morning we will save the best (and largest) part for last. The Frio cooler is encased in protective plastic foam that is more than enough protection to keep it safe during shipping. The Frio looks stunning now that we can catch a first glimpse of it with one section of the foam removed. The heatsink is enormous and the plastic components encasing it are sleek and appear to be manufactured very cleanly. Now it is time to take this beast out of its bed and expose it for the whole world to see.

First Thoughts and Observations



The top of the Frio cooler has two of the signature red plastic bars that come out from the main matte black plastic that encloses the heatsink. The top dark tinted removable plastic piece features a sharp light silver Thermaltake logo.




The Frio comes with one 120mm fan pre installed. It is the same as the optional second fan thus it has the same 1200-2500RPM fan controller that allows the user to adjust the fan speed. With both VR fans installed the user can come up with all sorts of different speed configurations to suit their needs and/or preferences.




The CPU contact surface of the Frio comes with a protective plastic covering that warns users to remove it before installation, for obvious reasons. We can see the five 8mm U designed heat pipes that channel through the cooling surface of base. The base and heat pipes are copper but are plated in nickel to avoid the corrosion that can occur to exposed copper. You can see the machining marks on the base surface however the lapping is very smooth and appears to be totally flat.





The Frio cooler has a multitude of .5mm thick aluminum fins that make up the heatsink. This number of fins in conjunctions with the intake and exhaust configuration of both 120mm VR fans will make for a very effective and efficient cooling design. Each fin is angled on the sides.





With one fan as coming from the factory, the Thermaltake Frio measures 139mm L, 165mm H, and a width of 98mm. With both fans installed only the width is increased from 98mm, to 118mm. Each fan is 120mm L x 120mm H, by 25mm W.


Assembly & Installation



We want the Frio to work at its maximum potential so we will be installing the second optional fan. From the factory the Frio has just one of the speed controlled VR 120mm fans installed that just intakes cool air and blows it through the heatsink. With the other fan that intake air will be pulled and exhausted out into a rear case fan to be totally ejected from the case of the entire system. We will set the Frio to have full access to the side that will have the second fan installed on. Note the exposed side of the heatsink for added heat dissipation.



The installation of the fan will only require the four included “Vibration-absorbing Soft Mounts” that will serve to deliver a secure fastening of the second fan, and will also reduce vibration that any harder traditional fastener would cause. This keeps both noise and wear down on the components.



These stretchy rubber mounts are designed to be retained by the hard plastic base around the heatsink. All four install the same way on all four corners. They are to be pushed through the small channel and into the larger circle towards the edge where they are then pulled up a little to snap into place.



I found the installation went a lot easier and faster when gently using a flat head screw driver to push the rubber mount into the desired location. The stickiness of the rubber against the catchy metal heatsink layers made this a very acceptable solution as opposed to just using fingers.



Now we have the Frio ready to accept the installation of the second optional 120mm exhaust fan.



This is a tad tricky, but to install the fan you want to work one corner at a time and pull the rubber mount through the fan mounting holes until the fat flat edges of the rubber mounts are above the fan mounting holes to secure the corner of the fan. After all four corners are done the second can is installed. You can reference the preinstalled intake fan as it is installed from the factory the same way the second fan needs to be installed. Note that you must have the sticker on the fan facing outward as it is an exhaust fan so you know the fan will be blowing air out and not into the heatsink.



Now the Thermaltake Frio cooler is ready to be prepped for the system install.



We will be using the four mounting holes on the sides of the cooler base to mount the AMD clips.



For the AMD clips the curves must be facing inward. Always refer to the Frio installation instructions to reference the specific CPU you are installing. Each clip is secured into the cooler base by four small screws with two on each side per clip.




These dual threaded fasteners will be used to mount the entire Frio cooler through the motherboard and into the back plate for an overall secure installation. Each of the four dual threaded fasteners has an end with a thicker threading and the other end with a thinner threading. The thicker ends screw into the AMD clips while the thinner ends will later be used to be secured into the back plate. After all four of the fasteners are secured, a clear plastic washer is then placed over each of the four fasteners.



With the plastic cover removed we now can have a better look at the base of the cooler. The machining marks are visible as observed before but the smoothness of the lapping is still of excellent quality and the thermal compound will more than confiscate for any imperfections in the metal surface.




Before we proceed with installation let’s take a look at the stock AMD AM3 cooler in comparison to the Thermaltake Frio cooler. The Frio is volumes larger than the stock AMD cooler and has it beat in fan size and quantity, heatsink build and size, and it a lot more atheistically pleasing. The Frio cooler is certainly sure to catch many jealous looks from the inside of a system with a windowed case at any LAN party.



This is what the stock AMD cooler looks like installed onto the motherboard in our test system. It is time for an upgrade to something with a little more kick, and chill.



Now with the stock AMD cooler removed we see the AMD Athlon II AM3 3.0GHz X2 processor the Frio will be cooling. The original thermal paste was thoroughly cleaned off with rubbing alcohol.



In order to install the Frio cooler the stock ASUS plastic cooler mounting bracket had to be unscrewed and removed from the motherboard. The ASUS back plate was also removed along with the bracket to allow for the installation of the AMD Frio back plate.



On the other side of the motherboard we can see where the threaded ends of the Frio mounting hardware must come through the motherboard to be secured.



A thin layer of the included thermal compound was applied evenly. It is always best to use a clean gift or credit card that is no longer of use for its previous purpose to spread the thermal paste as thin as possible while still maintaining maximum coverage.



The back plate holds the Frio cooler onto the CPU through the motherboard. The black plastic side of the AMD back plate faces the motherboard to prevent any damage to the board. The Frio is secured through the back plate by four 4mm screws that are installed using a standard flat head screw driver.






The Thermaltake Frio cooler looks absolutely fantastic when finally mounted into the system. The rear exhaust fan in the Thermaltake Armor A90 case lines up fairly well with the exhaust fan from the Frio to help push hot air out. The top fan in this chassis also helps pull some of the hot air out from the heat sink.



The Frio looks (and technically is) cool next to the LED 200mm exhaust case fan from the Armor A90 case.



The top plastic cover on the Frio cooler is removable and exposes the first heat sink fin, which is brushed aluminum with reflecting Thermaltake “Tt” logo nicely punched into it.


Frio Cooler Testing

The time for testing the Thermaltake Frio cooler to see how it really delivers in live real world application has come. While the Frio was designed for overclockers, I choose not to overclock my hardware to avoid voiding warranties and the possibility of frying expensive components. My mentality is if I want something to perform a certain way, I purchase it from the factory that way. In no way do I want to tread on the overclocking community, as it is something I admire and respect but is something I also do not prefer for my own system builder enthusiast activities. By the temperature difference from the Frio in comparison with the stock cooler during activities experienced by the average gamer we can get a good idea on just how much the Frio can be of use to overclockers. All temperature tests were done in a controlled central air environment at 21 degrees Celsius.





The first test will consist of using a Fluke 62 Mini Infrared Thermometer and shooting it at the heat sinks of both the stock and Frio cooler to see what the temperatures of the heat sinks were. Several different places of each heat sink were measured and averaged into one figure per heat sink. The two different activities used during this test was the system in an idle state on the Windows 7 desktop and a 3DMark Vantage Benchmark test. The Frio was tested twice, first in its slowest fan speed state of 1200RPM, and then in its fastest possible state with both fans running at the maximum 2500RPM.





The entire system was moved from one case into another for these tests, and that presented an opportunity to see the motherboard outside of a chassis with the Frio cooler mounted on top. This really shows the enormous size of the Frio. Fortunately the large size of the Frio still installed comfortably into both mid towers used in these tests with even some room to spare.







The table above shows all of the components and parts used in the custom system for the testing of the Frio cooler.





We can see from the table and graph of the infrared laser temperature test the Frio mostly outperformed the stock AMD cooler except when the Frio was on the lowest fan setting of 1200RPM during the Benchmark test. On the highest settings it is clear that the Thermaltake Frio is the victor over the stock AMD cooler.

Now we will test the Frio cooler in the Thermaltake Armor A90 Mid Tower chassis by taking the CPU core temperatures using the ASUS PC Probe II utility to measure the temperature of the AMD processor during these tests. Four different activities were done; Windows 7 Idle, Call of Duty 4 game play, Battlefield Bad Company 2 game play, and a 3DMark Vantage benchmark test compromising of four tests back to back that stress the graphics and processor of the system.













The Frio outperformed the stock cooler even on the lowest settings. During the benchmark test the Frio did tie with the stock cooler at 39 degrees C. The graph clearly shows how much the Frio outperformed the stock cooler when the fans were cranked to the highest setting.
Now we are going to test the Thermaltake Frio against the stock AMD cooler in the Thermaltake Element G Mid Tower chassis. The same procedures will be used here from the last test in the Armor A90 case.





The Frio one again outperformed the stock cooler. The Frio performed better in the Element G than in the Armor A90 case. The Element does have a large 230mm intake fan on the side panel of the case that aided the Frio cooler in heat movement. The Thermaltake Armor A90 has a location that can allow for the installation of a 120mm case fan but it did not include such a fan from the factory. This was likely the biggest factor in the lower CPU temperatures in the Thermaltake Element G. The Frio cooler on the highest settings in the Element G during outperformed the stock cooler by over ten degrees! All of the temperatures experienced during these tests are well within safe standards. Overclockers getting into dangerous temperatures would definitely want to invest in the Thermaltake Frio cooler to keep their equipment safe when pushing the clock speeds to the limit while using air cooling.


Final Thoughts and Conclusion



Overall I am extremely satisfied with the Thermaltake Frio CPU Cooler. It is easy on the eyes, has plenty of fan power and air moving capabilities along with a huge heat sink to cool any CPU. After observing and testing the Frio during the four activities there is no doubt in my mind that the Frio would be an excellent choice for those gamers who choose to overclock and push their hardware, a gamble I do not share personally. The Frio even on the lowest fan settings out performs the stock cooler and operates silently. It is noticeably louder when the fans are cranked to the fastest RPM but it isn’t distracting enough to be considered a con, and it is something expected of any performance air cooling device.

The Frio by Thermaltake is an excellent choice for any gamer, system builder enthusiast, and especially overclockers and those who run very resource hungry applications such as video editing and rendering software. I can also see the Frio being in the very reasonable price range it is in cooling the system of an average computer user who has an extravagant taste in style, and it definitely is a good conversation starter. On behalf of Clan Team Xtreme I would like to thank Thermaltake for the excellently designed and crafted Frio cooler and the opportunity to review it in addition to making it possible for all gamers and enthusiasts around the world to be able to have access to a product as effective and aesthetic as the Thermaltake Frio CPU Cooler.

The Thermaltake Frio CPU Cooler is Clan Team Xtreme approved!

Writer, Photographer: Alex Sweers
Technical Assistance: Alan Sweers, Zach Sweers

Thermaltake Armor A90 Mid Tower Case Review


Review by: Clan Team Xtreme Inc.





Thermaltake is known as one of the world’s leading manufacturer of quality computer cases. This doesn’t come without good reason. Thermaltake is always on the cutting edge, coming out with new and exciting chassis designs. Thermaltake certainly delivers what system builders and gamers want and trust their computer systems to reside within. A great way to define a computer case or chassis is to define it as armor for one’s computer. A case houses, protects, and keeps all of the parts together similar to how real armor works. There is no doubt in my mind that Thermaltake has creatively picked up on this correlation and thus carries the Armor series for computer cases. One of the newest additions to this line of chassis by Thermaltake is the Armor A90, and this stylish case definitely falls into the Armor series because even at first glance it definitely resembles sharp body armor.



The Armor A90 from the VL9000 series has been designed to resemble MMORPG or Massively multiplayer online role-playing game body armor. With the triangular armor design, this style of armor is well integrated in the external design of the Armor A90. This very affordable “bulletproof” case should already have caught the attention of onlookers before they have even begun to discover the many cool and desirable features on the inside that every system should have. With such a sleek appearance resembling something coming from Batman’s arsenal, it is no wonder why this case earns the line of it being “created for combat.” The Armor A90 is liquid cooling ready, has three large case fans with room for expansion, a tool less drive installation system, and consists of an overall steel and plastic construction. It is now time to take a deeper and more in depth look at the Thermaltake Armor A90 and see how well this armor can hold up!


Manufacturer Specifications




Packaging



The Thermaltake Armor A90 was shipped in its retail box as it is designed for such. It has a glossy finish with a number of cool graphics incorporated into it. In the far background there appears to be a foreign world and in front of the planet there is a dragon staring down at the glowing image of the Armor A90. A mystical character appears to be emitting a form of energy from its hand around the case. The Thermaltake logo at the top in addition to the custom Armor A90 logo with the saying “Created for Combat” tops it off. The signature Thermaltake red bar is also at the top and it continues around the other side of the box. It is apparent a lot of thought and design went into the box, and if that type of effort went into the package, you know what is on the inside has to be well worth it.



The left side of the box is mostly black and has the rest of the red bar that started from the front onto the side. It also explains that the contents of the box is a computer case and refers readers to the Thermaltake website for more information in ten different languages. Both sides of the box have punch in handles which makes it less awkward thus easier to carry.



The other side of the box is also fairly simple and mostly black. The custom Armor A90 logo is present at the top right hand corner and a perspective view of the tower with the blue LED case fans on is shown.



The back of the box is also mostly black and contains a lot of pictures and features of the Armor A90. The Thermaltake and Armor A90 logos are present on the top and the back also highlights a number of the features and different views on the inside and outside of the Armor A90. We will look into all of these features in great detail further on in this review.




The top of the box is all white except for the Armor A90 logo, and the bottom is completely white. Now it is time to cut it open and see what we can see.



When first opening the retail box we can instantly see the Armor A90 between two blocks of protective Styrofoam with a plastic covering around the case itself. A resealable bag contains the documentation for the Armor A90.








The documentation consists of two separate documents, the yellow paper is the warranty information, and the white booklet is the installation and operation manual. As a computer case from Thermaltake the Armor A90 has a 3 year warranty for the case, and a 2 year warranty for the case fans that are included. Both documents contain a number of different languages for the convenience of the global computer enthusiast and system builder community.




Once we pull the Thermaltake Armor A90 from the box we have it in the protective Styrofoam and plastic. Once the Styrofoam blocks are removed we are beginning to be able to see what this armored beast really looks like up close.



The protective plastic bag comes up from underneath the case and upon first pulling it off you can see the printer silver Thermaltake logo on the front bottom of the bezel.


Initial Thoughts and Product Overview



With the plastic cover gone you can see the front bezel is mostly plastic with the exception of the coated metal mesh on the front door and lower section. The bezel has a matte black finish to it. Note how cool the large triangular power button looks next to the complementary shaped door. For shipping the door is taped shut with plastic foam for added protection. There is a blue LED 120mm intake fan in behind the front bezel.



With this perspective view we get a first glimpse of the small triangular side window on the side panel. The entire side panel has some really large and cool stampings that both serve to look aesthetically pleasing while adding strength to the “armor” if you will of the chassis construction. The dimensions of the Armor A90 in inches are 19.8 height by 8.3 width by 20.3 length.



The hard plastic case window has a protective film over it to keep it from scratching during shipping and perhaps system assembly.




We can see the film did a perfect job of protecting the side window and note how the windows is securely riveted into the side panel.



Surrounding the triangular window are the large complementary stamps in the metal that add strength to the construction of the case. An optional 120mm intake can be added to this panel.



The other side of the case is fairly basic but does have reinforcing stamps that both looks great for the theme the chassis is going for and keeps the side panel stronger.



All of the metal on the case has a matte black finish, both inside and out. From this rear view we can see the black 120mm exhaust rear fan at the top along with a built in honeycomb style grill. There is also long rectangular vent below it.



Once we remove the protective foam and tape from the front we have a true view of the front of the Armor A90.



The Armor A90 features two USB 2.0 ports on the front bezel, a 3.5mm HD audio and HD mic jack, a hard drive activity and power LED, and a reset button above the power button.



After opening the front door we see three 5.25 inch drives and one external 3.5 inch drive. The second could be used for a floppy drive but as those are mostly obsolete today I personally would opt in for a 3.5 inch memory card reader. The door when closed is secured shut magnetically.




The bottom of the case has the same matte black finish as the rest of the case along with four large feet. From this shot you can even see where the punched in mounts are for the one internal 2.5 inch drive area where an SSD or Solid State Disk hard drive can be installed. There is also a removable dust filter towards the read of the bottom of the case which would be under where the power supply bottom fan vents.



The bottom feet are made of a very soft plastic that almost feels rubbery. This is a lot better than the hard plastic feet because it has more anti vibration properties.



The Thermaltake Armor A90 supports seven expansion ports. Above the PCI slot covers you can see a bracket that locks using an internal thumbscrew to secure USB devices such as mice and keyboards. During the system installation section of this review this nice anti-theft feature will be shown in detail and at work.




The top of the case also has a cool triangular armor look to it which goes along very well with the rest of the case. The front two areas of the top of the case have a coated black mesh material while the rest is plastic. The rear of the top has an opening to allow the top 200mm LED case fan to exhaust. Overall this case feels very solid and with a name like armor no one should expect anything else.



One of the coolest features of the Armor A90 is the eSATA or external SATA port. eSATA is becoming a popular method for transferring files to eSATA portable hard drives due to the speed advantage over USD 2.0. Having this is definitely a huge plus; even if a motherboard has rear eSATA ports, having one so easily accessible in the front is a nice touch. The top also included two USB 2.0 ports, making meaning the Armor A90 has four total USB 2.0 ports.






Here are some more shots of the outside of the Thermaltake Armor A90.



The Thermaltake logo is printed at the bottom of the case as seen before, and isn’t a protruding extravagant reflective badge as it is on other cases. User preference usually dictates the desired size and presence of a logo on a product. This one is fairly subtle in my opinion.







Each side panel is attached by two thumb screws. Once both thumb screws are removed the side window pivots from the front area of the case and opens in the back. From this point the side panel can just be pulled away from the case. To reinstall the panel one simply just has to line up the catch on the from side of the side panel to the rounded edge behind the front bezel and from that point shut the side window similar to a door and re fasten the thumb screws. This set up is extremely easy and effective and I wish all cases opened as easy as the Thermaltake Armor A90.




We can see how the plastic window is held into place from this side of the window. The empty area that is capable of mounting a 120mm intake fan would look a lot better with a blue LED fan factory installed to match the two other blue LED fans that come with the Armor A90. At least the option exists to buy a fan separately and add it to this area to cool the VGA area of the computer system so it isn’t a total loss; it just would have been more convenient to have the fan included.



The inside of the case also has a matte black finish. The motherboard tray is not removable but that is usually expected for a mid tower case and it is something I probably wouldn’t favor anyways personally. All of the front panel connectors are neatly tied together.



The Thermaltake Armor A90 will fit ATX and Micro ATX motherboards. Note only a few standoffs will have to be used because the case is already molded in a way that doesn’t require the use of many standoffs.



The Armor A90 is fairly spacious for a mid tower. It has a little area behind the drive cage where excessive cables can be stuffed, however it doesn’t have any holes or channels to allow for cables to be routed behind the inside of the case, so cable management may be more difficult or not as slightly as with a case that has more cable management options.



The Thermaltake Armor A90 comes with an intake 120mm blue LED case fan installed behind the front bezel and is visible here.




The Armor A90 included three 5.25 inch drive bays, one external 3.5 inch bay for a card reader or floppy drive, and six 3.5 inch internal hard drive bays. A 2.5 inch SSD or Solid State Disk can also be mounted on the very bottom of the case under the 3.5 inch internal hard drive bays. The 5.25 and 3.5 inch internal drives have a tool less installation system which will be shown in detail during the system build portion of this review.





The Thermaltake Armor A90 came with a small releasable bag fastened to the drive cage that contains installation hardware. It contains separate smaller resealable bags containing motherboard standoffs, drive mounting screws for both regular and an SSD drive, hardware to install optional fans, a system buzzer speaker, and other assorted screws for motherboard and expansion card installation.




The Armor A90 fits a standard ATX power supply, and it is mounted on the bottom which is something I find very valuable in a case for both cooling efficiency and cable management. For that reason I am glad to see it is becoming a trend. The power supply bay from the inside shows a view of the bottom dust filter. To install a power supply a special bracket must be unscrewed and moved according to the length of the power supply, then refastened. The Power supply then sits up so it isn’t making direct contact with the bottom of the case allowing room for the fan to operate effectively if it were to have a protruding grill.





The Armor A90 has two USB header connectors for the four total USB 2.0 ports on the case in addition to HD Audio front panel connectors, the typical LED and power and reset switch connectors, and for the eSATA port on the top of the Armor A90 a SATA cable is present.




The Armor A90 has one black 120mm exhaust fan and another larger 200mm clear LED blue fan that exhausts air.




The Armor A90 has a large area cut out of the motherboard tray to access the appropriate part of the motherboard from behind to install an aftermarket CPU cooler. This feature will come in handy during the system installation section of this review as we will be adding a large aftermarket cooler.




The Thermaltake Armor A90 is liquid cooling ready with two sets of ports than can be punched out to accommodate a liquid cooling hose. One set is at the top of the case and the other is towards the bottom. Two circle snap bushings are included for the edges of the holes left after removing the center allowing the tubes to go through the case.



This area can be used to help manage excessive cable clutter. I would have preferred a channel system to be used to manage cables but as this is a thinner case overall the design would have made it difficult to incorporate a superior system that runs cables behind the motherboard tray.



Something about the bottom trim looked familiar to me and then it dawned on me that the bottom trim on both sides of the case resemble a picatinny rail system used to mount lights and other accessories on tactical firearms. I am not sure if this was intentional but it does go along with the armor theme and looks great regardless.



“Thermaltake Design” is cleanly stamped into the bottom of the case and protrudes inward. This is a nice touch that reminds users of the creative minds behind the design of this stellar case.





Removing the front bezel can be a daunting task on some cases. The Armor A90 makes it so incredibly simple, at first I was thrown off because I could find no release lever. To remove the front bezel simply pull on the bottom or top of the piece and it will easily come off. It uses six different catches, the male ends are on the bezel and the female ends are on the chassis. To put the bezel back on reverse the process and gently line up and push the bezel back into place.



All front 5.25 inch bay covers also serve as dust filters and are removable according to the number of drives installed.






The bottom most majority of the front bezel has a removable dust filter. This allows for a safer and superior cleaning.





The metal covers for the bottom two 5.25 inch drives must be twisted or broken off if an additional 5.25 inch needs to be added. The Armor A90 included one 120mm blue LED intake fan. Another can be installed above it which essentially doubles the intake amount of cool air to blow through the system. The two 120mm fans can also be switched out for a single large 200mm intake fan; the Armor A90 includes the proper hardware to install either optional fan behind the front bezel.

System Installation




The tool less drive installation process is pretty straightforward. When you lift in the plastic drive retaining clip that will be used to lock the drive in place you will see four holes in the drive mounting bay that will line up with the mounting holes in the drive.







Push the mounting clip forward and it will release, then push the 5.25 inch optical drive in from the front of the chassis until the holes in the cage line up with the mounting holes in the drive. Then push the retaining clip back down and push it forward again to lock the clip into place effectively holding the drive into place.





The tool less installation for 3.5 inch hard drives is exactly the same as the 5.25 inch tool less installation. The retaining clips are released by pushing forward on them and are locked back into place once the drive is lined up and the retaining clip pushed forward again with a gentle push locking the drive into place. This process is effective, it works well, and takes a lot less time than individually screwing in the drives into the cage.





Before installing the power supply take a look at the holding bracket that must be removed. The bracket must be unscrewed from the bottom of the case then fastened back in snug against the power supply when it is in the proper place to keep it slightly elevated. Only two silver hex headed screws have to be removed to readjust and remount the retention bracket. This keeps the power supply firmly in place before it is secured into the back of the case by the four final mounting screws.



Now it is time to install the motherboard into the Thermaltake Armor A90. Only three of the brass standoffs needed to be installed thanks to the preformed risers into the motherboard tray.




The motherboard I/O shield firmly fit and snapped into place. On a side note another nice observation I made was that the Armor A90 never had an I/O shield that had to be twisted out of the case in order to install the compatible one that came with the motherboard. I always found this to be annoying with other cases and am quite happy the Armor A90 never had one to bother with to begin with as it is always unnecessary.



The motherboard fit in very neatly into the Armor A90 and all of the mounting holes on the motherboard lined up perfectly with the standoffs in the motherboard tray.



Now it is time to install the expansion cards. One wireless adaptor and two XFX 4850 video cards will be installed. Make sure to keep in mind that the Armor A90 cannot fit video cards larger than 260mm or 10.2 inches. Most video cards will have absolutely no issue fitting into this case but it is always smart to check before making an investment.




Another excellent design element of the Thermaltake Armor A90 is that the expansion slot covers do not need to be twisted (broken) off. It is annoying when one accidentally removes the wrong slot cover or has to change around the expansion card configuration and due to an irreversible removal of the stock slot cover they have to find a way to cover it with a usually non matching after market cover. In most cases (no pun intended) you would have to find an acceptable solution as such but with the Armor A90 the slot covers are removable and can be reattached easily. Simply use a flat headed screw driver and twist the end of the cover and it pops out into the inside. Make sure to have one hand holding the cover as it has a tendency to pop off into the motherboard.









Now we have the completed system installed into the Thermaltake Armor A90. Cable management was a tad difficult due to no channels existing to run wires behind the motherboard tray but with some time and Velcro strips it can look pleasant. Some excess wires can also be routed into the area behind the drive cage to conceal them.




It is time now to replace the stock AMD cooler for something cooler, literally. The Thermaltake Frio Cooler is an excellent choice and even though it is large, it will have no problem fitting into the Armor A90 mid tower chassis. A CPU cooler cannot exceed 180mm or 7.1 inches to fit into the Armor A90. The Frio is 165mm high so while it has a somewhat rather tight fit; it is entirely possible and not too difficult to install.



The opening for the CPU cooler back plate in the tray of the Armor A90 is perfect for swapping out the stock back plate with the AMD compatible Thermaltake Frio back plate. Having that access cut out definitely saves a lot of time and trouble.





Now that we have everything installed the inside of the completed system looks fantastic. The LED case fans definitely pull everything together as they throw brilliant light on all of the internal components.






From the outside the completed system looks stunning and the Thermaltake Armor A90 is responsible for protecting and holding it all together. A matching LED intake fan on the side panel would have really looked amazing on this case as if it belonged there so it is a definite upgrade for the future. The blue power button also has a very bright but not distracting light. The small but attractive side window gives envious enthusiasts at the LAN party a little glimpse of the beast inside of the protective armor around it.







Fortunately, if any jealous observers have sticky fingers the Armor A90 has two nice physical security features. A lock can be installed that holds the windowed side panel onto the main chassis. The other security feature prevents opportunistic criminals from nicking expensive wired gaming peripherals such as a mouse or keyboard by locking the USB ends through a bracket that is secured by a metallic thumbscrew from the inside of the tower, which can’t be tampered with if it is locked. These somewhat seemingly small features are really significant if it can protect one’s personal property, and it further goes to show Thermaltake is on the side of the consumers and wishes the best for the gaming community and it looking out for their interests.



Armor A90 Testing

Now it is time to test the Armor A90. The Armor A90 will be tested against the Thermaltake Element G in terms of motherboard and CPU temperatures. Both the stock and Frio cooler will be used in these tests. The chart below shows the exact system inside the armor of the Thermaltake Armor A90. All temperature tests were done in a controlled central air environment at 21 degrees Celsius.











To test the effectiveness of the cooling for the Thermaltake Armor A90, the ASUS PC Probe II utility was used to measure the CPU and Motherboard temperatures for four different activities. The first and least strenuous activity is the system sitting idle on the Windows 7 desktop. The next test will be Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare game play, then the third test will be Battlefield Bad Company 2 game play, and the final test will be a 3DMark Vantage benchmark test that stresses out the CPU and graphics of the system. Both the low fan settings (1200RPM) and high settings (2500RPM) were used with the Frio cooler. The Armor A90 will be compared to the Element G, which is another Thermaltake mid tower of a different series than the Armor A90.









The Element G slightly outperformed the Armor A90 in the CPU cooling tests. Both cases are very well designed however the Element G has a lot more stock cooling, which likely played a factor in the slight edge it has with cooling against the Armor A90. Both cases did an excellent job regardless of what cooler was used.









For the motherboard temperature test the Frio’s fans were set to the highest settings. The Armor A90 actually outperformed the Element G in the motherboard temperature tests. Both cases still did exceptionally in both tests and no alarming temperatures every occurred from any of these tests. The Thermaltake Armor A90 has now proven itself to be an excellent choice for any gamer or enthusiast.


Final Thoughts and Conclusion



After this thorough review it is clear that the Thermaltake Armor A90 chassis succeeds in design, appearance, and most importantly, performance. The tool less drive installation system, the top eSATA port, and the easy to remove side panels and front bezel, and the physical security are very desirable features that are certain to attract many system builders, gamers and enthusiasts. The obvious but not overpowering epic and bold appearance of the cosmetic armor also add to the large list of pros with this case. The only minor setbacks would be the limited cable management system and the lack of a side 120mm intake fan. However one can be added and it is definitely an upgrade worth considering further advancing the cooling capabilities of this well made case that is cool to begin with in every way.

A soldier should never go into battle without his trusty and reliable armor, and any hardcore gamer can trust the Thermaltake Armor A90 as their very own armor to protect their system in battle.

The Thermaltake Armor A90 Mid Tower Case is Clan Team Xtreme approved!

Writer, Photographer: Alex Sweers
Technical Assistance: Alan Sweers, Zach Sweers

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