Page 4 - Installation and Conclusion
Installation into the Thermaltake Core P3 TG Pro Snow is a pretty easy process, especially as there are very few walls or barriers to contend with. Starting as usual, I installed the power supply, which is the FSP Hydro PTM Pro 1200W. This is a pretty lengthy power supply at 19.0cm. Thermaltake says you can install a unit up to 200mm, as anything longer will block the cabling hole. You can see even at 19.0cm, the hole is half-blocked. It would have been nice to see this increased in size, but I think this is only problematic if you have a PSU as large as mine. You will need to install the bracket at the back onto the power supply first, then screw in the whole unit to the back of the Core P3 TG Pro. Next, you can use a C-shape bracket near the modular cables as an additional support brace. This mounts into two holes, with one above the PSU and one at the back of the frame. I also routed all my power cables in this step to make the next installation steps a bit easier.
Moving on, I mounted the motherboard, which is an ASUS ProArt Z690-Creator WiFi with an Intel Core i5-12600K inside and a set of XPG Lancer RGB DDR5-6000 2x16GB memory. On top of the CPU, I have a Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black, but of course, you can also install water cooling solutions if you so desire, especially with the potentially two different mounting positions for the radiators. As for CPU height limitations, Thermaltake limits users to 180mm of height, which is certainly more than enough for even the tallest air coolers.
Next, I mounted the EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING in the standard horizontal position. From here, you can see there is more than enough space for a longer graphics card, and Thermaltake specifies a maximum 330mm with a reservoir at the front or 450mm without one. This is certainly more than enough space for even the latest generation of graphics cards. I also appreciate the graphics card brace, which helps prop up the GPU at the other end of the card and preventing any sag. There are multiple mounting holes to use for this brace, so various thicknesses of cards can be accommodated here. After this step, I plugged in all of the pre-routed power cables and front I/O connectors.
On the back, you can see that cabling space is not an issue on the Thermaltake Core P3 TG Pro Snow. There is a lot of space behind the VESA mounting hardware to hide cables. As I only have an M.2 SSD in this system, we do not have to use any of the drive cages, but I would have no concern for physical space if I did need to fill up this area. There were also many tiedown points around the edges and at the back of the motherboard to help with managing the extra cables.
Overall, the Thermaltake Core P3 TG Pro Snow is very easy to work in. The only thing I might suggest is to have a plastic screw container to help separate the different ones provided with the Core P3 TG Pro and make the installation process that much smoother.
With everything installed, I mounted the side tempered glass panel, plugged in the power supply, and hit the power button. With the power light glowing blue, you can see how open this case is from the front, top, and back. It merges the looks of a test bench and a more traditional chassis together.
With the system turned on, the Core P3 TG Pro Snow is also very silent. According to the standard APH Networks sound scale, where 0 is silence and 10 is loud, the Thermaltake Core P3 TG Pro Snow is technically a 0/10 under full load, as there are no additional fans included with the enclosure. It is also fully open so there is no noise dampening here. Everything should stay really cool with the lack of walls, so components that do make noise, such as fans, will probably stay quieter even if the sound is not dampened. The rest of my components are also pretty quiet to begin with, which help in my situation.
-----------------------------------------
If cases are trending to a single compartment, then the Thermaltake Core P3 TG Pro Snow takes that to the next level. From the outset, you can see the enclosure is a hybrid between a test rack and a chassis, with benefits from both. The IKEA-like approach of assembling the Core P3 TG Pro and modular parts means you get to choose what you want in this build. This process is relatively straightforward, even if it may look daunting with the number of parts. Once assembled, the P3 TG Pro is an unassuming case with its white finish and lightly tinted tempered glass panel. Its openness means you should not have compatibility issues, with support for all motherboard sizes, a large power supply, long graphics cards, and a variety of cooling options, both air and liquid. There are multiple places to mount storage options and custom liquid loop cooling components. Building in the Thermaltake Core P3 TG Pro Snow is an enjoyable time. Cabling is a dream with abundant space behind the motherboard, plenty of cabling holes, and many anchor points. The only things I would have liked to see is some more rubber grommets on the cable holes and the inclusion of an accessory screw box to separate all of the different screws included. I also would have appreciated a riser cable included out of the box. At the time of the review, the Thermaltake Core P3 TG Pro Snow is around $160, which lands in an expected price territory. If you are looking for an open-air case that offers compatibility and ease of use in a clean and refined finish, the Core P3 TG Pro is an excellent option.
Thermaltake provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH:Renewal Award | APH Networks Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that are not likely going to matter to the end user.
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks, but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Networks Numeric Rating is 7.8/10
Please note that the APH Networks Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other publications.
The Thermaltake Core P3 TG Pro Snow is a great open-air chassis that can hold almost anything you throw at it.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look
3. Assembly
4. Installation and Conclusion
