Page 3 - Physical Look - Inside
By removing the two thumbscrews at the back, one can open up the side panel on the Thermaltake Chaser MK-1. The side panel uses a swivel design that allows the user to rotate the door outwards like it was on hinges, which is a great feature to have when showing off your internals without actually needing to completely remove the panel. Although the exterior of the unit is very outgoing and unique in many different ways, the interior design is much more conventional. Painted matte black all around, and fitted with rubber cable flap hiders, the overall quality is acceptable. Much like the exterior, the Chaser MK-1 follows the same blue-black color theme, as the HDD trays and ODD tool-less locking mechanisms are colored bright blue.
As stated previously, the Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 is only able to house up to ATX sized motherboards. mATX is also compatible with the case. The standoff mounting holes are clearly labeled by numbers on the motherboard tray; in fact, the standoffs are already pre-installed. The Chaser MK-1 has a 140mm TurboFan as an exhaust; seen at the back with a larger 200mm multi-LED fan seen at the top. Both exhaust fans use 3-pin motherboard headers with fully sleeved cables, but the top exhaust fan cable routes through the back into one of the front panel wire connections to control the fan speed and LED display. Again, as aforementioned, the top 200mm exhaust fan is without a air filter, so watch out for settling dust. Another 200mm fan option may be added to the top if one so desired. The spacious roof design also allows high efficiency 24cm radiators for water cooling enthusiasts.
Below the top fan is a very small opening just above the motherboard tray perfect for routing the motherboard power cable and the such. Below is a huge opening on the motherboard tray for users to easily install aftermarket CPU heatsink backplates. The hole is actually quite large to accommodate motherboards of different generations.
Because the case uses a bottom mounted power supply, we can see the usual ventilated grille. Since this chassis is able to pack a lot of internals inside, one thing that will always be a priority is the ability to support long and high-wattage power supply units. To do this, the Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 has an adjustable backside stand for the PSU that one can adjust to accommodate some of the longest power supplies on the market. The adjustable bracket is secured by two thumbscrews.
Just above the bottom mounted power supply unit bay are eight expansion card slots. The expansion slots use thumbscrews to remove the slot covers and to secure the installed card. Along with the tool-free mechanism seen in the 5.25" and 3.5" drive bays, Thermaltake has made the Chaser MK-1 a fairly tool-free case, which is great for users who find this extra convenience beneficial.
Towards the front are the HDD mounting trays. These trays are made out of a fairly bendable plastic, and are easy to slide into place. To install a standard 3.5" hard drive, one needs to slide out a tray, remove the two provided pin attachments, orientate the hard drive onto the tray, and place the two pin attachments back on. The hard drive trays are line with rubber around the pin attachments to increase hard drive grip hold and to reduce vibration. To install a 2.5" laptop or solid state drive, the user will need to position the drive with the holes found on the tray, and screw the drive into place with the provided screws.
Removing the back side panel reveals one of the cleanest motherboard backsides I have seen. All the front panel wires including the front and top fans are routed to the back of the motherboard tray, and are cable-tied neatly for the user. Also, found all around the back of the motherboard tray are a lot of cable tie holes, as well as an immense amount of cabling room behind the hard drive trays. All cables are fully sleeved for a nice finishing touch.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
