Physical Look - Outside
The Thermaltake Spedo is the physically the size of an average full tower case, and is constructed of both black SECC and gray plastic to pull off a sleek and sporty look. The sides of the front of the case and the roof are layered with grey plastic; while the rest of the front face is made of metal-constructed mesh -- which is quite standard for many Thermaltake designs. There are seven 5.25" drive bays at the front, with four of them located at the top. The middle section divides the front face into two sections; positioning the remaining three 5.25" drive bays at the bottom of the case. There is an additional 5.25" to 3.5" converter included, in case the user requires that section for a floppy disk drive. The internal hard disk bays can also be converted to house additional 5.25" drives using included adapter plates. However, I would highly doubt anyone would be able to use all of the original seven slots haha. Meanwhile, there is one red LED 120mm fan in front of the hard drive bays. This makes the front of the case light up for aesthetics purposes, with the fan itself permitting improved airflow.
Located towards the right side of the front is an array of standard computer case bundle -- the power button, power LED, reset button, and HDD activity LED. The top trapezoid shaped button is the power button, with the power LED surrounding the right and bottom of the power button with a glowing blue LED. The reset button is the slit located below the power button, with the HDD activity LED located directly under the reset button.
The left side of the case is dominated by the giant 230mm fan -- in fact, it occupies almost the entire oddly shaped window on the left side of the case. The fan's connector is implemented using a coupled metal plate contact system to ensure that the fan does not keep spinning when the side panel is removed. The metal plate located inside the case is attached to a 4-pin female Molex connector. There is also a vent on the window to allow better airflow to the fan itself; which lets more heat to efficiently leave the case as this is located relatively on top of the motherboard itself where most of the heat is created and rises. There is also an easy to open lever to remove the case's side panel. Finally, there is an additional mesh on the right side of the window for better airflow in and out of the case. The fins on the top of the case are also clearly seen, and provide a nice touch to the aesthetics of the case.
The right side of the case is just about the same as the its opposing side, except fitted with a mesh vent for an optional 120mm fan -- which enhances cooling at bottom of the motherboard. A mesh cutout designed for the hard drives are also located in the same place as it was in on the flipside of the case. Overall, both sides of the case are nearly symmetrical; and creates a look that is pleasing to the eye.
As the Thermaltake Spedo Advance Package computer case is water-cooling ready, the back of the case has the usual cutout holes for an optional liquid cooling system; which is located at the top left of the rear of the case. To the right side of that are the two 120mm fans used to exhaust the heat generated from the hot hot (temperature) beastly components that usually ends up installed in this computer case. There are four thumb screws that keep both of the side panels in place, and are placed so the user can remove the side panel without grabbing a screwdriver every time. Located right below that is where the I/O shield is designed to go. There are seven expansion card slots, with a unique screwless installation system; all you have to do is push down the button and remove the metal dummy plate. Then insert the expansion card, and push the lock back in. That's it! Finally, the power supply nay is located at the very bottom of the case (Which is below the motherboard, if that's not becoming obvious haha), which is becoming quite common nowadays for thermal management advantages.
At the top of the Thermaltake Spedo Advance, placed near the front panel of the case are the "front" panel connectors. The usual dual USB ports, 3.5mm speaker output, and a 3.5mm microphone output comes in standard, like all modern chassis. Where a Firewire port is usually located is dropped in favor of an eSATA port. There is no cover for these connectors, so it could become easily be seeped with dust -- especially when they are located at the top of the case. Just make sure to have some extra dust spray ready. Fins are located at the top along with another 230mm fan to correspond to the 230mm fan installed on the side panel window.
Four plastic feet are attached to the sides of the bottom of the case. They swivel to allow the feet to be aligned either parallel or perpendicular to the case. This means that the case is able to adapt to surfaces requiring different stability/balance specifications -- ranging from carpet to tile. There is an additional mesh vent at the bottom of the Spedo so another fan can be added to the bottom of the case (Not recommended, especially if your computer is placed on the floor!). The PSU also gets a vent for airflow to bottom-mounted 120mm fans too.
All of the panels -- including the top panel -- is removable. These can be removed to increase accessibility during installation of components into the computer. We will have more details on some of these functions in just a moment.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
