Thermaltake Core V21 SPCC Micro ATX Cube Computer Chassis CA

Thermaltake Core V21 SPCC Micro ATX Cube Computer Chassis CA

Thermaltake Core V21 SPCC Micro ATX Cube Computer Chassis CA

DESIGN



Thermaltake Core V21 Micro Chassis

As the latest addition to the Core V Series, the new Thermaltake Core V21 is a quadrate micro M-ATX-based chassis that offers an endless stackable and flexible thermal solution. It allows externally-modular upgrades for enthusiasts to create dual systems. Designed for use in either a vertical or horizontal orientation on the motherboard, users can customize the chassis for the best viewing presentation. A 200mm fan on the front panel ensures that the Core V21 delivers outstanding cooling performance with compatibility for extensive DIY/AIO LCS, further enhancing the reputation that the air cooling units of the series has become renowned for. Guaranteed to be an immensely powerful system, the Core V21 also has the ability to accommodate various overclocking components to boost performance even further where it counts!

Vertical or Horizontal Motherboard Placement

The Core V21 is designed for use in either a vertical or horizontal orientation on the motherboard. Built for customization that reflects the enthusiast's personality, it allows for adjustments to the chassis for the best viewing presentation while ensuring outstanding cooling performance. A removable PSU dust filter is embedded in the bottom panel of the chassis. Additionally, shockproof rubber gaskets on the PSU bracket help to minimize noise during operation.

Stackable and Flexible Thermal Solution

With its endless stackable design, the Core V21 is in a class above the rest. Virtually limitless utility is possible. It's the first expandable system that allows enthusiasts to incorporate externally -modular upgrades. Stacked together, the chassis opens up space to expand the liquid cooling system, the storage solutions, or even create dual systems, thereby allowing for a dedicated top/bottom set-up for pure cooling. The maximum radiator length supported is 600mm at the front of the stack.





Remarkable Expansion

Designed for high-end gaming system compatibility, the Core V21's modular drive racks allow gamers to easily install up to six data storage devices, a dual expansion slot VGA up to 350mm in length, and a tower CPU cooler up to 185mm in height. Even with a high-wattage PSU of up to 200mm in length, there's still plenty of space available for cable management. Moreover, two 240mm radiators can be installed on top of the chassis, delivering superior cooling performance.




Optimized Ventilation

With its exceptional cooling ability, the Core V21 offers various mounting points to support all types of cooling systems, including DIY/AIO liquid-cooling systems and air-cooling units. A large 200mm fan is preinstalled on the front to guarantee that any type of gaming system can be accommodated.

Chambers Concept

The Core V21 is optimized for space management. It is divided into two main chambers: the upper chamber is made for cooling performance and efficiency, while the lower one is made for PSU and drive bays. Thanks to the removable 2.5"/3.5" drive device racks, there is plenty of flexibility to gain the maximum interior space when needed for advanced cooling performance or liquid systems build.

Tt LCS Certification

Tt LCS Certified is a Thermaltake exclusive certification applied to only products that pass the design and hardcore enthusiasts standards that a true LCS chassis should be held to. The Tt LCS certification was created so that we at Thermaltake can designate to all power users which chassis have been tested to be best compatible with extreme liquid cooling configurations to ensure you get the best performance from the best features and fitment.



Core V21 Radiator Supporting List

Core V21 Fan Supporting List

Thermaltake Core V21 SPCC Micro ATX Cube Computer Chassis CA

This Product
Product Information
Model	Core V21
P/N	CA-1D5-00S1WN-00
Side Panels	Window
Color	Black
Compatibility
Motherboard Supported	6.7" x 6.7" Mini-ITX 9.6" x 9.6" Micro ATX
Form Factor	Micro Case
Dimensions
Height	336mm/13.2"
Width	320mm/12.6"
Depth	424mm/16.7"
Expansion
Expansion Slots	5
Internal Drive Bay	3 x 3.5" / 2.5"
External Drive Bay	No
I/O Ports
USB 3.0	2
USB 2.0	N/A
HD Audio / Fan Controller	Yes/No
Cooling
Top	4 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm
Front	1 x 120mm or 1 x 140mm or 1 x 200mm
Rear	1 x 120mm or 1 x 140mm
Bottom	2 x 120mm
Side	2 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm (Left and Right)
Radiaror Supports
Top	2 x 120/240mm or 1 x 140/280mm
Front	1 x 120/240mm or 1 x 140/mm
Rear	1 x 120mm
Bottom	1 x 120/240mm
Side	1 x 120/240mm or 1 x 140/280
Clearence
CPU Cooler Height	185mm
Graphic Card Length	350mm
ATX PSU Length	220mm
Stacking	Yes
M/B Rotation Placement	Yes

Learn more about the Thermaltake CA-1D5-00S1WN-00

ModelBrandThermaltakeSeriesCore V21ModelCA-1D5-00S1WN-00
DetailsTypeExtreme Micro ATX Cube ChassisColorBlackCase MaterialSPCCWith Power SupplyNoPower SupplyStandard PS2 PSU (Optional)Power Supply MountedBottomMotherboard CompatibilityMicro-ATX (9.6" x 9.6") / Mini-ITX (6.7" x 6.7")Side Panel WindowTransparent WindowRemovable FilterYes
ExpansionInternal 3.5" Drive Bays3 x 3.5" / 2.5"Internal 2.5" Drive Bays3Expansion Slots5
Front Panel PortsFront Ports2 x USB 3.0 / 1 x HD Audio
Cooling SystemFan OptionsFront: 2 x 120mm / 2 x 140mm / 1 x 200mm (1 x 200mm fan 800rpm, 13dBA, included)

Top: 4 x 120mm / 2 x 140mm

Rear: 1 x 120mm / 1 x 140mm

Bottom: 2 x 120mm

Side(L/R): 2 x 120mm / 2 x 140mmRadiator OptionsFront:
1 x 120mm or 1 x 240mm
1 x 140mm
Top:
2 x 120mm or 2 x 240mm
1 x 140mm or 1 x 280mm
Rear:
1 x 120mm
Left/Right Sides: (Req Bracket(s) from top)
1 x 120mm or 1 x 240mm
1 x 140mm or 1 x 280mm
Dimensions & WeightMax GPU Length Allowance350 mmMax CPU Cooler Height Allowance185 mmMax PSU Length200 mmDimensions (H x W x D)13.20" x 12.60" x 16.70"Weight14.30 lbs.
Additional InfoFeaturesVertical or Horizontal Motherboard Placement

Stackable and Flexible Thermal Solution

Remarkable Expansion

Optimized Ventilation

Chambers Concept

Generally speaking we think about small form factor cases such as the Micro-ATX Thermaltake Core V21 in terms of the limitations they impose. You are restricted to a small motherboard, you may not be able to use a proper gaming graphics card and there is a good chance the amount of cooling you can install is limited by the size of the case.

The cuboid nature of the Thermaltake Core V21 defies expectations and allows you to rearrange the panels and cooling to your heart’s content. Stripping the chassis bare is a quick process as each panel is held on with two thumbscrews. Once the top, bottom and sides are removed you can see the chassis is a simple framework with a riveted motherboard tray. This highlights how much space you have inside the V21 with clearance for a CPU cooler that is 185mm in height, a graphics card up to 350mm in length and a power supply up to 200mm long when you use a bottom fan in the case.

It is worth pointing out that one of the side panels has a huge window while the bottom has a mesh filter for the power supply and the other panels have huge magnetic dust filters, and you can install these panels in any order you choose. The front panel can also be rotated and the I/O panel moved to one of three locations and to make the result look neat and tidy the Thermaltake badge on the center of the panel can also be rotated on its magnetic mount.

Specification:
Motherboard support: Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX.
Expansion slots: 5.
Included fans: 1x 200mm front intake.
Fan mounts: 2x 120/140mm front, 4x 120mm or 2x 140mm roof, 1x 120/140mm rear, 2x 120mm bottom, 2x 120/140mm in each side.
120mm radiator mounts: 1x 120mm/240mm front, 2x 120mm/240mm roof, 1x 120mm rear. 1x 120mm/240mm in each side.
140mm radiator mounts: 1x 140mm front, 1x 140mm/280mm roof, 1x 140mm/280mm in each side.
5.25″ drive bays: None
Internal drive bays: 3x 3.5/2.5”, 3×2.5″.
Dimensions: 424mm H x 320mm D x 336mm W.

Once you have decided which way you wish to orient the chassis you can get busy with the build and this could be a frustrating process. First you install the power supply along with a fiddly retention bracket and this is followed by the motherboard. You’ll need to install any CPU cooler mounts first as the position of the PSU means you have no access to the rear of the motherboard.

Once you have the main hardware installed you can choose which of the six drive bays you wish to use and do your best to tidy the cabling.
The final task is to install cooling, which could be simple if you use an air cooler on the processor and simply rely on the 200mm fan at the front of the chassis.

On the other hand you’ll probably wish to install liquid cooling or a bunch of extra fans, and this brings us to an especially neat feature of the Core V21. There are four rails arranged in two pairs that can slot in the top or sides of the chassis and which can be spaced to suit 120mm or 140mm spacing.

You can, if you wish, install two 240mm radiators in the top of the case or a 280mm radiator on either side or pretty much anything you choose. By our count you can fit eight fans in this chassis, which is mind boggling.

The only downside to this method of installing cooling is that the side panels can be awkward to install, depending on the positions of the cooling rails.

Testing
To put this case through its cooling paces we will be using a test system consisting of an Intel Core i7-4770K, Radeon R9 290 and multiple storage drives. This system allows us to produce a substantial amount of heat and effectively test the Thermaltake Core V21‘s cooling capabilities.

For stress testing we use a mixture of Prime95 and FurMark to create the maximum heat output. Prime95′s ‘Small FFTs’ setting allows us to stress our CPU. FurMark’s ‘GPU Burn-in’ mode creates the maximum amount of load our GPU is ever likely to see.

Test System:
Processor: 3.9GHz Intel Core i7-4770K
Motherboard: Asus Z87I Pro
CPU cooler: Corsair H110i GT
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP DDR3-1600MHz RAM
Graphics card: Sapphire Tri-X R9 290 4GB
Power supply: Seasonic Platinum Fanless 520W
Storage drives: SanDisk Extreme Pro SSD
OS: Windows 8.1 Professional 64-bit.

Cooling Performance

Cooling depends entirely on the hardware you use. We tested with the Corsair 280mm liquid cooler and the Thermaltake 200mm fan at the front of the chassis and the results were impressive. Airflow is unrestricted, however the location of the power supply probably doesn’t help CPU temperatures.

Acoustics Performance

This is a noisy case in the sense that it is very open in its design with those two huge air filters and that colossal window. There is barely any sound deadening material. Use the relatively quiet 200mm fan and you’ll be fine but if you pack the case with fans you will doubtless suffer from a certain amount of noise.
Closing Thoughts

The V21 is an impressive design from Thermaltake. The ability to move the fans and radiators around to your heart’s content is fascinating while the option of stacking two Core V21 chassis is novel. Thermaltake’s idea of using the upper chassis to house a home brew liquid cooling system is interesting and eye-catching but realistically it is irrelevant for mainstream users.

The remarkable thing about the Thermaltake Core V21 is the low price of £48.74 inc vat. This reflects the build quality and Micro-ATX form factor but means you effectively get the novel features as a freebie.

You can certainly use the Core V21 as a conventional case without any extra cooling however that means you have to find a decent amount for space for chassis without reaping much in the way of reward. Use the features on offer and the V21 looks like excellent value.


Pros:
Front 200mm fan.
Two magnetic dust filters help keep the chassis clean.
Cooling rails allow many options for fan and radiator mounts.
Sensibly low price.
Case can be oriented whichever way you like.
Front panel looks smart.
Huge window to display your components.
Ability to stack two V21 cases together.

Cons:
Power supply mounting is awkward.
No access to rear of motherboard.
The open design can be fairly noisy.
No optical drive bay, even though there is an opening in the front of the chassis.
Build quality reflects the price.
Installing the side panels can be an effort.

Case Edition	Core V21
Case Form Factor	MicroATX
Motherboard Form Factor	·         MicroATX ·         Mini-ITX

I/O, Bays & Expansion
Front/Side/Top Panel I/O	·         1 x Headphone Out ·         1 x Mic In ·         2 x USB 3.0
Drive Bays	·         3 x 2.5" Internal ·         3 x 2.5"/ 3.5" Internal
Standard Expansion Slots	5
Vertical Expansion Slots

Fans & Filters
Fan Bays	·         5 x 120/140mm ·         2 x 120mm ·         1 x 200mm
Fans Included	1 x 200mm
Fan Controller/Hub
Dust Filters

Liquid Cooling Support
Front Radiator Compatibility
Top Radiator Compatibility
Bottom Radiator Compatibility
Rear Radiator Compatibility
Side Radiator Compatibility

Clearances
Max CPU Cooler Height	185 mm
Max GPU Card Length	350 mm
Cable Routing Space

Side Panels
Window/s	Yes
Window Configuration
Window Construction

LED Lighting Functionality
LED Lighting	No
LED Lighting Emitters
LED Lighting Colour
LED Lighting Support & Control

Power Supply Compatibility
PSU Included	No
PSU Wattage (If Included)
PSU 80+ Rating (If Included)
PSU Support	ATX
PSU Mounting Location
Max PSU Length

Chassis Physical Specifications
Colour	Black
Chassis Contruction Materials	SECC
Dimensions	320 x 336 x 424 (WxHxD mm)
Weight	6.5 kg (Approx)
Please Note

Additional Information
Scan Code	LN61679
Model Number	CA-1D5-00S1WN-00
GTIN	4717964400192

Thermaltake Core V21 SPCC Micro ATX Cube Computer Chassis CA

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