Reviewed: Thermaltake Core V71

Airflow

The Core V71 has 2 solid side panels and although the left panel does have a window, it isn’t ventilated. The front and top panels are a nice mesh with all the necessary mounting holes and 3 included 200mm Blue LED fans. There is also the standard rear fan (a 140mm in this case) for exhaust as well as provision to install a fan in the floor of the case as well.

When it comes to airflow, Thermaltake has made the case highly versatile with a range of compatibility options for 120mm, 140mm and 200mm fan options – the standard out of the box configuration of 3x200mm and 1x140mm seems fine and I didn’t have any thermal issues at all when testing the practical build in the Core V71.

There is a built in fan controller that operates in high or low mode, controlling the 200mm fans. The acoustic difference is noticeable with the stock fans bordering on ‘loud’ when set to full speed and a soft ‘audible’ on the low setting. Even at low speed, the fans seem to move a decent amount of air.

Fan Support

The fan support matrix is extensive and we have included both a table and Thermaltake’s schematic below

  120mm 140mm 200mm
Front 3 2 2
Top 3 2 2
Rear 1 1
Base 2

Fully Modular

Thermaltake weren’t kidding when they said the Core V71 was fully modular – the 8 internal hard drive bays are split across 3 cages, 2x 3 drives and 1x 2 drives. The cages can be removed and shuffled to fit either a radiator at the front or just to allow increased unobstructed airflow to the graphics card(s).

Not only can you take out all 8 3.5″ drive bays but you can take out the cages, the internal strut and still hang 2 of the drive caddies on the right hand side of the case which is great for those who want to use the whole front of the case for a big radiator with push/pull fans. 

The drive caddies are tool-less for 3.5″ hard drives but you will need to use mounting screws for Solid State Drives to keep them in place. The 3.5″ locking system is the easiest that I’ve used and it took seconds to load a drive. at the back of the cage it’s worth mentioning that we found it best to use 180 degree or straight through SATA connectors as the 90 degree headers were more awkward to fit. The 90 degree headers do fit but you have to run the cable on the inside of the cage which takes more effort – the result does look better but it can be fiddly.

Radiator Support

It is impressive to see the number of radiator options Thermaltake managed to include in the design of the Core V71. The table below and diagram illustrate what you can do without modding the case and it should suit most watercooling enthusiast’s needs.

  120mm 140mm 240mm 280mm 360mm 420mm
Front
Top
Rear
Base

Although Thermaltake don’t specify a 240mm radiator in the top or front on their schematic, having had a good look at the case, the mounting holes for 240mm are there. I expect that the 240mm radiator wasn’t included in the diagram because the 360mm is shown and typically, it you can fit a 360 then you can fit a 240.

Build Quality

The build quality of the Core V71 review sample we received was flawless. All elements of the case felt sturdy and even the side panels were surprisingly rigid despite their span and the massive window.

The acrylic window arrived protected by plastic film on the inside and outside of the panel – when the protective film was removed I was impressed with the view inside the case. The clear plastic is highly reflective but once lit up inside, you can see everything clearly.

The drive cages are held in tight with thumb screws and the drive caddies are made of durable plastic – I didn’t notice any hard drive vibration even when copying my steam library across to the 7200 rpm drive. The drive trays themselves slide and clip into place easily as you close the latch. Some of the drive trays were firmer than others but all trays were sturdy and functional. 

The black finish inside and out was perfect and all the panels lined up without any gaps or uneven join lines – I couldn’t fault it.

The One Percenters

  • There is also a ‘security’ feature on the rear of the case where you can route your peripheral cables through a clip than is secured from within the case via a thumbscrew. It won’t stop someone from stealing your keyboard and mouse but it will make it pretty obvious when they have to pop a side panel to release the clip.
  • Pads and a moveable support keep the PSU supported and isolated from vibrating in the case
  • Taking modular drive bays to the next level by being able to ‘hang’ 2 drive trays down the right side of the case only took a couple of fittings but is bound to come in handy for a few system builders or water enthusiasts who want to clear out the drive cages all together.
  • I appreciated the 8 PIN power extension cable even though I didn’t need it. If you don’t have one and your PSU cable is too short, it can put an immediate stop to your build and ruin a weekend.
  • Zip Tie points are in abundance
  • LED on / off switch allows the case to be dark in the event that you want to leave it on overnight in your room while you download that latest steam or Origin title.
  • There is a gap under the bottom internal drive bay that can be used for excess cables which reduces the cables that need to be managed behind the motherboard tray.
  • The top panel comes completely off without any wires attached – all of the headers are on the chassis underneath, not connected to the upper cover.

 

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