Thermaltake The Tower 300: we love it!

Today we’d like to introduce you to the Tower 300, an enclosure from Thermaltake that’s not exactly a novelty, but is attracting increasing interest. Launched at CES 2024, its main feature is verticality. You’ve probably already seen this case, and it’s probably caught your eye. We noticed it early on. We decided to do a build with it to give you an opinion covering its assembly and the use of a “solid” machine built around a chassis.

This case is part of The Tower series, and updates the previous rectangular and even more imposing design. In the course of this article, we’re going to find out whether this attractive case conceals a number of flaws when it comes to assembly and disadvantages when it comes to use. Our method is easy: assemble a PC with this chassis from A to Z. 

You’d like to see the assembly steps in detail, we’ve also posted a video on overclocking.com‘s various social medias. In this video, you’ll see how the case is unpacked, and how the build is assembled.

[nextpage title=”The Tower 300 in detail”] Thermaltake’s The Tower series is made up of several versions in different formats. We’ll take a look at the Micro-ATX format, as shown here with the Tower 300, then the Mini-Itx with the Tower 250, and finally the ATX format with the Tower 600. But the most impressive thing about this series is the range of colors available. With classic shades, but also some truly original ones, as you can see:

But let’s get back to our Tower 300 chassis, delivered in Gravel Sand. Personally, I find the Micro-Atx the ideal size for building a PC today. Here, even if the case looks imposing, it’s still small enough to sit on your desk without taking up too much space. On paper, with its narrow, vertical format, it allows you to show off the most flattering components of your configuration without having to place it under your desk because of its excessive dimensions.

The case is 55 cm high, 34 cm wide and 28 cm deep. Compact dimensions for a PC, but you’ll be able to install just about anything you want. You can easily install a 360mm AIO, or even a 420mm one like the latest NZXT Kraken. As for the graphics card, here too you can fit whatever you like. In fact, this case allows the use of cards up to 40 cm in length. To give you an example, the huge Rog Astral is “only” 36cm long. The same applies to the power supply, where you can opt for larger, more imposing models with a maximum length of 22 cm. The NZXT C1500, for example, measures just 18 cm. As you can see, this case can accommodate virtually any configuration, with the only limit being the use of a micro-atx motherboard.

Tower 300 design

The Tower 300 chassis is composed of several removable panels. One on each side, one on the rear and finally a cover on top. The front features a large tempered glass panel. This is flanked by two smaller glass panels, giving a more panoramic view of the components. They are 3 mm thick, and as with the other panels, can be detached without tools.

Now let’s turn our noses inside the chassis. The paintwork is a little darker in our case, and will always be different and in contrast with the exterior hue for the other colors (except for the black version). Nothing out of the ordinary here, but it’s already clear that assembly will be rather straightforward and easily accessible.

At the rear, we find the space dedicated to cable management. At first glance, you might think this would be complicated, but as you’ll see, it’s actually much simpler than that. But more generally, there’s nothing really new compared to a conventional chassis.

Finally, let’s take a look at the hood. Here, it’s the only part (along with the feet) to be made of plastic. However, the color code is identical and the change of material has no impact on the uniformity of the overall hue. Once again, it exudes quality. To remove the cover, simply pull on it and you’re done. You’ll then have access to the fans, which are attached to a hatch. To connect the cables to the motherboard or graphics card, you’ll need to lift the whole assembly.

Here’s a table showing the Tower 300’s specifications:

Our configuration: Here are the details of the configuration installed in this Tower 300. The aim is to provide a high-performance, versatile machine. The main use will of course be gaming, but the computing power will also be used for video editing and 3D modeling.

• Processor: Ryzen 9 9900X
• Motherboard: ASUS B650M Prime
• GPU: ASUS TUF RX 7800XT
• Cooling: TRYX Panorama 360 RGB
• Power supply: BeQuiet! Power Zone 2 1000W
• Case: Thermaltake Tower 300
• SSD: PNY CS3150-XHS
• Memory: Lexar ARES 2×16 GB 6400 MHz

[nextpage title=”Assembly.”]The assembly of this configuration is now available as a video, so that you can better visualize the various stages. Here, we’ll take you through the key steps. Let’s get straight to the point: nothing complicated, even for a beginner, if you follow our recommendations. 

thermal

The first step is to install the motherboard and liquid cooling. You’ll first need to assemble the cpu, ram, ssd and aio on the motherboard, to make it easier to fit these components into the chassis. If you’re new to assembly, with this chassis this stage can be considered critical, simply because it conditions the smooth running of the other operations. Even if you’re familiar with PC assembly, you’ll find that following this logic makes assembly much easier. Once this stage has been completed, you’ll need to screw in the motherboard and then the aio, using the screws supplied with the case. Once you’ve done that, the rest is child’s play!

We’ll now move on to installing the power supply. This time, it’s on the back of the case. All you have to do is remove the bracket, screw it to the power supply and then put it back in place. This step requires a little more application and dexterity to catch the cables on the other side without getting stuck when inserting the power supply.

This brings us to the cabling stage of the configuration. We’ve connected the most cumbersome cables to free up space and avoid being constrained when placing the graphics card.

The final stage of this build is the placement of the graphics card. Nothing complicated here, just unscrew the pcie covers, place the graphics card, screw it in place and finally connect it to the power supply. Despite its size of 32 cm, it fitted perfectly and without a hitch.

Finally, all that’s left to do is plug in all the remaining cables and make a minimally clean cable management system. We also decided to add a small Noctua fan to keep the air flowing over the ram. Bonus: it blends in perfectly with the color of our case.

[nextpage title=”Conclusion”] As you can see, we loved this Thermaltake case. This vertical format, which we’re not used to seeing, really lets us enjoy our configuration from every angle. What’s more, this format makes it easier to find a place for it on a good number of desks, without having a block condemning the rest of the space. Maintenance is also well thought-out. You won’t have to worry about dust, since filters are present on each PC vent, all of which are easily detachable. Another positive observation is that this case has clearly been designed for easy assembly. Where some other references are purely aesthetic and very tedious to assemble, here everything is simpler. So, despite the limited space available, you’ll be able to install a neat cable management system without fear of losing one or two fingers. You can also easily integrate a 360mm AIO with a large pump block, as we did.

The perfect case doesn’t exist…

But the world of the perfect case doesn’t exist, and the Tower 300 does have a few constraints. The first relates to the case’s airflow. For optimum airflow, air must be drawn in from the sides and discharged from the top. This would respect the physical principles of hot air rising and slightly improving temperatures. Nothing impossible, but you should bear in mind that you’ll probably have to equip your AIO with inverted-blade fans. Otherwise, you’ll have to do as we did and reverse the air flow. In this way, air is drawn in from the top and side of the graphics card, and expelled from the side of the AIO. Temperatures are still very good, but not optimal, and that’s a shame. DIY enthusiasts will reply that simply reversing the fans or passing in front of the radiator would have solved the problem… Surely, but this method would have turned your Tower 300 and its large glass surface into a giant demonstrator of the ugliness of your assembly… And you’ll have understood, that’s not the aim when you buy this product. In the small list of quibbles, we regret the absence of a second usb-c on the front panel, as on the Tower 600 version.

However, for some this defect will be more than just anecdotal, since if you want to access the other ports on your motherboard, you’ll have to undo the top cover, lift the fan cover and then access the fans. This is the point to bear in mind: access to the motherboard’s backpanel ports is complicated. If you want to change your keyboard or simply add a cable to recharge your phone because the case’s sockets are occupied, you’ll always have to dismantle… This won’t happen often, and it’s one of the conditions you’ll have to accept to enjoy the special design offered by the Thermaltake Tower 300.

The price to access this case will be a little over 150€. The price will vary according to color. This price may seem expensive. But the quality of construction, the various filters and the special design suggest that it’s not all that exaggerated. In view of our experience with this case, which we really liked, we’d give it the GOLD. It’s also a real “coup de coeur” for all its qualities and the rendering of our final PC.

We liked..:

• the vertical design
• the color palette
• its micro-atx format but imposing size
• the presence of easily detachable filters, from anywhere
• its quality (assembly, paintwork, plastics…)

We liked less:

• the need for an inverted-blade fan for optimum performance
• the need to undo everything to connect a cable to the motherboard’s io shield.

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