Thermaltake has produced a new case, the Mozart TX, and I just got one to play with.  In other words, this is a non-sponsored review.  This case caught my eye as a user of the Lian-Li PC-343B modular server cube case.  I love that case, and this looked like the next step in the right direction from it.

First off, these pictures can't truly impart on you how large this case is.  The dimensions are 15x16x28 inches, or an impressive 3.9 cubic feet.  That's a lot of room to work with, folks, but it creates an interesting problem; how to move all that air to create in-case airflow.  Let's look at how Thermaltake dealt with this.

First look

Seen here are the drive bay locations on the upper part of the front panel, which is made of solid 4mm thick brushed aluminum.  Take particular note of the top bay, as it is the worlds first in-case 7" bay unit.  Thermaltake produces a 7" LCD touch panel accessory to mount in this location.  If used as a home theater unit, this would be extremely handy.

In the upper left-hand area of the front panel, there is a floppy drive bay, a windowed panel for the optional Media Lab VFD unit to mount under, 4 USB ports, a Firewire, E-SATA, and E-SATA power ports, as well as headphone and mic jacks.  These ports should give you all the front panel accessibility you need.

Seen here are the power and reset buttons, and the power and hard drive activity LED's.  The buttons are slightly recessed to prevent accidental switching.  Nothing's worse than killing your three hour long programming session with an accidental reset.

Upon opening the 4mm thick aluminum front panel, we get our first look at the Mozart's secret weapons; 5 front mounted 120mm fan locations, filters for the main compartment fans, and filter foam on the back of the panel covering almost everything else.  Not only does this prevent dust and dirt from entering your main hardware compartment, it also provides a mild sound-dampening effect, helping you keep you PC a bit quieter.

Here's a nice shot of the uncovered drive bezels for the five 5.25" bays, the optional Media Lab VFD mounting position, filtered hard drive intake fan, and floppy drive.  The wiring shown is that of the front panel ports.  You can really get a good view of the size of the 7" bay here compared to the 5.25" below it.   Ok, now let's get down to the hardware compartments!

This is the main hardware compartment with the side panel still closed.  See those two latches?  They release the panel to swing open on hinges as a door, and the top latch can be locked with a set of included keys.  This model has windows in it, as it is the SWA type (stands for "Side Windowed, Aluminum").  Three other models are available, made of both aluminum and SECC, with or without windows.  See the little bumps around the windows?  Those are plastic compression fasteners, and can be easily removed for either modding or replacing a damaged acrylic panel.

Inside the lower area of the main compartment, the front fan mounts are visible, as well as the aforementioned set of keys.  There are also five openings around the motherboard tray to facilitate easier cable routing and improve wire management.

A closer look at the expansion slots.  This case uses a toolless retention system to hold add-in cards in place.  Normally, there is a little rise or "rib" of metal between each clip, making dual-slot graphics cards a pain to mount.  The Mozart does not have any such issue; the clip surface is totally smooth.  You should be able to fit anything you like in with no complications.  The clips also seem to hold even my 8800 GTX in place, no problem.

In the upper section of the main compartment, there is a removable hard drive cage and the wiring for the E-SATA ports.  The cage features 5 hard drive slots, each with vibration absorbing rubber mounts, a floppy drive slot, and mounting point for the Media Lab VFD unit.  Removing the cage is simple, just take out the three thumbscrews and depress a tab at the top of the cage.  The fit is very snug, so the cage won't be shaken loose.

On the lower end of the rear panel, we get another view of the card retention system, as well as the I/O shield and power supply mounting areas, and 80 and 120mm vent fans.  You can also get a good view of two of the fold-out feet that are present on every corner of the case for added stability.  The rear of the motherboard tray can also be replaced with an optional upgrade kit for BTX form factor motherboards.  Note also the holes in the side panel area for 4 optional thumb screws to help keep those doors closed.

Going to the top of the back panel, the four other 120mm fan mounts are shown.  Combined with the five 120mm front fans, this system can cause enough displacement to allow proper air flow, even over such a huge area.  If you look at the small tab in the center, this is where the keys will be hanging on a new unit.

Here's the side panel of the secondary compartment, and you'll notice that it is almost identical to the main side panel, right down to the locking top latch.  The major difference is the 120mm sized vent hole to allow the power supply to draw in air, which is covered in perforated mesh.

The lower section of the secondary compartment had me puzzled for a while.  Other than wire management, it looked pointless, but then I looked closer.  What I found was mounting holes for a second motherboard!  This one must be of the Mini-ITX form factor, and Thermaltake does produce a 5.25" bay mounted ITX power supply for just this purpose.  Also in this area are the wires for the buttons and LED's on the front of the case, and the cables to connect the I/O ports.  The bar in the middle of this shot is the mounting area for the power supply, and features a threaded hole for a thumb screw to secure a standard sized PSU.

High in the secondary compartment is the the 5.25" drive cage, and the mount for the 7" LCD display.  This cage features a toolless retention system for 5 drives.  Normally, I dislike toolless drive bays, as they are either too hard to lock/unlock the drive, or don't hold the drives very securely.  I am pleasantly surprised with this cage, as it is easy to add or remove drives, and holds them in place extremely securely.  The locks also have holes to allow you to use M3 mounting screws for extra security.

Conclusion

Wow, that's a lot of pictures, a lot of ground to cover, but what a ride.  Very rarely do I find a case that I like, much less love, but this case is amazing!  The materials, the quality, the workmanship, all are absolutely out of this world.  This is the second Thermaltake product I've ever handled, much less reviewed, and so far, I'm beyond impressed.  In summary...

Pros:

1. Ten 120mm fans for extreme air flow.
2. Filters on all the main compartment intakes.
3. Filtering and sound dampening foam on the back of the 4mm thick front panel.
4. Case can hold 2 separate computers.
5. Removable hard drive cage.
6. Toolless card slots and 5.25" drives that actually work well.
7. Great optional upgrades, like the Media Lab VFD and 7" LCD touch panel.
8. Overall design is very pleasing.

Cons:

1. The size isn't for everyone.

And just to end on a humorous note...

Mozart TX: Overclocker tested, cat approved!