Date: January 9th, 2007
Article by: Jackie Mueller (Hardware Reviewer)
Edited by: Nathan Glentworth (Owner / Head Editor)
Product was submitted by: Thermaltake USA
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PRODUCT FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS
There are two versions of this case – one with an included liquid cooling system (VD500LBNA) and one without (VD5000BNA). The review sample provided to me does not have the LCS installed.
Despite the aluminum construction this is still a heavy case at 16kg when empty, and it will demand a large area to keep it in. As such, the floor might be the best place for it unless one has a huge desk with lots of unused space.
PRODUCT COMPOSITION
The SwordM's box is the largest I've ever seen for a computer chassis. Four thick Styrofoam blocks protect it during shipping, and due to its size and weight it's easier for two people to remove it from the packaging.
Accessories include a manual, a generous amount of screws and motherboard standoffs, a right angle power cord, wire ties, and extra drive bay covers.
PRODUCT PICTORIAL AND WALKTHROUGH
The all-aluminum SwordM is a sight to behold. Excessively large and aggressively styled, it is no doubt a head turner. There are a lot of features to go over, so let's start out with the front bezel. There's a total of six 5.25” external drive bays, or alternatively the top drive bays can house an optional 7” LCD touch screen. A 120mm blue LED intake fan is below the drive bays.
Plenty of connectors are on the front. A firewire port, two USB 2.0 ports, audio ports, an eSATA port and power connector, and a reset switch and power button are all present. Hard drive and power LEDs are here too.
