Date: June 30th, 2008
Article by: Joe Anderson (Hardware Reviewer)
Edited by: Nathan Glentworth (Owner / Head Editor)
Product was submitted by: Thermaltake USA
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PRODUCT PICTORIAL AND WALKTHROUGH
OK, here's where we get to see some of the cool stuff that Thermaltake has included in the Xaser VI.
The front façade is dominated by the full height door with its black mesh panels and chrome chevron accents. Note that the trapezoidal mesh panels carry over to the side panels, as does the red and black logo between them. The gloss black “visor” above the door holds a few nice surprises that we'll get to a bit later.
The door is aluminum and very sturdy. Its contour also allows room for bay devices with knobs or other protrusions to be used. The door is held in the closed position with magnetic catches, and if you look carefully, you'll see that there are magnets and steel tabs on either side of the door. Why is this? Well, to add some versatility, the Xaser lets the user decide which way the door can swing. In a very few minutes the door can be configured to open the opposite way. You say you don't like doors at all? The Xaser VI looks perfectly fine without the door as well. I like this feature a lot.
While there appear to be eleven bays, the bottom four are blocked by the intake fan leaving the top seven usable for any devices the user may choose.
The bay covers all have foam dust filters incorporated into their design, but as you can see, open spaces along the right side will mitigate their effectiveness. They are, however, easily removed for cleaning.
The left side panel looks much like the other side with the addition of a locking feature surrounded by a plastic accent which, at first glance would appear to be a latch to release the panel. It's not. Both panels are secured by thumbscrews at the rear of the case. Read the manual, it gives detailed instructions on opening the case and installing the hardware. This photo shows the brushed aluminum finish and mesh inserts and other accents, including the black plastic frills at the four corners and the rear of the case.
The top of the Xaser VI also features the mesh panels and logo motif. There's a lot of ventilation potential here, and there's much more to come.
