Thermaltake Versa H17 Window Case Review

On the test bench today we have a new case from Thermaltake. The Versa H17 Window is aimed at the budget conscious buyer, with a recommended retail price of just £44.99 in the UK.

Specifications

Closer Look – Exterior

The Versa H17 is a micro case in dimensions, and it will take micro ATX and mini ITX motherboards. At first glance it certainly is a nice compact form factor, with nice clean lines that follow a traditional design in terms of aesthetics.

The front side panel features a large acrylic window, set inside a steel side panel. This is the first sign that we are looking at a budget case, as it’s unusual not to see tempered glass in a newly released case. To the front we have a pretty featureless panel, that has a brushed aluminium effect, but it is actually plastic.

Air intake from the front is achieved by grills that sit either side of the front panel, covered by a metal mesh grill.

Around the back we really have nothing of note, other than a solid steel side panel, so we won’t dwell too long here.

Up top we have a front mounted IO featuring microphone and headphone jacks, a reset button, HDD activity LED, power button and 3 USB ports… two USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0. The extra USB port is certainly welcome, but I don’t think it would have been too much extra effort to double up on the USB 3.0 ports.

To the rear of the top panel we have a fan grill that will accept either a 120mm or 140mm sized fan, which is covered by a magnetic dust filter.

Before we start tearing the panels off, a quick look under the base of the Versa H17. Here we have four substantial case feet, along with a PSU dust filter. This filter is extremely flimsy, and is another tell-tale sign of the budget nature of this case.

Towards the front of the base we can see mounting points for a HDD, along with an opening in order to remove the front panel.

Closer Look – Interior

With an unceremonious tug, the front panel is removed… sort of! The front IO cables are attached to the panel, and therefore it cannot be fully removed. There is also very little slack in the cables, and therefore it doesn’t move far away from the main chassis at all.

There are no front mounted fans included out of the box, but there are mounting points for up to three 120mm fans. However, with the front IO cables only being able to be routed through the top fan position, it looks unlikely that you could actually fit three in all at once.

There is also no dust filtration fitted in front of the fans, so there is a good chance that a fair amount of dust will enter the main chamber through the bottom handle used to remove the front panel.

Removing the front side panel we get our first view of the main chamber of the Versa H17, which for a micro case is extremely spacious. There are no drive caddies situated inside, but the motherboard tray does feature slotted mounting points for two SSD’s.

To the rear we have the only included 120mm fan in the exhaust position, and to the base we find a full length steel PSU shroud, with a recessed Thermaltake logo. In the PR pictures of the Versa H17 there appeared to be a cut-out in the shroud to show the PSU, but in our sample it is completely solid, which to be honest I much prefer.

With the top panel being riveted to the chassis frame, the final panel to remove is the rear side panel. There are no pre-installed cable ties, or drive caddies here. All drives are mounted using the included rubber grommets, that slot into installation points on the rear of the motherboard for SSD’s, or under the PSU shroud for HDD’s.

Closer Look – The Build

• CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 1700
• Motherboard – Asus ROG STRIX X370-I Mini-ITX
• Cooler – Cryorig H7 Quad Lumi
• GPU – ZOTAC GTX 1060 6GB AMP! Edition
• SSD – Crucial BX300 240GB
• PSU – BeQuiet Dark Power Pro 11 1000w

Conclusion

Performance & Quality

It has to be said that the Versa H17 was a joy to build in. The simplicity in its design means that there is a lot of clearance when building inside the case. There is also a really generous amount of clearance between the motherboard tray, and the rear side panel, which makes cable management really straight forward. The quality of the materials is also really good, especially given that this is a budget orientated case.

Design

Whilst the design is of a no-frills nature, there are some issues. The lack of air filtration in the front means that after prolonged usage, I’m sure that the main chamber will be contaminated with a fair amount of dust.

I am a fan however of dispensing with drive cages, by replacing them with attaching rubber grommets directly to the drives and slotting them into the pre-drilled mount points. This saves a fair bit of interior space, without compromising on functionality.

Value

At the time of writing the RRP of the Versa H17 Window is £44.99, and to reach that price point there have had to be some corners cut. Out of the box, only one case fan is included, so you will need to invest further to fit at least one intake fan.

Concessions have also been made with the window, with Thermaltake opting for acrylic rather than glass. With glass pretty much the norm these days, I feel that a plastic window really dates the case.

Final Thoughts

The Thermaltake Versa H17 Window isn’t the most eye catching of cases, and it isn’t without a few flaws. It’s saving grace however is that at launch it’s pitched at only £45 in the UK, and for that amount of money, you get a good quality, solid case with a pretty small foot print.

For anyone after a good quality case for an mATX motherboard, that gives a satisfying build experience, but also doesn’t break the bank, then I would certainly recommend you consider the Versa H17 Window.

Huge thanks to Thermaltake for sending the Versa H17 Window in for review.