Hi everyone; I am back with a case review from the team at Thermaltake.
Thermaltake makes an extensive range of cases to suit many needs; for this unit, they have gone with large fans and interchangeable front panels to swap between airflow and aesthetics.
The case market is very crowded, with manufacturers looking for ways to make something new, so let’s see what sets this apart from other offerings.
Thermaltake View 300 MX (Snow) Case: Specifications & Features
| Model | View 300 MX Snow |
|---|---|
| Case Type | Mid Tower |
| Dimension (H x W x D) | 505 x 230 x 506 mm (19.9 x 9.1 x 19.9 inch) |
| Net Weight | 10.4 kg / 22.9 lbs. |
| Side Panel | 4mm Tempered Glass x 1 |
| Colour | Black |
| Material | SPCC + ABS |
| Cooling System | Front(intake): 200 x 200 x 30 mm ARGB PWM fan (1000rpm, 35.5 dBA) x 2 Rear(exhaust): 120 x 120 x 25 mm ARGB PWM fan (1500rpm, 27.2 dBA) x 1 |
| Drive Bays -Accessible -Hidden |
2 x 3.5”, 4 x 2.5” or 6 x 2.5” |
| Expansion Slots | 7 (Rotatable Patented Design) |
| Motherboards | 6.7” x 6.7” (Mini ITX), 9.6” x 9.6” (Micro ATX), 12” x 9.6” (ATX), 12” x 13” (E-ATX) |
| I/O Port | USB 3.2 (Gen 2) Type-C x 1, USB 3.0 x 2, HD Audio x 1 |
| PSU | Standard PS2 PSU (optional) |
| Fan Support | Front: 3 x 120mm, 2 x 120mm, 1 x 120mm 3 x 140mm, 2 x 140mm, 1 x 140mm 2 x 200mm, 1 x 200mm Top: 3 x 120mm, 2 x 120mm, 1 x 120mm, 2 x 140mm, 1 x 140mm 1 x 200mm Right(M/B Side): 3 x 120mm, 2 x 120mm, 1 x 120mm (Without HDD Rack) Rear: 1 x 120mm |
| Radiator Support | Front: 1 x 360mm, 1 x 240mm, 1 x 120mm 1 x 280mm, 1 x 140mm Top: 1 x 360mm, 1 x 240mm, 1 x 120mm 1 x 280mm, 1 x 140mm Right(M/B Side): 1 x 360mm, 1 x 240mm, 1 x 120mm(Without HDD Rack) Rear: 1 x 120mm |
| Clearance | CPU cooler height limitation: 175mm VGA length limitation: 280mm(With reservoir) 400mm(Without reservoir) PSU length limitation: 200mm |
Thermaltake View 300 MX (Snow) Case: Closer Look
Arriving in a huge box, we can see the retail packaging used for shipping; no wasteful double boxing here; further environmental concerns are tackled using reusable foam rather than crumbly polystyrene. Printed on the box, we have a picture of the case and some logos and text describing the case.
Inside the box is the View 300 MX Snow case, sporting the airflow grille and a separate box containing the alternate glass front panel.
A closer look at the front glass panel shows the solid glass surrounded by a breathable mesh, which should stop this alternative panel from completely restricting airflow to the fans.
The tempered glass side panel gives us a good look at the case’s internals. A spacious main compartment will accommodate just about any motherboard, with generous cable-feeding grommets to help with cable management.
Over on the offside of the case, rather than the usual solid panel, we have a sizeable 360-radiator-sized filter near the front to allow for the venting of fans and radiators. The only downside to this is the different shade of the filter material, which appears painted; it’s a shame this was not matched more closely.
The rear view offers a rear fan grille, I/O rear hole, seven mesh vented expansion slot covers, and the bottom-mounted power supply rear venting hole.
The front of the case, currently sporting the pre-installed mesh grille, has the Thermaltake T logo used as ventilation cutouts; it is also solid around the edges, unlike the glass panel with its mesh around the solid glass.
Viewing the case from the top, we have a huge filter to support the many sizes of cooling solutions available with this chassis. Left to right, we have the R button, which works as either a reset switch or an RGB switch depending on how it is connected internally. The headphone jack and microphone jack are both 3.5mm. Two USB 3.0 Type-A connectors, a USB Type-C connector, a disk activity light, and a large backlit power button at an angle.
The bottom of the case has four large feet with antislip rubber pads, giving the case a sturdy foothold. The main compartment and power supply bays have filtered vents to supply airflow and catch dust. The filters are removable for cleaning.
Inside the spacious main bay of the case, many configuration options are presented for cooling, storage, and GPU mounting. More space can be created by removing the caddies for drives should they not be required. Cable management grommets are well-placed and offer suitable space for routing cables. Other cable routes without grommets are ideal for smaller cables, such as the HD Audio lead to the front panel Mic and Headphone ports. The shroud covering the power supply is removable and features a window through the unit.
Over to the cable management bay now, and we have quite a few pre-installed cables along with an RGB controller board; cable lengths from the front panel are pretty long, which is helpful for routing and component support. There are a few anchor points for tying up the cables, too, so management shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
The bundled RGB controller can be controlled by the Reset switch on the front panel, which serves an optional purpose for RGB, or by motherboard control via the bottom right cable. While control for four fans is included, there are additional connectors for LEDs and an additional PWM Fan. The two LED out connectors allows different LED technologies to be used.
Back inside the case, we have the vertical GPU adaptor. This features mounts for up to two GPU’s which are adjustable depending on the slot thickness of the GPU used. The rear panel can be removed and rotated to cater to a vertical GPU mount; this will, however, interfere with standard PCI card mounts.
Inside one of the HDD caddy trays, we are supplied with a manual and a box of screws, standoffs, and cable ties.
A couple of screws and a slide with a bit of jiggle and the power supply shroud is removed, note this also takes a hard drive mount out, which would need unplugging if used.
The power supply can be easily mounted without the shroud in place. This is easier than most cases when it comes to adding or removing modular cables, which are often restricted and can demand partial or full power supply removal for reconfiguration. Cable routing is also relatively easy at this point.
While many systems will likely use decent capacity M.2 motherboard-mounted storage, there is room for a few drives inside the case, two drives can be mounted on top of the PSU Shroud and HDD Caddy, and the caddy itself has two trays for drives up to 3.5 inches. The backplane radiator space can be used for storage instead, with mounting holes for three more drives.
To say this is just a Mid-Tower case, it is still enormous; this MSI X99 motherboard is just about the maximum size for a standard ATX board, so we can see that the case can take wider motherboards. A little more height may be possible by removing the vertical GPU caddy.
Popping off the front panel to sort out connecting up cables, we get a great view of the vast 200mm RGB fans that are pretty impressive.
Even with my rudimentary cable tidying skills, a reasonably decent job is possible, with good anchor points and routing channels available.
With the build done, the case provides a clean look, and the build itself was pleasant, with plenty of room to work.
Powered on the angled power button to the right is backlit white, HDD Led lights up Red, and there is no other illumination on the ports/button panel.
Swapping out the front mesh panel from the frame involves removing a few screws and popping the mesh panel out.
Here we see how the tabs held the swappable panel in place.
With the glass now mounted in the frame, the case has, in my view, the best configuration offering a great view of the fans.
With the system completed and powered on, the RGB on the fans shines through the translucent blades very well, lighting up the whole fan; the effect is very appealing, with light emanating from the fan hubs.
The Thermaltake View 300 MX (Snow) Case Review: The Verdict
Airflow has been a hot topic for PC Cases over the past couple of years, with manufacturers receiving criticism for releasing cases restricting airflow, which is still needed even if a machine is water-cooled. Thermaltake offers a choice of a front glass panel or a filtered panel with the Thermaltake T for the grille design.
What’s hot:
- Spacious Mid Tower Case.
- Both panel types offer decent airflow. PSU Mount system is very convenient.
- A multitude of build and cooling configurations.
What’s not:
- Colour matching is lacking between case parts.
- No PCI-E Riser cable is included.
- Price varies wildly; shop carefully.
I found the View 300 MX Snow edition to be a straightforward case to build into; some very sensible design choices help; worth noting is the power supply mounting from the board side by removing the shroud and the ability to mount two cards on an adjustable chassis vertically, I would, however, have liked to see a PCI-E riser cable included as this will need to be sourced separately.
Space to work is generous; it is rare to be wishing for double-jointed fingers during assembly. The huge 200mm front fans are impressive and run quietly with well-built RGB lighting from the hub. The included RGB controller can handle extra fans and lights and motherboard connectivity for lighting control.
Storage configurations offer plenty of choices. There are many options for configuration, and the case will fit many motherboards, including wider ATX boards. For cooling, the case offers a plethora of fan and radiator mounts to suit just about any build design. Cable management is well thought out, with plenty of space before the side panel, routing channels, and cable tie mounting loops are well placed. Included case cables are long and easily routed to suit different motherboard types.
The overall build quality is excellent. While the paint used on the main case has a perfect and robust finish, trying to match white components shows differences with the top and side filters. A side effect of having a spacious case is that the chassis is quite large. However, it is not creeping into full tower territory and doesn’t have the wide footprint of some popular cases currently dominating builds.
Looking online for pricing, I was pretty shocked to find prices with a big difference. For example, at the time of writing Scan has the case at £139.99, whereas Overclockers UK has the case at a whopping £209.99. I recommend the case to anyone looking for a solid easy to assemble case. I am happy to award Thermaltake the Design Award and Silver Award for the View 300 MX Snow.
Thanks to Thermaltake for sending a sample of the View 300 MX Snow Case for review.
