2020 UPDATE: Case is now 130 dollars on amazon, and comes standard with a tinted black glass panel in front, otherwise everything is relatively the same
I just moved my PC into one of these and so far I love it. I like the weird look and the fact that it's open. I stayed away from the riser and just did the basic configuration. I didn't see the need to add another point of failure. So far, even when gaming, everything seems cooler than my other case and it's quieter too. I may end up mounting it on the wall.
Sooooooo, i'm sorry to bother you, but i'm thinking of buying it now, should i? I mean, i also plan to wall mount, so i am asking if you faced any issues or if you have any better suggestions, like maybe a newer option or sth?
@Corazon Sierra THANKS!! i did not consider that as an option, will keep an eye out for a P90. I found it stunning, and it will go well with my existing setup.
Nice review. I got a Core P3 earlier this year for my Ryzen system and it's a thing of beauty. I love how easy it is to work with (very little to get in the way) and the vertical GPU mounting option is a nice addition.
I absolutely LOVE this case! I run two of these Core P3 cases and my main rig is in the wildly over-the-top Core P7 (although without the two extra "wing" sections attached). I have the tempered glass for all three but don't use it on any of them. I love the fantastic temps without the glass panel, plus the ease of access because I am always swapping parts around in my rigs. These are my favorite cases I have ever owned. I'm glad I bought all three cases used though, because these are a chore to assemble out of the box. A word to the wise on that, if you buy one new, set aside a good while to configure and assemble it!
I thought this thing was cool, so I did what I always do when I see a cool case. I googled it and braced for the outrageous price. Bro, $100? What a pleasant surprise.
I have mine hanging (with no glass) on the wall directly above my monitor. I find I enjoy being able to closely hear and see what my PC is physically doing at any given moment. Also makes fiddling and dust removal a breeze. Do keep in mind it weighs like 80 lbs and if you were clumsy you'd surely smash your rig accidentally.
I just got this case as a Thermaltake pre-built sold at best buy the Shadow 370. . Rtx 3070 ryzen 3700x 16 gb ram 1 gb nvme ssd. It runs really quiet and great Temps.
It's actually a really nice thing to have. I set up my radiator on the side to be an intake through the back side of the case so it draws air through that filter to keep my radiator clean. Really cuts down on the dust and considering how little dust builds up on the inside of the tempered glass even with the fans blasting right at it shows how well it does at cutting down dust through the radiator
I love how they sent Steve a TT Premium PCI-E Riser cable for his review sample. Thermaltake knows that the cheap ones they usually ship with the Core P3 are garbage and have a 75+% fail rate. Go read some reviews if you don't believe me.
Hi all. Traveling and can't update description. Here's the article. We filmed this prior to the spec review. www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/2921-thermaltake-core-p3-review-quality-test-bench-alternative
Thanks! i was wondering where the article link was when i got routed to amazon :P I actually just bought this case for my wife. other than an unnecessary amount of screws, its a fantastic case! Just waiting on the hard tubing to come in to see how this 1080ti strix oc does under water
Jrockafella- these cases include a VESA style mount on the back panel. The thick support bracket for this can be seen in the shots with the back panel removed and he's talking about cable management
This is my favorite all-time case. I have one with AIO and one with an open loop. I think this is the most accurate and insightful review I've seen of this case, you clearly are not just a fan of cases but someone who uses them daily. nicely done, sir. subscribed.
I hate, and yet love your videos. You're often very critical, which is bitter/sweet... Bitter because I'm often in love with a product before I see your video on it... Sweet because afterwards I know seemingly all the facts... lol. Great channel :)
I agree with the front fan addition. I have the ROG 1080ti it heats up significantly while gaming. Solution is to lay to fans along the plate on a 45 degree angle which it cools very well but it does prove there needs to be some type of air over the products.
I would really love a refresh of this idea. I want a horizontal setup but there just aren't many options and the existing options leave a lot to be desired, still.
I've been using open cases for a long time, they're the best. People often argue about airflow but honestly they have the weakest possible arguments, just like the flat earthers. its like saying you need to drive your car at 60+ mph always so as to allow forced air cooling to various parts. They forget the biggest threat of all with closed cases and several fans blowing on/out-- DUST!! "You must install this motherboard in a closed case with plenty of fans for airflow and must always have the door closed"... said no motherboard manual ever! I've built out 50+ PC's in P3 and P5 cases so far, they've all worked out well.
Here in the future I'm watching you say they should add the ability to mount fans on the front of the case. And that's why I'm buying the p6 because they listened.
13:21 Huh? Impossible! How could we have been so careless...? We have to play it cool. Don't let the Space Phantom realize we've uncovered his ruse. Hang in there, Steve... we'll save you!
As configurable as this is, it's crazy that there aren't two triple-fan brackets than can be mounted on any of the 4 sides. Then you can do directed air flow 3 fans in and 3 fans out, right to left or bottom to top. That'd be wicked.
You can now get 3d printed fan holders for the sides of the case...I just attached a 140mm fan to the top left bar for directed airflow to the VRM's..works a treat..
Good work GN. I could see a bracket of sorts easily adapted to this "case" for directional air flow - NP. Other than that it looks good especially with a nice custom water loop solution.
Id like to see a thinner version of this. vertical psu mounting, no option for vertical expansion card mounting and pull the side panel in closer to the system. oh and provisions for mounting some fans. I could get interested in that.
As a youngster I had an Armor and a Shark, cool looking cases, but extremely heavy and not the most intuitive. Thermaltake's water cooling on the other hand, was disastrous. The "big water kit" totaled my system.
In case anyone wants to try mounting a rad perpendicular to the chassis, this one works for a kraken x62 : www.performance-pcs.com/water-cooling/radiator-accessories/xspc-universal-140mm-radiator-stand-version-2-xspc-radstand-140-v2.html 280mm worked fine but I don't think a 320mm would work if you want to have the tempered glass on top because it looks like it would interfere with the glass standoffs.
@jds6014 how do you take the back panel off? Have to take off the feet? My main pc is on my channel if you wanna see. I'll be making a build video of this case this week, just waiting on a couple parts.
@@xpodx should be 6 screws on back panel and then the panel slides away from the vent side. Just un screw the thumb screws on the front of the glass panel to remove glass and slide the back panel off and it’s really easy to build in. The only issue I had was putting in the graphics card (7900 XT) the size made it difficult cause I wanted my GPU sitting on its side and I used the PCI gen 4 ribbon cable. Case looks so much cleaner with the gpu sitting vertical. Good luck, half your battle is already over since the case is already assembled.
I started a scratch build before this case was announced that was essentially this idea -_- now I am stuck with my own massive time investment into my scratch case but this is better... dang.
About the fans at the front, ghetto mod you can screw a triple radiator bracket, and install the fans on it. The only issue is they possibly won't do far from the side panel.
This is an awesome case... I have 3 of them. I also have the Thermaltake Core X9 and the Thermaltake P90. Thermaltake makes really great cases from ease of use standpoint and value for $$$ spent. This case is so adaptable and easy to use! I have air cooled and water cooled variants of this setup. Adding additional fans is not as difficult as Steve makes it seem... but I agree, a mount for 120mm and 140mm fans would be a welcome addition.
If not mentioned prior. You installed the bracket for the PSU incorrectly. It will fit that PSU easily and properly. There are multiple holes for different length PSUs. I love mine, I had zero issues with the ribbon cable. And even encased it with a acrylic panel I heated and bent from the back over the top to the bottom of the front in one piece. I cannot hear my AMD 1700 and 980 run at all at any time after boot (even before the panel). I do have a fan to feed fresh air until the H2O gets installed.
Hey, sorry I was unclear about this! What I meant was that although the bracket does go around the PSU, there's a tiny gap so that the bracket isn't actually supporting any of the PSU's weight: it's held up entirely by the screws on the rear plate (not much of a problem, though)
I bought the P3 myself but I have an issue with the fans on an aio. It has a dust filter on the back but that only works if the fans pull air through the radiator (and, therefore, the case). I've checked some other vids and they all seem to be mounting the fans to push air into the case. That means they are pushing all the dust into the case. Just a nitpick I guess, but turned off, the fans will look like they're 'backwards' when mounted properly to pull air instead of pushing it.
Nice review thanks! I know it's part of your "Method", but since this is an open case without any fan included, is noise test really relevant of anything? It's opened, so this would be like testing the parts that you're mounting on it, not the case itself (any open "case" would render the same results, thus it can't be used as some comparative measure)... Also true that this is a very nice solution for a test bench,. However it would be better if the poles holding the tempered glass could be screwed on the back panel with some mount, so as to serve as stands (and maybe add another one in the middle just to ensure that the main panel won't bend in the long run). That way, some elements could be positioned under it and unclutter the space.. The P7 is a more complete test bench solution, as it also adds a way to separate the water cooling system (rad/fans+reservoir+pump), which can also serve as a mini-test bench for different water cooling systems (there are two additional panels, each having its own cooling system - usually in a dual loop config). About test benches being expansive... IMHO it's ridiculous as they need less "engineering design" than closed cases, and most of the time less material. More over, you can always grab any motherboard tray (for instance Lian Li sells separate plates of those for cheaper since most of their cases have removable mobo trays that are replaceable), like a free one from whatever old or second hand case you can find (cut it out if need be), and build your your own test bench for much less with most functionalities (lying on some wood plank with a hole fitting the one on the mobo panel, with stands, and there you go, the PSU stays under, you can add drive cages or whatnot when needed, cut holes in the wood plank to pass cables through if you wish and need, etc.)... Since it'd be your own "design" specifically matching your own needs and requirements (or those you can encounter in the long run), it can even become better/efficient than any other test benches on the market.
I know this is three t=years old, but I wonder what you all think of the Core P5 and Core P7, the 5 being a bigger (better?) version of the 3, and the 7 an absolute monster in size.
"Because anyone buying a $50 case will have a $2000 printer." Kek. Currently using the MasterCase. Love it. You guys seriously do some great work. Steve, get sponsored by a hair shampoo company. Would be amazing to see that. I say this because your hair is glorious, like a Lion's mane. Steve the Lion. Also, that bit at the end. Goldeneye N64.
And there's nothing wrong with that. It makes good habits, good maintenance is good for the computer. I've seen people's rigs with closed cases, dust still makes it way in there. This one you have no excuses, it's literally already open, just a quick shot with the canned air. Probably better to be honest.
You're right, but I find I'm generally changing/replacing components at least once a year anyway. The ability to have the machine securely hanging at eye level on the wall is very useful for me, I've found.
Turke, you can buy extra riser cables to utilize more PCIe slots. I set my P5 up with six single slot FX3700 Quadro cards for Folding@Home and it looks badass.
Do they offer extra extension cables for other connectors that aren't PCIe 16X? If, they don't, there's no point in giving the slot cage the ability to be moved entirely.
Tech Jesus. It's easy to mount a 120mm fan. Drill a damn hole in the acrylic and then use three cable ties to secure the fan. Two to the metal rod and one through the acrylic to prevent movement. It is effective, fast, and unobtrusive when properly trimmed.
Please if you are trying to buy this and will be using riser cable NOTE! It’s gen 3 not 4. With new hardware it’s needed 4. I’m having a lot of issues with 3rd. Even after changing the gen from 4 to 3 in the bios.
Yeah, My 1080 doesn't like it at all. Crashes, and frame rates of 40 instead of 100 in games that do work. Had to go back to directly mounting the card to the slot. Am following it up with Thermaltake. Still love the case though.
My first PCIe riser was bad but I emailed Thermaltake and they immediately sent me a new one Free...(Well done Thermaltake) which worked fine...Love ths case.
I have this case, thought my bios was corrupt during boot, PC kept starting but not booting up, turns out by chance that I noticed when turning on, the power button was sticking hence the continual restarts.
Is there a way to mount the GPU with the top facing forward instead of the bottom ? I have one of those GPU backplates and I'd rather have that facing forward
Because there's a performance loss of about 1% when you extend PCIE with a cable. Also, what if you want to use the other slots in a different fashion? Your case would have to be wider to accommodate that.
Crimson Sunrise - Not to mention the horrendous fail rate of Thermaltakes included PCI-E Riser cables. The one Steve has for this review is NOT the same cable included with the P3 or P5 cases. The one you see here is a TT Premium cable purchased separately for a LOT more money.
Noting but a couple of screw holes being drill and nut won't hurt to place a fan mounting bracket though. I live in a family who mod for a living on car and this would be cake for them, if you buy them a 30 pack of Bushes. Light.
Hey man question, I am receiving two 1080 TI hybrids tomorrow and I did not realize how badly I would want to do an open loop system between the two of em and my CPU. How difficult of a process is it to remove the coolers from both cards? I saw your tear down it seems pretty tough, would I be able to put it back together with a custom backplate from that site? Thanks!!
Have you seen the other version of this case. It's got removable front and back panels which can be rotated on a pivot to give many different opportunities for directional cooling like you were saying.
Core P7. May not be released yet, but it's certainly on the way www.thermaltake.com/Chassis/Full_Tower_/Core/C_00003043/Core_P7_Tempered_Glass_Edition/design.htm
That feeling when you have to pay more for less. I mean... there is a choice: Strip some 10-20$ case for a backplate and put it horizontally....OR BUY A 120$ TEMPERED GLASS WONDER! So hard...
Thermaltake at their best designed a case that requires you to dismount the PSU and one of the feet (at least in my case) just to move the position of the riser cable. Speaking of feet... were 14 screws on each foot really necessary? (4 to connect to the case + 10 to remove the plate that actually blocks easy access to those 4 screws)
Great review. Excited to get mine in and try to built it in under a table. Hoping to have the case in horizontal position and cutting out a square in the middle of the table just smaller than the glass and butting up to the 4 metal supports. Hoping to have the glass sitting on the wood top so you can look down into the pc and still use it as a table. Any idea if this could support itself by the 4 glass mounting points if it is hanging underneath the table?
Hey, I'm curious if you got this working. What I actually want to know if I can grab the thing by the metal supports for the glass panel to carry it around, flip it or whatever, but if your idea worked then the supports are probably strong enough. I'm planning to buy one of these but Steve said in the video that the metal supports aren't structural.
@@firecat6666 the metal supports are definitely strong enough to carry it around and are mounted with pretty big bolts. Just make sure you use the rubber spacers for the glass to metal mounts on both sides so it doesn’t shatter. I actually wound up building this into a side table for a couple years and my current setup is to have it wall mounted with a tv support bracket with the vesa mounts on the case and attach into a stud in the wall. The wall mounting saves a bunch of space in my room and looks awesome and I recommend it with some cable cable sleeves to hide the run of cables. Just be aware it might be a bit heavy for one person to mount by themselves but it’s super easy to do frontside maintenance or cleaning in the PC now as I can pull it off the wall on the arm bracket from the tv mount. I actually bought a second case to build one for a friend. They are a bit intense to figure out at first but are really good if you like to hyper customize your pc layout and h e plenty of room for upgrades.
It doesn’t want me to add links apparently but I did want to Note I did add notches in the legs to hold it up as it was really nice to not have to pull the whole pc out of the table to work on it or clean it and I could just take the glass of easily. Also the extra support doesn’t hurt with how much this case + weighs. It’s probably twice as heavy as my last case.
The part where you usually put a reservoir, I'd like to put a holographic chic in there somehow... any devices like that exist? Maybe an old cell phone projecting into a plastic cylinder? Would love to find a know-how!