Thermaltake Armor A30 Small Form Factor Case Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. Thermaltake Armor A30: Exterior4. Thermaltake Armor A30: Interior and Installation5. Testing Methodology and Performance6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

Competitive gaming is becoming increasingly popular and an ever expanding audience frequent LAN meetings such as Multiplay's Insomnia 43 in Telford.  Anyone who has attended an event such as Insomnia 43 will know that it is a pain lugging around a full size tower case PC.  As a result, small form factor PCs are becoming more popular with gamers.

Today we are going to look at the Thermaltake Armor A30 small form factor case which is designed for gamers who attend such events.  Being a small form factor case, it could also be used to house a home theatre PC or a regular PC system for those who have limited space available.  It boasts an impressive feature set that is sure to sate the appetite of gamers who are looking for a small form factor case to house their system.

Features

• Characteristic black bulletproof armor design with metal mesh elements
• Top and front blue LED fan creates combat ambience and excellent ventilation
• Front I/O with USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Connector
• Support Micro-ATX/Mini-ITX motherboard and high-end graphics cards up to 13″ / 33cm
• Compact size ideal for Lanparty event

Thermaltake package the A30 within a compact cardboard box which features a plastic handle in the top which lets you carry it around easily.  The front of the box features a large product photo of the A30 alongside a badge advertising the USB3.0 compatibility of the case.

On the reverse side of the box, Thermaltake outline some of the main features of the product, illustrating them with a series of diagrams.  Inside, the case is sandwiched between two slabs of polystyrene for protection.

The included bundle is reasonably generous, consisting of an installation guide, all the required screws, a case speaker and two 2.5″ drive brackets.

We think the Armor design that Thermaltake have used for the A30 is going to be like Marmite, you'll either love it or hate it.  Unfortunately we fall into the latter category.  The front of the case is constructed from a combination of matte black plastic and steel mesh which should provide the internal components with a good level of ventilation.  Behind the mesh in the front of the case there is a 90mm intake fan which is illuminated with blue LEDs.

While there isn't an overly generous selection of front panel connections, the basics are catered for.  From top to bottom we find a USB2.0 port, two 3.5mm audio jacks, a USB3.0 port and an eSATA port.  The power button is located on the right side of the front panel alongside the reset button.

Unlike most cases on the market, the Armor A30 features side windows on both sides which will give you a great view of all the internal components.  Next to the windows on either side there are a series of vents which also help push ventilation through the case.

In the top panel there is a massive 230mm exhaust fan which is also lit with blue LEDs.  According to Thermaltake, the blue LED lighting creates a combat ambiance, whatever that means.

Around the back of the case, the layout is unique.  Above the I/O panel there are two 60mm exhaust fans which are located below the space for the PSU.  Over on the right there are four expansion slot covers as the case supports Micro ATX motherboards.

The Thermaltake Armor A30 certainly isn't the easiest case we've ever opened as there are no fewer than ten thumbscrews that must be removed on the rear panel.  Three of these secure the top panel in place while the other seven secure the removable motherboard tray in place.

Installing the motherboard onto the tray is very simple as Thermaltake pre-install the motherboard stand-offs.  As there is no cut-out in the motherboard tray for installing a CPU cooler after the motherboard, this will need to be done before you install the motherboard into the system.  You will also need to bear in mind that this case requires a low profile CPU cooler such as the Arctic Cooling Freezer 11 LP we are using.

We chose to install a Blu-Ray drive into the case which was a reasonably simple process.  First we were required to remove two screws on either side of the case which releases the rack in the front of the bay which houses all the external drives.  Then we slotted the drive in the top bay and screwed it into place.  The last step was to remove the bezel in the front panel and replace the rack in the case.

Those who want to install a 3.5″ drive will need to do so before replacing the optical drive rack as the 3.5″ drive rack is located in the base of the rack.  We decided to install a SSD in the system however.  The 2.5″ drive mountings are located on top of the optical drive rack which makes them very easy to access.  Thermaltake have divised a very simple mechanism for securing 2.5″ drives which consists of a small plastic clip.  There is room for two 2.5″ drives and two 3.5″ drives in the case.

Finally, we installed the NZXT Hale 90 750W PSU into the system.  First we had to remove the power supply bracket from the system, though, by removing the six screws in the roof of the case.  Then we screwed the power supply into the bracket and secured the bracket back to the case.

To test the Thermaltake Armor A30 we will be using the Intel Core i3 2105 CPU in conjunction with an Asus P8H67-M EVO motherboard..  To cool the CPU we will be using an Arctic Cooling Freezer 11 LP

Test System

Chassis: Thermaltake Armor A30
Processor: Intel Core i3 2105
Motherboard: Asus P8H67M EVO
Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 11 LP
Memory: 4GB Kingston HyperX Genesis DDR3
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V+100 128 GB
Power Supply: NZXT Hale 90 750W
Graphics Card: AMD Radeon 6670

Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Everest Ultimate Edition
Prime 95
Furmark

For our temperature tests, we used Prime95 and Furmark to load the system for 15 minutes and then recorded our results.  We then restarted the system and left it idling at the desktop for 15 minutes before recording the idle results.  The ambient temperature was maintained at 20c for the duration of the tests.

The Armor A30 managed to cool our test system effectively which is shown in the results.

For our noise level tests we replaced the AMD Radeon HD 6790 graphics card with a passively cooled HIS Radeon HD 5550 Silence.  We also turned off the CPU fan momentarily so we could be sure that the noise generated was only from the case fans.  The Armor A30 turned out to be quieter than the minimum 30 dB sensitivity on our noise level meter so we were unable to accurately measure the result. In real world terms, the case is very quiet.

Overall we have generally positive feelings about the Thermaltake Armor A30.  It is very well featured for a small form factor case as it can support a full size ATX power supply and long graphics cards.  It is perfect for gamers who are looking for a small form factor case to build their rig within.  We wouldn't say it's ideal for an HTPC, though, as it isn't the right shape to fit underneath your TV and it is rather brutal looking for a living room environment.

It offers good cooling performance and a low noise level which means you can use it on the desk next to your monitor without issue.  We're don't really like the appearance however but we're sure that it will appeal to a number of gamers out there.  Build quality is also reasonable so we expect that this case will survive transit to and from LAN parties without issue.

Even though there is little space to work with inside the case, Thermaltake have simplified the installation process by using a series of modules for the different components and included a removable motherboard tray.

For gamers, the price of a case is a very significant factor when deciding which model to buy.  The Armor A30 will set you back £75 from Ebuyer which we think is a little expensive considering what it has to offer compared to some competitors products.

Pros

• Supports full size PSUs.
• Room for long GPUs.
• Good cooling.
• Removable motherboard tray.
• Modular Design.

Cons

• Only room for two 3.5″ drives.
• Armor design will split opinion.
• A little pricey.

KitGuru says: A very well featured small form factor case

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