Although a case for your computer doesn't effect your computer's performance it still is a very important part of a good computer and especially for an enthusiast something that can't be overlooked. If a case doesn't expel heat well it can cause a system to overheat and overclocking is definitely hindered. If you don't have enough expansion bays you're limited to your expansion for your computer and if you do a lot of moving of your PC you don't want something that weighs too much. Thermaltake is one company that makes a number of computer parts include a long line of cases and today we have one of their newest cases to look at, the Thermaltake Armor+MX VH8000BWS.

Here are the specifications.

Model: VH8000BWS

Case Type : Middle Tower
Side Panel : Transparent window
Net Weight : 10.8 kg / 23.8 lb
Dimension (H*W*D) 535.0 x 240.0 x 490.0 mm (21.1 x 9.4 x 19.3 inch)
Cooling System - Front (intake) : 120 x 120 x 25 mm blue LED fan, 1300rpm, 17dBA
Rear (exhaust) : 120 x 120 x 25 mm TurboFan, 1300rpm, 17dBA
Side (intake) : 230 x 230 x 20 mm blue LED fan, 800rpm, 15dBA
Drive Bays: 10
- Accessible 5 x 5.25’’, 1 x 3.5’’
- Hidden 4 x 3.5’’
Material Front door: Aluminum / Chassis: 0.8mm SECC
Color Black
Expansion Slots 7
Motherboards Micro ATX , Standard ATX
I/O Ports USB 2.0 x 2, e-SATA connector x 1, HD Audio
Cable Management Yes
Removable PSU bridge Yes

Looking at the case at first it appears very similar to the full tower Thermaltake Armor case that they have released in the past. This case however features a number of new features and differences. For one it's a mid-tower and not overly large but just the right size for multiple builds with plenty of space to work within. It maintains the same gun metal black appearance and the the paint job on the case is quite good. The main body of the case isn't reflective but the plastic shroud on top is and will catch finger prints. As with other Armor case there are two metal side wings on the front panel of the case that attach via magnets on the front panel. There are five 5.25" bays on the front of the case and one 1 3.5" bay at the top. These also server as air filters for any dust that might come through as well and are quite easy to take out of the case.

Up on top looking at the built in expansion ports for the case we have an E-SATA port which is appreciated, two USB ports, as well as audio out and mic connectors. These are very easy to reach being on top of the case and also at the very front. Another new addition is the inclusion on top of the case in a new longer plastic shroud which covers the entire top of the case of a sliding hood on top for storage of Thermaltake says of any extra parts you might have. This is a good idea as who is able to keep track of all the screws and extra components you don't need when building a computer and might use later. Of course you can put whatever you want in there as well, it's not specialized just some empty space with a cover that slides in and out easily. On top of the case are also a large number of ventilation holes to allow heat out of the case although there is no place for a fan it seems to work quite well.

The main panel is clear and mostly made of plastic with a number of slits in it for ventilation for the very large fan on the inside of the door to push hot air out of the case. Really this fan is huge at 230x230x20mm with a blue LED it runs at 800rpm and 15 decibels so it isn't loud at all and the case does it's job quite well as with the other fans. There's another HDD air cooler on the front in taking cooler air coming in at 120x120x25mm another blue LED fan which runs at 1300rpm and 17dBA. And finally we have the CPU fan a 120x120x35mm turbo fan exhausting hot air and with no LED.

Let's move onto installation. Opening up the side panel is a breeze. Unscrew a few screws with your hand and push a few press-to-open clips and the case is off. We decided to start off first with installing a power supply which we used a 650W Tarantula we reviewed earlier which went in without even having to remove the PSU bridge. That was a snap with four easy screws in the back as with other PSUs. From there we setup the mounting brackets for our Gigabyte 780G board which was painless to install and fit easily. Installing into the 5.25" expansion bays is incredibly easy, just remove place holder for the expansion, stick in your DVD burner until it clicks and done. That's it. Although you can secure it with screws for our needs it felt secure and was unnecessary. Removing the hard drive cage is easily done and again is done by removing two thumbscrews and it slides easily out.  Hard drives lock into plastic compartments that come out of the bay easily and lock securely. After that hooking everything else up is a snap from power cables to cords there's a good amount of room to work within. Our system was up then and ready to go. The case looks quite nice too with the blue LEDs which makes it stand out so it might be great for a work environment but otherwise working within this case was a pleasure.

Running the system with the Gigabyte 780G, 2GB of RAM, and a Phenom X3 8750 gave us excellent cooling results of around 32 degrees Celsius for the processor and 35 degrees for the motherboard. We ran into no problems at all with installation and we also like the the system is light but sturdy, and the cosmetic changes from the earlier Armor line.