Review and Build inside the ThermalTake Core X31 PC Case

Case Layout and Details

Now on the case, here is the case in all of its glory with the huge windowed side panel on.  The large panel provides almost a complete view of the inside of the case.  I love to look inside of my computer from time to time to gaze at my work.

This picture is the case with its side panel off.  Out of the box, you can see that even though this is not a full case it offers plenty of room for just about anything.  There are also quite a few of hidden features that of course we will cover in this review.

Spinning the case to the front panel, we can see that this case is very well ventilated from great cooling.  Also, you will notice there are 2 x 5.25 bays; yes those are for opticals but they server for a few more options in case you are not interested in optical drives.

I will mention that many people prefer a smooth clean front panel but while nicer looking those panels rob the case of optimal cooling.  Some cases employ vents along the sides, or along the bottom under the case but this ventilated front provides the best options both for standard 120mm or 140mm fans and for liquid cooling units.  Yes, you can also install a liquid cooling unit along the front of the case and even the bottom.

Aside from the outline, they are pretty hidden.

The back of the unit shows that they have a large opening to allow you to easily install a CPU back plate for either liquid cooling units or CPU Fans that require a back plate.  You will also notice 5 rubber mounted cutouts for easy and clean wiring.

Along the front (bottom left hand corner), you can see on the bottom the drive cage and towards the top you can also find the 5.25’ bays.  These openings also allow for cables to be routed through them but server a better purpose.  Along the back you can also install either 3 x 3.5’ drives or 3 x 2.5’ drives or a combination of the 2.

Along the back we find an adjustable rear fan, either 120mm or 140mm that can also be used for liquid cooling.  We also find 8 PCI slots, will you use them all?  To the right of the PCI slot we can see a rubber covered cutout that can have many purposes, liquid cooling tubes as well.  To the left we can see that the back of the case, where the motherboard tray sits is a little wide and serves a great purpose as I mentioned previous about the drives and cabling.  Lastly, we find at the bottom a cutout for the power supply.

It looks like the power supply is not in its cave right now, but it is a deep and dark cave.  They provide plenty of space for larger power supplies in length.  If you run out of room, you can see the drive cage there; it can be removed either for a larger power supply or for a liquid cooling unit.  The power supply cover can also be removed.

If you notice around the top left hand corner there is a cable poking through the cover, this allows you to route cables a little cleaner.

Looking at the power supply cover from inside the case we can see where the cable was being fed though, but there is another opening.  The other rubber covered opening depending on your use can be used for the 24Pin cable to connect to the motherboard, PCI-E cables, and more.

To the left of that we find that the top of this power supply cover has 2 drive cages.  Each case can hold 1 x 2.5in HDD or SSD drive.

To the right of the power supply cover we find the drive cage.  The main drive cage can hold 3 x 2.5” drives or 3 x 3.5” drives or any combination in between but is also completely removable to either make room for a fan of either 120mm or 140mm or a liquid cooling unit on the bottom of the case.

Just an example of the drive cage and base removed from the case.

Just above the drive cage, we find the 5.25” bays.  You can of course use these for opticals, but they can also be home to 2 x 2.5” drives per bay or 1 x 3.5” drive or any combination of drive and optical’s in between.

Here is just an example of how the drive bays would house 2 x 2.5” the drives.  They have screw holes on the tray that align with the screw holes on SSD’s and Mechanical Hard Drives.

Moving along the top of the case, we find a greater portion of it covered in a mesh filter.  On the front we find 2 x 3.5mm jacks, one for headphones and the other for a microphone.  Next to the Mic jack, we find the reset button which is actually a nice size and not recessed where you would have to use your pinky nail, a pen or a screw driver to push down, then a power button and next to the 2 x USB 3.0 plugs and 2 x USB 2.0 plugs.

And here it is when the PC is on, I love blue LED’s.

Let’s go back to the mesh, which brings us to liquid cooling and fan capabilities of this case.