Thermaltake SopranoRS 101

[Comment Bot]

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[ANZAC_ELITE]

It appears that the new Soprano will suffer from the same problem as the previous iteration, lack of exhaust fans, 1x 120mm + psu fan as exhaust just doesn't cut it in warmer climates.

Also the first thing I did with mine was to remove the front door as it hinders the intake fan air flow.

While on the subject of the doors, I see they have hinged this one on the same side as the previous version which to me is hinged on the wrong side, if you're like me and have the case on the right side of the desk with the clear side panel allowing you to view the internals then both the doors are hinged on the wrong side for ease of accessability to any optical drives.

I like my case now that I have modded it slightly to increase airflow.

Interesting to see the pci expansion slot tool free retention mechanism has been changed, and with good reason too because fitting a video card into the old version was positively "difficult". I have an 8800GTS in mine, the swing in clip and the card fouled each other both in insertion and removal which required more force than should be necessary to seat/remove the card.

The relocation of the case USB/audio outlets is a bonus, the old location (under a spring loaded cover on the top of the case) was not condusive to cable management imo and was removed completely from my case.

My $0.02

[Darthtanion]

I agree on the side of the door panel, but that is where a vast majority of cases put them. Only recently has there been a decent selection of cases offering it on the other side, but that is really a personal opinion so I did not make note of it in the review.

As for the cooling, I do recommend adding the other fans, but for the price it is still a workable alternative to the pricey rigs that can readily be found. And while the airflow through the front may not suit all users, it is still a lot better than many others I have seen and I had no issues with airflow problems when I tested it with a system installed. Granted, this isn't a terribly hot climate this time of year, but poor ventilation will reflect in any ambient temperature zone.

[ANZAC_ELITE]

Oh, so that's you.

Don't get me wrong, I like my case now, just had to make a few "adjustments". With regard to the doors, an option to mount them on either side would be nice, basically they're just a cl_amp (the censor needs editing) around a rod so I think it would be relatively easy to offer the option for users to be able to alter the orientation to suit themselves. In fact when I first saw the original case I thought that option was available.

I've added a 120mm fan into the spare optical drive bays (I only have one DVD-RW) via a Scythe Kama cooler.

I also replaced all the stock fans with TT Smartfan II models and added a TT Smartfan II 80mm to the spare pci expansion slots in the rear for added cooling (mainly due to the 8800 venting into the case) these are controlled from the variable speed switches which are mounted on the front of the case in a floppy drive bay cover (ghetto drill out mod)

I think these cases are good value for money.

The greatest improvement imho are the tool free clips at the rear (by the look of them) the slide/ratchet seems to be a vast improvement over the old swinging models.

Great review imo, keep up the good work.