Thermaltake has just announced a pair of cases aimed at (relatively) small-form-factor builds. Both units are part of the Urban series, and they both carry the series’ trademark aesthetic, with rounded edges and brushed-metal front doors that cover up the external drive bays. Both cases support microATX and Mini-ITX motherboards.
The Urban SD1 is the pudgier-looking of the two. It measures 9.4″ x 11″ x 17.9″ and lays the motherboard flat on its back with the power supply hanging over the CPU socket. As a side-effect of that layout, clearance for a conventional CPU cooler is a little low—only 3.5″. Thermaltake says there’s room for a 140-mm radiator, however. To make the installation process less cramped, the company has made the motherboard tray removable.
The SD1 ships with a front 90-mm fan and two 60-mm spinners at the rear, and it can accommodate a nice collection of storage devices. There are dual 5.25″ and single 3.5″ bays at the front, two 3.5″ internal bays fitted inside an anti-vibration cage, and two 2.5″ bays side by side just under the top panel. In spite of all those drive bays, Thermaltake has left plenty of clearance for extra-long graphics cards. Anything up to 13.7″ will fit, the company says.
Pictured above is the Urban S1, the more conventional-looking of the two models. It has a tower-style design with a top-mounted power supply emplacement and overall dimensions of 9.4″ x 11″ x 17.9″. Like the SD1, it includes dual 5.25″ and single 3.5″ drive bays at the front—but unlike its pudgy sibling, the S1 can accommodate five 3.5″ hard drives in its belly. There’s also a “hidden” 2.5″ bay at the bottom of the chassis.
As far as cooling goes, the S1 ships with a 80-mm rear exhaust fan, and it has room for a 120-mm front intake. Thermaltake makes no mention of liquid-cooling radiator support, though mercifully, there’s plenty of clearance for a regular CPU heatsink (5.8″). The S1 will only take graphics cards as long as 10.2″, however, a few inches shorter than the SD1. 10.2″ should be enough for most sub-$200 cards, but you’ll have to double-check dimensions carefully if you spring for a higher-end GPU.
We’ve asked Thermaltake to fill us in on pricing and availability details for these two cases. Stay tuned.