Thermaltake Armor A30 mATX Case - Closer Look at Hardware Installation

Installation:

As we jump right into hardware installation and putting a system together we get to really get to know this case.  It is very modular and different pieces can be removed - sometimes with tools - by removing a lot of screws in order to free up the Motherboard tray, HDD Rack, and 5.25" drive rack.  Once these are removed, it is very simple and a lot easier to install hardware than when this is all in a case without removable sides.  I guess that is really one of my main complaints with this case - the sides don't come off for easier hardware access.  If you need to plug in some wires for a drive, you may have to remove some other larger components to get and the SATA ports on the board.  Not the easiest solution in the world, but one that works for sure.

Mobo Tray

The main hard drive rack is located in the bottom of the chassis and is held in place by a single screw.  Once this is removed, you can easily mount a couple of your favorite hard drives - then return the cage to its rightful place where it stays out of the way.  Each drive is mounted with the bottom of the drive to the outside of the cage so one drive ends up in "upside down".  They are cooled by a front 92mm fan that seems to keep everything under control.

Lone HDD in Rack

HDD's in Rack

HDD Rack in Place

Once the drives are installed in the bottom, it would be appropriate to install the motherboard, CPU, RAM and PCIe cards on the motherboard tray.  Once this is done you can slide it in place, hook up the cables and then you'll be all ready to install the 5.25" drive module - that also has space for another couple of drives.  When these items are in place, you are good to go and fire up the system.

On the last page we'll take a look at the system all installed and get it up and running as we draw a few conclusions.