Thermaltake Kandalf LCS Case (VD4000)

The Exterior

As we stated, the first thing that grabs the attention is the front bezel, with its smooth brushed aluminum finish that brings out the rest of the case that is the same material.  Down the middle of the Bezel is black mesh, with the stylin' Thermaltake logo smack dab in the middle.

  

Opening the bezel reveals a few details.  First, and most notably is its weight.  It is secured to the Kandalf doubly well because of this.  The reason simply is the large radiator.  This radiator sports three huge 120mm fans on top of the thin aluminum fin construction.  You can see the copper tubing inside to provide more than ample cooling for the coolant flowing through.

  

Directly opposite the giant radiator assembly are eleven expansion bays.  The top contains a removable insert tray with the power button, activity lights and space for a 3.5" drive.  Under that, there are eight normal expansion bays for 5.25" optical drives.  At the bottom is a slot reserved for the hosing from the radiator.  This is rounded so that there should be no chance of breaking the hoses.  The hoses are a thick black rubber, covered by an additional mesh type wrapping to prevent snagging or catching.  Directly above that is a drawer for easy storage.  You could easily fit a few CD's, or pens and pencils, or screws and a screw driver.  This should be an excellent little addition for a LAN case.

     

Moving on around now, we'll have a look at the side panel.  The acrylic window is large and provides an excellent view of the inside of the case.  This is going to look quite nice powered up.  The only other notable thing is these clamps on the side.  The panel is held on by thumbscrews.  When these are removed, these clamps hold the side panel on, and squeezing them allows you to swing open the side panel like a door.  I think this provides for super easy removal of the panel, however keeps it on securely at the same time.

  

Moving around to the rear of the case, you can get even more of an idea of scale.  As I said, the Thermaltake Kandalf is a big case.  As you can see, the PSU mount at the top is side-ways as to what I'm used to.  Directly next to this is a 90mm exhaust fan.  Also note-worthy here are the four punch-out covers directly below the 90mm exhaust.  These are for H2O lines so that you may run 1/2" hosing here for additional liquid cooling.  There are four plastic pieces provided to snap over these holes to eliminate jagged edges.

  

Right below the PSU and exhaust is another 120mm exhaust fan.  As you can see, this fan uses a plastic clamp to secure to the case and isn't screwed in.  This is one of those little features that generally goes unnoticed.  However, I applaud Thermaltake, because I absolutely hate trying to screw fans onto a case.

Below this exhaust fan are seven PCI Expansion slots.  Also, to the right of these slots, you can see a couple of screws.  These secure the tool-less clamps onto the inside of the case.  I mention this, because I've had a couple of these clips in the past that would not secure my video card, and I've had to remove them.  Though that was not a problem for me with this case, these are removable if necessary.

  

Last but not least is the top.  You can see some grilling here, as well as a 'trap door.'  Under this door are the top ports; two USB2.0, one headphone, one microphone, and one Firewire port.  Directly behind these, you see several perforations in the case.  You can attach another 80mm fan here if you so desire.

  

Now, let's open this baby up and see what she's got to offer. 

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Pg 1 - Introduction
Pg 2 - Exterior
Pg 3 - Interior
Pg 4 - Installation and Performance
Pg 5 - Conclusion