Thermaltake LANBOX

Manufacturer: Thermaltake Technology
Supplied by: Thermaltake Technology
Street Price: TBA

by Dean Barker (11/19/2006)

Introduction

Thermaltake has long been a big supplier of LAN party gear; from gear straps to flashy modding accessories and performance cooling through the spectrum up to and including specialized cases themselves.  It's in this vein that we find ourselves today.  Thermaltake's latest LAN party oriented case is named aptly enough, the Thermaltake LANBOX.  Allowing almost full size components (micro ATX size mainboards max), the LANBOX opens the door to high performance and portability to power gamers. 

This case also is designed with Thermaltake's new design philosophy in mind, Key 3 Spirit.  Key 3 Spirit is defined as the three keys to design success; raw performance, silent operation and thermal consciousness.  Sounds like a nice philosophy to have.  Let's have a closer look at Thermaltake's newest entry into the LAN fray and see how well they get the rubber to the road with Key 3 Spirit as well as the LANBOX's aesthetic appeal.

Specifications:

• Observed Dimensions L x W x H: 445 x 283 x 299mm (base to top of handle)

• Observed Weight: 7 kg

• Construction: SECC Steel

• Drive Bays: one exposed 7" bay (with 5.25" adapter)
                  one exposed 5.25" bay
                  one exposed 3.5" bay
                  two hidden 3.5" bays

• Cooling: Included Front 90mm blue LED case fan
              Included Rear 60mm x2, mounting area for a third 60mm fan            

• Front I/O Ports: USB 2.0 x 2, Firewire, High Definition Audio out and mic

• Expansion slots: 4

• Motherboard Type: MicroATX

• Available Colors: Silver, Black

• Window: Yes

• Handle: Yes

The LANer

Thermaltake's LANBOX at first glance looks like one of the compact SFF rigs you will see from the likes of Shuttle or AOpen.  Looking a bit closer you can tell that this rig is an inch or two larger here and there than the run of the mill SFF boxes you have seen in the past.  This extra space allows users to install what we traditionally call full size gear.  Well, almost full size; the Tt LANBOX can only accept a MicroATX mainboard which with the market the way it is right now, opens up pretty much every performance door imaginable. 

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