Thermaltake LANBOX

The front bezel is a 3mm thick piece of aluminum accented by a gentle curving at the top and bottom.  The two optical bays are deceptive with the larger cutout area around them.  As far as the lower of these two, the cuts are for aesthetics only.  The topmost bay however is actually a 7" bay with a 5.25" adapter cover cut into the middle of it.  This allows users to install Thermaltake's very hip 7" retractable LCD monitor that deploys and retracts much like an optical drive.

To the left of the upper bays is a vertically mounted 3.5" bay for a FDD.  Placement in this way allows Thermaltake to keep the LANBOX full featured while reducing the bezel's overall size.  Below all of this is a crescent cutout covered by a black mesh measuring 165mm across its base.  This is your air intake which is flanked on one side by the power/reset buttons and indicators for HDD activity and power to the right and the front access ports on the left.  The access ports consist of two USB 2.0 ports, a Firewire port, high definition audio out and a mic jack.

Turning things 90 degrees we see that the little LANer has windows on its side panels.  The windows are cut with an oval shaped mass of vents in the center.  With the LANBOX being as compact as it is, extra ventilation in the sides is a welcome thing for the unit's overall cooling potential.  This is also a good view of the LANBOX's gray colored handle.  The handle is exceptionally sturdy with a smooth rounded shape in the center for a better grip.  Speaking of grip, with the LANBOX weighing in at a mere 7kg, your fingers won't be overworked carrying this rig to your next LAN.

The rear of the case shows that because of the compact size, the traditional 80mm fan had to be ditched for two 60mm fans.  These fans are rated at 1800 RPMs which is enough to pull the air through the LANBOX without making too much undue noise.  Mounting space for a third 60mm fan is provided to the right of the power supply area.  On the lower right of the rear panel are the four expansion slots.  A small plate held in place with a thumb screw, acts as a cover over the screw points for locking in expansion cards.  By the way, thumb screws throughout.  Nice plus.

  

The right side panel offers a mirror image to that of the left.  Ditto our remarks from there, just left to right instead of the other way around.

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