Thermaltake Shark Aluminum Case (VA7000)

The front access connectors and a two position key lock have been removed from the face to the forward corner of the right side panel.  In regards to raw function, I’m not sure anything is gained by this.  Aesthetically speaking this keeps the Shark’s lines clean and unbroken on its face.

The bezel door has more weight than we are used to because it is constructed out of aluminum over the typical plastic.  With this pulled back we see more of the “gilled look” as well as five 5.25” and two 3.5” expansion bays.  On either side of these bay covers is a recessed area creating a finger grip to remove the covers by with ease.  The FDD expansion bays are both in a cage of sorts that is removed as a whole unit as seen below.  Immediately next to this cage are the power and reset buttons as well as the power and HDD activity light. 

     

One last thing about the bezel door is that there is no latch to hold it closed.  Thermaltake has put a magnet at the top and bottom along the right side that mates with two steel screws that keep the door closed.  The resistance in opening the door was minimal but enough to keep it closed without any irritation. 

Over to the left side panel we find a window of sorts.  No acrylic panel, but rather a honeycombed screen under this sideways McDonald’s looking arch shaped window.  The screen is not a tight design nor is it filtered.  There won’t be much to stop dust, pet hair etc from being sucked into the Shark by its rear 120mm fan unfortunately.  A water cooled rig however will benefit from the openness of the side panel without suffering as much from dust and pet hair.  The silver piece you see in the second pic is a sliding handle that holds the side panel in place.  It is locked down from the back via thumb screws.

  

Moving to the rear of the Shark we see a big honking 120mm exhaust vent.  A blue LED 120mm can is mounted just behind this fan grill which is cut into the metal of the case with a collection of hexagon vent holes. 

If you look closely you will see multiple 3/8” indentations, ten to be exact in several places.  These can be punched out so that 3/8” OD hosing can be run through there to reach an external radiator or reservoir if you choose.  This beats the devil out of a slot bracket in my mind.  Thermaltake also included some black plastic sleeves to keep the hoses from being worn or cut but the case metal.  The downside of these hose points is that once you punch these out there is no putting them back.  Another notable is that there are also several places specifically designed to hold Tt H2O components.  Notice the lip that the reservoir out of a Thermaltake BigWater kit fits perfectly into in the second and third pics below. 

     

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