Thermaltake's large PC case catalog isn't short of options for individual needs but as the PC hardware industry is rapidly evolving, so are the PC cases. Compared to what the PC cases could offer a decade ago, things are so versatile these days that major PC manufacturers like Thermaltake are coming up with unique designs that bring out-of-the-box ideas for special requirements.
One such example is Thermaltake's Tower 600, which I will be reviewing today in detail. Having built PCs with over a dozen cases in the past, I am excited to see what the Tower 600 brings to the table compared to regular designs. The Tower 600 is designed for modularity and brings different layouts. But there is more to it than simple mobo and GPU installation, which will we will cover in depth, and see if the Tower 600 should be your next case upgrade.
Specifications
| Series | The Tower |
|---|---|
| CASE TYPE | Mid Tower |
| Dimension (H x W x D) | 550 x 420 x 286.4 mm (21.65 x 16.54 x 11.28 inch) |
| NET WEIGHT | 9.70 kg / 21.39 lbs. |
| PANEL | 3mm Tempered Glass x 3 |
| Color | Black |
| MATERIAL | SPCC |
| COOLING SYSTEM | Top(exhaust): 140 x 140 x 25 mm CT140 fan (1500rpm, 30.5 dBA) x 2 |
| Drive Bays | 1 x 3.5”, 2 x 2.5” or 3 x 2.5” |
| EXPANSION SLOTS | 7 |
| MOTHERBOARDS | 6.7” x 6.7” (Mini ITX), 9.6” x 9.6” (Micro ATX), 12” x 9.6” (ATX) |
| I/O Port | USB 3.2 (Gen 2) Type-C x 1, USB 3.0 x 4, HD Audio x 1 |
| PSU | Standard PS2 PSU (optional) |
| FAN SUPPORT | Top: 3 x 120mm, 2 x 120mm, 1 x 120mm 2 x 140mm, 1 x 140mm Right: 3 x 120mm, 2 x 120mm, 1 x 120mm 3 x 140mm, 2 x 140mm, 1 x 140mm Left: 3 x 120mm, 2 x 120mm, 1 x 120mm Rear: 2 x 120mm, 1 x 120mm 2 x 140mm, 1 x 140mm Power Cover: 1 x 120mm, 1 x 140mm Bottom: 1 x 120mm, 1 x 140mm |
| RADIATOR SUPPORT | Right Side(AIO): 1 x 360mm, 1 x 240mm, 1 x 120mm 1 x 420mm, 1 x 280mm, 1 x 140mm Left Side(AIO): 1 x 360mm, 1 x 240mm, 1 x 120mm |
| CLEARANCE | CPU cooler height limitation: 210mm VGA length limitation: 280mm(With power cover) 400mm(Without power cover) PSU length limitation: 220mm |
Taking A Close Look
The Tower 600 is a big mid-tower chassis, which supports ATX, m-ATX, and Mini-ITX motherboards. Unlike most mid-towers, it's quite large with dimensions as 550 x 420 x 286.4 mm, despite having the option to put in different orientations, you will still need a good amount of desk space to keep it. The 550 mm is its height when it's kept vertically, and may take less space than keeping it horizontally. It seems similar to the Thermaltake 300 mini-ITX tower but the latter is compact as it supports only mini-ITX motherboards.
The Tower 600 is much more versatile and offers plenty of modular options to customize the PC build depending on what components you will use. As you can see from the image below, nearly all the side panels, including small and big panels, and tempered glass panels can be removed. However, there isn't a single screw in sight and I was confused initially till I saw the instructions on the case itself.
To remove the front tempered glass panel, you just need to press it on top where the case mentions "Press". The tempered glass panel automatically detaches from the top panel and you can take it off easily. The other two smaller tempered glass panels can be taken out manually as well as other side panels from the sides and back.
The top panel can be removed as well, exposing the fans pre-installed at the top. These are two non-RGB 140mm fans for exhaust but the rest of the case doesn't have any more case fans.
The case has a big PSU area, which is ventilated at both the top and bottom, which is appreciated since it will allow the installation of a PSU with a fan at either the top or bottom. There are two sections at the bottom as you can see but the one on the left will be removed when installing the GPU in either Type A or Type B installation.
Meaning, that if you plan to install the GPU with fans exposed to the front, you will need to remove the panel to facilitate GPU installation if the GPU is large, such as in triple fan designs. We will talk about methods of installation for each component in the next section but let's take a look at the rest of the design.
If you look at the motherboard tray, you will see that a honeycomb panel is also attached at the back. This is for installing either one 3.5" HDD or two 2.5" SSDs. It can be detached from the tray with a single thumbscrew, making way for installing the CPU cooler on the motherboard.
A dedicated I/O opening is present on the top for the motherboard rear I/O connections but to access those, the pre-installed fans on the top need to be removed. They can be installed at other places or can be replaced with other fans or radiators for better cooling.
At the top panel, there are several connectivity options at the front, which include 4x USB 3.0 ports, 1x USB Type C, 1x 3.5mm audio jack, and one 3.5mm microphone jack. Then there are the generic Power and Reset buttons.
For the horizontal alignment, you will have to use the plastic stand it comes with. No need to panic since the plastic stand is quite sturdy and durable. There is no attachment mechanism with the stand and all you need to do is align the case at a particular angle and gently drop it on the stand and the small plastic pillars on the other side will keep it away from slipping. I liked this method as I could simply lift the case from the stand and then do whatever I wanted.
The Building Process
Motherboard installation is done at a 90-degree orientation as the I/O opening is on top or left depending on what orientation you are going with. I wanted to try the horizontal orientation so, the motherboard had the regular orientation.
What surprised me is that the case doesn't support the I/O shield. The I/O area of the motherboard directly goes into the opening and while this may seem that something might enter through the opening, the ventilated side panel will cover the area appropriately.
Still, this doesn't negate the fact that I have to completely drop my I/O shield, which has clear mention of the USB ports and other outputs, which is very convenient. Upon closing the side panel, the case blocks the connectivity ports on the motherboard and GPU completely, making the connection neater.
It does have dedicated routing holes that allow you to route and manage all the cables together but this doesn't look like a convenient design if you want to connect a device or two and change some peripheral connections. Every time you need to change a cable connection, you will have to remove the back panel, which isn't ideal at all. In scenarios where the case is up against the wall, this will be even more difficult since you will have to move the case in order to create space for removing the back panel.
As for the storage drive installation, it's straightforward. There is a dedicated panel at the back of the motherboard tray that can support either 1x 3.5" HDD or 2x 2.5" SSDs and an additional 1x 2.5" slot on the left. Cable connection was also easy as there are multiple routing holes and there is enough clearance for everything.
Installing the chassis fans is also convenient and there are plenty of places where you can install multiple 120mm or 140mm fans. I used my Corsair HD120 fans from the older case and transferred the fan/RGB hub and the controller and placed them in the appropriate place to get the RGB lighting effects without any hassles. Thankfully the RGB controller was easier to get outside as there are multiple areas from where I could get the cable outside.
As for installing the fans at the bottom/left panel where you will find the bottom section of your motherboard, things can get messy. I tried to install two 120mm fans and as you can see there isn't much clearance at the bottom.
The fans are overlapping with the headers on the bottom of the motherboard, which made it difficult for me to connect USB, SATA, Front Panel, and Audio cables. I did manage to connect them by spacing the two fans but the cable management was messy. So, I don't think it will be possible to add a third fan at the bottom/left, at least in my case.
Doing cable management on the other hand was so convenient in this case. Whether I was routing smaller case fan cables or finding appropriate routes for bigger PSU cables, everything was excellent. As most side panels, including the big and smaller ones, are removable, I could just get my hand or fingers in any compartment and get the job done.
Connecting the EPS(CPU) cable was way easier than in regular cases since the case has ample space on the right/top panel which doesn't provide any hindrance. For the GPU, the PCI-E cables can be routed either from the grommet underneath or from the right side, which suits both scenarios where the connectors on the GPU are either at the edge near the fan or at the edge where the PCB ends. The rest of the cable mess can be stored in the bottom compartment where it will be hidden completely from sight.
One more thing I liked is how Thermaltake combined all the front panel headers for Power, Reset buttons, etc. into a single header. Connecting it was a breeze since I don't have to deal with dual or single-pin connectors, which is generally a bit challenging.
Now finally, after routing and connecting all the cables, I tried to put them together with zip ties. I am not an expert in managing the cables but I think it's not that messy. The back panel was easy to close since there was enough clearance and that's uncompromisable for me. Here is the final result as you can see.
Now it's time to turn on the PC to see how it looks with some RGB in action:
It can be a bit too big for any desk but if you have got less space, then put it vertically. In my case, I wanted it to be under the bookshelf, so I kept it horizontally, which looked dope.
Verdict: Versatile and Beautiful but I/O accessibility makes things complicated
Thermaltake Tower 600 is an expanded version of the Tower 300 and does a good job in most aspects. Whether you are looking forward to building a high-end gaming system with large components or setting up a test bench for benchmarking CPUs and GPUs, the Tower 600 has ample space for your needs.
The toolless and snappy windows and panels allow easier access to the interior and make cable management highly convenient. The routing holes and built-in cable management system are themselves wonderful for making the building process easy but the the magnetic panels help you reach out to tiny spaces which makes a big difference.
It's definitely big though and that also comes with more weight and poor portability. Had Thermaltake equipped it with carrying handles, it could be carried much more easily. In the current design, the case has to be carried in arms, which is surely difficult for portability, especially when you have already installed your components inside.
Still, this is due to the large interior, which helps in installing big coolers, radiators, GPUs, and multiple fans for adequate cooling. Except for the I/O accessibility, I don't find any major cons in the Tower 600. Surely, there are a few minor flaws, but the I/O accessibility is a noticeable one. Just thinking about connecting another peripheral or a USB drive at the back, or switching to a different port on the GPU for troubleshooting makes me think twice.
The need to remove the top and the back panel every time I need to connect a peripheral is not convenient at all. I would advise users to install a USB hub so that they can add any peripheral or USB device outside of the case, which will make life much easier. Nonetheless, I don't have any big complaints except for this and hopefully, Thermaltake will take this factor into account and make the design much more friendly for connectivity.
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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