INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   In a market filled with all kinds of PC Cases by a huge number of manufacturers we all know how hard it is for someone to pick the right one for the job especially if price is of a concern. The reason i mentioned price should be quite obvious so if you're aiming to get one of the most expensive towers in the market then you currently only have a handful of choices to pick from by just a few of the leading manufacturers. On the other hand if you're on a budget things get tougher since most manufacturers out there aim for the masses and not enthusiasts, serious gamers and professionals so the number of available choices skyrockets. Primarily Thermaltake also seeks to win over the masses but from time to time they too release high quality and feature rich PC Cases aimed at serious consumers and the brand new Urban T81 Full Tower which has been with us for roughly a week now certainly wants to get in their ranks.

 

   The beginning of every myth and legend is about dreams and desire: the challenging, creative and combative features of Thermaltake Group create an exciting and fascinating user experience to share with everyone, while allowing users to enter a selfless state in terms of function and potential. Thermaltake Group's 3 main brands: Thermaltake, Tt eSPORTS and LUXA2 have been merchandising throughout the world, and have successfully established 6 business footholds in areas such as Europe, America, Oceania, Japan and China, with 95 regional distributors and over 4000 premium retailers. All product planning is orientated by observation of global PC peripheral market and understanding of consumer demands. Thermaltake creates direct contact opportunities with resellers and consumers by participating major global ICT exhibitions and trade shows every year, and develop innovative marketing strategies for the promotions of new products. Meanwhile, Thermaltake incorporates the composite marketing system by making branch offices and regional distributors both the distribution channel and technical support or service center to provide instant support; by maintaining close contact with end users, we manage to strengthen corporate competitiveness and create the momentum for the growth of accomplishments. With its outstanding wisdom and strength Thermaltake Group is recruiting creative talents to build a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology and lifestyle!

 

   At first glance the Urban T81 may not look special but the moment you open the dual doors (RX8 anyone?) you realize that Thermaltake wants to slightly set it apart from the rest of the Urban line. Needless to say however that's not all Thermaltake has done with the EATX compatible Urban T81 Full Tower and so it also features removable 5.25/2.5/3.5" drive cages, space for up to 4 radiators (top, bottom, front, rear), room for up to four 200mm or nine 120mm fans, two speed integrated fan controller for use with up to 10 fans and much more. So as you can see even by just listing some of the features found in the brand new Urban T81 it's quite obvious that there aren't many similar PC Cases in the market and that's always a good thing both for the manufacturer but also for consumers since that improves products released by the competition. To see is to believe however so let's take a closer look at the Urban T81 Full Tower by Thermaltake.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although late due to customs issues the Urban T81 arrived unharmed inside a plain cardboard box with a drawing of it on both sides.

 

 

The specifications table is printed on the left side while a product description is printed on the right side in 12 languages.

 

 

Aside the two thick Styrofoam spacers the Urban T81 is also wrapped inside a black cloth cover.

 

 

As usual the bundle is placed inside a small cardboard box fitted in one of the 2.5/3.5" drive trays and it contains the 5.25" to 3.5" adapter, 8 pin (4+4) power extension cable, mainboard speaker, user's manual in several languages (2 of them), warranty information paper, 5 cable ties and 5 small plastic bags filled with screws.

 

 

THE URBAN T81 EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I liked the black cloth cover with the Thermaltake logo on it so i thought i'd show it to all of you.

 

 

The Urban T81 Full Tower measures 585mm in height, 602mm in length and 235mm in width and although it may not be fancy it sure is elegant.

 

 

Over at the left side we find a large clear plastic window and a lock. To release the two doors you will need to use one of the keys found at the rear with the lock and you will also need to press this button found at the base of the tower.

 

 

The sides of the front fascia are perforated to allow air to enter.

 

 

At the front we find a door covered with a thin brushed aluminum plate that swings from the left to the right (can't be switched).

 

 

Behind the door we see two 5.25" bays and two large perforated covers right beneath them.

 

 

Once you remove the covers (dust filters) you will see the two 200mm intake fans (you can't access them however from here).

 

 

You can access the 200mm fans by removing the front fascia entirely (here you have the option to replace the fans with either a 360/420mm radiator or 3x120mm fans or 2x140mm fans).

 

 

The I/O is located at the top and includes the two speed fan controller (high/low) with its LEDs, reset and power switches, power and HDD activity LEDs, 4 USB 2.0 ports, 2 USB 3.0 ports and the typical microphone and headphones plugs.

 

 

Most of the top is also perforated to allow air to slip out from the fans beneath. You can remove that section (dust filter) by pressing at the front as seen above.

 

 

Here we see the 3rd pre-installed 200mm fan along with the space for a 2nd 200mm exhaust fan. Much like the front if you choose not to use 200mm fans you can mount a 360/420mm radiator or 3x120mm fans or 2x140mm fans.

 

 

Turning the tower around we see an 120/140mm fan space, 3 water cooling rubber grommets, 8 PCI expansion slots featuring external thumbscrews secured with a metal plate, two secure mounts (top/bottom) and the PSU area.

 

 

By default Thermaltake ships the Urban T81 with a 140mm fan at the rear but you can replace that either with a radiator or with an 120mm fan.

 

 

The right side panel extends outwards to allow for better cable routing behind the mainboard tray.

 

 

A long removable dust filter is placed at the base of the Urban T81.

 

 

THE URBAN T81 INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The interior is quite spacious but what's even more interesting is the drive area.

 

 

Here we have the two removable 5.25" bays featuring tool-free locking mechanisms and three drive cages right beneath them that can carry up to eight 2.5/3.5" drives.

 

 

 

All three drive cages are removable so if you choose to take that path Thermaltake has also placed a movable (up/down) vertical 2.5/3.5" drive bracket.

 

 

The drive trays are quite sturdy but unfortunately drive installation is not tool-free.

 

 

To remove all three drive cages you need to remove the 12 thumbscrews attaching them to the rear along with the 2 thumbscrews of the vertical bracket.

 

 

At the rear we also find the 10 way fan hub.

 

 

 

The Urban T81 lacks space behind the mainboard tray but the left side panel with its design makes up for that.

 

 

With all of the drive cages removed you can not only fit cards up to 400mm long but you can also use a 420mm front radiator.

 

 

The mainboard tray has a total of 7 rubber covered grommets for routing the cables behind it and a large hole beneath the CPU area for easier swapping of backplates.

 

 

The 140mm fan used at the rear is part of the turbo line of fans by Thermaltake.

 

 

If you choose to remove the drive cages there's room at the bottom either for a 280mm/240mm/140mm/120mm radiator or for 2x140/2x120mm fans.

 

 

Taking a look at the top from within the case makes it easier to see the available space.

 

 

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always the purpose of this section is not to build a functional system but rather to showcase what you can expect from the case at hand in terms of interior space.

Using an ATX mainboard inside an EATX compatible tower means there will be space left but the Urban T81 has more than we had expected.

 

 

You can use the largest and tallest CPU Coolers in the market currently without any issues inside the Urban T81 (just as long as they are up to 180mm in height).

 

 

With the drive cages installed the Urban T81 offers space for graphics cards up to 360mm long but as already mentioned without the cages you have up to 400mm.

 

 

Using the longest power supply unit is no problem but to do so you will have to secure it in place with this metal piece.

 

 

NOISE LEVEL TEST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With less than 42dBA at 100% the Urban T81 offers excellent airflow at almost inaudible levels.

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   After the very good Core V71 Full Tower we didn't know exactly what to expect from the Urban T81 although Thermaltake has released a few models in their Urban line that left us with very good impressions. Fortunately it seems that Thermaltake is on a roll since we liked the Urban T81 even more than the Core V71. Of course although these two models have many similarities they are also quite different since the V71 is aimed towards people who want something special in terms of design (gamers mostly) while the T81 is aimed towards people who want an elegant PC tower which they can put in their office or even in their living room so a direct comparison is not really possible. However because of the multiple radiator and fan spots, pre-installed fans (3x200mm, 1x140mm), 10 way 2 speed fan controller, spacious interior, removable drive cages and the dual doors the Urban T81 is the obvious choice for us.

 

   With the Urban T81 Full Tower Thermaltake has once again managed to release a high quality Full Tower with a long list of features that doesn't cost as much as the competition. To be more precise at this exact moment in time the Urban T81 Full Tower retails for USD179.99 inside the USA (159.99 after 20$ rebate card - Newegg.com) and for around 150Euros inside the EU. In conclusion there's simply nothing wrong with the Urban T81 Full Tower but there's a very long list with things Thermaltake did right and although we don't know if they will ever release a Full Tower capable of replacing the remarkable Level 10 tower the Urban T81 is pretty much excellent and that's why it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- High Build Quality
- Elegant Design
- Two Side Doors
- Superior Airflow Right from the Factory (3x200mm/1x140mm Fans)
- Maximum Airflow Levels (4x200mm/3x140mm Fans)
- Room Up To 4 Radiators (2x360/420mm - 1x280/240/140/120mm - 1x240mm)
- 10 Way, 2 Speed Fan Hub
- Fully Removable Drive Cages
- Vertical Drive Spot
- Almost Inaudible
- Price (For Some)

 

CONS

- Only Two 5.25" Bays