INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   We've mentioned numerous times in the past that the market is overflowing with PC cases of all shapes, sizes, features and price tags but there really aren't that many models designed with people who cherish silence above everything else in mind. Certainly there are some manufacturers who have taken the lead such as Fractal Design, Antec and Nanoxia (be quiet! as well but just one) all of which have introduced quite a few such models in the past but if you take into account the sheer number of PC case manufacturers currently in the market those models equal to just a very small percentage. Thermaltake has also introduced some models in the past with such people in mind (if only just partially) but it wasn't until just recently that they decided to take things a step further by introducing an midi tower equivalent to the best models in that category called the Suppressor F51.

     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!

   The Suppressor F51 is unlike most if not all previously released midi tower cases by Thermaltake mainly because this time over their engineers focused a lot in reducing noise levels by outfitting it with several pieces of sound-dampening material (much like the Deep Silence line by Nanoxia). This of course is what we call a double edged sword feature since on one hand you will certainly enjoy the almost complete lack of noise emanating from the interior of the case but on the other this automatically means increased temperatures for all your components (always compared to what you can expect with the top/side sound-dampening panels removed and/or replaced by fans). Aside its noise-dampening capabilities however the Suppressor F51 packs quite a few interesting features including a completely tool-free design, removable drive cages, dust-filters, 4-port fan speed controller, space for up to 10 fans and/or 4 radiators and enough room for up to 185mm tall CPU coolers and 310mm long graphics cards (465mm with the drive cage removed).

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again Thermaltake has shipped their newest case inside a regular cardboard box that has a product drawing at the front along with their logo.

 

 

Since the Suppressor F51 is currently available in two versions (with and without a side window) the one inside the box is indicated on the left side.

 

 

Some of the product features are listed on the right side in 12 languages.

 

 

A drawing of the Suppressor F51 disassembled is placed at the rear of the box.

 

 

Two foam spacers and a plastic bag keep the tower safe inside the box.

 

 

Along with the tower Thermaltake also packs a mainboard speaker, 4 cable straps, front radiator mount (360/420mm), bag with screws and standoffs and the user's manual.

 

 

THE SUPPRESSOR F51 EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outfitting a PC case with sound-dampening panels is not the easiest thing since design matters quite a bit so we weren't surprised to see that the Suppressor F51 looks quite a bit like the Fractal Design and Nanoxia models (the case weighs 12.7kg and measures 577mm in height, 525mm in depth and 230mm in width).

 

 

Our sample came without a side window but for such a tower that's for the best since it should offer reduced noise levels.

 

 

The left side panel has a fan spot where by default Thermaltake has placed a sound-dampening panel. Of course you can remove it to install a 120/140mm intake fan.

 

 

The front fascia is perforated on both sides thus allowing air to reach the front fan.

 

 

The front door is all-plastic although the fascia does resemble brushed aluminum.

 

 

Thermaltake has placed a thick layer of sound-dampening material behind the door but unfortunately it only opens from left to right.

 

 

As you can see the Suppressor F51 comes with two 5.25" drive bays (it could had come with 3 but the top is reserved for a radiator) which feature easy removable covers.

 

 

A large dust filter with the company logo placed at the lower end is placed right beneath.

 

 

It turns out that Thermaltake has placed two dust filters and not one in front of the massive 200mm intake fan.

 

 

Should you choose to remove the stock fan there's enough room here to install a 240mm radiator (360/420mm if you choose to remove the 5.25" bays) or two 140mm fans.

 

 

The I/O is placed at the top and includes the on/off power button and LED, reset switch, fan speed controller (+/-), HDD activity LED, two USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports and the usual headphones and microphone plugs.

 

 

Almost the entire top is covered by a magnetic air-filter similar to that found on the left side panel.

 

 

One of the very good features of the Suppressor F51 is that it has enough space to fit an 360/420mm radiator at the top or two 200mm fans (you can also use up to 3x120/140mm fans).

 

 

Moving at the rear we see three rubber grommets, 8 PCI expansion slots, exhaust fan and the PSU area.

 

 

By default Thermaltake ships the Suppressor F51 with an 140mm exhaust fan at the rear which you can of course replace with another 120/140mm fan (or a single radiator AIO solution).

 

 

Two long removable dust filters are placed at the bottom of the case and although it would be best had Thermaltake used a single even longer one (removable from the front) we can't really complain.

 

 

THE SUPPRESSOR F51 INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here you can see the sound-dampening material placed on the interior of the left side panel.

 

 

The Suppressor F51 may be a midi-tower but it's got plenty of interior space.

 

 

Both 5.25" feature tool-less mechanisms and as mentioned earlier they can be removed entirely (the bay trays also have holes for 3.5/2.5" drive mounting).

 

 

Right beneath we see 6 drive trays placed inside two drive cages.

 

 

Tray quality is very good and certainly not something we see a lot with PC cases (even the 900D by Corsair which we use in our lab doesn't have as good as these).

 

 

Both drive cages are removable via several thumbscrews placed on their left and rear (at the rear you can also mount two 2.5" drives vertically).

 

 

Since we're on the other side of the mainboard tray we should point out that there's not much space for cable management between that and the right side panel.

 

 

Once you remove the drive cages you can choose to ditch one or both for the sake of really long graphics cards.

 

 

All 8 PCI expansion slots are held in place via regular thumbscrews.

 

 

The PSU area can be configured according to the length of the PSU you will use.

 

 

There are a total of five holes with rubber grommets in the motherboard tray for cable management.

 

 

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.

By using a standard ATX mainboard you cover one of the cable management holes (still as you can see there's plenty of space inside the case).

 

 

You can fit CPU coolers up to 185mm in height so that means pretty much everything you want.

 

 

You can fit very long cards (up to 465mm) if you choose to remove the drive cage/s but even with them you should have no problem mounting any single core card.

 

 

The same applies for power supply units (the Suppressor F51 can accommodate pretty much everything you throw inside).

 

 

NOISE LEVEL TEST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After giving it much thought we decided on performing noise tests with each PC Case we receive by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically ontop of each case to measure the noise levels emanating from the pre-installed fans at both 50% and 100% with the help of a fan controller (if the case doesn't have one we use our own).

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   I’ve grown somewhat tired of saying this but Thermaltake has once again done a great job in releasing a high quality product with plenty of features in a market overflowing with “mediocre” products. The Suppressor F51 is however by no means the perfect midi tower since there’s always room for improvement (for example an external 2.5/3.5” HDD dock would be a welcome feature as would the ability to switch the door orientation and have a single front removable dust-filter at its base) but the sound-dampening panels work as advertised and having enough space to fit the largest CPU coolers, longer graphics cards, up to 10 2.5/3.5” drives and up to 10 fans and/or 4 radiators is really great. The 4-port fan speed controller is also a great feature but a control knob would be more “accurate” that the two buttons it has.

   Both versions of the Suppressor F51 are currently available in the market but the “no-window” version which we tested retails for USD119.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 130Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). This price tag puts it right next to its immediate competition by Fractal Design, Nanoxia, Antec and Be Quiet! so in the end it all comes down to personal preference. Overall we all liked the Suppressor F51 and although there’s still room for improvement it’s most definitely one of the best towers in its class and that’s why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Spacious Interior (185mm tall CPU Coolers / 465mm long Graphics Cards)
- 2 Pre-Installed Fans (140/200mm)
- Space For A Total Of 10 Fans (120/140/200mm)
- Space For Up To 4 Radiators (Front 240/360/420mm, Top 360/420mm, Bottom 240mm, Rear 140mm)
- Room For Up To 10 2.5/3.5” Drives
- 4-Channel Fan Controller
- Low Noise Levels (Almost Inaudible)
- Air-Filters
- Removable Drive Cages & ODBs

 

CONS

- Fixed Door Orientation