INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Although we've all seen numerous PC cases over the years of all shapes and sizes there's no denying that the somewhat recent introduction of tempered glass has changed everything and has effectively enabled consumers to have something really special placed on (or beneath/next to) their desks without having to resort to expensive (and time consuming) mods. Tempered glass is by no means the perfect material since it attracts dust and is extremely easy to leave marks on but since manufacturers can make entire panels out of it it's far more versatile compared to panels made only partially out of plexi. Thermaltake is no stranger to tempered glass and after several very successful PC cases (if I’m not mistaken they have 16 in their product lines already) today they launched the View 71 TG (Tempered Glass) Full Tower and yes once again we're among the first (if not the very first) to get our hands on it.

   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!

   Thermaltake actually released two View 71 TG models, one with two 140mm Riing Blue fans pre-mounted (the one we have) and one with three 140mm Riing RGB fans pre-mounted. That however is the one and only difference these two models have so both feature 4 tempered glass panels (5mm thick), vertical graphics card layout (riser cable is optional) and are completely modular. In terms of interior space both can hold up to E-ATX sized mainboards (Mini ITX, Micro ATX and ATX are also obviously supported), come with a total of 10 PCI expansion slots (8 horizontal and 2 vertical) and have enough room for up to seven 3.5" drives (or ten 2.5" ones), nine 120mm fans (or six 140mm and two 120mm fans) and/or three 360/420mm radiators (also possible to mount an 240mm radiator at the base of the chassis), 190mm tall CPU coolers, 310mm long graphics cards (410mm without the HDD racks) and 220mm long power supply units (without a bottom fan installed). We don't see many full towers lately so let's take a closer look and see what Thermaltake has done with the View 71 TG.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A large product picture takes most of the front and is placed right beneath the company logo.

 

 

The specifications table is placed on the left side of the box.

 

 

A second product picture is placed at the rear this time with both side panels open and 6 Riing Blue fans installed.

 

 

The case is wrapped inside a plastic bag and placed between two thick foam spacers (a second piece of cardboard is placed inside the box for extra durability).

 

 

Inside a small box placed in one of the 3.5" drive trays you will find the user manual, 10 cable ties, mainboard speaker, two low-noise fan adapters, 4 PSU rubber feet and a plastic bag with screws, spacers and standoffs.

 

 

THE VIEW 71 TG EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As expected from a full tower the View 71 TG is quite large and measures 592mm in height, 577mm in depth and 274mm in width while weighing a total of 18.9Kg.

 

 

The View 71 TG comes with 4 panels made out of 5mm thick tempered glass placed on both sides the front and the top.

 

 

On all sides the panels are held in place with thumbscrews but the left and right panels also feature hinges for easier opening.

 

 

Thanks to the tempered glass panel placed at the front the View 71 TG looks great.

 

 

The top I/O may not feature a USB 3.1 Type C port but still you are getting a reset switch, the usual microphone and headphones ports, two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, the HDD activity LED and the power button which also doubles as the power LED.

 

 

You can remove the front just like any other case in the market (just reach for the gap at the base and pull outwards). A large air-filter is also placed inside the fascia.

 

 

Thermaltake has preinstalled a single 140mm Riing Blue fan at the front but there's still room for two more 140mm fans (and a 360/420mm radiator of course).

 

 

From the top tempered glass panel you can get a clear look at the fans or the radiator inside.

 

 

You can remove the top panel the same way as the front and once you do you will see a large rack (an air-filter is also placed here).

 

 

This rack is removable making it easier to mount fans and/or a radiator.

 

Unlike the rest of the case the rear is more "standard".

 

 

Here we see three rubber grommets for water cooling tubes, an 140mm Riing Blue fan (can be replaced with an 120mm fan), 8 horizontal and two vertical PCI expansion slots and the PSU area.

 

 

At the base of the View 71 TG we see a large removable air-filter and a small hatch placed right beneath the 3.5" drive cages and next to the 240mm radiator area (you can access the drain valve of a radiator through here).

 

 

THE VIEW 71 TG INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You don't really have to open the left panel to see that the View 71 TG has plenty of interior space for even the largest hardware components.

 

 

The top front is empty so you can move one of the two drive cages here (or place yet another radiator vertically - you will have to remove both drive cages however).

 

 

If you decide not to place a vertical radiator here these holes can be used to install a tube reservoir.

 

 

Each of the two removable drive cages holds two 3.5"/2.5" drives (4 in total).

 

 

The drive trays used are made out of plastic but are quite sturdy.

 

 

There are three rubber grommets on the mainboard tray for cable management purposes and a large cutout beneath the CPU area.

 

 

The vertical mounting bracket for graphics cards is something we've seen in the past by both the P5 and View 31 TG and we do like it (unfortunately the PCIe riser is optional).

 

 

As you can see the PSU area has no rubber feet (probably because some PSUs will not fit beneath the vertical graphics card bracket if the feet are already installed).

 

 

Next to the PSU area there's room for either two 120mm fans or a 240mm radiator.

 

 

Taking a look from the other side of the tray we see three large aluminum drive trays placed vertically.

 

 

Each drive tray can hold either a single 3.5" drive or two 2.5" drives.

 

 

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 a standard ATX sized mainboard leaves a large amount of free space around as you can also see from the above picture.

 

 

You can mount CPU coolers up to 190mm in height so there's really no limit here.

 

 

Of course you'd be better off by installing an 360mm or a 420mm radiator at the top.

 

 

Unfortunately 60mm models are too thick so we suggest anything up to 40mm (here we used a 420mm long and 36mm thick radiator - the same size radiator can be used at the front).

 

 

Since Thermaltake doesn't pack a riser cable with the View 71 TG we couldn't showcase it (we weren't send one either) but still you can see just how much better the graphics card looks when mounted this way.

 

 

If you decide to use a 180mm long PSU model like the one we did you can still mount either two 120mm fans or a 240mm radiator at the base.

 

 

Let’s not forget that you can also mount tube reservoirs inside the case as seen above.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   The View 71 TG Full Tower by Thermaltake marks the beginning of a new Era of PC cases manufactured by them with 100% Tempered Glass side panels. True these are very easy to smudge and they also attract dust and hair but just taking a look inside the case makes it all worth it (you can always remove them and dress them with film to avoid all this). Of course we expect the RGB version to be slightly more popular among gamers but the blue Riing fans are not half bad either. Leaving out its looks the View 71 TG also has enough interior space for anything you might want to put in especially when it comes to water cooling components. With room for up to three 360/420mm radiators (one of which can be an AIO model) the View 71 TG should cover even the most demanding users out there. And then there’s also enough room for up to seven 3.5” drives and/or ten 2.5” ones so again this should be more than enough for at least the majority of users out there. The vertical graphics card mount is also a great feature although we do hope that one day Thermaltake will include the Riser cable in the bundle even if that means upping the price just a bit (after all their versions are not cheap).

   Since Thermaltake officially released the View 71 TG line (with Blue and RGB fans) today neither is available currently but according to them the recommended price tag is 170.05$/189.99€ for the Riing Blue version and 201.38$/224.99€ for the Riing RGB version. Of course recommended price tags mean very little when retailers hardly ever follow them so chances are you will be able to find the View 71 TG for less by mid-September. Overall we feel that the View 71 TG is a great case not only in terms of quality and looks but also interior space and that’s why we give it our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality (Four 5mm Thick Tempered Glass Panels
- Design
- Spacious Interior (410mm Long Graphics Cards / 190mm Tall CPU Coolers / 220mm Long PSUs)
- Room For Seven 3.5” or Ten 2.5” Drives
- Vertical Graphics Card Mount
- Room For Up To 9 Fans or Four 240/360/420mm Radiators
- Bottom/Top/Front Air Filters
- Two Preinstalled 140mm Riing Blue Fans

CONS

- Current Availability (As Expected)
- Riser Cable Is Extra