INTRODUCTION

   PC cases haven't gone through the same number of aesthetical changes/improvements through the years as most hardware components and peripherals so the three points in time that really stand out was the introduction of partial plexi side panels back in the late 90's (Thermaltake was among the very first manufacturers to do that) followed by LED illumination (both single color and RGB later on) roughly 5 years ago and of course perhaps the most important one which is no other that the introduction of tempered glass panels 3-4 years ago which basically replaced plexi in the higher-end models. Largely thanks to growing competition today however one doesn't have to spend a lot to get a tower with both RGB illumination and a tempered glass side panel and that's exactly what our good friends over at Thermaltake want to prove with their recently released Versa J24 TG RGB Mid Tower.

   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 brand new Versa J4 TG RGB (also available in a non-RGB version) may not look as unique as the View 37 RGB again by Thermaltake which we reviewed just over a month ago but thanks to its 4mm thick tempered glass side panel and its three pre-installed 12V 120mm RGB fans (1000RPM/16dBA/4 Basic Manual Lighting Modes - compatible Asus AURA Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light, ASRock RGB LED and Biostar Vivid LED DJ sync-enabled mainboards) it's still a very nice looking case. However that's not all you're getting with the new Versa J24 TG RGB since it also features a PSU shroud, removable drive cage with three 3.5/2.5" HDD trays, two 2.5" removable drive trays, enough room for 6 fans (120/140mm) and/or a single front radiator (240/280/360mm), top magnetic air-filter, 160mm tall CPU coolers, 160mm long power supply units and 330mm long graphics cards.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Versa J24 TG RGB arrived inside a plain cardboard box that has a product drawing at the front right next to the model version selection.

On the left side of the box we find a list of the main product features in 12 languages and on the right we find the specifications table.

Two Styrofoam spacers and a plastic bag keep the case safe during transport.

Along with the Versa J24 TG RGB Mid Tower you'll also get a PSU adapter, mainboard speaker, 6 cable ties, 8 fan mounting screws and a small plastic bag with several screws and standoffs.

THE VERSA J24 TG RGB EXTERIOR

The 6Kg heavy Versa J24 TG RGB is 462mm tall, 414mm long and 206mm wide.

Thermaltake has used a 4mm thick tempered glass panel for the entire left side of the case.

The plastic fascia is perforated and has the company logo printed at the top right next to the I/O which consists by two USB 3.0 ports, headphones and microphone plugs, power/HDD activity LEDs and the on/off power button which also doubles as the manual RGB LED button for the various fan modes.

You can remove the fascia by pulling it outwards to access the three 12V 120mm intake fans.

At the top we find a removable magnetic air-filter right over the fan area (up to 3x120mm or 2x140mm fans).

Turning the tower around we see a 120mm exhaust fan, 7 PCI expansion slots and the PSU area.

A metal air-filter and four tall feet are located at the base of the Versa J24 TG RGB (the four screws hold the internal drive cage in place).

THE VERSA J24 TG RGB INTERIOR

The Versa J24 TG RGB may not be the largest mid tower we've ever had the chance to review/test but it does very good in terms of interior space.

If you choose not to remove the drive cage located in the PSU shroud you can mount 240/280/360mm radiators at the front up to 40mm thick (roughly up to 58mm thick with the cage removed).

The PSU shroud has an opening at the front and two removable 2.5" drive trays at the top.

Both trays are made out of aluminum and as expected are very sturdy.

You can detach the drive cage located beneath the shroud by removing this screw along with the four others from the base of the tower.

The mainboard tray has a total of 4 large holes for cable management (aside the very large CPU cutout).

Taking a look from the right side of the case we see the RGB switch board for the fans, drive cage and the PSU area.

The drive trays placed in the drive cage are made out of plastic and feature tool-less secure mechanisms for 3.5" drives (for 2.5" drives you will need to use screws).

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.

We suggest starting from the PSU first since you will need to mount the bundled bracket and then insert it from the rear of the tower (not much space between a high wattage PSU and the drive cage so do keep that in mind).

Due to the lack of any drive cages at the top end of the case there's plenty of room left after mounting an ATX sized mainboard.

Without removing the drive cage you can mount 240/280/360mm radiators (36mm thick) at the front (we used a 280mm one for this test).

Now although Thermaltake states that you can't mount a radiator at the top of the case that's not entirely true since we did manage to mount a 240mm one with enough room for fans (as long as your memory modules are not as tall as the T1's we use in our PC case reviews).

160mm tall CPU cooler can also be installed inside the Versa J24 TG RGB.

As for graphics cards even if you use the thickest radiator possible (56mm) you still should have enough room for some of the longest cards in the market.

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 Versa J24 TG RGB Mid Tower may not be the largest PC case of its type and it may lack several features found in more expensive models but thanks to its tempered glass side panel and 3 RGB fans (compatible Asus AURA Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light, ASRock RGB LED and Biostar Vivid LED DJ sync-enabled mainboards) it does score high in terms of looks whereas due to the lack of left drive cages it also scores high in terms of interior space since you can fit up to 6 fans and/or two radiators (240/280/360mm) inside, 160mm tall CPU coolers, 330mm long graphics cards and 160mm long power supplies. The PSU shroud with its two 2.5” drive trays is a nice addition as is the RGB switch board located at the rear of the mainboard tray. If I had to find something wrong with the J24 TG RGB that would be its restrictions in regard to the top radiator area since had it been just a couple of cm taller even 280mm units would fit there.

   At the moment of this review the Versa J24 TG RGB Mid-Tower by Thermaltake retails for just USD79.99 inside the USA (Amazon) and for 73.99Euros inside the EU (Amazon.UK) a price tag which is extreme balanced. Of course if you are willing to climb over the USD100/100Euros mark there are many Mid-Towers with more features and larger interior spaces but for a budget friendly RGB tower with a tempered glass side panel not many can compete with the Versa J24 TG RGB and that’s exactly why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Overall Build Quality
- 4mm Tempered Glass Side Panel
- Interior Space (330mm GPUs/160mm CPU Coolers/160mm PSU’s)
- Room For Up To 6 Fans (120/140mm) Or 2 Radiators (240/280/360mm)
- PSU Area Cover
- Top Magnetic Air Filter
- Removable Drive Cage
- 4 Already Installed 120mm Fans (1x120mm / 3x120mm 12V RGB Software Controlled)
- RGB Switch Board (Available Modes)
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Top Radiator Area Compatibility