Thermaltake Core X5 Chassis Review

Interior

With the left side panel removed, we can see that there is a vast amount of space within the Core X5, likely more than any major PC component will ever need, so compatibility is sure to be high here. There’s a movable cooling bracket in the bottom half, giving you room for extra fans/radiators below the motherboard.

The motherboard tray is horizontal and you’ll find a good range of cut-outs on the tray for mounting coolers, routing cables and more. Even better, you can completely remove the tray to help with your installation, something that would be very advantageous if you’re installing a custom loops or modding the chassis.

There’s a lot of clearance toward the front, so even the biggest graphics cards on the market will fit with ease. All that extra space towards the base is going to be fantastic for installing water cooling pumps, reservoirs, and other cooling hardware while still leaving ample space on the front panel for thick radiators and push/pull fan configurations.

5.25″ drive bays are great for installing fan controllers, front panel water cooling hardware and dare I say it, optical drivers. There are three available in this chassis, but if you want that whole front panel for bigger radiators, then you’ll be happy to know you’re a few thumbscrews away from removing them completely.

The chassis is certainly going to be easy to work with, as with both side panels removed you’ll find a huge amount of space to get your hands in there and work on your components.

In the lower section, you’ll find three removable/movable 2.5″ drive bays, each fitting in place using a single quick-release thumbscrew.

A single 120mm fan in the back, and another in the front, not a lot of stock cooling, but let’s be honest, who’s buying this kind of chassis and not fitting it with aftermarket cooling!

In the base, a good sized mounting area for an ATX power supply and while there are no predefined cable routing spaces, there’s hardly a lack of space in general and a few cable ties will go a very long way.

With the top panel removed, we can see just how extensive the cooling support of this chassis really is.  There are four removable/movable mounting arms, allowing you to adjust the spacing are required to install a huge array of fans and radiators in the top of the chassis.

The bars can be completely removed using thumb screws, and if you’re stacking two X5 chassis’ on top of each other, it is likely you’ll want to do just that.

The front panel can be pulled off easily enough, giving you access to the front fan mounts and the thumb screws for the 5.25″ drive bays; an adaptor is included to allow radiators to be mounted the full height of the front panel.