Thermaltake Urban S31 Chassis Review

The Thermaltake S31 is a fantastic new entry to the range and it looks to me like Thermaltake haven’t lost any of their talent when it comes to design. Yet for all it’s worth I can’t say I’m completely taken by its style, but only to the point where I know it looks great, I just wouldn’t rush out and buy one myself, its front panel is a little too monolithic for me, but that’s the joys of the chassis market, there are hundreds to choose from and Thermaltake themselves have plenty to offer so I’m allowed to be picky about these things.

While I may not feel this system is right for me personally, there is no doubt that it’s a great choice for any system builder or even just someone that’s looking for an upgrade. It’s sleek and stylish and I know a lot of people are going to love the looks. It also has the performance to match and thankfully Thermaltake have left more than enough room for extra cooling fans, radiator support, removable hard drive bays, plenty of storage, there is even room for multiple high-end graphics cards and there are few builds that wouldn’t fit in there with ease.

Of course, if you’re looking for something bigger and flashier then you’re going to want to be looking at something like the S71 chassis, but you can expect to pay around 50% more for it. The A31 in its self is far from cheap but it does come with a robust feature set, good build quality and a well thought-out design. I would have like it retail at a slightly lower price though as it is a little expensive.

It still walks away with our editors choice award though, which might sound a bit odd given that I said I’m not that keen on the style or the price, but I’m not going to argue over the sake of a couple of pounds in price or how good this chassis would look next to my own desk when at the end of the day it performs admirably, is well-built and offers plenty of core functionality, easily a great choice for any system builder.

Pros

• Great cooling capabilities
• Funky side panel window
• Clean design
• Durable build quality

Cons

• A little expensive

eTeknix says: This is a great chassis and it offers plenty of style and features for those looking to build a mid to high-end system, but it looks lend well to those who want anything from a cool gaming machine to a stylish work PC. It’s clear that Thermaltake have made a great start with the S31 and we can’t wait to see what else they have to offer from the Urban range.