Thermaltake Urban T81 Extreme Full Tower Chassis Review

Peter Donnell / 11 years ago

Final Thoughts

Price

There is no doubt about it, the Urban T81 is an expensive chassis and that is hardly surprising given the specifications and capabilities we’ve seen today. The chassis can be picked up in the US from Newegg for $189.99 + shipping and while it isn’t available in Europe just yet, expect availability very soon at around £120+. This puts it along side products from NZXT, Corsair and Cooler Master, who all offer some very cool mid and full towers at this price range, but not one of them comes close in terms of water cooling and air cooling capabilities, so this case is still great value for money regardless, especially when you consider that there are four high quality fans, a ten port fan hub and a fan controller included in the deal.

Overview

This is one of the best cases on the market right now, there is no doubt about it. If you’re on the market for a chassis that can handle an incredibly powerful rig then the Urban T81 is capable of holding it and keeping it cool. The triple 200mm fans and the 140mm rear fan are more than enough to keep your system cool and will offer up some seriously impressive airflow for your system, but should you wish to strip it down and fit thick radiators, push-pull configuration fans, lots of water pipes and more into your system then the Urban T81 should really be at the top of your shopping list.

Build quality is faultless throughout and a lot of care has gone into making something that is unique, innovative and easy to work with. The dual side panel suicide doors are not only cool in terms of design, but they offer a practical solution to gaining access to your components, while also providing an extra level of component security thanks to the key lock. The split design works well to hide the front storage and cooling components while giving a clear view of your graphics cards and other components, which is great as you’ll no doubt want to show off your rigs interior if you’re building an epic water-cooled system.

Component compatibility is very high, multiple long graphics cards are no issue, a large power supply, lots of storage, virtually unmatched cooling support and extensive cable routing options allows for a no fuss installation process, the only limit in terms of what you can install in the T81 is your imagination.

The only issue I had throughout the whole build was that the bottom dust filter could do with being a little wider, to have such an extensive set of dust filters on this case only to be let down by a small gap on the bottom seems a shame, but overall it is hardly a deal breaker.

The price is high but the return on investment is huge, Thermaltake have really outdone themselves with the Urban T81 and I have no doubt that this is going to be a very successful and popular product for them for foreseeable future.

Pros

Four high quality pre-installed fans
Dust filters on all air intakes
Highly modular storage bays
Extensive water cooling capabilities
Great cable management
10 port fan hub
Build in fan controller
Sleek aluminium front panel
Very competitive price given specifications

Cons

Bottom dust filter could do with being a little wider

“The Thermaltake Urban T81 is easily one of the greatest chassis that Thermaltake have ever made, the inclusion of four high quality fans, as well as its dust filters, fan hub, fan controller, radiator support and modular storage, make this one of the most versatile chassis available on the market today and a perfect solution for any high end system build.”