Thermaltake Core V51 Computer Enclosure Reviewed

Do you remember when mesh computer enclosures first showed up? Flat mesh panels and grills seemed like an impressive feat. Some manufacturers designed some better than others. Given today’s manufacturing processes, we expect design and quality to be top notch. Thermaltake been busy breaking away from square corners and busy plastic molds to create the Versa, Urban and Core series enclosures.

After being totally impressed by the Editor’s Choice award winning Urban T81, it was hard to imagine something as awesome in a mid tower enclosure. But why not? We have a Thermaltake Core V51 mid-tower enclosure aimed at enthusiasts that need a smaller foot print. We’ve handled this enclosure in immense detail. Join us for a look at curves that make mesh look great.

Features and Specifications

The Core series includes the V31, V41, V51 and now V51 Riing series. All four are mid-tower enclosures offering modular drive bays but offer slightly different features. For example, the V51 has grommets around all the chassis tray cut outs. So what are the V51 features? Here’s the list:

• Contour mesh bezel
• Easy removable mesh top
• Modular drive bays
• Grommet cut outs
• Tooless bays and PCI slots
• Supports all in one or custom liquid cooling loops
• Chassis top supports any size radiator
• Bottom removable fan filter
• Wider for better wire management
• USB 3.0 front panel

The specs can be a bit tiresome line by line so here’s a quick summary. The case is 21.3 inches tall, 9.3 inches wide, and 22 inches from front to back. Users have 2 x 5.25″ ROM bays and the options of 5 x 3.5″ standard hard drives, or 5 x 2.5″ SSD drives.

Possible Configurations

On the left, you can see the number of possible cooling configurations. Two front 120mm fans and one rear 120mm fan ships with the chassis. In all honesty, that’s plenty of air flow but some enthusiasts may want more cooling.

The diagram on the right reveals the possible custom liquid cooling radiator configurations. Again, keep in mind these are standard thickness radiators. Some of the old school thick Black Ice rads would make things really tight inside. It’s safe to say that the Thermaltake Core V51 is truly designed for the best cooling potential.

Pricing

The Thermaltake Core V51 currently will cost you roughly $99 USD straight from an online retailer. Shipping costs has also fortunately been quite acceptable. Keep in mind that some current rebates exist which drops the price down about $20 which is really nice.

What’s Included with the Case?

The bundle is quite basic. It includes a manual and two baggies with black case screws for setting up the system and a few notched zip ties. There’s an optional case speaker in there as well. Too bad there aren’t any reusable Velcro straps. There aren’t any extra screws for mounting a liquid cooling system so keep that in mind when ordering your gear.

A Look Outside

The enclosure has very clean edges all around and a perfectly rounded mesh bezel. Users get the usual front panel plus USB 3.0 ports which are connected via a connector that fits the motherboard.

It’ll take a little dexterity, but behind the bezel users will find a fan filter of sorts as well as the two included 120mm Turbo fans. It’s too bad the filter can’t be easily removed. Fortunately, the bottom rear fan filter can be removed via a little tab. This will help keep the PSU cleaner.

Finally, the window is quite large. It’s very easy to see anything you install including any SSDs in the hard drive bays. It’s safe to say that enthusiasts like that kind of thing as of late.

A Look Inside

The internal chassis is jet black. All the large wire cutouts all have grommets. The motherboard CPU cooler cut out does not but is quite smoothly machined. The cages fit snug via thumb screws.

Users could mount a 240mm radiator even with the trays installed. You would have to remove them first, mount the radiator, and then remount them. However, the top 5.25″ have to be removed for a 360mm radiator which isn’t a problem these days. Keep in mind the radiator(s) have to have the standard thickness in this scenario.

If you have a slightly thicker 240mm radiator, you could remove the two bottom drive bays and use the 5.25″ for a couple storage. Alright, lets install and check out how the Thermaltake Core V51 supports a system.

Test System and Installation

We’re using a rather toasty Intel system as usual to see how the Thermaltake Core V51 enclosure handles installation, thermal and noise control.

• Processor: Intel Core i7-5960X Haswell-E
• Motherboard: MSI X99S MPower
• Memory: Kingston HyperX DDR3 2133 32GB
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Maxwell
• Power: Thermaltake ToughPower 1500 Gold
• Storage: Kingston HyperX Savage 240GB SSD
• Cooling: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3
• OS: Windows 8.1

Despite using a rather large power supply, the ToughPower 1500 fit just fine. This means it will fit any unit on the market unless it’s a freak of engineering nature. However, there aren’t any grommets or feet inside to help support the unit. The hard drive trays can actually pop up with a bit of force. In this respect, system integrators may want to consider additional support. Finally, the large be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 fit easily with space to spare.

Testing Thermal and Noise

After running the system full load for an hour, it was apparent that the front fans are capable of moving plenty of air to cool the system. Especially the graphics card which is typically the loudest. None of the components were ever in danger of over heating or getting hot enough to throttle down.

In terms of noise, the design of the Thermaltake Core V51 isn’t going to block much. It’s a well vented chassis which is great for ensuring air flow but noise can also escape from the top and front. Fortunately, 26 dB isn’t something you’re going to easily hear from a few feet away or from the side. Also, keep in mind this is a reference GeForce GTX 980 graphics card and other more quieter designs are available.

Final Thoughts – Thermaltake Core V51

The Thermaltake Core V51 mid-tower enclosure is quite possibly an enthusiast’s dream come true. It takes minimal effort to mount proprietary or custom 240mm and 360mm liquid cooling systems inside. It accommodates the award winning Thermaltake Water 3.0 Ultimate easily which means pretty much anything will work. And, it’s wide chassis design makes installing components and wire management very easy to set up.

It does have one dynamic limitation. As with any well vented enthusiast enclosure, it’s not going to block really noisy components. Our recommendation is to utilize enthusiast CPU coolers and video cards that have ample cooling with a quiet design so that you won’t have to worry. However, its air flow should be enough to manage stock component noise unless you’re terrible at putting on thermal paste.

In terms of design, the Thermaltake Core V51 offers a clean well manufactured curved design. But it offers unmatched configuration potential. In this respect, Thermaltake has really made amazing strides in innovative design without draining your wallet. Cost of the Core V51 without any rebates is $99 USD. Otherwise, you may be able to find it for up to $20 less which is really great. Thanks to pricing, configuration features, and overall design, it’s a real value!