Hardware stub

Thermaltake Announces Commander MS-I Snow Edition Case

Posted on December 1, 2011

thermaltake-commander-snow1Thermaltake's sleek Commander MS-I case has been re-colored in a wintery white-black theme. The Commander MSI- Snow Edition provides a more appealing solution to those who might not be aesthetically tickled by the case chosen for our $482 budget PC build.

 This newest edition of Thermaltake cases proves their legacy as designers of "gamer-esque" cases, as the Chaser MK-I E-Sports case originally established.

 

 

Cooling System:

Here at GN we like to emphasize the importance of case design that comply with basic thermodynamics to incorporate effective airflow and cooling solutions, so let’s take a look at the cooling features for the Commander MS-I Snow Edition case:

Case fans:

  • Front (Intake): 1x120mm (optional)
  • Rear (Exhaust): 1x120mm Blue LED fan, 1000rpm, 16dBA
  • Top (Exhaust): 1x120mm (optional)
  • Bottom (Intake): 1x120mm (optional)

 

The Commander MS-I supports up to four 120mm fans, ideally placed as two intake and two exhaust (one is included with the purchase of the case).  Given the price of the case, it should lend itself to budget builds and more affordable systems, so the cooling possibilities should not be inhibiting to anyone already on a budget -- we'd always recommend at least two or three fans, though.

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Features:

  • Tool-less mount design for drives, making it easier and more convenient when assembling a system.
  • Includes a USB 3.0 connection through an internal header.
  • Supports graphics cards up to 12.5 inches in length.
  • Windowed side panel.
  • Bottom-mounted PSU design.

 

The case also seems to reasonably manage cables, making organization slightly more efficient, and in turn, cooling more effective -- the back-plate in particular offers a number of places for cable routing route cables. The black interior and quick-release drive bays do make things a bit more fun to manage, but it's nothing that should be a game-changer. The rest of the case is pretty standard. The case itself weighs around 10lbs. and measures at 19.1 x 8.0 x 16.8 inches.

thermaltake-commander-snow3
 
TL;DR:

The Commander MS-I Snow edition is Thermaltake’s newest budget case, and judging by the price from their previous adaptation, the Commander MS-I, it should be priced at around $60-$80 USD. The case itself supports up to four 120mm fans (two exhaust, two intake) and includes USB 3.0 compatibility, a tool-less design for drives, and a windowed side panel (oooh, plexiglass!).

Overall, it seems like a great case if you don’t have the extra $50 to shell out for a higher-end case and is definitely an option for a budget system.

The black/white hybrid is certainly different for a gaming case, but it has rapidly become a recurring theme for case manufacturers to produce white variations of their traditionally black cases (and for the most part, they look great!).

If you want more information on the Commander MS-I Snow Edition case, check out Thermaltake’s website or post in the comments below. For hardware questions, be sure to post on our forums!