Thermaltake View 37 RGB Review

Manufacturer: Thermaltake

UK price (as reviewed): MSRP £179 (inc. VAT)

US price (as reviewed): MSRP TBC

Thermaltake hasn't always had the best reputation when it comes to cases, but in recent years it's been making a decent effort to change that, branching out and reaching higher-end markets with some solid designs. It's also a top-tier member of the RGB fan club, particularly judging by its booth at last year's Computex. On that note, we have here today the View 37 RGB, a full-tower chassis with support for large radiators, a nifty curved acrylic panel, and a bundled LED and fan speed controller that works with the three pre-fitted RGB fans. This latter point is undoubtedly a big part of the rather high asking price; RGB fans and controllers rarely come cheap. If RGB isn't your thing, £117 will net you the regular View 37.

The design of the View 37 RGB strikes us as bold without being garish. The curved acrylic panel is obviously quite impactful visually speaking, granting you a fantastic view into the case, but the rounded corners and flat front panel keep things subdued elsewhere. Given that the roof and side panel are entirely formed from a single sheet of plastic, albeit a thick one, and that the front panel is plastic also, build quality is a concern. Thankfully, though, the remaining steel structure is strong and weighty, and when it's all together the case is a solid unit. One thing to note about the acrylic, however, is that it is quite the dust and fingerprint magnet.

The View 37 RGB is equipped with a trio of 140mm fans – two front intakes, one rear exhaust. Specifically, these are Thermaltake's Riing Plus Hardware Control RGB fans, each of which comes with 12 LEDs that make up a ring of light along the inner edge of the fan housing. As the name indicates, they are designed to be controlled via hardware – more on that over the page. With the copious acrylic, the lighting is very visible from almost any angle.

There are options to add to the cooling, too, despite the necessary lack of roof mounts. The bottom supports a single 140mm or 120mm fan, while up to three can be placed on the right side in line with the ventilated section towards the front. You can also swap the dual 140mm front intakes for a larger pair of 200mm fans (including Thermaltake's matching RGB ones of course) should you wish.

The front I/O includes four USB ports, although the fastest speed supported is the older USB 3.0 standard (also known as USB 3.1 Gen 1); there is no Type-C port and no support for true USB 3.1. All the ports, including the pair of audio jacks, are at least easily accessible.

While the front fascia here is solid, the two front fans can draw air in through vents in the sides of the front panel, and these areas are shielded with built-in dust filters. The right side vents have an internal filter too, this time magnetic and removable. Finally, the full length of the underside has a slide-out filter protecting it as well. Unfortunately, however, this pulls out to the back, and the rails are not well designed, such that you have to help guide the filter back into place by awkwardly sticking your hand under the case to hold it up – otherwise, the front of the filter will dip below the rail lips and fail to align properly.

Specifications

• Dimensions (mm) 261 x 538 x 525 (W x D x H)
  
• Material Steel, plastic
  
• Available colours Black
  
• Weight 12.7kg
  
• Front panel Power, 2 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, headphone, microphone
  
• Drive bays 3 x 3.5"/2.5", 4 x 3.5" or 8 x 2.5"
  
• Form factor(s) ATX, micro-ATX
  
• Cooling 2 x 200mm or 3 x 140mm/120mm front fan mounts (2 x 140mm RGB LED fans included), 1 x 140mm/120mm rear fan mount (1 x 140mm RGB LED fan included), 1 x 140mm/120mm bottom fan mount, 3 x 140mm/120mm right side fan mounts (fans not included)
  
• CPU cooler clearance 180mm
  
• Maximum graphics card length 410mm
  
• Extras Removable dust filters, Riing Plus RGB LED and fan controller, Riing Plus PCI bracket external controller, vertical GPU mounting bracket (riser cable not included)