Thermaltake Ceres 500TG ARGB Mid Tower Computer Case Review

The case is the house of your desktop computer. Just like houses in real life they can come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. Today I will be reviewing the Ceres 500 TG ARGB.  It is a mid tower case from Thermaltake. MSRP is at a very reasonable price of $169.99 USD.

 

DIMENSION (H X W X D): 525 x 245 x 507.7 mm, (20.7 x 9.6 x 20 inch)

 

NET WEIGHT: 10.5 kg / 23.15 lbs.

 

SIDE PANEL: 3mm Tempered Glass x 1

 

COLOR: Black

 

MATERIAL: SPCC

 

COOLING SYSTEM:

Front(intake): 140 x 140 x 25 mm CT140 ARGB fan (1500rpm, 30.5 dBA) x 3

Rear(exhaust):

140 x 140 x 25 mm CT140 ARGB fan (1500rpm, 30.5 dBA) x 1

 

EXPANSION SLOTS: 7 (Rotatable Patented Design)

 

MOTHERBOARDS: 6.7" x 6.7" (Mini ITX), 9.6" x 9.6" (Micro ATX),

12" x 9.6" (ATX), 12" x 13" (E-ATX)

 

I/O PORT: USB 3.2 (Gen 2) Type-C x 1, USB 3.0 x 2, HD Audio x 1

 

PSU: Standard PS2 PSU (optional)

 

FAN SUPPORT

Front:

3 x 120mm, 2 x 120mm, 1 x 120mm

3 x 140mm, 2 x 140mm, 1 x 140mm

Top:

3 x 120mm, 2 x 120mm, 1 x 120mm

3 x 140mm, 2 x 140mm, 1 x 140mm

Rear: 1 x 120mm, 1 x 140mm

 

RADIATOR SUPPORT

Front:

1 x 360mm, 1 x 240mm, 1 x 120mm
1 x 420mm, 1 x 280mm, 1 x 140mm

Top:

1 x 360mm, 1 x 240mm, 1 x 120mm

1 x 280mm, 1 x 140mm

Rear: 1 x 120mm

 

CLEARANCE

CPU cooler max height: 185mm

VGA max length: 395mm (with radiator), 425mm (without radiator)

PSU max length: 220mm

 

The Thermaltake Ceres 500 ARGB case came in a cardboard box with the descriptions of the case on the outside. The case is fitted with two pieces of custom fitted Styrofoam to keep it secure and a layer of plastic wrap around the case. The case was secure in the shipping due to these safety features. Materials used in the construction was mostly metal with some tempered glass and plastic.  Quality of materials used, as well as the fit and finish, was very good. With the case came some zip ties to help you keep things nice and organized, a bag of mixed black screws to help in your assembling, as well as a motherboard speaker. Thermaltake also included a warranty information and user manual booklet. They also have an LCD panel accessory that can be purchased separately.

 

The Thermaltake Ceres 500 ARGB is a slick black case with a tempered glass door. The locking mechanism for the door is a knob that twists to lock and unlock. In the back of the case the PCI-E slots are rotational, letting you install your GPU in whatever rotation you prefer instead of the horizontal that is standard. The case supports Mini ITX, Micro ATX, ATX, and E-ATX motherboards. There are 3 screen filters for the airflow in the front, bottom, and on top. 

 

The case supports a circle design for the look of the case as well as to provide excellent airflow for the fans to do their job. The case comes preinstalled with four 140 mm fans, three in the front of the case as the Intake and one in the back set to be the exhaust. And the fans are not just cheap throwaway fans.  They are the Thermaltake CT140 And there are spots to mount three more fans on the top if desired. This ensures that you get plenty of airflow into the case. The fan blades are RGB so you can have the RGB aesthetic with the case.

 

In front of the intake fans there is a little cutout in the shroud to allow for a radiator to be placed there to give you another location for your cooling. So you can mount a radiator for water cooling either on the top, or behind the three intake fans at the front. The I/O panel is located on the side next to the front panel. This includes the power button, the LED button for the case, two audio plugins, a USB type-C, and two USB-A ports.

 

On the other side hidden behind the metal side panel, it has fairly normal cable management with the cables for the various components of the case being secured by some Velcro wraps and plastic clips. There are two plates in the back and one in the main chamber that support two 2.5 or one 3.5 hard drive. Inside the shroud of the case are another two slots for hard drives either 2.5 or 3.5. With a total capacity of eight 2.5 hard drives or five 3.5 hard drives, this case has a fantastic amount of storage capabilities. The case also comes with a GPU mounting bracket to help stabilize your GPU no matter the size.

 

In concussion the Thermaltake Ceres 500 TG ARGB is a great mid tower case that has an excellent amount of space for your components, compatibility with their LCD panel, and is an overall great looking case. It is well made, and provides a lot of functionality, including more recent functionality like ARGB lighting controlled with the newer motherboards headers and button on the front of the case. The price point of $169.99 is a great price for the product you will be getting, providing a great bang for the buck. Based on its design, features, quality, and performance, it has earned our Highly Recommended award.  For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.thermaltake.com.