ThermalTake The Tower 200 Snow Mini Chassis and ToughFan 12 Pro Twin Pack Review

Every computer case is different, they all have pros and cons to them. Computer cases can take up a lot of space or very little space depending on various circumstances. Today I will be reviewing The Tower 200 Snow Mini Chassis by ThermalTake, at an MSRP value of $129.99. I also will be reviewing The ToughFan 12 Pro Twin Pack by ThermalTake, at an MSRP value of $44.99.

 

P/N:  CL-F159-PL12BL-A

DIMENSION:  120 x 120 x 25 mm

FAN STARTED VOLTAGE: 12 V

STARTED VOLTAGE:  6 V

RATED CURRENT:  0.19 A

POWER INPUT:  2.28 W

FAN SPEED:  PWM 500~2000 R.P.M, With L.N.C PWM 500~1500 R.P.M

STATIC PRESSURE:  3.19 mm-H2O, With L.N.C 1.72 mm-H2O

AIRFLOW:  70.8 CFM, With L.N.C 49.13 CFM

NOISE:  22.6 dB-A, With L.N.C 18.3 dB-A

BEARING TYPE:  Hydraulic Bearing Gen.2

LIFE EXPECTATION:  40,000 hrs,25℃

CONNECTOR:  4 PIN PWM

CASE TYPE:  Mini Tower

DIMENSIONS:  537 x 300 x 280 mm  (21.14 x 11.8 x 11 inch)

WEIGHT:  7.7 kg / 16.98 lbs.

SIDE PANEL:  3mm Tempered Glass x 1

COLOR:  White

MATERIAL:  SPCC

COOLING SYSTEM: 

Top(exhaust):  140 x 140 x 25 mm CT140 fan (1500rpm, 30.5 dBA) x 1

Rear(exhaust):  140 x 140 x 25 mm CT140 fan (1500rpm, 30.5 dBA) x 1

DRIVE BAYS:  2 x 3.5”, 2 x 2.5” or 4 x 2.5”

EXPANSION SLOTS:  3

MOTHERBOARD:  6.7" x 6.7" (Mini ITX)

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

Top:  1 x 120mm, 1 x 140mm

Right Side:  2 x 120mm, 1 x 120mm, 2 x 140mm, 1 x 140mm

Rear: 2 x 120mm, 1 x 120mm, 2 x 140mm, 1 x 140mm

Power Cover: 1 x 120mm, 1 x 140mm

RADIATOR SUPPORT

Top: 1 x 120mm, 1 x 140mm

Right Side(AIO): 1 x 240mm, 1 x 120mm, 1 x 280mm, 1 x 140mm

CLEARANCE:  CPU cooler height limitation: 200mm

VGA length limitation: 280mm(With power cover), 380mm(Without power cover)

PSU length limitation: 220mm

 

We will talk about the Fans first. The fans came in a grey and black cardboard box with a high-definition picture on the front and the specifications on the back. The fans came in a cardboard box that houses the fans and another smaller cardboard box that has the screws and extinctions for assembly. The fans are made with a high-quality polymer that helps minimize vibrations at higher speeds.

The fans are a great addition to getting better cooling with great airflow. The Fans are set in the exhaust position and have their Anti-Vibrating mounting system with rubber corners. The fans were tested with a piece of paper towel to see the consistency and I was pleased with how the fans performed with the test.

The Case came in a grey cardboard box with high-quality images of the case as specifications. Held secure by custom-fitted Styrofoam wrapped in plastic. The case came with extra screws and zip ties to help with the final touches after the build. A motherboard speaker was even included, with some extra clips that help secure the various panels on the case. It also came with 2 panels that can be attached to the PSU mounting bracket if you are not planning on using a bigger GPU with your build.  Lastly there was the warranty and user manual booklets.

The Tower 200 Snow has the usual great white look that ThermalTake does with their products with a tempered glass front to be able to look at your components at a great angle. With the smaller size of the case, you are more limited to the size of your components but that won't hurt you in the GPU area because they have added space so that you could have a bigger GPU up to 380mm like an RTX 4090. With the size you can have up to a 280 AIO which will be plenty to be able to help keep your system cool while you are using it. The case comes with two CT 140 fans, one on the top of the case and the other on the back of the case, both configured in the exhaust direction.

One of my favorite features that is included in this case is that it has a GPU stabilizer to help keep your GPU in place even while you are moving the case around. On the right side of the case, there is a removable fan bracket that can hold up to a 280mm radiator or two 120mm or 140mm fans. Along with their other cases, The Tower 200 also has removable dust filters to help make the cleaning and maintenance of this case as easy as they can. The I/O on the case contains the power switch, a restart switch, a microphone port, a headphones port, two USB 3.0 ports, as well as a Type-C port. The panels on the case are secured by knobs that help assembly quick and easy while the important panels are on a push spring mechanism to help keep the panel knobs secure.

The hardware features of this case are that the Motherboard is rotated 90 degrees so the GPU is vertical. The case can fit up to 220mm PSU. For data storage, you can have up to two 2.5 or 3.5 HDDs on the back and two 2.5 HDDs on the right side.   It may not be big, but it still has a lot of functionality.

At the end of everything The Tower 200 Snow case is great-looking and very space-efficient. The small form factor does make it a little challenging when putting the build together.  But in the end it will be worth it if you are looking for a computer that won't take up that much space. The airflow is great and has a spectacular dust filter system to help keep your system from getting too much dust. At a price point of $129.99 and $44.99, we will be awarding the ThermalTake Tower 200 Snow and the ToughFan 12 Pro our Highly Recommended award.  For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.thermaltake.com.

Kenwood Excelon Motorsport XM65R 6.5 Inch Coaxial Speaker Review

We should be able to enjoy our tunes in whatever vehicle we drive. But if it’s more of a ride then a drive, because it’s a Harley Davidson, Kenwood has you covered there as well. They have a new line of products for certain models of 2014 and up Harley Davidson motorcycles, which are part of Kenwood’s motorsport line. Up for review is their Kenwood Excelon Motorsport XM65R, MSRP is $199.

 

Features and specs:

IMPP Woofer Cones

1” (PEI) Dome Tweeters

Neodymium Magnet Material

Metal Mesh Grilles for Ultra® Included

Impedance: 2 Ohm

Mounting Depth: 2.”

Sensitivity: 92dB

Frequency Response: 40Hz-25kHz

RMS Power Handling: 150W

Peak Power Handling: 300W

2-Year Warranty

 

The Kenwood Excelon Motorsport XM65R came in a standard box with specs of the speaker. Opening the box revealed a very well protected speaker held in place by custom molded Styrofoam. Materials used in construction was mostly plastic. Quality of materials as well as fit and finish, was excellent. Also included was the owner’s manual.

 

I absolutely love the design of the Kenwood Excelon Motorsport XM65R. Loud typically means high power handling. High power handling means larger magnet. But larger magnet means deeper location space is needed. To combat against that, Kenwood went with Neodymium for the magnet. It’s a higher cost, but is a much smaller magnet size. To help shave some cost, they went with a plastic gasket. While it’s cheaper to make then steal or cast aluminum, there’s also no concern of potential rust in the future. And it also has improved acoustic properties as well, such as reduced resonance.

 

The design also helps with limited depth. The Neodymium magnet helps with this, but so does the speaker design. The rubber surround is surprisingly inverted. This allows for the same level of performance, but less space needed. Kenwood also took the need steps for the speaker to handle the elements, with water resistance materials. After all, being on a motorcycle, these could get rained on. This is a thoughtfully designed speaker that Kenwood executed in spades. Now let’s see how it sounds.

 

Styx: Renegade- vocals were silky smooth with very good texture of the timbre, and excellent harmonics!  Kick drum had good low-end extension.  Cymbals were crisp and clean.  Drums had good dynamics, depth, and played with authority.  Guitar was nice and raw.  It just wanted to play loud, and sounded great doing it!

Guns & Roses: Patience-  the whistling was smoother than Dove chocolate, with excellent harmonics.  Resolution of the acoustic guitar was better than expected, very crisp and clean, being able to hear the decay of the strings.  Vocals also had very good resolution of the timbre.  Soundstage was also not just wide but also deep.  And imaging was also good.

Rush: Tom Sawyer- drums were nice and dynamic with great depth.  Cymbals were crisp and clean with very good resolution of the contact of the stick on the metal cymbal.  Kick drum played deep with very good authority.  And the other drums: the high tom, medium tom, and floor tom, had very good dynamics and great pitch definition of the midbass.  Vocals were nice and raw with nice texture.

Kenwood did an excellent job in the design and execution of the Kenwood Excelon Motorsport XM65R 6.5” coaxial speaker. Designed for the Harley Davidson motorcycle, it can handle a lot of power, plays loud, and can handle the elements. So when you are out enjoying the outdoors on your Harley Davidson, and that certain song like Tom Sawyer some on and it has to be blasted….it also sounds great doing it! Based on its design, features, quality and performance, the Kenwood XM65R has earned our Highly Recommended award. For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.kenwood.com.