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One of the least-expensive PC cases we’ve reviewed to offer a decent brace of what are ordinarily high-end features, Thermaltake’s View 270 TG ARGB is no specs slouch. Even the most basic $69.99 version of the View 270 TG includes USB Type-C support, wraparound glass, and dust filters at all fan locations (top, bottom, right side). The special Matcha Green finish of our test unit is available for just $5 more, and the extra pair of ARGB fans factory-installed on the side radiator mount of the model we received (part number CA-1Y7-00MEWN-01) brings the price to just $79.99. We tag the View 270 TG with an Editors’ Choice award for its exceptional value proposition. (Not to mention the striking hue of our test model; try finding a better green case from another maker. We’ll wait here.)Design: No Major Premium for PistachioMatcha Green is the hue of our test model, but the base black model is also accompanied by Hydrangea Blue and Snow (white) options. The Blue is a special color that Thermaltake has designated to commemorate the company’s 25th anniversary.
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Dimensions aren’t as impactful when you read them from a list, so here’s a visual representation below of the View 270 TG ARGB’s scale versus the recently reviewed FV270 from Cougar Gaming. Both are limited to a maximum 360mm radiator format on the top panel, but Thermaltake’s much cheaper case (the FV270 is $179.99) weighs less than half as much. The thinner steel behind much of that weight reduction is a persistent reminder that no matter how well it’s made or fitted with features, the View 270 TG ARGB is a low-cost box.
(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)
Our photo of the front-panel port section also shows the type of dust filtration used throughout the View 270 TG ARGB: perforated metal sheet attached via magnetic strips. The right-side air inlet is covered with the same material internally, in black.
(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)
As for the USB 3 ports, they include the expected pair of Type-A on a Gen 1 cable and a Type-C on a Gen 2×2 cable. Front-panel audio is separated into stereo headphone and microphone jacks behind the power and reset buttons. Also in the mix are two peepholes that emit red and white light from the drive-activity and power-on LEDs beneath.The dust filter on the inside of the right-side panel has the advantage of being…inside the computer, unlike the similar part Thermaltake stuck to the bottom of its View 70 TG ARGB. A small depression in the panel helps users center it over the power supply’s air inlet, but it does little to actually keep the filter in place.
(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)
Thermaltake lists a single-fan model of this case with a 140mm exhaust; the triple-fan model we’re testing here has a 120mm part on its 140mm/120mm rear mount. The PCI Express expansion-card panel below it has only one replaceable slot cover to accompany its six disposable snap-outs, but at least the part that covers the screw tab has a handy hinge.
(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)
PCIe slot panels punched into the rear sheet metal (rather than being in a recessed box) are the typical sign of a budget case, and knock-out slot covers are an even stronger one, but we haven’t given up on the View just yet: The 7/8-inch-wide access hole is large enough to allow easy card installs, something that some much pricier cases may not even get right.
(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)
Too narrow to fit 140mm fans, the View 270 TG ARGB’s side radiator mount is drilled to accept 120mm fans only, such as the ARGB models included in our test case. The screw holes visible above and below the fans in the picture following are for adding the extra standoffs of 13-inch-deep motherboards; keeping the fans excludes mounting a true extra-large board. That said, most enthusiast-class motherboards dubbed “Extended ATX” (EATX) today are only 10.6 to 10.8 inches deep. The 11.44 inches of available space is sufficient to mount those without removing the fans.
(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)
You’ll find a full inch of space behind the motherboard tray for cable stowage, barring the area behind the side fan mount, which is set into this space by around an eighth of an inch (almost as if it were designed to prevent you from installing the fans on this side).
(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)
Two drive brackets are also back here, one above and another inside the power-supply tunnel. The upper tray is for a 2.5-inch drive, and the lower cage takes just a 3.5-inch drive, but the top of the lower cage can take a second drive in either form factor. We measured just over 280mm of space between the cage and the power-supply mount; Thermaltake rates this space to hold power supplies up to 220mm deep.
(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)
Building With the Thermaltake View 270 TG ARGBThe View 270 TG ARGB accessory kit includes a polishing cloth, a PC beep-code speaker, a bag of hardware that contains screws and standoffs, two replacement snaps to engage top-panel snap pins, a bundle of cable zip ties, and a manual. A legacy part that still fits a header found on most motherboards, the speaker can help builders quickly confirm memory or VGA detection as the cause of an otherwise undefined black-screen error during the boot process.The bag also contains three standoffs that would complete the installation of a 13-inch-deep EATX motherboard after adding these to the pre-installed nine. “Would” is the key word here, as one of the three standoff holes was left off the motherboard tray when laying out the grilles for the side-mounted fans.
(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)
The ARGB cable of each fan features a pass-through (male) fitting, allowing the three to be addressed from a single motherboard ARGB output. Thermaltake also added a three-way fan splitter to address this need on the fan’s power side. As for the cluster of front-panel port cables, the View 270 TG has a nine-pin power/reset/drive activity button/LED group, an HD Audio for the separate headphone and microphone jacks, a 19-pin USB 3.x for the two Type-A ports, and a Gen 2×2 Type-E for the USB 3.x Type-C port.
(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)
Our new standard test PSU, Cooler Master’s GX III 850 Gold, supplies the 12VHPWR connector needed to power the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti of our 2024 test system update. Here’s a rundown of the parts we currently use in our case testing…
(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)
Packing our parts into the View was no problem, as our 12-inch-long (305mm) graphics card cleared the side fan by a little less than a quarter inch. While that’s good for us, those who wanted to side-mount their 240mm radiator will find only 290mm of card space between the fans and slot brackets. That’s again well with us, since placing our 240mm closed-loop cooler on top let its fans cool our motherboard’s voltage regulator.
(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)
The View 270 TG ARGB’s black interior and wraparound glass panels do a good job of giving maximum visual priority to the lighted parts.
(Credit: Thomas Soderstrom)
Testing the Thermaltake View 270 TG ARGBOne of the nice things about midsize cases like this one is that they don’t need a lot of fans to make the air move. Spinning at a mere 860rpm to 880rpm, the two side-panel intakes were enough to keep the View 270 TG ARGB’s CPU and GPU temperatures near the head of the class, though the motherboard’s voltage-regulator temperature was closer to mid-pack.
With little noise coming from its own fans and a few obstructions to bounce component noises back into the case, the View 270 TG ARGB’s overall noise level is very close to the average of recent ATX-or-larger cases that we’ve tested.
Verdict: Green for Minimal GreenOur overall view of the View 270 TG is of a case that delivers much of the feature set of a mainstream gaming-market model, at a budget price. Much of that lower cost likely comes from its use of cheaper, thinner steel for its panels and disposable punchout covers on most of the expansion slots. Still, there’s no denying you get a lot for $80 here. With the special color and the ARGB side fans accounting for a mere $10 of its low price, the View 270 TG ARGB might be a gaming-system builder’s best value in a case that looks and acts like it costs a bunch more money.
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