Thermaltake Soprano DX

Review: Thermaltake Soprano DX

Final thoughts, HEXUS.certification, HEXUS.where2buy, HEXUS.right2reply, related reading

You know a chassis is in trouble if you have to speculatively cut back the storage capacity by nearly half in the hope of being able to use current-day hardware - it's a bad strategy on so many different levels.

Okay, there are things you could do to improve matters but not without spending extra money. And that would, in effect, push up the cost of the case.

Perhaps Thermaltake would be better off aiming the DX at users of older and cooler hardware, rather than new kit, though such a step seems highly unlikely.

Certainly, if we compare the Thermaltake Soprano DX to Gigabyte's Triton 180, we're lead to believe that a steel case might be more appropriate for current market requirements – especially if, as with the Triton, it's 50 per cent cheaper and does the job more competently.

With the DX, Thermaltake seems to have lost its way by not focussing on current market requirements.

Reworking a case by adding a new door can sometimes give the product a merited sales-lift. But such a move is only valid if the case design is fully up-to-date.

Unfortunately the basic design of the Thermaltake case is out-dated and won't, for instance, meet the needs of today's serious gamer.

However, if you are running hardware that isn't going to be throwing out a huge amount of heat, then a DX might suit you well. Assuming, that is, you are willing to pay a price similar to that of an Akasa Eclipse or an Antec P182 and get less for your money.

Oh, and don’t forget, you might struggle to squeeze in the power supply of your choice.

HEXUS.certification

The idea of HEXUS.certification is to confirm that a product tested does what it's supposed to do.

It's not an award, merely a confirmation that a product is fit for purpose. The Thermaltake Soprano DX did enough to merit certification.

Thermaltake Soprano DX

HEXUS Where2Buy

The Thermaltake Soprano DX is available from the following retailers (prices correct as of July 2, 2007):

SPECIALTECH - £86.06 (£95.10 with delivery)
TekComputers - £88.43 (£98.99 with delivery)
ginger6 - £86.97 (delivery cost unknown - we'd have had to sign up to find out!)

HEXUS Right2Reply

At HEXUS.net, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If Thermaltake chooses to respond, we'll publish the company's commentary here verbatim.

HEXUS related reading

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I'm sorry, three lines for an introduction and then a new page! Come on, that's just pathetic. Easy way to the boost the stats I guess but then:

putting

things

on

too

many

pages

is

almost

as

annoying

as

what

I'm

doing

now…

Sorry to be like this, but it has to be said.

I dont know about you, but whenever i write a report, my introduction gets its own page regardless of how long it is?

But this isn't a report is it? Why can't the introduction and the pricing/specs be on the same page as the introduction? That wouldn't make a page too long, and would save needless mouse clicking. I don't think it's an unreasonable request to have pages that are longer than three sentences, do you?

well if you're putting the introduction and the pricing/specs on the same page, why not put it all on the same page:)
Oh and yes, it looks like a report to me, like all reviews do.

my thought on this, is that they took the thermaltake tsunami, nice case

they then put a new front, and window, and made the armor
they then put a new front on it and made the soprano

now they've done this, same thing, but with a metal front, its basically a tsunami…

what…is…the…point tbh

and i like the seperate page for the introduction, gives the review a feel of quality :)

i like the way hexus reviews are set out tbh, been coming here for a few years now, and i really like the way they're all painstakingly written in the same, laid back, easy to read, but formal way :)

good review :)