Armor+ ESA is a really impressive case that should satisfy high-end enthusiasts with lots of video cards and hard disk drives and are really worried with cooling.

The ESA module that comes with this case is excellent if you have an ESA-compatible motherboard, as you will be able to monitor and control the speed of the rear and front fans and also the temperature of up to two different places, as the case comes with two thermal sensors. You will be also able to monitor and control other ESA devices like power supplies and liquid cooling systems.

This case is big enough for a great internal airflow, but if you are worried you can install more fans: this case provides extra space for a 120-mm on the top, two 120- or 140-mm fans on the bottom and one 140-mm on the middle.

But what we really liked about this case is the fact that it holds up to seven (or eight, if you convert any of the 5 ¼” bays in a 3 ½” using the provided adaptor) hard disk drives. We can’t understand why some very expensive high-end cases like Cosmos S from Cooler Master come with just three or four hard disk drive bays.

Another highlight from this product is its removable motherboard tray, which will certainly help you a lot while you are building your PC.

This case hasn’t been released yet, and it will probably arrive at the market at the same price point as Cooler Master Cosmos S: USD 250. Since we have recently released this case, this is a good time to make a comparison between the two.

Cosmos S brings as advantages compared to Armor+ ESA the body made of aluminum, which makes it lighter than Armor+, and the upper and lower handles, which makes it easier to carry around.

But Cosmos S takes a beating on all other features. Armor+ ESA comes with an ESA module to monitor and control fans, temperature, power supplies and liquid cooling systems; it has an excellent removable motherboard tray; it is a truly 100% screwless case (on Cosmos S you still need to use screws to attach your hard disk drives); it has 10 slots; and it has more hard disk drive bays.

We found some flaws with Armor+ ESA that maybe are present only on the pre-production sample we’ve got:

• The top cover is badly designed, as it kept leaving its rails when we opened it and we lost some time putting it back in place.
• The magnets used on the front panel aren’t strong enough to hold the front doors, so the doors always opened when we moved the case, a thing that shouldn’t happen.
• The sample we received came with a 190-mm side fan but on Thermaltake website and on the product manual is written that the product uses a 230-mm side fan.

Even though we liked a lot the looks (and the handles in particular) from Cosmos S, Armor+ ESA is a better product. If it reaches the market really costing the same thing or less than Cosmos S, then it will be a great product if you have the money to buy it. At least with this product the price makes sense for what it brings, which isn’t the case with Cosmos S.

Unfortunately it doesn’t bring a good cost/benefit ratio for the average user, but this product isn’t targeted to Average Joe.