Thermaltake Versa C23 Review

Thermaltake has sent us for Thermaltake Versa C23 Review. This is their mid-tower category chassis from the Versa lineup. The chassis has two main attractions to it. These are Tempered Glass side panel and RGB lighting solution on the chassis with provision to hook up supported RGB fans with the built-in light controller to sync the total lighting of the case.

Thermaltake Versa C23 TG RGB Review

The top and the front panels have brushed aluminum façade that really adds to the looks. The chassis can accommodate up to 240mm radiator on the front and on the top in addition to the 120mm radiator support at the rear. It is spaciously designed with a good amount of storage capacity capability yet maintaining the stylish looks and feel to it. The killer aspect is the price of which this chassis can be had.

Related: Thermaltake H550 TG ARGB PC Chassis Review

• Product:           Thermaltake Versa C23 Review
• Manufacturer:  Thermaltake
• Product Line:   Versa
• Price:               Check Price on Amazon

C23 TG RGB Specifications

C23 TG Packaging and Unboxing

The chassis comes in a standard brown color recycled cardboard box packing. The front and the backside sides have the same layout. Thermaltake brand name and logo are printed on the top left side. The diagram of the chassis is printed on the main section with the black color background. Thermaltake Versa C23 TG RGB Review is printed on the right side of the diagram. Chassis is RGB and has Tempered Glass side panel. The website link of the manufacturer is printed at the bottom.

The top side has the model of the chassis printed in the large size font along with the RGB and Tempered Glass Panel indicator labels.

This side has the Thermaltake brand name and logo printed on the top side followed by the diagram of the chassis. Thermaltake Versa C23 TG RGB Review is printed underneath the diagram. Major specifications are printed at the bottom.

This side has the Thermaltake brand name and logo printed on the top. There is a cutout for lifting the chassis during transportation/handling. The diagram of the chassis is printed under it followed by the Versa C23 TG text. The serial no label and the UAN/EPC info labels are pasted/printed at the bottom.

Opening the top cover would show the chassis nicely covered in a white color sheet inside two thick Styrofoam paddings for safety during shipping.

Thermaltake Accessories

Thermaltake Versa C23 TG RGB Review has provided multiple screws for ease of installation of the hardware inside the chassis. There is a microfiber cloth as well to clean the tempered glass. Warranty guide and user manual are also included in addition to the cable ties.

Closer Look

The new Thermaltake Versa C23 TG RGB Review chassis from the Thermaltake is aimed at the budget users who would love to have one heck of a design with the RGB goodness and keeping up with the current tradition of having a Tempered Glass side panel.

This chassis does not have traditional airflow inputs as the front and the top panel covers are not vented rather it is following the current trend of having vented sides with dust filters on it intake/outtake air. The chassis is Tt LCS Certified.

That would mean chassis has been tested to be best compatible with extreme liquid cooling configurations to ensure the better performance. Chassis has clearance for CPU coolers of height up to 155mm and graphics cards of up to 400mm without front fan.

Here is what the Thermaltake has to say about it. “Perfectly designed for gamers, the new Versa C23 Tempered Glass RGB Edition Mid-Tower chassis comes with brushed aluminum front and top panels for elegant aesthetic, an 4mm thick enlarged tempered glass side panel for a direct view of the inner system, and with the built-in RGB LED illuminating on front right and top right edges and also around top front I/O ports to give users a personal touch with 11 lighting modes whilst adding incredibly stunning visual perspective to the system.

The Thermaltake Versa C23 TG RGB Edition supports the latest PC hardware and all high-end GPU solutions, guarantees on unparalleled expandability for high-end configurations and liquid cooling system to satisfy the market where users have opted for stylish PC chassis with advanced features and aesthetic appeal.”

It is time to take a closer look at the chassis and see what it offers to the user and how good is the build quality. Starting from the front side, there is a beautiful brushed aluminum finished façade. There is a Tt logo at the bottom left side of the panel. It is RGB illuminated and really adds a subtle touch to the looks of the chassis when powered on.

It is apparent that there is a stepped design on the front and the top panels with their left sides having inset as compared to the main sections. There is a good reason for this approach. Both panels have RGB LEDs underneath them. The white color translucent panel is visible between the inset and raised sections crossover point. It gets illuminated by the RGB LEDs under it.

The front façade is one complete piece and there is no opening side for 5.25” drive bay. The panel can be removed by placing the hand on the underside and pulling it outwards. The panel is fixed firmly so a bit of force may be needed to apply before getting it out. You would be wondering if the panel is one complete piece then how the front mounted fans draw fresh air from! We will answer this question shortly.

A quick look at the underside of the front panel will immediately distinguish the white color panel secured by 8 screws. This portion has RGB LEDs underneath which are powered by the 4-pin connector. There is a small size white color panel at the bottom. It has RGB LED to Tt logo at the front.

The power cable is connected to the onboard RGB LED controller located at the backside of the chassis. This translucent white color panel diffuses the colors in a very subtle manner which are not overly drawn and are quite pleasant to the eyes.

There is a mesh panel on the opposite side of the panel. This side is facing the front side fan mount area and provides ample air for those fans. This mesh is secured with three screws.

Please note that it does not cover the entire length of the panel as the manufacturer has provided support for two 120mm fans on the front, not 3 fans. No fan can be mounted between the front panel and the chassis but the fans are installed inside the chassis on the front side.

Let’s take a look at the front side of the chassis with the front panel removed. We have two main cutouts on the right sides. There is a third cutout on the top as well. The RGB LED power connector is routed through the top cutout. Under the top cutout, there are two covers that give the hint of the 5.25” mounting area.

However, they are part of the chassis frame and can’t be removed without cutting them first. This is where my first observation was made. It is clear that chassis does not support 5.25” bay drives due to the front panel being a single complete piece. Thermaltake could have provided a provision for up to 3 120mm fans or 360mm radiator mounting right up front as we have space here.

For that purpose, the mesh on the right side of the front panel would need to be run along the complete length of the panel so that all three fans can intake fresh air. Just to highlight this factor, I actually mounted three 120mm Riing Red LED fans on the front as shown in the below pictures. This is my personal opinion only.

Continuing our discussion of the front panel, below those two covers, there is a vented area with large size holes in it with fan mounts provision. This is where up to two 120mm fans can be mounted. Please note that its height is more than 240mm and as shown above we can easily mount three fans on the front though the manufacturer is not suggesting the three fans mount. The fans’ height can be adjusted as per the requirement.

Let’s take a look at the top side of the chassis. We have brushed aluminum finishing on the top panel. The front side has an I/O panel with the plethora of options. We will take a look at that later. The top panel is implemented in a stepped manner just like the front panel. There is a white color translucent panel underneath with the RGB LEDs under it.

This side of the panel glows when powered up. Not only that but the front I/O panel also illuminates which gives quite a stunning looks overall to the chassis. To take off the top panel, remove the front panel and then pull the front panel upwards. Be careful as the front I/O panel is built into the top one so cables would need to loosen up before pulling it out.

Let’s take a look at the underside of the panel. On the top, we can see the white color translucent panel covering the I/O port. RGB LED strip is clearly visible under the main white color panel on the left side. There is a vented area on the right with mesh as a dust filter just like what we saw on the front panel.

This side faces the top fan mounts area and hot air is pushed out through these vents or inversely if the fans are set to intake then fresh air is pulled from this vented area. The top panel is also fixed firmly so you would need to use a bit of force to pull it out.

Let’s have a look at the top side of the chassis with the top panel removed. On the front side, we have a large size cutout for front I/O panel’s cables routing. There is a small size cutout as well on the right side of the main cutout. On the main section, we have raised surface with up to two 120mm fan mounts.

The height of this portion is 25mm and I must say this is a smart design as it gives good enough displacement from the top of the chassis to the motherboard’s top side as well as clearance for the high profile RAMs. Fans’ position can be adjusted on the mounting channel.

The bottom side of the chassis has four feet that give 14mm of height from the ground. The PSU area has a removable dust filter that can be removed for cleaning purpose. It is not magnetic but that is not a complaint given the price factor of the chassis. Feet have rubber mounts on their bottom side to avoid scratches on the surface where the chassis would be placed at.

The rear side has a standard layout. On top, we have fan mount for 120mm only on the right side. The left side has an opening for the motherboard’s I/O panel. There are 7 PCIe slot covers in the middle. There is a vented portion on the right side of the PCIe slots for airflow. The bottom has a standard ATX PSU mounting provision.

The 120mm fan can be installed on pre-defined 3 mounts for height adjustment. There are no screws on the right side for side panel as that panel is secured using 4 screws from the front side. The left panel is secured using two screws with rubber inserts.

The front I/O panel is located on the top side of the chassis. We have:-

• 2x USB 3.0 ports
• 2x USB 2.0 ports
• 1x Headphone jack
• 1x Microphone jack
• 1x RGB control button
• 1x Reset button
• 1x Power button

The user can control the RGB effects on the chassis using the RGB button on the I/O panel. The chassis comes with long enough front panel cables easily reach out to the motherboard. The RGB LED Controller is under the top-front panel.

It is time to take a look inside the chassis. There is a 4mm thick tempered glass side panel on this chassis on its left side only. The other side has a solid side panel as we will see shortly. The tempered glass is black tinted and is secured using 4 screws. There are holder standoffs on the chassis mainframe with rubber inserts.

This is to avoid the scratching on the glass. Once we remove the screws, the panel remains in its position which is a nice touch and user can lift the panel off easily. Still, take special care while handling the tempered glass panel particularly when taking it off and putting it back.

On the left side, we have a large size CPU cutout on the motherboard’s tray. There are two cutouts on the topmost side for the cables routing. There is approximately 13mm of displacement from the top of the motherboard’s tray to the top of the motherboard. The chassis has a support for standard ATX, micro-ATX and mini-ITX form factor motherboards.

There are 6 cutouts on the right side of the motherboard’s tray in three rows and two columns. They have rubber grommets. On the bottom, we have a large size cutout for the PSU cables routing. It also has a rubber grommet. Take a care while passing cables through it as the rubber grommet can’t take much pressure and can easily come off the cutout.

On the top left side, we have a pre-installed 120mm fan which is the only fan provided with the chassis. I would have loved to see minimum two fans. Under the fan mount, we have 7 PCIe slot covers with M3 screws, not thumb screws.

Under the last PCIe slot cover, there is an annular shroud that is vented. This vent has a cutout as well for cables passing. I would have loved to see the full-length shroud for the PSU as it would have been a much-desired augmentation though it may raise the price of the unit. There are rubber pads on the bottom frame of the chassis where the PSU is placed.

There is a large size cutout on the left side of the PSU mount area. There are two small size cutouts above the shroud which will be covered if full-size ATX motherboard is mounted. But the large size cutout on the left side of the PSU mount gives good enough clearance to pass the cables through for connecting to the bottom of the motherboard’s headers. Their design team was considerate of this aspect. Some high-end chassis from the competitors like Corsair 570X lacks this provision.

On the top right side, there is definitely a mounting plate for the 5.25” drive. It is strange that such provision is there but the front vented covers are not removable nor there is any provision on the front panel to install and use the 5.25” drive.

The user can cut the two front covers of the chassis frame to make room for the 5.25” drive but going that route would force the user to leave the front panel off at all the times so that the mounted 5.25” drive could be used.

Under this section, there are three 2.5” SSD mounting brackets which can be removed by taking off the screw. These brackets have pre-mounted 4 pins that hold the SSD on to the bracket making it a tool-less design. There are cutouts on the right side of the first two brackets to route the data/power cables through. The bottom bracket does not have a cutout on its right side.

Overall this is very spacious layout and I enjoy assembling the PC inside this chassis. There is approximately 55mm of spacing between the SSD brackets and the front fan mounts area. This can be further increased by removing these SSD brackets. Custom water loop is more than a possibility in this chassis.

Here is the picture of the chassis with the front panel and top panel removed.

Let’s take a peek on the left side of the chassis. This side has a solid panel secured using two thumb screws. We can see 7 vents on the front panel with dust filter. The same design is on the top panel. These are the intake/exhaust areas of this chassis in addition to the rear side. The side panel is a solid build and there is no flex in it.

Let’s take off the panel and see what is beneath it for us. On the top right side, we can see the large CPU cutout. There is a fourth SSD bracket on the backside of the motherboard tray which can be removed. There is approximately 14mm of spacing behind the motherboard tray. The front panel cables are nicely grouped and placed along the chassis backside. There are 16 cable tie spots on the backside of the chassis.

There are two caddis or brackets for 3.5”/2.5” storage drives. These brackets can be removed as well. Up to two 3.5” drives and four 2.5” drives can be mounted at a time. There is an RGB LED controller hub placed on the left side of the PSU cutout which has a peripheral or Molex power connector.

Above pic shows the radiator and fan compatibility with this chassis.

RGB LED Lighting

Thermaltake has taken the form of their Versa series chassis to a next level by incorporating the RGB LED lighting in the chassis to create stunning looks and feel to the chassis. The Thermaltake Versa C23 TG RGB Review is an ideal chassis for those who want to show their style and personality in a subtle manner. With the RGB LED controller on the front-top panel, users get to enjoy 11 vivid lighting modes, including static color (red/blue/white/green), RGB spectrum and RGB breathing.

The Controller hub is located on the backside at the bottom. It can host two LED strips and up to 8 compatible RGB fans. Both LED headers are already utilized as one strip is on the front panel and the second LED strip is placed on the top panel. There are four illuminated areas on this chassis. The front I/O Panel, The Tt logo at the bottom of the front panel, left side bottom of the top panel and the left side bottom of the front panel.

Lighting can be turned off altogether. Long press the RGB button to turn off the lights. To turn these on, a single press of the RGB button would bring the lights back on. This customization can be taken to the next level by connecting Riing 12 RGB fans with the hub to sync the lighting effect of the chassis with the fans. As the Riing 12 RGB fans don’t have breathing effect so under this mode these fans will light up in the static red color.

Here are some pics for your eye pleasure.

Building/Installation

Following is the configuration of the test build:

• Intel i7 8700k
• Thermaltake Riing Silent 12 Red CPU Cooler
• Corsair Vengeance Red 4x8GB @ 2666MHz
• Colorful iGame GTX 1050Ti Vulcan U 4G EC
• Samsung 256GB PM961 SSD
• Thermaltake TP DPS G RGB 750W PSU

I had wanted to use Nvidia GTX 1080 FE. This card has Alphacool Eiswolf GPX Pro cooler installed on it which is using much thicker and wider 120mm radiator. This radiator could not be installed on the rear. The radiator was half fixed on the front side either which is why it could not be set up in the test build. Here is the pic with this cooler.

Building inside this chassis was fun and I enjoyed working on it. It has a spacious layout that helps in planning and executing the build. I was able to mount three 120mm fans on the front. I wish they had provided the meshed vents on the front panel that runs on the entire height of the panel. Cable routing was easy.

I started with the PSU and passed all of the needed cables through the large size cutout at the bottom of the chassis. Non-Modular PSUs will give tough time to cable management. All the fans were installed prior to the motherboard’s installation. Fans’ cables were routed through the cutout holes.

I love the idea that the shroud on the PSU has a vent as I was able to route the HD Audio Cable, USB 3.0 cable, front panel cables, and USB 2.0 cable from the underside of the motherboard through the hole and cutout space on the left side of the PSU. Cable management was easy provided one spends some time and work on a cable at a time.

Interesting enough the CPU cooler that was used in the test build is Thermaltake Riing Silent 12 Red. This cooler has the height of 159mm whereas the specifications of the chassis mention the maximum height to be 155mm.

Thermaltake Testing

Thermal and acoustical performance of the build was tested using the Perfect Prime WD9819 anemometer and the Fonseo Digital Sound Meter, both are factory calibrated.

The reported temperatures are delta ones. To test the CPU thermals, the AIDA64 stress test was run for approximately 30 minutes with stressing the CPU, FPU, RAM. Graphics card’s thermal performance was checked with the actual game play. Here are the results:

My chip is doing 4.8GHz out of the box on Auto and in doing so the voltages are spiking to 1.300V VCore. Temps are fine overall. The maximum temperature on the GTX 1050 Ti was 70°C which is still fine.

The system was left at idle for some time to measure the acoustical performance. Keep in mind that this is the system’s overall noise level not just for any fan. 17 dB(A) was sound level when it was idling and 42 dB(A) when under load.

Conclusion

The Thermaltake Versa C23 TG RGB Review TG RGB chassis is aimed at the budget users who would love to have one heck of a design with the RGB goodness and keeping up with the current tradition of having a Tempered Glass side panel.

This chassis does not have traditional airflow inputs as the front and the top panel covers are not vented rather it is following the current trend of having vented sides with dust filters on it intake/outtake air. The chassis is Tt LCS Certified. That would mean chassis has been tested to be best compatible with extreme liquid cooling configurations to ensure the better performance.

Chassis has clearance for CPU coolers of height up to 155mm and graphics cards of up to 400mm without front fan. The dimension of the chassis is 510xx200x508mm.

Chassis has front and the top panels finished in brushed aluminum which really adds more to the looks of the chassis. Chassis features an RGB LED Controller located on the to-front panel with LED hub located on the backside of the chassis. The hub has connectivity option for two RGB LED strips and up to 8 Riing RGB fans.

Both RGB LED headers are already used as one is located on the top panel and the second is on the front panel. The chassis has 4mm thick tempered glass on the left side. The back side panel is solid to cover the cables. Tempered Glass panel is connected using 4 screws. The panel does not fall or come off by just removing the screws but need to be lifted off by the user which is quite handy design. Still, take care while handling the tempered glass panel.

In terms of the cooling department, this chassis has a provision of up to two 120mm fans on the front, two 120mm fans on the top and one 120mm fan on the rear. Up to 240mm radiator can be installed on the front, up to 240mm radiator can be installed on the top and a 120mm radiator can be installed on the rear. Please note that radiators should be slim to be used inside this chassis.

I have Alphacool NexXxos XT45 with a thickness of 45mm and width of 124mm. This radiator was not a fit inside this chassis. This was the reason I could not use the GTX 1080 in the test build as it has Alphacool’s Eiswolf GPX Pro cooler installed on it.

Thermaltake has provided ample storage capacity as well. We have 4 brackets to mount 2.5” SSDs and two brackets to mount 3.5”/2.5”storage drives. The front side has three of these 2.5”SSD brackets which look quite stunning in the overall layout of the build. I mounted 3 SSDs just to show how they would look. They were not connected. The chassis has 7 PCIe slots which are good enough for any build in this price bracket.

The inside layout of the chassis is spacious. We have 7 cutouts covered with the rubber grommets. In addition, there are two small size cut outs on the top of the motherboard trays and two on its bottom. There is a half angled vented shroud on the PSU mount which I wish they had profull-lengthl length shroud instead.

There is a large size cutout on the right side of the PSU which helps in routing the front panel cables to be mounted on to the motherboard’s bottom headers. There are 16 cable tie dots that help in the cable management.

My overall experience building inside the chassis was good and I enjoyed my time doing the build. I did not face any issue as such during the building process as chassis is spacious enough to assist the builder in this task. . However, there are some points that I would love to share. Only 6 standoffs are pre-installed.

Remaining three are provided in the accessories. Wonder why they would not install all 9 out of the box! What is the user does not have a right tool to tighten those standoffs! These can’t be hand tightened somehow. The top right side of the chassis gives the impression that Thermaltake has left space for the 5.25”drives.

However, the two front covers are a part of the chassis frame and user would need to cut them out to mount the 5.25”drive and even if the user go that route, the front panel would need to be left off as the front façade is a single piece of aluminum. Instead, they could have provided an option to mount up to 3 120mm fans on the front or 360mm radiator and letting the meshed vent on the front panel run across the complete height.

There is no cutout on the right side of the bottom SSD bracket on the front side. One would need to route the power and data cables through the cutouts of the second bracket. The bottom cutout on the motherboard tray is too large for its rubber grommet to hold on. Take care while routing the cables through it as it can come off that easy. Only one fan has been provided which could have been two but this is my personal opinion.

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