Thermaltake Commander MS-I Snow Edition review

The Commander MS-1 is one of Thermaltake’s entry-level cases, but it proves that inexpensive doesn’t have to mean boring. The white colour scheme of this Snow Edition contrasts nicely with its black fan grilles and blue LED case fan, giving the case a bold and overstated appearance.

Most systems should be fine with three 5.25in and one 3.5in external drive bay, as well as a front I/O panel that includes one USB2 port, one USB3 port, and audio jacks. Inside are a further five 3.5in drive bays. Unfortunately, the plastic locking mechanisms are a bit fiddly in comparison to other cases we’ve used.

There’s just enough room inside the case to install a system, although it feels cramped when doing so. The cable routing holes are very small, but the motherboard cut-out is large enough to change a CPU cooler’s backing plate with ease.

Despite the mesh inserts on the front panel, cooling performance was below average. This is mainly because the Commander only includes one preinstalled 120mm fan, although there are mounts for three additional fans. This improves cooling significantly, but it also adds to the noise levels. Our reference kit certainly felt the heat, which forced the CPU fan to spin to an audible volume.

It might be incredibly cheap, but there’s a good reason to spend more elsewhere. The Commander MS-I struggles to keep components cool in its default configuration and its tool-free mounting mechanisms are fiddly. The Sharkoon T9 Value is probably a better budget choice.