Thermaltake Tower 250 Mini Tower Case Review

I have seen and reviewed a number of Thermaltake cases over the years and there is typically a formula they follow.  Now, this formula is not new and many companies use it across the PC hardware and component industry.  It describes a way to create a plethora of new products with a cost savings either in the manufacturing of the item or in the marketing used to help promote it. 

This process is basically taking a product that is popular or unique and then changing it slightly to the point where it can appeal to a different demographic while still keeping the appeal that made it popular to begin with.

Several early TT case designs had the same basic frame and to make them different they would commission a different bezel or side panel design.  This created a new case but didn’t require that any new tooling, saved money at the start of the project and allowed the marketing and documentation teams to reuse existing information.  Overall, the customers get something completely different with very little effort.

For the Tower series we have seen quite a few iterations starting with the popular Tower 900 that was kicked off with the Donkey Kong mod at CES 2017.  The creativity of this mod left a lasting impression on the community which is still popular today.  Since the release of the Tower 900 there have been several other versions including the Tower 500, Tower 300, Tower 200 and Tower 100.  Each version shares the same overall design but, has been altered to meet a certain goal.

In this review we will be looking the Tower 250 Mini Tower chassis.  As you can gather from the product name, it should be a merge between the Tower 200 and Tower 300 so, lets dive in and check it out.

P/N: CA-1Z9-00S1WN-00
Model: The Tower 250
Series: The Tower
Case Type: Mini Tower
Dimensions: 506 x 300 x 281 mm / (19.9 x 11.8 x 11.5 inch)
Weight: 7.1 kg / 15.65 lbs.
Side Panel: 3mm Tempered Glass x 3
Color: Black
Material: SPCC
Cooling System: Top(exhaust): 120 x 120 x 25 mm CT120 fan (2000rpm, 25.8 dBA) x 2
Drive Bays: 1 x 3.5”, or 2 x 2.5”
Expansion Slots: 3
Motherboard: 6.7" x 6.7" (Mini ITX)
I/O Port: USB 3.2 (Gen 2) Type-C x 1, USB 3.0 x 2, HD Audio x 1
PSU: Standard SFX or ATX PSU (optional)
Fan Support:

• Top: 2 x 120mm, 1 x 120mm
• Right Side: 3 x 120mm, 2 x 120mm, 1 x 120mm / 2 x 140mm, 1 x 140mm
• Rear: 2 x 120mm, 1 x 120mm / 2 x 140mm, 1 x 140mm

Power Cover: 1 x 120mm / 1 x 140mm
Radiator Support:

• Right Side(AIO): 1 x 360mm, 1 x 240mm, 1 x 120mm / 1 x 280mm, 1 x 140mm

Clearance: CPU cooler height limitation: 210mm
VGA length limitation: 245mm(With power cover) / 360mm(Without power cover)
PSU length limitation: 200mm

If I was to quickly describe the Tower 250, it is simply a larger version of the Tower 200 to accommodate changes in system building. 

From the front, we have the same three window design common to the Tower series.  Along the right side you have support for AIO watercoolers up to 360mm or the better but, less common, 280mm

As with other Tower series cases, you can install the optional LCD screen in the lower front section of the case.  This screen is an excellent addition to any “show” build and works well when paired with other LCD enabled Thermaltake products.

Inside the Tower 250 we have the centrally mounted motherboard tray supporting Mini ITX motherboards.  I/O faces upwards while below the vented basement panel is support for a full-sized PSU.

Sadly, you only get two expansion slots of space to hold your graphics card (or any other expansion card you plan to install) but, there is plenty of room to support wider graphics cards including the popular 3+ slot designs from the Nvidia 40 and 50 series.

Along the left you will find additional venting for GPU cooling and the top of the case features dual 120mm fans oriented to exhaust out the top of the case.

To help illustrate the overall size of the Tower 250 I have installed a standard Mini ITX motherboard from MSI.  Much to my surprise there is quite a bit of room below the motherboard for cable routing allowing you to run all of the needed cables neatly and together.

Sadly, this does mean there will be a rather large bundle of wires in a visually open area of the case instead of attempting to add more cable grommets to minimize exposure.

While, personally, I am not a fan of the Tower Series, I can appreciate the innovation to create a unique computer case design that not only pushes the boundaries of what a computer case needs to be to what a computer case could be.  Overall, the design is eye catching and when on display at CES and Computex you can clearly recognize the case from across the booth.

 As mentioned before, the Tower 250 is a bit of a mod to accommodate how modern PCs are being built.  Video cards have gotten bigger and the demand for larger AIOs extends beyond the need for better overclocking performance.  The Tower 250 addresses these concerns while still offering an option for enthusiasts of the SFF system build.

Unique Tower Design
Fantastic airflow
Expanded GPU Support
Smaller tower footprint
Small Form Factor

Case is kinda big for SFF
Has to be completely dissembled to work on