Clash of the Titans - TT Tai Chi vs. CM Stacker 830

Final Words

Now that we've compared these heavyweights in gory detail, it's time to decide a winner, right? Well, the tough part is that both cases are simply amazing, yet still have a couple of quirks. For starters, these were two of the easiest units that we've ever worked in, yet each one had small annoyances in this arena. The Tai Chi's automatic door is sweet, but turning four thumbscrews each time you want to open it up is not. Sure, one could leave only one screw in, but that's not really the ideal solution. Then there's the Stacker 830's great motherboard tray that eats itself away in normal usage. Again, a simple solution exists – perhaps one could just sand the sharp edges that sit at the entrance to these rails, but is that a perfect solution either?

Minor annoyances aside, these cases both cool amazingly well, offer loads of expansion, and look good to boot. What then are you gaining by spending the premium for the more expensive Tai Chi? First off, casters. On cases this large, it's amazing how much of a difference this simple addition makes. Also, the configurability of the 830 is awesome, but the myriad of various pieces and thinner aluminum construction left us questioning the unit's sturdiness over extended use. The Tai Chi leaves one feeling confident in taking a computer in it anywhere – it's really built like a tank. This, of course, makes the Tai Chi heavier as well, but who are we kidding - neither of these is remotely near “ultra portable” status.

When it comes right down to it, these are both units that an extreme enthusiast with funds aplenty will want to consider seriously for their next mega-rig. We see there being just a few key factors that will sway a potential buyer in the appropriate direction. In no particular order, here's a list of factors, an opinion of what case does a better job in each category, and the degree to which that case beats the competitor. (In order from most to least severe: Extreme, Substantial, Somewhat, Minor).

The only extreme victory is due to the Tai Chi's use of bolts to attach everything, which is practically a first in the industry and makes it a modder's delight. Its plastic retention clips, which we found problematic with an Audigy 2 – a very popular PCI card indeed – aren't going to be an issue for plenty of people, so we'll forgive Thermaltake for this one small mistake, considering that everything else about the Tai Chi is fantastic. The ability to hold various (even multiple) water cooling pumps and radiators, and the inclusion of 3/8” holes, 1/8” thick aluminum paneling throughout, huge ability for holding drives, and passive radiative design are all strengths of the Tai Chi, and in our opinion, nearly justify its exorbitant price tag (~$320!).

The 830's pros are its ease-of-use and configurability options out-of-the-box (to get BTX support with the Tai Chi, one has to buy the appropriate rear plate separately). For roughly $70 or so less (~$250), the Stacker 830 gets a strong nod of approval from us for value, which along with the fantastic performance and great ease-of-use also almost justifies its relatively high price too.

We want to extend our congratulations to both companies for pushing the envelope in case design – desktop computer cases simply don't get much better than this, and if these designs are any indications of things to come in this industry, the case and cooling world is in for a treat.