Having just recently reviewed another SFF Gaming case, I felt I was in a good position to judge the Thermaltake LANbox. It does have several things going for it. It's small and very sturdy, and with the built-in carrying handle it's highly portable and easy to tote around. It might be nice to have some way to attach a shoulder strap but the handle seems comfortable enough that even with the weight from all the installed components, the system isn't a chore to lug around.
The styling is clean and classic, with some added flair from the LED fan and side windows. You may want to spend some time however tidying up your wiring, especially the power cables, as this can easily detract from the appearance of the system. The included fans seem to do an adequate job of keeping things cool, and having the power supply mounted upside down draws cool air from outside the case and blows the warm air out the back. Since the power supply is mounted over top of the processor socket this doesn't leave a lot of room for large CPU coolers. But the stock HSF fits fine with room to spare. I'm not crazy about how the floppy drive face ends up sticking out at the top, unfortunately this is as far back as the mounting slots will allow. Since the front panel is curved, the bottom of the drive fits flush and the top sticks out a quarter inch or so. Most users I believe would simply choose not to install a floppy drive.
Where the Thermaltake LANbox has some limitations is in the size department. As I said previously, you've only got about 9" for the video card and 8" or less for the power supply, so you may need to make some sacrifices in your choice of hardware. But realistically, these dimensions let you use all but the absolute top-end gear. Still, they could have eliminated that restriction by making the floppy cage removable and by putting the optical bays on the bottom and the hard drive cage up top.
The option of adding a built-in, folding 7" LCD sounds intriguing. I can't say as I've never had to lug a regular sized monitor to a LAN party before but then I can't imagine trying to frag on a tiny 7" display either. Regardless, it's undoubtedly a great idea for all-out wow factor and handy if you just need to boot up and do a few things in the OS. I suppose the LANbox could even be used as a portable HTPC or Multimedia box, so a large screen for gaming may not be on everyone's mind.
The various flavors of the LANbox are priced in the $75-$125 range, which is pretty inexpensive compared to some of the competition. True, only the front panel is made of aluminum, not the whole case, and the smaller size means lower materials cost. But getting a SFF Gaming case that looks great and is as solid as a rock, for right around $100 seems like a steal.
OCIA.net has awarded the Thermaltake LANbox our Seal of Approval.
