We’ll start our exterior tour of the Chaser MK-1 by beginning at the left side panel. Three main features are present here, the large plexi-glass window, the headphone holder and the large mesh area which has the option of installing a 200mm fan.

The right side of the MK-1 is void of any ventilation but does employ some design attributes by way of the stamping used. The large center stamped area is raised higher than the outer edges of the panel, thus allowing for additional cable management space.

Moving along to the back of the Chaser MK-1 we find several key features. Starting at the top you will find three rubber grommets intended for a water cooling system tubes to pass through. Just below that is a 140mm exhaust fan which has an option to be swapped out for a 120mm fan. To the left of the exhaust fan is the opening where the motherboard’s I/O shield gets installed. Moving down we see the eight expansion slot covers and a large ventilation area just to the right of that. The standard ATX power supply mounting area is found a the bottom along with a slide out PSU filter. The filter slides out extremely easy by just pressing down on the tab and sliding outward.

Flipping the case over so we can have a look at the bottom, we will find the four extra large feet. The feet can be rotated in a complete circle and will click/lock in to place every 22.5 degrees. The MK-1 offers a unique design feature for the foot stands,  they are taller (35mm) than what you normally find on other cases. This feature is intended to allow unobstructed air flow for the power supply, even if the chassis is place on a soft or carpeted surface. We did find one troubling issue with the foot stands, and that is the lack of any rubber cushioning. What ever surface you set the MK-1 on, it will be subject to the hard plastic design of the foot bottom and thus offer no anti-vibration qualities.

As we finish up the exterior tour of the Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 we’ll hit on the areas where you will be spending most of your time while using the case, the top and front panel areas. Beginning at the front of the MK-1 the fist thing you might notice is the light blue accents applied to the drive bay covers. The light blue coloring is present in several different areas as you navigate your way around the MK-1, including the interior which you will see later in the review. We found the blue accents to be quite appealing actually and they are definitely a break from the typical Thermaltake red accents used on most of their other cases.

There are four 5.25 drive bay openings, one of which can be converted to a 3.5 bay using the included adapter cover. All of the drive bay covers have a mesh design and a foam filter applied to the back side. Removing any of the 5.25 covers is pretty straight forward, a simple inward squeeze of the two light blue handles and the cover will come right out.

Below the 5.25 bay covers is a large mesh area with a 200mm intake fan just behind it. Rounding out the front bezel area is a nice chrome looking Thermaltake branding decal.

The top panel area of the Chaser MK-1 is where all connectivity points and fan functions are located. Beginning on the left side you have the fan LED color control button, the fan speed control buttons (600rpm or 800rmp), reset button and a mic and headphone jack. The color of the fan LED’s can be cycled between blue, green, red and a mixture of all three. On the right side of the top panel are two USB 3.0 ports, one e-SATA port and two USB 2.0 Ports. In the middle of the top panel is where the Thermaltake decided to implement a hot swappable hard drive docking station similar to their popular BlacX HDD enclosure products. The hot swap drive bay will accommodate both 3.5 and 2.5 HDD’s. To use the hot swap drive bay is a very simple procedure and only requires sliding the drive in place until you feel the reassuring click confirming the connections have been properly seated. Also located in the center portion is the power switch which is surrounded by a clear plastic inset. The plastic inset illuminates when the system is started and slowly pulsates on and off while the system is running.

The rear portion of the top panel is a mesh design and has a single 200mm fan beneath the rear most area. Further complimenting the design of the top panel are two light blue accent strips running down both sides. While there is no foam style fan filter, the design of the mesh area is two stage with the inner layer being a more tightly woven mesh, almost screen like. The combination of both the inner screen and outer mesh should do an adequate job of filtering the air before it enters the case.

As is usually the case with the look of Thermaltake’s chassis, you either love it or hate it. The rugged looks of the Chaser MK-1 may or may not appeal to you, but you have to give Thermaltake it’s props for consistently throwing new design concepts out to market. We’ll admit that the looks of the Chaser MK-1  grew on us the more familiar we became with it. If we had to compare it to something, the CoolerMaster HAF-X or HAF-932 cases come to mind, although not quite as large. The Chaser MK-1 falls right in the middle of a mid tower and full tower designs, hence the mention of “Extra Big ATX Tower” on the packaging.

Next up is a closer look at the interior.

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