// PC GAMER — GAMING
Thermaltake Retro 360 TG case review
It's big, bold, and beige, and you can slap a 6-inch LCD screen in it for a bit of extra cash, but the Retro 360 TG just lacks the finesse that some of its competition delivers, and can't compete with cases that cost a little less. Still, if you want a solid retro-themed case without paying the big bucks, it's well worth a look.
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They say fashion has a habit of repeating itself. What was once deemed gauche and detestable by one generation becomes the next's "big thing". Yep, like your grandad's long socks to Gen Z, and skinny jeans to Millennials, the big beige retro rig has landed square and center on our desks again, at the forefront of a manufacturing boom across the PC gaming sector, desperate to take its spot at the top of the best PC cases list across the world (yeah, I'm subtle).
Thermaltake's Retro 360 TG case is exactly that. Like the Silverstone FLP02 I reviewed earlier in the year, it looks to encapsulate that late 80s early 90s PC build nostalgia, complete with beige panels, and a touch of modernity to make your pc building endeavors at least somewhat more comfortable than it'd have been in a battered and bruised second-hand eBay purchase.
The good news is the Retro 360 TG is markedly cheaper than that Silverstone offering, coming in at a far lower price of around $92 or £90, depending on where you shop. For that, you get a super lightweight plastic chassis, with a steel frame, complete with easy access panels, and a full tempered glass side panel as well.
Hardware compatibility across the board is generally pretty good. You've got support for 360mm rads in both the top and the side of the case, and you can add an additional six 120mm fans total, along the floor of the PSU shroud, up the front intake, and on the rear as well.
Form factor: Mid-towerDimensions: 23.5 × 49.3 × 46.7 cmMotherboard support: ATX, M-ATX, ITXExpansion slots: 7Front IO: 1x USB-C (3.2 Gen 2), 1x USB-A (3.0), 1x HD Audio, Power, ResetTotal fan support: 12Fan count: 2x 120mm/140mm FRONT 3x120mm or 2x140mm TOP, 3x 120mm SIDE, 1x120mm REAR, 3x 120mm BOTTOMRadiator support: Up to 360mm TOP & SIDEGraphics card support: 400 mm lengthStorage: 2x 2.5-inch; 1x 3.5-inchPSU support: ATXWeight: 7.48 kgPrice: $90/£92
It does come with two fairly mediocre 120mm DC fans as standard. One in the front and one in the rear, but they're not that exciting. Certainly not quite at the same caliber as those found in the FLP02.
Speed round, though. What's worse than two poorly calibrated DC fans? Not having access to good intake, that's what. Because, yep. Although the side, the roof, and the rear are fairly well ventilated (the roof even touting a magnetic, removable dust cover), the front is frankly a nightmare. The slatted white ventilation built into that plastic fascia restricts airflow quite heavily as it is, but there's also a healthy dose of mesh inside of it glued in place, and non-removable by design, limiting access further for whatever fans you do decide to install here. Not good.
Speaking of the front panel, it's entirely fake too. Something that, for some reason, I find particularly frustrating. In the case of the FLP02, it had full compatibility for 5.25-inch drive bays, with the housing and support internally there as well. The 360 TG mimics that mildly with a removable "disk drive" cutout, which you can replace with a 6-inch LCD screen (that Thermaltake sells separately), and then an entirely fake floppy drive that sits in situ just below. That, however, is fully molded into the panel itself, and non-removable. Complete with fake non-pressy button. That obviously, I tried to press.