A Closer Look

The front panel of the Soprano RS 101 is covered in a high-gloss "piano black" finish, touched with a chrome accent across the center. There are silver SopranoRS and Thermaltake logos in the top and bottom left corners, as well as two small circles of plastic that will allow the LEDs to shine through. The door that covers the front has a vent at the bottom to allow extra airflow to the case.


The piano black finish is continued on the front bezel when the front door is opened. Inside the door are the power and reset buttons, and the power and HDD activity LEDs. The front bezel has magnetic catches which line up with metal screw heads on the door, providing a solid feel when closed.


Moving to the right side, this solid panel has only a molded handle and a small vent, but does not have the same finish as the front. By using the gloss finish on the front, the user gets the look of the more expensive cases, but without the extra cost. On the edge of the front bezel are two USB ports and the standard front audio ports.


The rear of the Soprano RS 101 follows the standard ATX format with the power supply located at the top and the PCI plates at the bottom. There is a 120mm fan with a four-pin connector installed in the rear, and the stamped grill allows 80mm, 92mm or 120mm fans just like the grill in front. The left side panel is secured with silver thumbscrews, and there is the option of adding the security loop.


The left side panel has a window installed, which is the same style Thermaltake has used on their cases all the way back to the Xaser line of chassis. Near the top left of the window is the CPU fan duct called for by Intel's Chassis Air Guide, along with VGA vent below it. The fan duct can be removed, and the user can install 80mm, 92mm or 120mm fans in its place, as well as in the VGA vent. The VGA vent is extra long to help provide as much cool air as possible to the graphics card(s) installed. Thermaltake also added their branded etching to the window, giving it a lot of the style one would expect from Thermaltake.