Conclusion and Verdict
It’s been a while (almost 5 years) since I last built a PC project what uses a custom loop (watercooling). I was a little hesitant at first, but after a while I got my mojo back and realized how much I really missed building custom loop PC builds 😀
One thing I can tell you for sure… the spacious interior and removeable tool-less design of the panels on the Thermaltake CTE E660 MX chassis, made my life a lot easier when it comes to building a full custom loop PC build.
The CTE E660 MX is utilizes Thermaltake’s Centralized Thermal Efficiency (CTE) design and focuses on providing high levels of thermal performance to critical components. The design utilizes a 90-degree rotation of the motherboard providing more efficient airflow pathways.
https://youtube.com/shorts/ySCISKMxFiQ?si=ZNNjgSgGWblEKC7t
I was able to easily mount a 360mm radiator on the back of the chassis, along with a distroplate
(with pump) on the right side panel near the motherboard. These two components can switch positions depending on your conifguration or design of your custom loop. In fact, you can even place the radiator on the bottom or top of the chassis … it’s entirely up to you. And if you think there isn’t enough cooling, then you have the option to install up to 14 x 120mm fans or 12 x 140mm fans for extra cooling!
I really like all the removeable panels at the top, front, rear and right side of the chassis. They’re completely tool-less, and can be easily be detached and re-attached without any hassle. And what’s more, these panels comes with detachable filters which help prevent dust from entering the chassis.
You also get two interchangeable front panels …a tempered glass for panoramic views and a perforated panel for better air-flow.
The chassis also includes a 400mm PCIE riser cable (longest we’ve seen) and a Floating GPU Bracket for a three-way GPU installation option. For our PC build we opted for the Floating CPU configuration.
- Floating GPU: Placing the GPU in the middle of the chassis by using the enclosed floating GPU bracket and pre-configured 400mm long PCI-e 4.0 riser cable
- Up Right: Hanging the GPU vertically
- Right Forward: Placing it up-right with the graphics card facing forward to the side panel on the rotational PCI-e slots
You’ll also be glad to know that the Thermaltake CTE E660 MX chassis supports all ATX motherboards, including both Asus BTF and MSI project Zero revers-connection motherboards.
The Thermaltake CTE E660 MX may look just like any other mid-tower chassis, but dig deeper and you’ll find that it has a lot more to offer than most. Just look at the photos of our custom loop PC build above and you’ll see what I mean.
You can buy something similar – Thermaltake CTE E660 MX Chassis – Hydrangea Blue Edition for around USD $160 from Amazon – https://amzn.to/47ZzkqA
For UK readers, you can buy it from Scan for GBP £120 – Link.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re building a PC with standard air cooling or a full custom loop (watercooling), the Thermaltake CTE E660 MX chassis offers a lot of options for cooling and different types of configurations. It’s spacious, comes with tool-less side panels, 3-way GPU configuration (with 400m PCIE riser cable included) and amazing panoramic views.
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