There is a giant liquid-cooling reservoir on the back of this open-frame case

(Image credit: Thermaltake)

Over the years, Thermaltake has released several iterations of its open-frame computer case, one of which I have been using to house my main PC for a long time now (without much complaint). The latest iteration, the DistroCase 350P, is the first to double as a liquid cooler.

The general shape and modular nature of the DistroCase 350P is similar to past models, but one glance is all it takes to see that this is something a bit different. This case gets its name from the fact that the entire backside is one huge distribution plate.

Looked at a different way, the DistroCase 350P is basically a giant channeled reservoir (it holds around 800ml of coolant) with an included D5 liquid pump, and a motherboard tray on the front. However you want to look at it, this case is unique.

"The body of the case is made with SPCC and PMMA and comes with a preinstalled D5 pump, allowing hot and cold coolant to run smoothly through the entire case and at the same time minimizing complicated water loops whilst keeping your liquid-cooled components cool," Thermaltake explains.

You'll find standard G 1/4-inch inlets and outlets on the DistroCase 350P. It's not quite an all-in-one liquid cooling system, because you still have to add your own water block(s), radiator, and tubing. Some assembly required, in other words. To that end, Thermaltake says this case can accommodate up to a 360mm radiator on both the front and side

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Beyond the liquid cooling aspect, this case has room for up to six 2.5-inch SSDs, or a combination of two 2.5-inch SSDs and two 3.5-inch HDDs. It also offers six expansion slots, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and a separate 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks.

The other thing Thermaltake is pitching here is the inclusion of 48 LEDs, for customizable RGB lighting. This works with the company's own RGB Plus and NeonMaker Light Editing utilities, as well as light syncing utilities from several third-parties, like Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI.

The caveat is the cost. While not yet offered in the US, the DistroCase 350P is available at Alternate.de for €729. Thermaltake's online shop also carries this case in a few regions, including Australia ($1,099 AUD), China (¥5,499), Taiwan (NT$18,900), and Asia ($649 USD, though shipping to the US is not an option).

Paul Lilly

Paul has been playing PC games and raking his knuckles on computer hardware since the Commodore 64. He does not have any tattoos, but thinks it would be cool to get one that reads LOAD"*",8,1. In his off time, he rides motorcycles and wrestles alligators (only one of those is true).