LAS VEGAS—Last week, popular PC case maker Thermaltake showed off a colorful, forward-looking lineup of new desktop PC cases during CES 2025, and I went to check them out. The company took its now-traditional annual color update seriously with some stunning new shades unique to the industry. But beyond the colors, Thermaltake surprised us with a fully liquid-immersed desktop case prototype that’s probably the most exciting (if less practical!) PC design we saw at the show.
The video above shows it all in action, with lights blazing, fans whirring and liquids bubbling, but read on for more details.
The Tower 600: Now available in “Future Dusk” messed up
Thermaltake assigns a new signature color, or brand, with each new year, and makes cases and accessories in that hue for one year only. The color of 2025 is a deep purple shade with gray accents called “Future Twilight.” (Last year’s color was a soothing Blue Hydrangea.) Future Dusk will appear in the company’s The Tower 600 series of mid-towers, as well as possible others. Between the color and the name, the case stands out Blade Runner flicker, framing everything inside in a muted indigo glow using RGB lighting to match its shell.
(Credit: Mark Stetson)
The company is also releasing a “Light Year Green” colorway, clearly inspired by the Toy Story hero and a lively, fun alternative to the mysterious and humorous purple. Of course, the RGB lighting inside provided by some aftermarket components makes these boxes pop, but the case design makes that cool contrast possible initially. Coordination is key.
These two new The Tower 600 models will cost $169 each when they land later this year, and they join other unusual colorways like Bumblebee (a yellow and white motif) and Gravel Sand (something leather , copper, cowboy look).
Tower 250: New pastel colors for a happier frag box
Next up is Thermaltake’s The Tower 250, a new model now available in delicious Butterscotch Yellow and Mint Strawberry colors for $129 each. These slightly larger versions of the existing The Tower 200 cases have room for up to a 360mm liquid cooler instead of just 120mm. However, they retain the crisp, angled front panels that made the Tower models so distinctive.
(Credit: John Burek)
(Credit: Mark Stetson)
These boxes include two-tone models, with their names indicating the color of the exterior (first word) and interior panel (second word). So Butterscotch has a vibrant yellow shell and a deep beige interior, while Mint Strawberry looks like a cool blue on the outside and a muted light pink inside.
The TR 100: A Small-Form-Factor Case Plays Dress-Up
Thermaltake’s existing $129 TR 100 is one of its smaller cases, and this year, it gets some of the color treatments we’ve already seen: Mint Strawberry in particular, and a Bubble Pink variant. These two are great complements to the Hydrangea Blue that debuted last year and is still on sale.
(Credit: Mark Stetson)
The TR 100 can fit a full-sized graphics card inside its narrow design, with cooling vents doubling as a peek inside for GPU fans and whatever RGB you can muster. The $129 price includes a high-quality GPU riser cable that enables vertical mounting of the graphics card. This is usually a costly extra, so factor that item into the value proposition here.
Thermal Probes, High Power Density: New Fans and PSUs
I also saw a bunch of PC build accessories from Thermaltake worth mentioning. I was particularly impressed by the company’s new 120mm and 140mm cooling fans, the TS120 EX RGB and TS140 EX RGB, available in white or black.
(Credit: John Burek)
According to the company, these fans use Thermaltake’s MagForce 2 technology for smooth and long-lasting core bearings. Their big difference, however, is that they have thermal sensors built into the exhaust side of their frames for easier thermal reporting. Usually, placing probes at each fan location involves a lot of messy wiring. Here, everything is integrated and fans come together to pass through power and data.
(Credit: John Burek)
Having a probe on each fan will allow you to experiment with your fan curves based on more granular data than just overall case temperature, adjusting for less noise or better performance. These fans will cost $89.99 (120mm) or $94.99 (140mm) for a three-pack when they ship later in the first quarter.
Thermaltake also showed off the Toughpower SFX 1200W, an SFX form factor power supply rated for 1200 watts (W) of peak power delivery, which is impressive for something smaller than an SFX-L model. (Previously the Toughpowers at 1,000W were really the longer-length SFX-L type, so this is indeed an improvement.) This is significant because at least one variant I saw of the upcoming GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards Nvidia’s will require a minimum of 1,000W of power supply, which the Toughpower clears with 200W at a fraction of the size. Release time and price were not yet available for this attractive little PSU.
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(Credit: Mark Stetson)
Feeling brave? Let’s go for a swim
Industry watchers jokingly refer to “fish tank” or aquarium-style PCs, given the proliferation in recent years of multiple glass-sided PC cases. But how do you introduce actual liquid into the equation? We are not talking about normal water cooling with loops and hoses. These are things for children. We’re talking, like, filling the case with it.
Yes, a full computer tank, filling it up the whole case with the cooler, it’s actually a thing. At the extreme outer fringes of custom-built PCs is a practice called “immersion cooling,” which has its industrial uses but is well outside the PC mainstream, even for intrepid builders. .
(Credit: John Burek)
I’m not sure they’ll ever hit retail, but the two Thermaltake immersion cooling cases I saw at CES are a prototype model that does exactly what the most extreme event-winning builds do. Thermaltake showed the IX600 (ATX) and IX300 (Mini-ITX) models, each with different sizes.
(Credit: John Burek)
The main part of the case is a waterproof tank in which you install the parts of your computer; you then fill the case, immersing all of the PC’s components (motherboard, GPU and all) in a non-conductive circulating fluid for even lower cooling. The pumps circulate the coolant inside the main component’s fluid chamber and pass it to a heat exchanger around the back to cool before pumping it back out.
(Credit: Mark Stetson)
The main thing is that the liquid is non-conductive, which allows it not to end in a spectacular and expensive marine tragedy the moment you turn it on. Is it a curse? For almost everyone, you bet. However, this is the most daring advance in the popularization of technology that we have ever seen. Thermaltake has no information on pricing or availability yet, but you can expect to pay dearly for this level of insanity disguised as technology.
Stay tuned to PCMag for reviews of these cases and parts as they become available in 2025 (though we’re not holding our breath—underwater, anyway!—for the IX300 and IX600).
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About John Burek
Executive Editor and Director of PC Labs
