Overall and Final Verdict
The Urban S21 from Thermaltake is a mid-tower value offering enhanced by certain additions and marred by others. The front panel is simply designed with no frills and component installation is refreshingly easy and hassle free. Components feel secured in place the tool-free twist locking mechanisms make drive installation a breeze. The management clips are something new and a feature I would welcome in more cases as well as the dual USB 3.0 front panel.
Still with all that, the cable management nightmare is impossible to overlook as this case’s Achilles heel. The top left 8-pin power connector is a problem for most cases but not even attempting a solution for the problem is upsetting. Couple this with the decision to not include open space below the motherboard tray and to orientate the HDD bay parallel to the case as opposed to perpendicular to it and you have a situation where compounding problems make a bad situation even worse.
Thermaltake is known for its quality case designs and some of that pedigree is shown in the Urban S21. Unfortunately, a lot of questionable decisions are also present under further review. Beyond the cable management, it would have been nicer to see a sturdier front door as well as a second front fan as opposed to the external 3.5” bay. The S21 is a decent case offering but is unfortunately placed at a very competitive price point against superior designs where it is left to come up short.