Final Thoughts and Conclusions

The new Suppressor F31 Silent Mid-Tower case proved to be a worthy addition to Thermaltake’s already formidable PC enclosure line up. The Suppressor F31 is a full-featured enclosure that focuses on quiet, virtually silent operation, while at the same time delivering excellent cooling options, usability and support for high-end hardware. The Suppressor F31 provides numerous different case cooling options and comes with two installed fans to get you started, with optional locations for up to nine case fans. The enclosure also supports single, dual, and triple fan radiators for liquid cooling. The case proved very easy to work thanks to ample room inside the enclosure and requires minimum tools. The front door, top, and both side panels are lined with sound absorption material to keep the noise down.

The Suppressor F31 case can easily accommodate extended VGA adapters and offers three internal HDD/SSD mounting bays and two external 5.25” bays. Overall the build quality is very good, the case is easy to work with, and it is has the potential to offer excellent cooling with minimal noise.

It’s always a challenge to combine silent operation with high performance cooling. The Suppressor F31 enclosure provides an excellent foundation to build upon but ultimately it will be the parts that you choose to install into this case that will determine the final noise to performance benefit.

If your main goal is to build a very quiet, virtually silent PC then pay close attention to your choice for CPU/CPU cooler, VGA/VGA cooler, and power supply. Look for components that are designed to operate efficiently with minimal waste heat generation. With the right choices you can assemble a relatively powerful PC that can still operate with minimal noise and be virtually silent.

For those planning to liquid cool the CPU and GPU(s), you may be happy with the base line airflow provided by the two bundled fans. But for many, installing additional case fans and/or replacing the two bundled 120mm fans with 140mm units will provide better cooling performance.

If you are air-cooling and still want the quietest computing experience, seriously consider the Suppressor F31 case without a window. You will gain sound damping material on the left side panel (instead of the window) and will get an extra fan mounting location on the left side panel (120mm or 140mm) to generate airflow in the GPU area.

The Thermaltake Suppressor F31 Window Mid-Tower case is currently selling for $99.90 USD at newegg.com (January 2016).

Strengths:
•    Very quiet with lots of options for both air and liquid cooling
•    Clean styling with black brushed aluminum front door panel
•    Roomy inside – easy to work on (250mm/9.8” wide)
•    One 120mm intake fan and one 120mm exhaust fan included
•    Sound absorption material on front, top and side panel
•    Large side window
•    Up to nine different case fan mounting locations
•    Support for single, dual, and triple fan radiators
•    Tool-free ODD and 3.5” HDD bay mounts
•    Two 5.25" external drive bays
•    Three 3.5” internal HDD/SSD bays
•    Front intake, PSU intake and top panel dust filters – easy to clean
•    Oversized CPU back plate cutout for easy CPU cooler installation
•    Up to 180mm (7.1”) of space for tall CPU coolers
•    Allows installing extended VGA adapters: up to 420mm (16.5”)
•    Functional cable routing cutouts and extra room for neat wiring
•    Good value (performance to cost)

Minor Weaknesses:
•    I/O panel on top harder to access when case is located under a desk
•    Bundled fans are very quiet but don’t move a lot of air

Thermaltake Suppressor F31 Silent Mid-Tower Case

I would like to thank our friends at Thermaltake for sending us the Suppressor F31 case to review – thank you.

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