Datasheet figures next to each other, and the airflow balance, pressure verdict and case air heating that the fans in each box compute to behind that case's own front. Calculated with the CaseFlow model, not measured.
| Thermaltake CTE T500 TG ARGB | Thermaltake T500 Air | |
|---|---|---|
| Form | Full Tower | Full Tower |
| Volume | 87.3 L | 87.3 L |
| Dimensions | 615 × 275 × 516 mm | 516 × 275 × 615 mm |
| Front | mesh dust filter | mesh dust filter |
| Fan mounts | front 3 × 140/120, top 2 × 140/120, rear 3 × 140/120, bottom 1 × 140/120, side 1 × 140/120 | front 3 × 120/140, top 2 × 120/140, rear 3 × 120/140, bottom 1 × 120/140, side 1 × 120/140 |
| Radiator support | front 420 mm, rear 360 mm | front 420 mm, top 120 mm, rear 360 mm |
| Dust filters | front, top, bottom, rear, side | front, top, bottom, rear, side |
| GPU length | 385 mm | 385 mm |
| Cooler height | 195 mm | 195 mm |
| Stock fans | 1 × CT140 ARGB (front), 1 × CT140 ARGB (top), 1 × CT140 ARGB (rear) | 1 × CT140 (front), 1 × CT140 (top), 1 × CT140 (rear) |
| Stock airflow, max rpm | 66 in / 148 out CFM | 60 in / 136 out CFM |
| Stock pressure verdict | negative: mid -82.6 CFM | negative: mid -75.9 CFM |
| Case air at 290 W | +3.6 K | +3.9 K |
| Stock fan noise | 39.5 dB(A) | 35.3 dB(A) |
| All mounts, reference fans | 288 in / 330 out CFM 5 / 5 mounts | 288 in / 330 out CFM 5 / 5 mounts |
Both are close enough that the choice is not an airflow question. The pressure verdict describes the stock fan set, not the case: stronger or extra intake fans in the free mounts, or slower exhaust fans, turn a negative balance positive.
Each stock fan contributes CFMmax · derate · rpm/rpmmax behind its wall's mounting class: filtered mesh
front and side mounts as dust filter, bottom as floor + filter, top and rear as open grille, solid and glass fronts as side-slit intake at
roughly half of a mesh front. Front, bottom and side blow in; top and rear blow out.
| Mounting | Airflow blades | Pressure-optimized |
|---|---|---|
| Open grille | 0.88 (0.80–0.95) | 0.88 (0.80–0.95) |
| Dust filter | 0.70 (0.60–0.80) | 0.78 (0.70–0.86) |
| Floor + filter | 0.64 (0.52–0.74) | 0.72 (0.62–0.80) |
| Solid or glass front | 0.50 (0.40–0.62) | 0.58 (0.48–0.68) |
Worst case sums intake at the low end of each band and exhaust at the high end; positive there means positive regardless of how the estimates fall. Case air: ΔT = 3.1 · W / throughput (m³/h), with an open-cooler GPU putting its full board power into the case air plus board, RAM and drives. Capacity puts a reference pressure-optimized fan on every mount at max rpm — 120 mm 60 CFM, 140 mm 75 CFM — a generic good fan, not a product.
Mount counts, radiator support and clearances are datasheet figures. Nothing here is measured; the same model runs in CaseFlow.