afireinside
11-28-2007, 03:53 PM
I've always been opposed to large cases. Just never liked them. I also never wanted to spend lots of money on a case. Last year, as I'm sure some of you remember, I cheaped out and got an Antec 900 instead of the Lian Li V1000 I wanted. The results were... not pleasant to say the least. I had wanted a stacker 830/2 for a while so when I saw the stacker for 140 AR at Newegg, I bit.
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2029.JPG
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2030.JPG
:slobber:
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2031.JPG
bottom vent
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2033.JPG
I'm hoping that's sufficient case cooling...
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2038.JPG
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2039.JPG
compared to antec 900... nice and big.
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2034.JPG
Motherboard tray, very nice. Makes everything easy! Note the holes for external watercooling :up: Can also be flipped in seconds for BTX operation.
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2035.JPG
4x front USB, front firewire, front AC97/HD audio connectors, standard power/reset switches and LED cables
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2036.JPG
Top exhaust with filtered 120mm fan mount. Can also be replaced with an LED lit hard drive tray if you have one of those fancy raptor X drives
ANTEC TAKE NOTES SECTION
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2037.JPG
FOUR (not 3, Antec) in 3 hard drive adapter with a QUIET blue LED fan
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2057.JPG
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2059.JPG
Side walls of the adapter are removable so that installing the drives is not a nightmare. They screw in easily. Side panels are mounted to blue rubber sound dampeners, which actually work pretty well. My 2x Raptors no longer sound like grinding death!
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2040.JPG
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2041.JPG
RIDIN RIMZ!
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2049.JPG
PSU bracket is a breeze to install
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2053.JPG
Two aluminum "doors" of sorts cover the latches for the vents and are flush with the front when closed (if that makes any sense)
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2062.JPG
My current setup :shrug: The Coolermaster PSU I purchased with the case will not work with my MSI board so I have the Enermax on the floor until a real motherboard arrives. Watercooling is also external because it will not fit with a sound card installed.
Overall, working with the case was VERY easy. Everything except the motherboard, PSU, and hard drives are tool-less installs.
Front door is made of nice thick aluminum (unlike the cheap plastic in many cases) and shuts magnetically
Side fan bracket accepts FOUR 80mm, 92mm, 120mm, or 140mm fans. Snap in brackets with dust filters for 120mm fans come stock. Latches to/from the case extremely easily
Side panels are held into place with a very simple lock/unlock tab at the top rear next to the PSU. However, they are not 100% stuck in place and you can move them a slight bit.
Mobo tray once again has one tab and two sliding clamps
The mobo tray, side fan bracket, and front door can all be quickly reversed/flipped to allow for a BTX installation.
PCI slots use thumb screws
5.25" devices lock into place with plastic locks on both sides of the bay. It can also hold smaller 5.25" devices like fan controllers in place without them flying back into the case when touched. Only downside is that CD drives are not 100% stable and they do move back and forth a slight bit in the bays. Fortunately, Coolermaster left openings for screws as well if you wish to use them.
The wheels are a nice addition, seeing as the case weighs a ton with everything installed. Two of them lock so the case doesn't roll all over when you touch it. Be careful when installing them as the screws strip very easily. There are also two recessed handles at the top of the case that can be used for transportation. I'm not quite sure how much I would trust them to carry a full case though, the top panel is secured to the frame with four small screws only.
Every part of the case is made of thick, high quality aluminum. Easily the heaviest aluminum case I've ever had. The build quality, however, is top notch. It's 110% worth the added weight. The exterior of the case is nothing short of gorgeous as well.
The two stock fans are not loud at all and the LED intake fan is not overly bright. A well balanced LED fan :)
With most things, you get what you pay for. Cases are no exception. After 7 years of messing around with cheap cases, I'm glad I've moved on. After spending a day with this case I would be more than willing to pay the full ~200 dollar MSRP for it. The difference in ease of install in a large, well built case and a smaller, budget case is night and day.
PROS
Can run ATX and BTX
Mostly tool-less
cools extremely well
well built
easy and quick to install
removable mobo tray
up to SEVEN fans (4 side, 1 front, 1 rear, 1 top)
bottom vent for more ventilation or easy watercooling install
external watercooling pass through holes
high quality all aluminum construction
Fan filters on the side and top fans
Quiet 4 in 3 HDD adapter
wheels included
handles on the top of the case
CONS
Tool-less installs could be a bit better. The 5.25" locks and side panel locks could be a bit more secure. Doesn't bother me at all but some people might not like how they can move a little.
There is not enough room under the motherboard to fit a radiator + fans on the bottom vent with a sound card or SLI installed. In BTX form however, it should fit fine.
The external watercooling holes are not wide enough to fit 7/16" or 1/2" tubing through without the rubber protectors coming off.
the rear side panel sits right on the back of the case, preventing you from routing the PSU wires behind the mobo tray for clean wiring.
Overall I'd give the Coolermaster Stacker 830 EVO a 9.5/10
I have a Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme heatsink and an Abit IP35 Pro motherboard in the mail so I'll get some pics of a proper finished install up ASAP!
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2029.JPG
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2030.JPG
:slobber:
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2031.JPG
bottom vent
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2033.JPG
I'm hoping that's sufficient case cooling...
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2038.JPG
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2039.JPG
compared to antec 900... nice and big.
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2034.JPG
Motherboard tray, very nice. Makes everything easy! Note the holes for external watercooling :up: Can also be flipped in seconds for BTX operation.
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2035.JPG
4x front USB, front firewire, front AC97/HD audio connectors, standard power/reset switches and LED cables
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2036.JPG
Top exhaust with filtered 120mm fan mount. Can also be replaced with an LED lit hard drive tray if you have one of those fancy raptor X drives
ANTEC TAKE NOTES SECTION
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2037.JPG
FOUR (not 3, Antec) in 3 hard drive adapter with a QUIET blue LED fan
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2057.JPG
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2059.JPG
Side walls of the adapter are removable so that installing the drives is not a nightmare. They screw in easily. Side panels are mounted to blue rubber sound dampeners, which actually work pretty well. My 2x Raptors no longer sound like grinding death!
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2040.JPG
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2041.JPG
RIDIN RIMZ!
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2049.JPG
PSU bracket is a breeze to install
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2053.JPG
Two aluminum "doors" of sorts cover the latches for the vents and are flush with the front when closed (if that makes any sense)
http://sean.nickfire.com/stacker830/IMG_2062.JPG
My current setup :shrug: The Coolermaster PSU I purchased with the case will not work with my MSI board so I have the Enermax on the floor until a real motherboard arrives. Watercooling is also external because it will not fit with a sound card installed.
Overall, working with the case was VERY easy. Everything except the motherboard, PSU, and hard drives are tool-less installs.
Front door is made of nice thick aluminum (unlike the cheap plastic in many cases) and shuts magnetically
Side fan bracket accepts FOUR 80mm, 92mm, 120mm, or 140mm fans. Snap in brackets with dust filters for 120mm fans come stock. Latches to/from the case extremely easily
Side panels are held into place with a very simple lock/unlock tab at the top rear next to the PSU. However, they are not 100% stuck in place and you can move them a slight bit.
Mobo tray once again has one tab and two sliding clamps
The mobo tray, side fan bracket, and front door can all be quickly reversed/flipped to allow for a BTX installation.
PCI slots use thumb screws
5.25" devices lock into place with plastic locks on both sides of the bay. It can also hold smaller 5.25" devices like fan controllers in place without them flying back into the case when touched. Only downside is that CD drives are not 100% stable and they do move back and forth a slight bit in the bays. Fortunately, Coolermaster left openings for screws as well if you wish to use them.
The wheels are a nice addition, seeing as the case weighs a ton with everything installed. Two of them lock so the case doesn't roll all over when you touch it. Be careful when installing them as the screws strip very easily. There are also two recessed handles at the top of the case that can be used for transportation. I'm not quite sure how much I would trust them to carry a full case though, the top panel is secured to the frame with four small screws only.
Every part of the case is made of thick, high quality aluminum. Easily the heaviest aluminum case I've ever had. The build quality, however, is top notch. It's 110% worth the added weight. The exterior of the case is nothing short of gorgeous as well.
The two stock fans are not loud at all and the LED intake fan is not overly bright. A well balanced LED fan :)
With most things, you get what you pay for. Cases are no exception. After 7 years of messing around with cheap cases, I'm glad I've moved on. After spending a day with this case I would be more than willing to pay the full ~200 dollar MSRP for it. The difference in ease of install in a large, well built case and a smaller, budget case is night and day.
PROS
Can run ATX and BTX
Mostly tool-less
cools extremely well
well built
easy and quick to install
removable mobo tray
up to SEVEN fans (4 side, 1 front, 1 rear, 1 top)
bottom vent for more ventilation or easy watercooling install
external watercooling pass through holes
high quality all aluminum construction
Fan filters on the side and top fans
Quiet 4 in 3 HDD adapter
wheels included
handles on the top of the case
CONS
Tool-less installs could be a bit better. The 5.25" locks and side panel locks could be a bit more secure. Doesn't bother me at all but some people might not like how they can move a little.
There is not enough room under the motherboard to fit a radiator + fans on the bottom vent with a sound card or SLI installed. In BTX form however, it should fit fine.
The external watercooling holes are not wide enough to fit 7/16" or 1/2" tubing through without the rubber protectors coming off.
the rear side panel sits right on the back of the case, preventing you from routing the PSU wires behind the mobo tray for clean wiring.
Overall I'd give the Coolermaster Stacker 830 EVO a 9.5/10
I have a Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme heatsink and an Abit IP35 Pro motherboard in the mail so I'll get some pics of a proper finished install up ASAP!